NEW LEASE MUSIC is very proud to have MONEY B in the hot seat. The former member of Digital Underground has teamed up with Young Hump for single, ‘Come Here’, featuring Too Short and 4Rax.
Check out the video where this veteran emcee talks about his latest single, his close relationship with Tupac Shakur, plans for the rest of 2017…and defends Tupac’s Biopic ‘All Eyez On Me’ from film critics who panned the 2017 production.
CHERRI V made quite an impression here on NEW LEASE MUSIC with her single, ‘Leave Me Be’. The accompanied video was named Music Video of the Week title twice by the blog! I think it’s about time we find out more about this Londoner and the story behind her latest offering.
NLM: First of all, thank you for agreeing to do an interview with NEW LEASE MUSIC.
CV: Hey guys! Thank you so much for having me!
NLM: You recently released a striking visual for single, ‘Leave Me Be’. What’s has been the public’s reception on the track and video so far?
CV: To be honest I’m so surprised! I actually thought it was gonna be more of a mellow vibey thing but I think the lyrics have really resonated! It’s been so nice to hear people compliment the production too as I met the producer ‘Joey Sticks’ from simply sending out a tweet looking for producers to collaborate with! Before we knew it our collaboration was on rotation on the radio and now on MTV Base! The video I’m so proud of and glad we teamed up with Asylum 33 once again to create this visual art. They have such a fresh approach to translating audio to visual and look forward to working with them much more in the future.
I’ve had so many messages about the message of the song and that means THE absolute most to me because the subject has proven to be very relatable yet not so easy to talk about. So it’s been an eye opener for real.
NLM: How was the filming possess for the video (I bet it was fun!)
CV: It was quite a smooth sailing day. I’m fortunate to have a really chilled out glam team so for me that accounts for a lot.
NLM: For the benefit of those who haven’t heard ‘Leave Me Be’, tell us the story behind the single?
CV: I was inspired to write my new single ‘Leave Me be’ whilst I was in Thailand and coming to terms with how I was feeling socially at that moment. I went through stages of beating myself up for not being ‘little miss bubbly’ ALL THE TIME and somewhat being judged for that, for giving off a bad first impression just because I was in a mellow chilled out mood that day. Or having a resting face that wasn’t that inviting cause I was thinking about my entire life an argument I had or what I was gonna cook for dinner the next day lol. A plethora of thoughts. So as I begin to write down what I was feeling to the track, with no filter, it just became a small cry for acceptance explanation and encouragement for others to meet people where they are.
NLM: How would you describe your sound to potential fans?
CV: R&B/Soul
NLM: If you had to collaborate with ONE mainstream artist who would it be?
CV: I’d love to work with Kendrick Lamar. I love his pen, content and style. He is definitely one of the most prolific rappers/Mc’s for me right now. I really admire him. I feel like I’d defiantly walk away with some extra knowledge if I were to have a studio session together…. for now I’ll just listen to “Damn” and dream lol.
NLM: If you had three wishes to change the music industry today, what would they be?
CV: 1 More diversity amongst artists whom major labels decide to sign
2 More females co-signing and working together
3 More recognition for producers and songwriters
NLM: So what are your plans for 2017?
CV: I have a couple more singles up my sleeve … I’m still wrapping up my album
“Brown Eyed Soul” for release in 2018.
Also, I’m sooooo excited about performing at the ‘Black Magic’ awards on Sept 9th at hackney Empire and Ronnie Scott’s on Sept 24th as a Natalie Williams special guest ; ).
NLM: How can potential fans make contact with you?
CV: I’m pretty active on my socials…. of you search Cherri Voncelle you’ll find me on Instagram, Twitter and Snapchat ; )
NLM: Finally, if music didn’t exist, what would you do?
CV: Invent music lol.
Nicki Wells – aka TURYA – made her first entry on NEW LEASE MUSIC with debut single, Rain, which was named Song of the Month by the blog in June. The accompanied video was named Music Video of the Week for two consecutive weeks (check out the chart show on Instagram). With growing interest surrounding the South Londoner, it’s only fair to invite her to the interview hot seat.
NLM: Hey how you doing? Thank you for taking part in an interview with NEW LEASE MUSIC.
T: Thanks for having me.
NLM: First of all, can you tell us the meaning of your stage name Turya?
