Posts Tagged ‘music producer’

Interview: Julie Frost – Singer, Songwriter and Producer

Posted: January 27, 2012 in interview, music
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Date of Interview: 01/27/2012

Julie Frost is known internationally for her songwriting and music production talents. Her recent Golden Globe win in 2011 for “Best Original Song in a Soundtrack” (Madonna’s “Masterpiece” from W.E.) follows her 2010 win at the Eurovision Song Contest as the competition’s first American victor. The winning selection: “Satellite,” a song performed by Lena Meyer-Landrut and co-written with Dane John Gordon, which debuted at number-one in Germany and attained double-platinum certification.

The life journey of Julie Frost – from rural Vermont to the sunny skies of Los Angeles – is just as diverse as her music catalog. Her discography includes songs by the Black Eyed Peas (“Just Can’t Get Enough”), Beyonce Knowles (“Countdown”), Pitbull (“Castles Made of Sand”) and Cody Simpson (“On My Mind”). Shortly after her Golden Globe recognition, Julie Frost managed to squeeze some time out of her busy schedule and settle down for an interview with Clayton Perry – reflecting on her mother’s love of John Taylor, her father’s songwriting advice, and the music scene in Chicago – the city of her “musical birth.”

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Interview: Skylar Grey – Singer, Songwriter and Producer

Posted: January 19, 2012 in interview, music
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Date of Interview: 01/19/2012 (Part 1) + 08/17/2011 (Part 2)

The non-conforming spirit of Skylar Grey may be the key to her musical genius. With five GRAMMY nominations secured over two productive years, it is easy to forget that Skylar’s songwriting talents have bolstered the careers of established acts, while crafting the blueprint for her “takeover” of the music establishment. Invinsible, a portmanteau of “invisible” and “invincible”, will serve as the singer-songwriters major label debut.

Prior to the album’s launch, KIDinaKORNER Records and Interscope Records released The Buried Sessions of Skylar Grey. The digital EP features raw cuts of her songs previously performed by Diddy-Dirty Money (“Coming Home”) and Lupe Fiasco (“Words I Never Said”), as well as Eminem and Rihanna (“Love the Way You Lie”). In support of the Buried Sessions and the highly-anticipated release of Invinsible, Skylar Grey squeezed some time out her busy schedule in order to settle down for a two-part interview with Clayton Perry – reflecting on Kaskade’s “Room for Happiness” remixes, the quality time spent with Marilyn Manson, and self-discovery in the process of finding comfort in one’s skin.

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Interview: Mateo – Singer, Songwriter and Producer

Posted: November 9, 2011 in interview, music
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Date of Interview: 11/09/2011

Considering the amount of formal and informal music training Mateo has received over the years, it may be unsurprising that the crossroads of his professional journey would intersect with those of Kerry “Krucial” Brothers, a long-time collaborator with Alicia Keys and the co-founder of KrucialKeys Enterprise. As the member of a highly-musical family, in addition to his business and music concentrations at Morehouse College, the care and precision of Mateo’s entry into entertainment’s saturated industry is guided by a “blueprint” established by Alicia Keys, a contemporary artist who has managed to have longevity in an ever-evolving marketplace.

To be certain: all great things take time to grow and develop. But in retrospect, the universal appeal of his current single, “Say It’s So,” hints of an artist whose bright light has finally been freed from darkness.

During a promotional campaign for Love & Stadiums, Mateo managed to squeeze some time out of his busy schedule and settle down for an interview with Clayton Perry – reflecting on the importance of his Morehouse experience, his perspective on “urban modernism” and the musical standard set by his grandfather, Freddy Jordan (of King Records).

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Interview: Kerry “Krucial” Brothers – Songwriter, Producer and Entrepreneur

Posted: November 9, 2011 in interview, music
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Date of Interview: 11/09/2011

Kerry “Krucial” Brothers epitomizes the classic example of the ever-present, yet semi-elusive man that works all of his magic “behind the scenes.” As the co-founder of KrucialKeys Enterprise, his musical collaborations with Alicia Keys have generated millions of album sales worldwide. After a decade of faithful and relatively exclusive production services for Keys, “Krucial” has focused his time, energy and talents on the development of Mateo – a singer, songwriter and musician from Cincinatti, Ohio.

Considering the successful track record “Krucial” has maintained thus far, expectations are running high for Mateo and his Krucial Noise debut, following the rave reviews linked to Love & Stadiums, the singer’s critically-acclaimed mixtape.

In the midst of a promotional campaign for Love & Stadiums II, Kerry “Krucial” Brothers managed to squeeze some time out of his busy schedule and settle down for an interview with Clayton Perry – reflecting on his love of poetry, his personal connection to classical music and a decade of significant success.

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Interview: Benny Benassi – Deejay, Producer and Remixer

Posted: July 12, 2011 in interview, music
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Benny BenassiDate of Interview: 07/12/2011

From the outset of Benny Benassi’s professional journey, the spaces and places framing his musical landscape have grown smaller and smaller. In this new millennium, physical distance is no match against the technological forces driving the creativity between two or more collaborative bodies. The discography of Benassi is the perfect illustration: a kaleidoscope of genres crafted by an Italian GRAMMY Award-winning artist.

