When the Songland judging trio listens to a potential song, they nod, gesture, and physically react along. We can see when they acknowledge promise, hear brilliance, see possibility and catch honesty. They react to the layers and the known moments of intention.
Since the drop of his hyper successful, supremely infectious international single: Drogba (Joanna) consumed radio airwaves back in 2018, Ross-Emmanuel Bayeto, more famously known as Afro B, has possessed an inimitable stronghold on the global landscape of Afrobeats music.
On January 28th, The Knockturnal got the chance to attend “Debbie Durkin’s EcoLuxe “Indie Film + Music Experience”.
Ever since the advent of his music career back in 2019, L.A. rap crooner Louis Murray, better known as, LOU.M has embraced a ground-up, “quality over quantity” approach to delivering high-level music.
Instead of aimlessly spewing out a plethora of content like most newcomers, LOU.M has been a bit more methodical in his approach.
With an eclectic skill set of adept vocal ability mixed with a hard hitting rap prowess, LOU.M illustrates that being a multi-hyphenate is not the exception but a core requirement within today’s intertwined landscape of Hip-Hop and R&B.
Gleaning salient influence from idiosyncratic Hip-Hop heavy hitters like Smino and André 3000, LOU M.’s sound can be described as serene, atmospheric and supremely chill.
In a modern-day soundscape replete with monotonous flows and distasteful imitation, LOU.M’s evades this trend as he’s able to espouse his own refreshing, “out of the norm” sense of originality.
Considering the release of his latest single: Outside, JaJuan Malachi of The Knockturnal chopped it up with the rising star to discuss a number of pertinent matters including his background, inspirations and aspirations for his career.
Here is how the conversation played out:
JaJuan: For those who don’t know much about LOU.M just yet, tell us about your background and how you got your start in music?
LOU M.: Born and raised in Los Angeles, CA all the way through my high school years. After that I went to college at Stony Brook University out in Long Island, NY. Played football all four years on scholarship. Felt like it was necessary for me to go somewhere else and experience the culture there. Dove into it and at the same time I continued to write even more. I started off writing poetry when I was in High School, I kept writing and also started performing live at events while I was in college. That foundation kept me confident and built a strong base of people that were actually keeping up with my poetry. In 2019, I performed at an event and I met a woman that invited me to recite a poem for her album in the studio. February 2019 was my first time ever hearing myself after being recorded and I never stopped. It felt natural and made so much sense to me so I really decided to begin writing in song.
JaJuan: What does your creative process entail?
LOU M.:My creative process really comes from drawing out my own personal experiences or those that I’ve encountered in life. That’s where I draw inspiration from. I’m a writer so I really just like to sit and take the time to let the thoughts pour out in the best way I see fit for whatever beat I’m working with. Sometimes I can finish a whole song in a day, other times it can take weeks or even a month but that’s simply because of whatever the content of the song is. I believe I hit pockets of time where I may feel stuck with a song and to me that means I just have to keep living. The story will fill itself in.
JaJuan: What motivates you to pursue a career in music?
LOU.M:What motivates me to pursue this career in music is my family and also the simple fact that writing these songs is a great outlet for me. Whether it is joy or sorrow, it has become important for me to write and speak my mind.
JaJuan: Who are some of your biggest inspirations and some artists that are on your radar at the moment?
LOU.M: Some of my biggest inspirations come from paying attention to those who came before me and really had an impact in this industry just by being themselves. Artists like Jimi Hendrix, Andre 3000, even groups like Wu-Tang. I listen to a wide variety of music, old and new. So it varies who’s really on my radar, sometimes I really focus on production, other times I can be really into hearing lyricists or people who are more focused on just creating an overall vibe.
JaJuan: Outside of music, do you have any other creative outlets that you enjoy?
LOU.M: Outside of music I really enjoy snowboarding. Got the season pass so I’ve been going pretty frequently and it’s a positive way to use my energy. It’s easy to misuse your time and energy in this world so finding another outlet to keep myself focused is a blessing.
JaJuan: As far as your career trajectory goes, are you striving for a traditional record deal or are you a proponent of independence and creating and promoting your own art without the “machine” behind it?
LOU M.: I think the concept of being an independent artist is important, especially the way the business has changed over the years. I feel like I came into the game at the right time to grow. With that being said, I’m still open to partnering with the “machine”. It’s a matter of balance and everyone’s situation is different from what I understand. Paying attention to detail with whomever you deal with seems to be the most important part when it comes to doing business in this industry.
JaJuan: If you could do a collab with anyone in the industry right now, who would it be and why?
LOU. M: If I could collab with anyone in the game right now it’d be between Smino, Andre 3000, Tyler The Creator, and Kendrick Lamar (more specifically, PG Lang).
JaJuan: What was the inspiration behind the concept of your latest single: Outside?
LOU. M: I wrote OUTSIDE towards the end of the summer of ‘21. The inspiration was from my point of view of what I was seeing while I was “outside”. Still in a pandemic but people wanted to be outside. They wanted interaction even though it seemed unattainable at one point.
JaJuan: What can we expect from LOU.M in 2022?
LOU.M: What you can expect from me in 2022 is consistency.
To keep up with LOU.M, follow him on Instagram
Rooted in authenticity, J.R.Clark is changing the hip-hop industry. The rap artist based in Virginia Beach, Virginia is proving that as an independent artist you can deliver an impressive body of work, an original sound, collaborate alongside major artists, and build a huge following — all without the support of a major record label.
Amazon Music hosted a holiday party at Ludlow House on December 7 to celebrate Leon Bridge’s latest cover, “Purple Snowflakes.”
The recent Grammy nominee reinvents the Christmas bop, originally sung by Marvin Gaye, by giving it a soulful, Texan twist with a music video to match.
Known for his R&B hits, “River” and “Beyond,” Bridges came across “Purple Snowflakes” back in Fort Worth, Texas when he was bussing tables at Rosa’s Cafe.
“It was part of their Christmas playlist,” he recalled, “before Shazam was a thing.” He continued, “Undeniable music, your just going to gravitate towards it. It was inevitable that I would record it one day.”
That day came and the cover was released back in November before it was recorded exclusively for Amazon Music’s Original holiday songs; a platform that features holiday music from artist all over the world.
Stream “Purple Snowflakes” and more on Amazon Music now and watch the video on Amazon Music’s YouTube account anytime. Happy holidays!
The iconic German duo Modeselektor headlined one of Madrid´s most famous techno parties CODE in the sought-after club Fabrik, giving spectators a night to remember.
Laura June Kirsch recently hosted a soft book launch for her book, “Romantic Lowlife Fantasies: Emerging Adults in the Age of Hope.”
Hi, Fender.