Adventures in Vocal Lesson ...

So I recently embarked on taking vocal lessons at Deliverance church in Philadelphia. And really I’ve gotten way more than I bargained for, in a good way. If I’m being honest, I started out taking the class because it was less than the vocal lessons I was looking at, at Temple. But after settling into it, I realized that I might grow much more in a church setting. Well right from the first day, I appreciated how the teacher just made us sing! No fear! I usually spend a lot of time complaining about how much I don’t want to sing before I actually do it, But I could tell there was going to be no room for that in this class. The greatest part about the class is that it’s so much bigger than “learning” how to sing. It is really about the anointing of singing and how to use singing as a tool. She talks about the importance of singing and how singing can pull you through battles. It took away a lot of the shyness I was feeling about my voice. There is something about singing songs for God that makes the importance of the notes fade away. And in that, you end up singing better because you’re not thinking so hard about it. I know a lot more about music than I give myself credit for. I often deal with insecurity in writing music based on the fact that I haven’t had much formal training. For so long I just wanted to understand the music that I hear in my head and be able to translate those musical ideas better to those that can execute it. So what I find in my voice class is not so much that my voice is getting better than it was, I am just gaining more confidence to use what I already had. Don’t get me wrong … reading with sheet music and singing with the piano is still very helpful ear training for me. I can be all kinds of flat and sharp and I am really trying to wrangle in my ear. I’m looking forward to getting in the studio and seeing the difference in my recording.

Dope Writers - Andrea Martin

I have never been a big Melanie Fiona fan. I think that she is a good singer. But quite frankly I never felt like her songs were that great. I couldn't really connect. But then I heard "Gone and Never Coming Back" This was the first Melanie Fiona song that I could actually vibe with and I ended up really digging it.

Recently I stumbled upon the writer of that record, Andrea Martin. Turns out she has written so many hits dating back to early Monica and SWV. Always nice to see women with great catalogs! Men can seem like they dominate the charts sometimes.

Congrats to Melanie on the two GRAMMY wins. Check out Gone and Never Coming Back!

Dope Writers - R. Kelly

Say what you will about R. Kelly in his personal troubles. But one thing remains, he is one of the most talented musicians of our time. R. Kelly is one of those people you just always hoped got it right. He seemed to always be struggling with his spirit and his flesh. I hope that in the wake of such the sudden death of Whitney Houston that many of us will start to choose the spirit.

This song really didn't stick to me until now. I don't think at the time it was released that I really even thought about it as a spiritual record. But in the wake of all the buzz with Whitney's death, I turned on the radio one day and this was playing. It just meant something completely different to me now. Just a beautiful record! And it was written by R. Kelly. I really wanted to hear him kill it at her funeral, but I understand he was emotional. I hope that one day I can hear a version of R. singing this. I feel like it meant a lot for him to do this song with Whitney.

Anyway, Check it out here.

I was just thinking ... It Is Well With My Soul

Have you ever had that moment in life where you feel like you have everything you need? It’s really an amazing feeling. This is not to say I have everything I want, strive and dream for. But the reality is, I have all that I need. Funny in this business you run into so many people and you are constantly networking and finding yourself in situations where people are asking you “So what have you been up to?” It’s as if they’re waiting to be wowed about a huge placement or artist that you’re working with. I have resolved to just saying, “working.” I mean isn’t that what we’re all up to? Writing songs, making records … “I’m doing the same thing you’re doing.” LOL. I’m really looking forward to this year and hoping it will be a break out for me, but I am soooo content. I had the strangest thing happen to me in my vocal class, where my teacher out of nowhere says “yeah I know you are trying to get your funds together for something big but God is saying It is Well.” That really floored me. It really put so much into perspective for me. And these last couple of days, I couldn’t be happier to just be breathing, to wake up every morning, to know there are people that love me, and to continue on my journey in creating music. I am so blessed. And though on the daily I continue to work towards dreams and goals … I realize that I am closer than I think. Most of us in this business dream and harp on when we actually make it, but the reality is, that every day we create we are in the music business, doing the same thing that those that have “made it” are doing. It’s just on a WAY SMALLER scale. Lol. So I am thankful for the opportunity to write music with the talented people surrounding me. I can’t wait until the world catches up!

