Sunday, February 26, 2012
Tuesday, February 21, 2012
Sisters
And on it goes! In a completely shocking and surprising to no-one statement made to Andy Cohen the other night, Li'l Kim called Nicki Minaj a stupid hoe. Nicki is said to have responded by pulling Kim's hair and calling her a liar liar pants on fire.
Not that beef between hip hop artists is anything new at all - and it's entirely possible that this one is being fabricated to generate page views - but seeing two female rappers yelling shit at each other across the playground is especially disheartening. Firstly, because hip hop is so male dominated, it's a shame to see two of its (relatively very few) successful women trying to put each other down instead of uniting. And secondly, in a genre that is notorious for shortchanging women, do we really need these two artists insulting each other? What ever happened to sisterhood? It doesn't seem that long ago that bands like TLC and SaltnPepa were singing about camaraderie and self esteem. As far as I know Lauryn Hill found success without any random, generalised but female specific insults. Seriously, what happened to all that?
To be fair, this all seems to be contained to the mainstream level, but that doesn't really answer the question. I think it's clear to anyone who's followed their careers that both Li'l Kim and Nicki Minaj are capable of being extremely thoughtful and well spoken people, and both have talked about the need for empowering women in their music and in their interviews. So what the hell is going on here? Can't we all just get along?
As we all ponder this, I'll let TLC close the post:
Sunday, February 19, 2012
INTERVIEW: Bossy Love
Can you give me a quick history of Bossy Love?
Bossy Love is a project that is a step further into the pop realm for me. It further allows me to explore at depth my love for all things 80s, 90s, Pop and RnB. On the 2nd of December I released my debut single "Fight This Off" which is now available globally on itunes! I will continue to write, record and make videos independently under Bossy Love Records at this point in time.
It's about getting back to basics, remembering to have fun, doing what feels right
and letting the natural course of writing occur, what comes out essentially stays in it's
original form. All of these songs were originally intended as demos but I feel they are already where they need to be, so I've chosen to upload and release them. I am planning to have the full Bossy Love live show ready for 2012, although - nothing is being rushed, taking the time that is necessary to make sure everything is done right and no details are missed.
The name Bossy Love, to me is bittersweet. It's about being able to hold your own but not letting that completely overtake your everything, that's where the "Love" comes in, the lighter, positive side. It's a bit of fun, not too serious, but I think it embodies all that Bossy Love is visually and musically.
This is a fresh slate for me. Each member of Operator Please are doing their own thing for a while. We've been together for 7 years and during that time we've never had proper a break, we have constantly been either in the studio or on tour. It's time to refresh and work on our projects to avoid everything becoming a routine.
You've recently finished work on your single "Fight This Off" with Kween G of Killaqueenz, what was the process like?
I remember seeing Killaqueenz play at Good Vibes in 2010 and when I realised they were based in Australia I was even more excited. It was fresh, there is nothing like them and I loved that they were fronted by two strong females. I was working on this track with UK born, Sydney based writer/producer Lee Groves at the time and we had nearly finished it but I felt like there was something missing. We needed a voice on the verses to complete the story. I knew from the
beginning that I wanted Kween G on the track, so I got her number and sent her a text. I pretty much had the mentality "what have I got to lose?" - so I just asked. She told me to email her the track, so I did and she was into it. Kween G began sending me her verses and I was instantly happy with how it all sounded, so when I was in Sydney next I organised for her to come into the
studio with Lee and I and lay down her verses.
It was all very smooth sailing, she was done within 30 minutes, we mixed the vocal in and the song was complete. It was an easy and enjoyable process.
The video for it is very cool, can you tell me a bit about it?
The clip for 'Fight This Off' was directed by Elvissy who is a creative all rounder who I have previously worked with on projects for Operator Please. The concept of the clip includes the idea that there are many sides to a person/an event/a moment in time/a cycle/a thought. In a way the character in the video is talking herself through her thoughts and at the same time battling with decisions made along the way. We also wanted to keep the character anonymous, it could be anyone and not necessarily from one person's perspective. Visually we also wanted to celebrate the coming of summer and all things tropicana - the positive vibes that come with anything new, a new cycle/a new beginning.
We chose to recuite a young lass for the clip in place of us both. She is a sisterly friend of mine who I felt could embody the character to be portrayed in the clip. Elvissy and I briefed her on what we were looking for and she brought her interpretation plus more. I guess with video concept aside we also wanted the clip to have a sexy 80s/90s feel and we think Ruby managed to pull this off.
What do you enjoy the most about music? Do you look forward to performing or are you
happier when you're creating the music?
I enjoy that you can say anything you want, when you want and how you want. It is a place of release and it snapshots where you are at that particular point in time. To me it's like taking photographs, documenting you along the way. I love both writing and performing. The writing process is one of my favourite parts, you get to flesh out all of your ideas and give them life. I am also a huge fan of collaboration, I love writing songs with other people in mind, writing and
co-writer for and with others and the idea that you can write whatever you like but not have to sing it yourself. I like the idea that you might write a song but someone else might suit it more, so you don't have to keep it.
I also love performing though. That's what it's about, you're making music for yourself in the hope that even 1 other person can connect with it. A live performance is all about connecting, in that place at that time. It's an amazing feeling, the energy and everything about it. I guess when you're performing the songs, they truly come to life. And everything that you sing and do on stage is out there, can't be taken back. You've let it go. All in all it's fun.
You're on facebook, myspace, twitter, soundcloud and tumblr - what are your thoughts
about internet exposure and the way it's changed how we access music?
