Interview: MCX Showcase Part 2 ft Tatiana 'LadyMay' Mayfield

The Texan born Tatiana ‘LadyMay’ Mayfield is certainly a breath of fresh air. With her jazz foundations, soul influences and stunning vocal tone she is definitely a talented young lady. Lady May (as she is named) has been singing and playing jazz music from a young age. She has performed in front of the iconic Al Jarreau, Diane Reeves, Patti Austin, Dee Dee Bridgewater and Kirk Elling in 2010 when she was chosen as one of twelve to compete in the prestigious Thelonious Monk International Jazz Vocals Competition in Washington D.C. LadyMay has also opened for many well known acts such as Kirk Whalum, Randy Brecker and Dave Valentin. With two albums under her belt; ‘From All Directions’ (2009) and ‘A Portrait of LadyMay’ (2012) she is well on her way to establishing an amazing career.  We recently had a chance to talk to the young songstress before she travels to the UK and get to know more about her.

CC:  What is your first memory of singing?

LM: You know you have the wind up toys/music boxes? I used to sing to mine all the time when I was a little girl. There was a toy in particular that would sing the theme to the movie ‘Babes in Toyland’ and I used to make up a little songs to it all the time. I would sing when I was outside playing and just entertain myself when I was alone and no one else was around. My mom took notice of all of that and was like ‘we might have a singer here’ a lot of times I wouldn’t even realise I was doing it, it would just come out.

CC:  Who are your biggest influences music wise?
 

LM:  Lets start with my Jazz people; Nancy Wilson, Natalie Cole, Ella Fitgerald, Sarah Vaughan, Diana Washington. On the soul side, I would say Aretha Franklin, Stevie Wonder, Michael Jackson, all of those people. Jill Scott, I absolutely adore her. I really like Amel Larrieux also. Eric Benet, I love him! I really like Maxwell. I have a big list of people. I love so many people. There have been a lot of artists who have influenced me. Vivian Green is another one. She is excellent.

CC:  How do you go about the songwriting process?
 

LM: My process is probably a little weird or a little different from others. Even though I am a vocalist I function like more of an instrumentalist. I’m not sure if it has anything to do with how I studied or what it is. I started out singing but I also played trombone all through middle school, I actually started playing piano and trombone at about the same time at about 11 years old. Since then that’s really effected how I write. Generally I will come up with a musical idea. I’ll start with the melody, something simple, and funnily enough a lot of times things come to me in the car. My trip to my job is about 50 minutes so I sing my ideas into my phone, take it home, and add the chord changes to it. So then I’ve got my melody and my chord changes, then after that I’ll just keep that on the brain, get my notebook with all my lyrics in it and start coming up with lyrical ideas based on how the music makes me feel. Is it a dark sad vibe? Or is it bright and happy? Is it in-between? And then I will try and decide what I want it to be about.

Really lyrics are the hardest thing for me to write. I don’t consider myself to be the best lyrical writer. Its such a process for me and with the last album it was the first time that I had put out something which I had written. My own original material. I was so used to doing other peoples material and Jazz standards and I thought ‘you know what, I want to do my own thing and show people that I can compose and write also’. It really depends on what is happening in my life at the time, so for me with that album, there was a lot going on at the time in my life and that album was a reflection of that. It was a very personal experience, which is why I named it ‘Portrait of LadyMay’ because it really was a portrait of me at that time. I tried to capture myself and write on personal experience. What I am trying to challenge myself to do right now is to write on things that aren’t necessarily personal to me but maybe I have friends who are going through something and I try and write about that.

CC:  How did you go about finding your own sound?

LM: I would say that that came quite naturally to me. I’ve always been quite self aware I would say. In how I sound I have always tried to create my own thing. I mean I have a million influences and music was always around me all the time so it was a constant influence but I have tried my best to not sound like someone else. I don’t really think I could, as I am not the best impersonator anyway (laughs) so it did come naturally. I will combine elements from different people I like listening to so you may be able to tell who I’ve been listening to lately but it’s not like a direct thing.

CC:  Describe one of your favourite performances so far?