Here is a rendition of It is Well. It may seem a little dry at first. But listen to the words. And when you read the story of the writer, you really feel it even more! 

I was just thinking ... You in your own way

You’ll only go as far as you want to go. Period. Moving through this business, I find that a lot of people are very focused on staying “true to themselves” and not wanting to bend on a lot of the things that make this industry work. Let me preface this by saying, I am a firm believer in sticking to your beliefs and morals without a shadow of a doubt. But … you also have to realize that this IS a business! There are plenty of people who are very talented musicians and artists who realize that they don’t want to pursue their music professionally. They work a regular job and create music on their own time for fun or therapy or whatever. But at the point where you are trying to make a career out of this thing, you have to know how it works and how to bend on SOME things, NOT ALL but some. For instance, when I first started writing everyone told me that I was too deep and wordy! At first I was defensive because I thought “Most music is crap and has no substance these days.” But what I had to realize was that it took the perfect marriage between a catchy melody and subject matter to make a song more pleasing and enjoyable to a larger audience. I don’t have to start writing explicitly sex kitten songs or write about how much I was balling. All I had to do was find more creative ways of adding substance and work on better melodies to fit my wordiness. I could have hauled off and said “Nah they want me to sell out.” But you have to be smart enough to understand that the people who have been in the game, know what they’re talking about. Find mentors that you trust. I know so many talented writers that didn’t have to compromise their integrity for commercial success, but they did have to learn how to package a product. I believe that the most innovative and legendary musicians in the game did things that people didn’t necessarily agree with or thought would work. But even in their innovation, I think they had to have an understanding of how to manipulate popular opinion. I’m not sure if that makes sense to you all but hey what can I say? I just think you have to give a LITTLE to gain a lot. Don’t be an artist if you don’t want to think about branding and your image and all the other things that come along with making music. Just make music in your basement for your 5 friends that will hear it. But if you are really striving towards something, know that sometimes the advice that people are trying to give you, is for a reason. That’s just my ten cents, but who am I really? Hahaha. 

Songs That Changed Our Lives ... Aisha Winfield

Songs That Changed Our Lives is a brand NEW segment that I am adding to the blog. Each month I am posting a short blurb from a songwriter, producer, or music professional about a song that either changed their life, their career, or their approach to music. Looking forward to sharing these stories with you all. Stay tuned every month for a brand new post!!!

First up ... Aisha Winfield, Creative Consultant, ED of Jill Scott's Blues Babe Foundation and Founder of Jr. Music Executive. Make sure you check out and support her program at www.jrmusicexec.com. Aisha has made helping students obtain careers in the music industry her priority while promoting literacy and continuing education.

"Songs that changed our lives immediately made me think of "Isn't She Lovely" from Songs in the Key of Life by Stevie Wonder. I remember being around 5 years old and my mom playing it for me for the first time… I was dancing around, loving the joy I could feel in the record, then freezing when I heard my name. All I could do was smile and play it over and over again. The lyrics made me feel warm and fuzzy. I felt special when he said my name, even though I knew he wasn't talking about me. Stevie Wonder’s lyrics are simple, but they paint a vivid picture of real life. I made it a point to REALLY listen to the lyrics of every Stevie Wonder song after that. Years later Another Bad Creation with "Iesha" had the opposite effect on my love for lyrics. I couldn't shake that song for a LONG time, and I hated it. "Iesha you are the girl that I never had". For me, those two songs changed my life."

#DopeMusic ... My Chick, My Boo Commentary from Naturel

I am constantly surrounded by some of the most phenomenal people in this music industry. I have been privileged enough to meet an artist named Naturel recently. And he is super dope. Not only is he a beast in the fashion world, he released an album called Momentous, that has a sound like nothing else happening in hip-hop right now. I am definitely a fan! Below you can check out some of his commentary on probably my FAVORITE song from the album!

and check out his site to see all the dope single artwork ... naturelnaturel.com