Male R&B/Soul Session Singer

Q: Tell us about a project you worked on you are especially proud of and why. What was your role?

A: I wrote a song with a team for Angie Stone called "First Time" several years ago. I had written for celebrity friends before, but this was my first time writing for a celebrity that I only knew as a celebrity. Of the two songs we wrote for her, this one made it onto the album. Since I contributed the majority of the verse lyrics, I felt especially proud hearing her sing them so passionately.

Q: What are you working on at the moment?

A: Nowadays, I'm doing a lot of features on other artists' projects to be released some time next year. I'm also writing and recording some of my own projects, but I haven't set a deadline for releasing those yet.

Q: What questions do you ask prospective clients?

A: What specific services do you require (singing, songwriting, vocal arranging, etc)? How soon do you need the final product? Ideally, when would you expect to receive the first draft? Do you have any reference material?

Q: If you were on a desert island and could take just 5 pieces of gear, what would they be?

A: My whole studio setup - mic, laptop, keyboard, monitors (if both counts as 1, headphones if not), and a mic stand.

Q: What was your career path? How long have you been doing this?

A: I've been singing professionally for a little more than 20 years, starting in middle school. I started as a member of a signed boy band based in Atlanta. Shortly after that and throughout high school, I started writing and pitching songs for a small record label. I see myself continuing along that path. In fact, I see myself becoming a late-breaker, which is rare in this industry. After high school, I moved to Washington, DC to earn a Bachelor's Degree in Music from Howard University and stayed in the area for about a decade. While there, I sang with a few groups, including Afro Blue, the Howard Gospel Choir, Reverb, and NEWorks. I also sang background vocals for Mya, Mario, Kim Burrell, and Bobby McFerrin, and released an EP called "4 Singles Only!" and an LP called "LOVOLUTION: The Urban Alternative" under the artist name KEV.O. I won Downbeat Magazine awards with Afro Blue, Washington Area Music Awards with Reverb, and an award from Velocity Magazine for "Best Alternative Artist". I also did my first works for major brands - Gap and Banana Republic. Later, I returned to Atlanta for a year and a half, where I was involved in some competitions and landed my first major music credits. While there, I was a semi-finalist on Essence's R&B Star competition and the winner of a round of Steve Harvey's New Star Project. I also wrote and vocal produced a song for Eshe and Omari Hardwick called "You Make Me Wanna", and wrote another song for Angie Stone called "First Time". From there, I moved to Shanghai, China, where I currently work as a vocalist. Since arriving here in 2012, I have worked with major brands, including Jack and Jones, Tiffany & Co., and Piaget; Honda Civic, Mercedes-Benz, Jaguar Land Rover, and Lincoln Navigator; and Huawei.

Q: Which artist would you like to work with and why?

A: Brandy creates some very interesting textures with her voice, both physiologically and technologically, and I would love to see how she does that.

Q: Can you share one music production tip?

A: A vocalist's proximity to the mic is very important. Not only does distance of ones mouth from the mic influence the quality of the recording, but it can also have an emotional impact on the delivery of the song. Singing low and close feels different to the listener than singing loud and far.

Q: What do you bring to a song?

A: Movement and character. No matter the style of the song, I believe the listener should not only feel that they're being taken somewhere, but they should also feel that they know who is taking them there.

Q: What's your typical work process?

A: Client sends an instrumental and any necessary reference material (reference track, notation, lyrics, style, etc). I do a quick session immediately to catch whatever happens organically as I'm listening. Then, I start from the beginning and work my way through the meat and potatoes of what the recording requires. I'm a consistent communicator, and I tend to send clients tagged drafts regularly throughout the recording process. In most cases, the work is returned complete within 48 hours.

Q: Tell us about your studio setup.

A: Super simple. Apogee MiC 96k, Mac Mini M1 fully loaded, Logic Pro X, and an Axiom 49 MIDI controller.

Q: What other musicians or music production professionals inspire you?

A: The firsts that come to mind are J Moss and B Slade, because they're incredible singers who are also instrumentalists/producers. Then, there's Brandy and Kim Burrell for the ear training and vocally challenging riffs. Coldplay, because of how simple, yet layered and complex their compositions can be. I love how Bruno Mars is taking this opportunity to revive some more vintage sounds. Of course Beyoncé...Jazmine Sullivan...all feels.

Q: Is there anyone on SoundBetter you know and would recommend to your clients?

A: I'm pretty new to the platform, but I'm happy to make referrals as I continue building relationships with other members of SoundBetter.

Q: Analog or digital and why?

A: Analog for listening. It's just warmer. Digital for recording. It doesn't warp.

Q: What's your 'promise' to your clients?

A: I promise my full commitment on conviction. If I can't give it 100%, I promise to save you time and money by saying no the moment that is clear to me.

Q: What do you like most about your job?

A: All of it really. I love the challenge of doing different things with my voice and bringing a project to life. I love finding new ways to tell a story or create a mood. I love using my voice as an instrument to build chords or textures that enhance the vibe of a song.

Q: What questions do customers most commonly ask you? What's your answer?

A: Q: How soon can you get the recording back to me? A: Depending on the scope of the project, usually 48 hours. (I often overestimate the time though.) Q: Are you voice recordings mixed before you return them? A: No. All voice recordings are sent completely raw so you have the full freedom to manipulate them as you wish. Q: What services do you offer? A: Singing, songwriting, and vocal arranging.

Q: What's the biggest misconception about what you do?

A: The biggest misconception about me thus far as been that I can do ANYTHING! I'm very versatile, and there are LOTS of things that I CAN do, but there are also a few things that I CAN'T do, and I'm very honest upfront about those things when they come up.

Q: What advice do you have for a customer looking to hire a provider like you?

A: Come with as much information as you can. The more information I have about what you want, the better I can understand how to deliver. At minimum, definitely send reference material in the form of pre-existing songs that demonstrate the particular performance style required, musical notation, and/or a demo recording of the song.

Q: How would you describe your style?

A: As a singer, "dynamic" describes me. Variations in texture, pitch manipulation, vibrato, volume, and shape all help to tell the story. As a writer, "poetic" is the first word that comes to mind; I don't tend to say things plainly in my songwriting, although I can, if that's the most appropriate artistic choice. My writing style can be very instrumental; I may choose certain words more for the shape and texture of the sound and articulation they create within a line of music.

Q: What's your strongest skill?

A: Aside from singing itself, definitely vocal arranging.

Q: Describe the most common type of work you do for your clients.

A: Vocals - lead, background vocal arranging, or background vocal performance (arranged by someone else). I'm also a songwriter (lyrics and topline).

Q: What type of music do you usually work on?

A: Usually Pop and R&B, but I do like to stretch.