LM: I would have to say one of my best performances, which I felt really good about - I sing at this club called the ‘Scat Jazz Lounge’ in Fort Worth Texas and it’s a great Jazz club. In the past year my rapport has grown in the area and every time I go there now it sells out, which is such an honour for me! I had a birthday show, I like to do a birthday celebration, I had a show there for my birthday in 2012 and everybody came. Like everyone and their mom showed up! It felt so good that night. The energy was great. Everyone sounded great on the bandstand. I mean I’m very moved by the musicians which are playing with me, we all vibe off of each other and if we don’t have that then its really hard for me to perform the way I want to. I really cherish that musical relationship I have with the guys on stage with me. That night I swear it was magical. The energy in the room was amazing. Everyone that was there really wanted to be there. My family were there, my friends, my teachers were there. I have great relationships with all of my music teachers, my band directors from high school, my voice teacher, my piano teacher, I had amazing teachers growing up, I was very blessed to have that and they were all there. It was so nice.

CC:  With this being the first time you will be performing in the UK, what are you looking forward to the most? 

LM: I have always heard that the warmness of the culture and the people there in London with regard to music is great. I am also really looking forward to meeting people. Looking forward to singing in front of a different crowd, people who have never seen me before. They may have heard of me or may not have. I am really looking forward to more than anything, being seen and heard and welcomed by people that are not from Texas. Its such a different vibe, coming to London. They say that coming to London people really make you feel good and feel welcomed and really listen to you. It depends on where you are, but you don’t necessarily get that here in the States. You may be at a club here and everyone is talking really loud. I mean I’m sure it can get like that anywhere, but my understanding is that audiences in the UK are really appreciative and receptive of artistic music. That’s a big thing for me, sometimes its hard here to find audiences that are receptive of jazz and soul music.

CC:  When it comes to creating your music and writing, how much of a role do the fundamentals of Jazz music play within the process? 

LM: A huge big part of that process! Educationally I don’t feel like I would be able to write the way I do had I not had my jazz education. It’s just a different way to think about and approach composition and writing. It plays a big role in me figuring out how I want the direction of the chords to go, how I want the melody to be. Do I want the melody to be complicated or to be simple? I tend to steer towards simple as its more relatable rather than making it way to complicated so that people are like ‘wait what?’. And honestly my mind doesn’t function in a way that’s that complicated, some people would probably argue with that (laughs) but I really try to write in a fairly simple way with just enough complexity so that it will intrigue the audience. 

CC:  Musically what’s the best piece of advice you have been given?

LM: Don’t be too complicated, be simple. Sometimes simplicity is best. Or pick which parts you want to be complicated. Do you want the music to be complicated or do you want the message to be complicated? Which one is more important for the song?

CC:  What advice would you give to aspiring singer/ songwriters? 

LM: Not to be too cliche here but just be yourself. Be yourself musically.  I have been told so many times in my life ‘oh you sing jazz? No one is gonna dig that! Nobody cares, nobody is gonna like that. You should probably just do something else like pop music or whatever’. I really felt like, if God gives you a gift of something then you make it work for you. I have always felt this is me and I can only be me. If you can stay true to yourself I really believe things will work out for you. The biggest thing I will say is get the education!  There is the big divide in the community between singers and musicians, because a lot of times singers will lack the knowledge that an instrumentalist will have but its so important to seek that knowledge and get it yourself. That education will make your song writing better, you can communicate with musicians better and be able to let them know exactly what you want musically. When you don’t have that knowledge its really hard to communicate with people about how best to treat your music.

CC:  What was the last track you listened to?

LM: Eric Benet ‘Summer Love’ from the album ‘Lost in Time’. His daughter is singing on the track too and it’s a lovely track. I had a weird music week; I’ve been listened to some old school Janet from 1993. Jamming to some Janet.

CC:  What’s your preference: Download, CD, tape or Vinyl? 

