In case you missed it, the official Downtown video is premiering this Friday and I wanted to share a little preview with you to tide you over!
Much love to song producer Sammy Nichs, video producers Artisntegrity, videographers Ashton Alexander and my co-star Melissa Robles! This video is a labor of love and can't wait to share it with you!
My band and I had the pleasure of playing at Silvana in Harlem this past Tuesday and it was a truly fun evening! Good friends came out to hang. We debuted some new material and we did some new covers. Overall, amazing evening. There was also such great talent throughout the rest of the evening, so we made a night of it, which meant for a painful trip home, but it was worth it!
Much love to Alex Smith, Julian Litwack, Granville Mullings Jr. and Jeary Sylves who came and shared their brilliance. Couldn't do it without them!
Check out some video (by Melissa Robles) and some shots of the night below!
As I'm songwriting and working on this album, I'm currently OBSESSED with the ingredients: "melody, lyrics, phonetics," rhythm - all the important things that go into making something click and connect. I'm constantly trying to identify the combination which will act as the right vehicle for what I'm trying to express. Trying not to take easy routes, the simple rhymes, the recognizable and predictable. All of this is acting as editing. As pushing. As reworking, while also trusting what comes naturally. It's reaching for that extra something that you hope is there - Ha!
Alex Smith is co-writing/co-producing my album and we had a super fun and productive songwriting session last Friday. He recommended that I check out a clinic John Mayer gave at Berklee in 2008. The video below is him talking about the "economy" of songwriting and it really hit me right where I needed today. Below is that video. For those of you interested in the process of songwriting - you'll enjoy this!
Also, for my east coast people, tomorrow night I'll be premiering some of the news songs I've been working on for the album at Silvana at 8PM. Free show, so come and enjoy!
Spring has broken here in NYC. Thank god. Had I been forced to endure another week of grey, gloomy, cold and rainy weather, I might not be writing to you today. I would most certainly be curled up under a blanket in my dark room with shades pulled. Believe me, sunshine is a game changer.
I spent this weekend outdoors. Exploring, walking, sun bathing, laughing and looking up at the sky like a 5 year old watching their balloon float away. Treated myself to great food, cabs rides with the windows rolled down and beverages on beverages. Everything looked new and fresh. It was as if I was being recalibrated.
Spring always makes me listen to my favorite music, my bite-my-lip-and-move music! Nikka is always on that list. In my headphones this weekend was Nikka, Kendrick, Jay and a little The Script sprinkled in there.
Feelin all kinds of sexy and drunk, it was just what I needed! S/o to Ms. Robles for making me laugh all weekend.