T: It’s interesting because I was searching for names for ages. I had a list of about 150 names and words and I wanted to have a name that meant something profound to me. I found Turya spontaneously. It is originally a Sanskrit word: ‘Tooriya’. There are several meanings of it, the most commonly known being the Fourth state of consciousness after dreaming, dreamless and waking. But what resonated with me, is that it also means the Silence one experiences after Sound.
I loved the idea of that and wanted the word to manifest my artistic persona in the sense that, after hearing a Turya song, one could be left in a moment of silence…
NLM: Your latest single Rain was the most popular track on NEW LEASE MUSIC in June. What’s the public’s perception of the single beyond the blog?
T: Wow that’s cool, I didn’t know that. Thank you. Well, we’ve had a great response considering it’s the first single I’ve ever released as a solo artist, (as Turya), even though I have done many things as Nicki Wells. So it’s daunting but exciting at the same time. ‘Rain’ has also already been used in a Ridley Scott produced film ‘India in a Day’ which is cool.
NLM: How would you describe your sound?
T: It’s definitely a singer/songwriter approach with folk, soul, cinematic and Indian classical influences.
NLM: Where do you get your inspiration from to create such unique sounds?
T: It’s all a culmination of what I listen to and absorb subconsciously.
NLM: If you were to collaborate with ONE mainstream artist, who would it be and why?
T : Um mainstream, ok… Maybe Ed Sheeran, why not? He writes catchy songs and seems like a down-to-earth kinda guy.
NLM: If you had three wishes to change the music industry today, what would they be?
T : That’s a hard question because it DOES in fact change so quickly. I would probably say I wish it wasn’t so utterly full and saturated. In a way it’s a good thing because there is so much music available for our consumption but now it’s almost become too much because every Tom, Dick or Harry can write, record and upload an album in his bedroom so it can be overwhelming because everyone and their dog wants to do it and be a Taylor Swift or an Ed Sheeran. Lol!
Number 2, to have more support and exposure for upcoming unsigned songwriters and artists and number 3, to have more government funding for young musicians and youth projects to create music.
NLM: So what plans do you have for 2017? Any upcoming gigs or album in the pipeline?
T: I’ve got (drumrolls please) my first gig as Turya on the 25th July at the Union Chapel with Common and Kind, which a fantastic cause about how music creates a sense of unity and integration in these trying times: (Grenfell tower, London Bridge and Manchester incidents). So it’s essentially about artists and musicians coming together to spread good energy and a sense of hope. So I’m happy to be a featured artist in that. And I will eventually do some of my own gigs around London.
NLM: How can potential fans get in touch with you?
T: Facebook: Twitter, Instagram, Spotify
NLM: Finally, if music didn’t exist, what would you do?
T: I would try to make it exist by banging two rocks together to form a sound and then do a repetitive rhythm and then gather my fellow villagers and say: “Guys! Check this out! Now you do it with two rocks and let’s try to do it together!”
NEW LEASE MUSIC welcomes back NINO WES into the interview hot seat for the second time. The award-winning singer/songwriter/producer was last in the Q&A spot in 2014 to discuss his single, ‘You & Only You’. As his latest offering, ‘Destiny’ was the most listened track last month, I think it’s about time we find out what he’s been up to….
NLM: Welcome back to the NEW LEASE MUSIC Interview seat. What have you been up to since the last time we spoke?
NW:Thanks for inviting me back first and foremost, Thank you for your sincere and unconditional support; it means a lot. Things have been a bit different within the last few releases but good nonetheless. I have a new body of work done (an album I guess) I’m just taking my time with releasing things nowadays I’ve been a bit critical, or at least trying too.
NLM: This is your second time in the Q&A spot and I’ve never asked you this question: What’s the story behind your stage name NINO WES?
NW: LOL I’ll put it like this: the polar opposite of Nino Brown.
NLM: Your latest single ‘Destiny’ was the most popular track on NEW LEASE MUSIC last month. What’s the public’s perception of the single beyond the blog?
NW: Thank you again for the support, I’ve gotten good feedback, I believe it’s a bit mixed because the record is not the most moderate but the next release hopefully will generate more
people to listen.
NLM: For those who haven’t had the chance to listen to ‘Destiny’, please tell the story behind the single?
NLM: With this song, I just wanted to be honest, one of those music is therapy moments lol! I didn’t want to come off too dark or what not but for the longest time it was only a feeling that i couldn’t describe and when I finally came to describe it, the song came out as destiny.
NLM: What mainstream or indie artists are you into at the moment?
NW: I’m into a little bit of everything. My taste in music is a bit diverse but R&B is my foundation. Off the top of my head …. Bj The Chicago Kid is dope, and The Weeknd he’s killing it. And Chris
Brown, still can’t deny his talent.