LM: I love vinyl’s. There is just something about that whole old school vibe. But I honestly still like CD. I love the booklets. I like to be able to read. People don’t really do liner notes as much as they used to but I love to read all of the liner notes, productions notes, who played on it, who was in the background and the thank you’s. I’m the weird person who reads it all. It’s definitely a lost art form because people aren’t buying CD’s anymore. That’s the only thing I hate about digital music. For example on my album I really wanted to put all the stuff that was on my booklet for the CD, as I had like a 12 page booklet this time, I went all out. I got a guy to do my liner notes. He was a former writer for ‘Down Beat’ and ‘Jazz Times Magazine’ in the States. However I didn’t put lyrics in there because of the space it would take up. I really wanted to make sure that all of that was there in the PDF on the download but I wasn’t able to do it. It’s really difficult for independent artists to include all of that because unless you are with a major, its not supported. I really wanted everyone to see the booklet as I have such beautiful album art work in there. There is a portrait in there which was done by a local painter and its of me and its absolutely beautiful, looks so like me and I have that actually printed on the CD itself. I felt it was so appropriate for the album as it was called ‘Portrait of LadyMay’. I miss that for sure having the album and the liner notes.

CC:  Describe your perfect day? 

 

LM: My perfect day would be a day where I didn’t have to do anything. I could wake up whenever. Get dressed, listen to some music, have a nice breakfast or something, take my dog for a walk. Talk to friends and family, call my sister and people that I love speaking to. Yeah the perfect day is a day where I have nothing to do (laughs). At this point in my life, honestly I would love to have a day where I could just do whatever. If I wanted to go and hang out at the mall without having to buy something for a gig or I'd like to go meet friends for coffee. I would love to see friends; I don’t have that much opportunity to see friends anymore because life is so busy for everyone. Being able to just completely relax, watch some old movies. I love old black and white movies. Me and my mom will do that together and watch Alfred Hitchcock, which comes on this one station every night at about eleven pm. That would definitely be the perfect end to my perfect day.

It was a pleasure to get the opportunity to speak with LadyMay, she is a wonderfully warm and friendly person with an happy spirit which comes across in conversation even when said conversation is 4000 miles apart over Skype. A true talent who is destined for greatness. We are excited to welcome her to London town and see her perform on the MusicConnex stage this Saturday. 

See you there!

Article By: Claire Cripps

#MCX Alumni - Monique Thomas

We first met Monique Thomas in 2011 when she appeared as a part of the very first MusicConnex showcase at Under The Bridge. Right from the start we fell in love with her voice, as well as her obvious songwriting talent. The Birmingham native released debut album ‘Unbroken’ in 2011, produced by hit maker Tony Bean (Kelly Rowland) and Monique had a tremendous response to the project. We recently sat down with her to see what she had been up to since we last saw her and what she’s working on now.

CC: Hi Monique, What have you been up to?

MT: I’ve been doing a lot of singing and doing various shows. I’ve been songwriting and also writing quite a lot of dance music. I even had a top ten in Australia! Universal Australia licensed the song ‘Colourful’ and that was released in Australia and Europe. Remixes were done of that track and one of those placed in the Top Ten charts in Australia which was really cool.

CC: What can we expect to hear from you over the next year? 

MT: I’ve also been working on a new project lately. I was able to go full time as a musician in the last few months and we have just started a tour on the 22^nd June. This tour is called ‘Full Circle’ and its pre album. I feel like it’s a great chance to introduce myself to people, with this new sound and really get the ball rolling ahead of a new project, which is an album scheduled for release in the spring of next year.

It’s going to be a Contemporary RnB/ Soul album. It’s a real mixed bag in some respects. It’s very different from the previous sound, a very current feel. Writing is so important for me so you’re always going to have great lyrical content. It’s a lot edgier, a lot fresher, and more urban I would say.

CC: As you mentioned, you are already on the ‘Full Circle’ Tour at the moment, what are you most excited for people to hear during this tour? 

MT: Just to introduce myself to people and make people aware of who Monique Thomas is. Being able to connect with people on the live stage is so different. I have a full band with me, which always makes for lots of fun. It’s an opportunity for people to hear and experience the new material but also to understand where I was really coming from with the old material as well. The older sound is not defining me right now and I think it’s really nice for people to be able to see my journey. I’ve been singing for a long time and for a lot of people, they may think I’ve come out of nowhere. I am really looking forward to the London date. 

CC: How can people find out more?

MT: I will be appearing on the London leg of the ‘Full Circle’ tour this coming Thursday (18^th July) at Vibe Bar so I would love to see everyone come and get involved with that.