With the release of Electroman, Benny Benassi substantiated his love of hip-hop, which is often overshadowed by his status and influence on the electronic dance music scene. In support of this effort, Benny Benassi squeezed some time out of his busy schedule and settled down for an interview with Clayton Perry – reflecting on the global emergence of hip-hop, European club culture and his musical partnership with his cousin, Alle Benassi.

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Interview: Warryn Campbell – Producer Extraordinaire

Posted: May 6, 2011 in interview, music
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Warryn CampbellDate of Interview: 05/06/2011

When all things are considered, great music is quite simply great music. As a result, Warryn Campbell’s production talents have defied musical categorization – fluttering effervescently between the lines of hip-hop, Gospel and R&B. The diversity of his discography speaks for itself: Alicia Keys, Luther Vandross, Jennifer Hudson, R. Kelly, Yolanda Adams.

Warryn Campbell is also the founder of My Block Records, whose roster includes artist such as Mary Mary and Kelly Price. With the recent release of these artists’ respective albums, Something Big and Kelly, Warryn Campbell managed to squeeze some time out of his busy schedule and settle down for an interview with Clayton Perry – reflecting on his internship at Death Row Records, the founding of My Block Records, and his production contribution to Our Stories Films’ Jumping the Broom.

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Interview: Bobby V – Singer, Songwriter and Producer

Posted: March 8, 2011 in interview, music
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Bobby VDate of Interview: 03/08/2011

For the bulk of Bobby V’s career, he has been stuck at a crossroad typical of every young R&B artist: how does one pay homage to the traditions of R&B’s glorious past, while connecting to a generation born-and-raised on hip-hop music? Straddling this line with great deft, the music catalog of Bobby V has been sprinkled with guest features from rappers like Lil’ Wayne (“Mrs. Officer”) and Plies (“Phone #”), alongside R&B veterans like R. Kelly (“Words [Remix]”) and Raphael Saadiq (“Wish List”). These pseudo-schizophrenic impulses are the by-product of a music landscape that makes little room for multiple – or conflicting – images of black masculinity. Either you’re “this” or “that” – and Bobby V is neither.

Bobby V’s determination to succeed is evident in a 15-year career that has been dedicated to music. And with four albums to his credit, he shows no signs of slowing down. In the midst of a promotional campaign for Fly on the Wall, Bobby V managed to squeeze some time out of his busy schedule and settle down for an interview with Clayton Perry – reflecting on his growth as a singer, Timbaland’s influence on his production, and the future of his Blu Kolla label.

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Interview: KEM – Singer, Songwriter and Producer

Posted: January 20, 2011 in interview, music
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KEMDate of Interview: 01/20/2011

In a world inundated with Auto-Tune singing and GarageBand beats, KEM has managed to create a space in the contemporary marketplace for his jazz-inspired music to thrive and survive. And since 2003, to the surprise of industry prognosticators, his first two solo projects – Kemistry and Album II – attained gold status. KEM’s third project, Intimacy: Album III, would become his best-performing album on Billboard’s Top 200 Chart.

Intimacy: Album III features “What Would You Say,” a heart-wrenching ballad that garnered two nominations at the 53rd Annual Grammy Awards: “Best Male R&B Vocal Performance” and “Best R&B Song.” In preparation for “music’s biggest night,” which takes place a few days before the start of his headlining Intimacy tour, KEM managed to squeeze some time out of his busy schedule and settle down for an interview with Clayton Perry – reflecting on the decline of live instrumentation, the importance of authenticity, and his “ironic” signing with Motown Records.

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Interview: James Blunt – Singer, Songwriter and Producer

Posted: January 10, 2011 in interview, music
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James Blunt

Date of Interview: 01/10/2011

James Blunt – in life, style and demeanor – stands as the perfect antithesis of what could be called the “modern rock star.” With international sales of 18 million records, however, such a statement might be considered quite the paradox.

Blasting onto the music scene behind the massive success of “You’re Beautiful,” James Blunt has toured the world, as well as the contours of his soul. The abrupt and wide-ranging musical and thematic changes on his first two albums, Back to Bedlam and All the Lost Souls, represent the internal and external influences that came to shape his personal and professional lives. Some Kind of Trouble represents a bright, new chapter.

On January 18, 2011, Some Kind of Trouble will find its way to the United States via Custard and Atlantic Records. In the midst of a promotional campaign for this milestone album, James Blunt managed to squeeze some time out of his busy schedule and settle down for an interview with Clayton Perry – reflecting on his Kosovo experience, the influence of Linda Perry and the inspiration he has found on the Spanish island of Ibiza.

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Interview: Christina Perri – Singer, Songwriter and Producer

Posted: October 28, 2010 in interview, music
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Christina PerriDate of Interview: 10/28/2010

When you wish upon a star, sometimes dreams really do come true. Such was the case with Christina Perri, who received nation-wide exposure – through no act of her own – on So You Think You Can Dance, when her song “Jar of Hearts” was passed on to Stacey Tookey, a choreographer for the show. And as is the case with all fairy tales, one thing led to another, and Christina Perri landed a last-minute replacement gig on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, which cemented her status as an artist to watch in 2010 and beyond.

In support her debut EP, The Ocean Way Sessions, which was released on November 9, 2010, Christina Perri managed to squeeze some time out of her busy schedule and settle down for an interview with Clayton Perry – reflecting on the musical influence of her brother, the video treatment for “Jar of Hearts,” and the steep learning curve in the aftermath of her Jay Leno appearance.

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