There are obviously always going to be positive and negative sides, I'd prefer to look at the positive because it is how it is and I think instead of resisting change we have to go with it. You can reach audiences you never thought were possible with the internet, whether it be because someone can identify with your visual identity and aesthetic ( blogging photos on tumblr etc ) - someone has heard your song on a blog, or seen your video posted somewhere. People in
countries other than your own have access to your music, places you never thought people would hear your music / know anything about what you do. Anyone can find you, whether they stumble upon it or not. All of the exposure on the internet and music being available gives the chance for people to discover you and hopefully in the future turn up to one of your shows and experience
everything live. I know that when I find things for myself online, it's special, I wanna hold onto it and I end up wanting to find out more and more about the artist. It keeps people looking. I guess we can only hope that these people become people that listen to your music over a long time, people that come to shows.
How would someone describe your sound to someone who hasn't listened before?
I guess I would call it Tropical Pop / Island Jams ha ha.
What are your thoughts on RnB these days? Do you draw much inspiration or optimism
from current artists?
I love RnB these days, I think there are so many amazing artists, writers and producers at the moment.
You've got one of my favourites Terius Nash ( The Dream ) who is an incredible artist in his own right but has written and produced some of the biggest songs in pop music for artists like Rihanna, Beyonce, Ciara to name a few.
You have The Neptunes - that have been dominating the charts for years, they've literally worked with EVERYONE.
What do you enjoy the most about music? Do you look forward to performing or are you
happier when you're creating the music?
I enjoy that you can say anything you want, when you want and how you want. It is a place of release and it snapshots where you are at that particular point in time. To me it's like taking photographs, documenting you along the way. I love both writing and performing. The writing process is one of my favourite parts, you get to flesh out all of your ideas and give them life. I am also a huge fan of collaboration, I love writing songs with other people in mind, writing and
co-writer for and with others and the idea that you can write whatever you like but not have to sing it yourself. I like the idea that you might write a song but someone else might suit it more, so you don't have to keep it.
I also love performing though. That's what it's about, you're making music for yourself in the hope that even 1 other person can connect with it. A live performance is all about connecting, in that place at that time. It's an amazing feeling, the energy and everything about it. I guess when you're performing the songs, they truly come to life. And everything that you sing and do on stage is out there, can't be taken back. You've let it go. All in all it's fun.
You're on facebook, myspace, twitter, soundcloud and tumblr - what are your thoughts
about internet exposure and the way it's changed how we access music?
There are obviously always going to be positive and negative sides, I'd prefer to look at the positive because it is how it is and I think instead of resisting change we have to go with it. You can reach audiences you never thought were possible with the internet, whether it be because someone can identify with your visual identity and aesthetic ( blogging photos on tumblr etc ) - someone has heard your song on a blog, or seen your video posted somewhere. People in
countries other than your own have access to your music, places you never thought people would hear your music / know anything about what you do. Anyone can find you, whether they stumble upon it or not. All of the exposure on the internet and music being available gives the chance for people to discover you and hopefully in the future turn up to one of your shows and experience
everything live. I know that when I find things for myself online, it's special, I wanna hold onto it and I end up wanting to find out more and more about the artist. It keeps people looking. I guess we can only hope that these people become people that listen to your music over a long time, people that come to shows.
How would someone describe your sound to someone who hasn't listened before?
I guess I would call it Tropical Pop / Island Jams ha ha.
What are your thoughts on RnB these days? Do you draw much inspiration or optimism
from current artists?
I love RnB these days, I think there are so many amazing artists, writers and producers at the moment.
You've got one of my favourites Terius Nash ( The Dream ) who is an incredible artist in his own right but has written and produced some of the biggest songs in pop music for artists like Rihanna, Beyonce, Ciara to name a few.
You have The Neptunes - that have been dominating the charts for years, they've literally worked with EVERYONE.
One of my favourite artists right now that was introduced to me just last week is Bluey Robinson from the UK. "Showgirl" is my new favourite jam. It's a new spin on 80s / 90s rnb. Amazing song. I highly recommend him.
I think there are artists doing interesting things and we are seeing it emerge more and more this year. It's exciting! I really admire these artists mentioned for so many different reasons, some purely for production value, some for the amazing quality of the songs and some for execution. There's a lot to take in and plenty to learn from.
What are your plans for next year?
I'm just rolling with what feels right at the moment. Definitely more music and live show is on the cards, but all in due time, no rushing. More about doing things that are right and doing it all properly and above all having fun. Enjoying it.
I think there are artists doing interesting things and we are seeing it emerge more and more this year. It's exciting! I really admire these artists mentioned for so many different reasons, some purely for production value, some for the amazing quality of the songs and some for execution. There's a lot to take in and plenty to learn from.
What are your plans for next year?
I'm just rolling with what feels right at the moment. Definitely more music and live show is on the cards, but all in due time, no rushing. More about doing things that are right and doing it all properly and above all having fun. Enjoying it.
Saturday, February 11, 2012
1963 - 2012
On so many levels this is really, really sad. There's no need to write anything here about her talent, Bobby Brown, her comeback tour, her rehabilitation and so on etcetera as all of this will doubtless be hashed out and re-hashed and examined for the next, oh let's say, four or five weeks by writers way more eloquent and knowledgeable than me. But I would like to add this: as an artist and as a woman, Whitney Houston was a f-o-r-c-e. She is the only female artist to have two number one Top Billboard 200 Album awards, her first release in 1985 became the best selling debut album by a woman at the time of its release. Her second album in 1987 became the first by a female artist to debut at number one on the Billboard 200 charts. 'I Will Always Love You' is the best selling single by a female artist. Ever!
Actually, I'll also say this: it sucks that yet another legendary musician has been wasted and destroyed by their own fucked up decisions. She was 48, Whitney Houston doesn't need to be dead right now.
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