You can also find me: Web/ Facebook/ Twitter/ Instagram/ Soundcloud

For press and enquiries, please get in contact - info@moniquemusic.com

Special thanks to Monique for taking the time out of her busy schedule to catch up with us ahead of her London tour date this Thursday. Its sure to be an amazing show!

Article By: Claire Cripps

#MCXAlumni - Chidi

MusicConnex Alumni has been set up to highlight the achievements of artists who has come through our doors and performed at one of our previous showcases.

One such artist and alumnae is Chidi who performed at our 2012 Summer Showcase at Adam Street Private Members’ Club.
Since then, Chidi has launched her album ‘Exhale' which features the hot track 'Wrong Again' and continues to work with various producers on tracks for collaboration projects, compilation albums and a few duet tracks.

She also informs us that she's been working with The One Show Team up and down the country as a Vocal Coach which she is really enjoying; and if that wasn't enough she's also busy on the festival circuit and recently performed on the Hip Shakers Stage  at the Isle of Wight Festival on 15th June and left the crowd begging for more!

Check out her official website for all the details of her  forthcoming performances.

Chidi tells us there's a new EP on the horizon due for release later this year. (You heard it here first!)

Well done Chidi. Keep up all the great work.
We’re proud to have you as a #MCXAlumni member.

 Article by: MCX Team

 

Interview: MCX Showcase Part 2 ft Shan Smile

Recently we sat down with the young talent that is Shan Smile. With only a matter of weeks to go until the MusicConnex July showcase where Shan will be taking the stage, she was understandably excited.

Shan Smile is a singer/songwriter from South London. Having attended the famous Brit School, Shan is now studying Music at Middlesex University.

CC: Can you tell us about one of your first memories of singing?

SS: When I was at my Secondary School at a talent competition. I sang 'I love your Smile' by Shanice, which is who I was named after. My sister was also in the competition and it was such a great experience and from that is where my love of music started to grow.

CC: What made you decide you would like to take your training to another level and attend a music school?

SS: I suppose it was going to Chestnut Grove Secondary School and from taking part in competitions and pretty much anything to do with music - I was involved with so much musically, even playing the trumpet in the orchestra, from there I felt like I had reached a limit musically at Chestnut Grove so someone suggested I apply to The Brit School and that's how that started.

CC: What influence has your training at The Brit School had on you as an artist?

SS: A big influence! It's encouraged me to do things for yourself. Taught me about how to work with people and working as a team. It's also made me enjoy it so much more.

CC: Who are your biggest influences music wise?

SS: I have so many. I am influenced by a lot of things and people and artists. I can't really put a finger on it because I have such a big play list. There are so many artists on there. I would say at different times, different people influence me. My dad has definitely introduced me to so many artists; Sam Cooke, Michael Jackson and those types of artists.

CC: How do you go about the songwriting process?

SS: I always sit down and just play my guitar and so much can come from that. Or if i see something happening, or someone going through something, or if I am going through something, I will sit down with my guitar, write and let it flow.

 

CC: How did you go about finding your own sound?
 
SS: When I started at the Brit School, I started guitar lessons and it took me about 4 years to learn to play properly and be able to accompany myself. So from that, gigging, writing with people etc, that's where my sound developed. In fact it's still developing.

CC: Describe one of your favourite performances so far?
SS: My launch was on the 22nd of May that was an amazing experience.

CC: How do you get ready for a performance?

SS: I pray and I try to stay happy. I try not to be nervous. I analyse my surroundings to work out how to perform in that space. I rehearse and then just try to enjoy it. You have to enjoy it. That's the most important thing.

CC: If you could collaborate with any other artist dead or alive, who would if be and why?

SS: I would say Michael Jackson or Sam Cooke. Sam Cooke's voice is so touching, I find his voice amazing. The soulfulness of it is just amazing. Michael Jackson? I would have loved to be able to go into the studio and write a song with him.

CC: Musically what’s the best piece of advice you have been given?

SS: No one else can invest in your dream more than you can.

CC: What advice would you give to an aspiring singer/ songwriters?

SS: Practise, practise, practise!

CC: What do you see in your future?

SS: I see more projects being released. Me collaborating with more people. Songwriting and touring I hope.

CC: What was the last track you listened to?

SS: The gospel song 'I Trust You Lord' by Donnie McClurkin or it could've been Chaka Khan!