NLM: If you had three wishes to change the music industry today, what would they be?
NW: That’s a good one….I’m not really sure, but I would really like to see artists just be
themselves.
NLM: So what plans you have for 2017? Any upcoming gigs or album in the pipeline?
NW: Yup, I’m taking one step at a time, one show at a time. I do have an album done but haven’t
decided when to release it. In the meantime, I’m engineering with other artists, and trying to expand, more behind the scenes. I’ve always been into production.
NLM: If music didn’t exist, what would you do?
NW: if music didn’t exist, neither would I!
How can potential fans reach you?
NW: IG and Twitter – all @ninowes
SOPHIE LONGSHAW is well on her way to becoming one of NEW LEASE MUSIC’s new favourites. Not only the flame-haired songstress bagged of herself the Music Video of the Week title for latest single ‘Hold You’ – for two consecutive weeks – her previous effort, ‘In the Morning’ was also featured on NEW LEASE MUSIC’S Top Ten Songs of 2016. I think it’s about time we find out more about this star-on-a-very-steady-rise.
NLM: Hey how you doing? Thanks for taking part in an interview with NEW LEASE MUSIC
SL: Hey! Not too bad thank you, I can’t believe Summer is here. Thanks for having me!
NLM: First of all, I wanted ask you about your latest single ‘Hold You’ – which was the most popular track on NEW LEASE MUSIC back in March – what was the public perception of the single beyond the blog?
SL: Yeah it did incredibly well. I think people were surprised to hear something that wasn’t indie-folk and a little bit different to my other tracks. It’s got a real punch to it and it’s the track I get the most messages and comments about!
NLM: Your single ‘In the Morning’ was ranked #8 on NEW LEASE MUSIC’s Top Ten Songs of 2016. Have a generated other accolades elsewhere? Please share!
SL: That’s nuts! The video for it premiered on Gigwise and we were No.1 trending for over a week. I’ve had the most amazing messages where fans have told me they really connected with the song and it helped them through difficult times in their life. For me, knowing my music can help someone is an accolade for me.
NLM: You’ve cranked up quite an impressive discography! What’s your favourite track to date and why?
SL: Definitely ‘Let’s Go To The Beach’! When I first started writing it, it was a private letter to myself to get through a tough time and now it’s my most listened to track on Spotify! I love playing it live, I’ve seen people slow-dancing to it and the love you feel in the room at that moment is unreal.
NLM: How would you describe your sound to potential fans?
SL: I guess you’d say soulful indie-folk with a modern twist.
NLM: If you were to collaborate with just ONE chart-topping artist of today, who would it be and why?
SL: She’s not exactly chart-topping but I absolutely ADORE her… and that person is Lianne La Havas. She is so so so talented. I don’t know anyone else who can hold an audience like she can. What a woman.
NLM: If you had three wishes to change the music industry today, what would they be?
SL: *Creating quality music takes time and it’s a shame that unless you’re selling millions of albums you just can’t make a living so I’d say higher rates for streaming and YouTube views. No-one wants to pay for music anymore but unfortunately we can’t make music all our lives for nothing.
* EQUALITY FOR MEN AND WOMEN!!! More women in higher jobs with better pay – Vanessa Knight is a prime example. She mentored me at the start of all of this and I think she is just fantastic…. she runs her own label, has managed and helped many artists and I think we need more women like her. It hasn’t been an easy road for her but slowly but surely we are paving the way to equality.
* Unfortunately to get anywhere these days you need the image. I’d want press to change completely. Image isn’t everything and I am so sick and tired of seeing polished photoshopped artists all over magazines and the internet. Critiques of female artists often refer to their appearance as well as their musical ability which is ludicrous!
NLM: So what plans you have for 2017? Any upcoming gigs or album?
SL: No plans for an album as of yet, but we’ve definitely got a few singles in the pipeline… watch this space…
NLM: How can potential fans reach you?
SL: If you want to have a little listen to my tracks you can search “Sophie Longshaw” into Spotify, iTunes, Amazon, Soundcloud and YouTube.
If you wanna keep up with what I’m up to, you can find me on the usual social media outlets (Facebook, Twitter and Instagram).
NLM: Finally, If music didn’t exist, what would you do?
We’d probably have turned into some mutant zombies by now if music didn’t exist. What a dull world that would be! If I wasn’t writing songs I’d be writing anything and everything!
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