CC: Describe your perfect day?

SS: In the sun, in the park, with my loved ones, with my guitar, jamming and having a laugh. Oh and food of course!

It was a pleasure to be able to get to know more about this budding talent and we are very excited to see Shan Smile perform at the next showcase! Tickets are available now on the website, we look forward to seeing you there!

Article By: Claire Cripps

New Music: Omar 'The Man'

The amazing Omar released his latest album titled 'The Man' on June 24th accompanied by two shows in the same week at the famous Jazz Cafe. So far the word on this album has been strong. Strong to the point that industry insiders are dubbing this the strongest Omar album to date!

Omar first came on the scene in 1991 and has a whole body of work to show for it as well as having worked with many of the hottest artists of our time since then, including Erykah Badu and Common, to name but two. This UK artist has had an impact far and wide since the early 90s and continues to grow his substantial reach with this latest album.

The first single released from this album was its namesake 'The Man'. This single was very well received and was on heavy rotation by both Giles Peterson and Trevor Nelson amongst other influential DJ's.

Our favourites?

'The Man' 

The riff on this track just pulls you in immediately. Its driven and deliberately paced. The way in which Omar has created the melody line over this just adds such a driven energy to this track. In typical Omar style this energy still manages to allow you to chill back and almost lay on the beat like a hammock. We love this track.

'Treat You' ft Caron Wheeler

With a funky beat and soft melody line, this is really an ideal track for summer. It takes your mind to a warm summers day with friends creating memories and laughing the night away. Add to that the undeniable power of Caron Wheeler and you have yourself a perfectly sculpted soul track.

'Bully' ft The Scratch Professor

Latin sauciness resides inside the beat of this track. Coupled with the use of the falsetto from Omar and you are sure to be getting up from your seat to shake a little something. Or shake a lot of something. Shake either way!

'There's Nothing Like This' ft Pino Palladino

I adore this version. Pino Palladino is a pure master and this version is simply perfection. I am so glad they decided to do this.

We were interested to see what the new album would give us and we are pleased to say it is a tremendous collection of music. This really is a fantastic album and we would highly recommend adding it to your collection asap. Summer just got a lot more soulful. 

Article By: Claire Cripps

Interview: MCX Showcase Part 2 ft Reese Robinson

We recently sat down with the talented young singer Reese Robinson to get to know a little more about her before she appears at the MusicConnex showcase on July 20^th.  When we spoke, Robinson was preparing for a night full of rehearsals for the many upcoming shows she will be involved in over the next two weeks. 

CC: Tell us about one of your first memories of singing?

 

RR: My first memory of singing, I must have been about 7 and a solo came up in the school nativity play which was Silent Night and it was to play the Angel Gabriel. I went for it and I got it and I just remember being on stage and my Auntie bursting into tears. Really embarrassing.

CC: You were classically trained from a young age, how has this helped you as a vocalist?

RR: When my mum first suggested it to me, I was dead against it. I thought it would be really boring, take up too much of my time etc. But now, it’s really given me a good basis and a good understanding of how to use my voice. Understanding that actually this is an instrument and its not just here to make fun pop music but actually I can use it in different ways depending on what the genre is or whatever the task at hand. From that side its been nothing but helpful.
 

CC: Who would you say are your biggest influences music wise?

RR: My first was my Aunt, who is a professional singer. I remember watching her from a really young age, when she was on stage and feeling like ‘I really want to do that’. She would sing "I Will Always Love You" and bring the house down every night. So after hearing her sing that, I really wanted to be able to do that! Listening to the whole Bodyguard soundtrack age ten (trying to learn it). Now, Kim Burrell is a huge inspiration to me. She is a just amazing. To the point where I don’t even necessarily want to learn it, I just want to sit back and listen. It’s amazing what she is able to do with her vocal.  Also you can’t help but be influenced by people like Beyonce, who has taken this music thing and turned it into an art form. The woman is a dynamo. Whether you enjoy the music she is creating or not, you cannot fault her talent and business acumen.

CC: How do you go about the songwriting process?

RR: I’m very much lead by inspiration. If I hear something that I like, paper, pen and I’m done in 20 minutes! It’s always been like that. I find it quite difficult to write cold, because for me writing is about more than putting words on a page. It’s about sharing a story or conveying a message. So for me inspiration is the key.

CC: How did you go about finding your own sound?

RR: That took years! I started recording in a group and we used to go to the studio, three of us, and they other two had really interesting voices and for me being classically trained, my voice was straight down the middle of the line. I sang all of the notes as they should be but didn’t really have much personality past that. So it took years of exploring sounds of other singers and really trying to dig in deep to find what is now my sound. I suppose I didn’t really find it until I found what I call my ‘ugly’ and then I was able to say ‘ok, that’s what I sound like’. It’s that point for a singer when you go past singing notes well and actually express yourself. That point where your voice breaks and you think ‘oh I wasn’t meant to do that, but now I know how to do that, so let me do that again and start to use that technique as a tool’. Also in teaching. That has really helped as I have students come in and ask me about various techniques and I have to go away and figure it out and then come back to them. Everything that’s happened to me in my life and career has helped to develop what you hear now.

CC: Having performed with and for such a variety of artists, describe one of your favourite performances so far?

RR: Of my own performance’s, would be at Ronnie Scott's last year. It was an honour to be called down to headline that show upstairs at Ruby Sings. My band are amazing, if I do say so myself, not only because they are really good musicians but because we are close friends as well. You know my BV’s have been with me since we started this thing, so we have a lot of fun on stage, we have a lot of fun in rehearsals. But when we are on stage and we are locked in and we’re on a vibe, it doesn’t even matter what’s going on in the audience. It was just really cool, I had a lot of friends and family out to support and it was just a really nice night. We are actually due back there this month, which is really great.
 

CC: How do you get ready for a performance?

RR: This is the point where I should say ‘I go in and I warm up’ but I just don’t do that. For me, sound check is really important you know. Going in, making sure its all working properly, and after that I kind of like to just chill. Not get too stressed about what’s going to happen, because I think once you’ve come in, done the sound check, there’s not that much more you can do. So you have to get yourself into that head space where you are ready to convey the message that you penned maybe 6 months/ a year ago. There is a song I am working on at the moment which I wrote when I was 15 for example, so when the time comes for me to perform it, I will have to take myself back to the place that I was at at 15 and figure out what it was I was trying to say then so that I can convey that message back to my audience in this present day. I am definitely not one of those people that needs fresh white towels and all that nonsense (laughs). I make sure that the band and management are happy and that everything is set to go and then I just relax and get in the zone.
 

CC: If you could collaborate with any other artist dead or alive, who would if be and why?

RR: Oh Wow. I would love to collaborate with Robert Glasper, I think he’s amazing. I went to see him at the Royal Festival Hall last year and I was just like ‘Wow! This guy is just on a different wave length’, so definitely him.


CC: Musically what’s the best piece of advice you have been given?

RR: Be yourself. Be yourself! My vocal tutor, Mark De Lisser once said to me ‘you’re biggest problem is that you are trying to hard to sound like what you think you’re supposed to sound like’.

CC: What was the last track you listened to?

RR: This morning I was listening to (Nirvana) ‘Smells Like Teen Spirit’. I am doing a rock show next week with the choir and I’ve also been asked to do some arrangements for a show that we will be doing the following week and a lot of it is rock, and I’m kind of just discovering my inner rock chick actually!  So it’s been fun! It’s great to explore other genres and be able to take from that and put it into your music. I don’t think I realised how much I liked that song!

CC: What’s your preference: Download, CD, tape or Vinyl?

RR: I like a good CD. I am an 80’s baby you know. I like to buy a CD and put it in my front room and just watch the collection grow. Even though I never touch them! It's really silly actually because I buy the CD, then transfer it onto my iTunes and then it just sits in my front room. I should probably join the revolution and download but I just don’t like it.

CC: Describe your perfect day?

RR: Get up really late. I’m not a fan of the mornings! Have some breakfast, listen to some good music, find my way to the studio at about 3pm in the afternoon and then just write. Press record and just let me go! That day is a good day to me.

It was a pleasure to sit down and speak with this young talent. She comes across as both confident and sure of the direction she wants to go as a vocalist and songwriter. We are eager to watch that journey take shape and be a part of the fan base which gets to experience the rise and rise of Reese Robinson. 

Article by: Claire Cripps