The New Orleans singer-songwriter talks about her Emotions album, including the feelgood single "Good Time," and how she accesses her vulnerability as an introvert.

"Good Time"

I wrote a lot of this album throughout the lockdown during the pandemic, but "Good Time" came to me when we were able to go outside a little bit. I was on a boat in Switzerland at a festival, and this melody came to mind. It was more about release, like having fun because everybody was inside and worried about things like who has a mask on and who doesn't. And this was about laying your burdens down and leaving it all on the dance floor, and just having some fun.

I sang the melody in my voice memo on my iPhone so I could remember, and then I went back to the hotel room and just started writing out what I was feeling. So that's how "Good Time" came to be.

"Music Saves"

"Music Saves" was a testament to how no matter what you're going through, music is always a component to help you get over it or work through it. Like the song says, "We've got music just like the morning dew, We've got music, what it do for me it'll do for you." And it's healing. It's also a portal - music can take you places. It can take you back to when you first got married or when you fell in love or your first kiss - no matter what you go through in life, music is always associated with it. So when I perform, I say the stage is my sanctuary and music is my savior.

"One Stop Shop"

By nature, I'm an introvert, and that song came about by me saying, "What if I decided to be the assertive one when approaching a guy... being a little sassy." That's how I ended up pinning in the story behind "One Stop Shop," and the lady going to the guy saying, "I hear you've been looking for someone that'll treat you right, love away all your hurts, make you feel good inside." I expounded upon that a little bit, in almost like a role reversal. Okay, so I'll be the one to say, "Hey, I like that guy, so I'm going to approach him and, like they say, shoot my shot." The feeling of romance is what I wanted, when you're meeting someone and you're excited.

Discovering Her Passion For Singing

I grew up in a household that was so full of music. My mother was a phenomenal singer and a classically trained pianist. When she would play and rehearse in the house, with much conviction, it was almost like she was in front of an audience of 20,000 people. Listening to her made me shy away from singing for a while because I didn't think I could sing. I was like, "Okay, she's got that covered." So I went to the instruments and I played piano and violin up until high school, but I always sang in church. Then I really, really got into music more as I got into high school and was always listening to so many genres of music in my home - from Sarah Vaughan to Mahalia Jackson to Roberta Flack, Tina Marie, the Sugarhill Gang. I mean, it was fast. And all of those things influenced me.

I started out singing here on Bourbon Street with a band when I was six months pregnant with my daughter. That's really how I got started outside of doing talent shows and things of that nature. I always tell people music always came and got me. I would say, "Okay, I'm going to do something else." Because my mother was an educator, she would say you have to get your degree and things of that nature. But every time I went to do that, music always came and got me and brought me somewhere else in another direction. When I realized the pattern, I surrendered to it. When I did that, that's when doors really started to open for me and opportunities started to come my way. The crazy thing about it is I'd never really made an effort as far as networking with people. God always fixed it to where my phone rang and on the other side was a great opportunity and an awesome blessing.

The Musical Heroes That Shape Her Music

My first musical hero is my mother. Outside of that, Allen Toussaint was an amazing songwriter. I think of him often when I'm writing because I learned from him that writing is just a conversation put to music. I also love Irma Thomas. She was a trailblazer from our hometown [in New Orleans] and our city and she's still here with us. She's one of our living legends. Another person who I love is George Porter from The Meters. He has such a great spirit and even still has an innocence about him that I love. These are the people who I look up to and I connect with. Cyril Neville from the famous Neville family is another one. I call him my big bro - he influences me a lot. I just loved listening to them and how they influenced me.

But then on the other side, in my home, being the youngest, I heard everything. I loved Whitney Houston - I would be in the mirror with my brush and singing "How Will I Know" with the big bow on my head. I loved Roberta Flack. I loved Tina Marie. I loved Sarah Vaughan and the way she used her voice as an instrument in her approach. Aretha Franklin sang with so much feeling, like we like to say, she sang from the bottom of her feet. Donny Hathaway. Carole King influenced me with her writing skills. I love the Bee Gees because they had the best harmonies in the world. And the list goes on and on. The DeBarge family. I listened to so much that influenced me in my writing and my singing today.

Songwriting And The Story Of "Up"

I got to the writing game a little late in life, and I'm an emotional writer. If I'm feeling something, I have to jot it down. Sometimes I can't sleep until I roll over and get whatever melody is in my head out. Just sing whatever with one eye open and one eye closed to get the melody out. Sometimes it comes to me all at once, and then sometimes it comes in pieces.

The song "Up" came to me initially as just the chorus, when we were in the lockdown and I was cooking dinner. When I go back to listen to it and to hear the progression of the song to what it is now, I can still hear the seasoning sizzling in the skillet as the chorus was coming to me. That one came chorus first, then first verse, then second verse. And then the change came after we started performing it live a little bit, just to test it out. The ending part came to me after that because it was something that I did on stage that came to me naturally and I said, "Oh wait, this would be great to extend the song and add to it and give it another level." So it's kind of different - it depends on how it hits me emotionally.

Sharing Universal Truths Through Her Music

This latest project is titled Emotions because that's what I was on - an emotional roller coaster. It took some time for me to actually complete the entire project. The messages were more for me because it really gave me some time to do some looking inside and figuring some things out and really expressing how I felt. I wanted people to understand, especially during the time I built my tunes "Over It" and "Take Me Away," that we're not alone in this.

But then "Good Time" was like, okay, let's forget all the troubles and just have a release. My song "Big" was about not letting people put you in a box, and that no matter what you put your mind to, you can do it. So it was different messages that I was feeding myself that were also universal truths - like "Chocolate Sunshine" was really I was having a heavy day, and sometimes when I would post on Instagram, I would put underneath it "chocolate sunshine."

One of my heroes, Cyril Neville, said, "You should write a song about that," but nothing really came to mind. But on that day I was feeling a little low and those words were self-encouragement for me. And I said, "You know what? I am a chocolate sunshine." That's how I started writing that song. So each song sort of has a different message and universal truth that people can connect and relate to.

Her Life Story Inspired The Song "Destiny"

There's a song on my first project that I released, HomeGrown, and its title is "Destiny." It's a little story about my life. People would always say, "It's your destiny - the fact that you're doing this is your destiny." And so I said, "Okay, well, let me tell my story about it."

Her Most Memorable Live Performance

I have a few - like I performed at the Hollywood Bowl, that was fantastic. I've done the Bonnaroo Festival when I was touring with Galactic. I mean, I've done a lot of great things. But the one that resonates with me the most is the one I just had for my live release because it's been maybe five or six years since I released a new project, and it took a while as an independent artist. You know, you have to save a little money, and then head into the studio, and save a little bit more. It took time. And of course the emotions are everywhere. Are people going to show up? Are they going to like the music? And when I walked out and saw that the place was sold out, I had to really collect myself because the tears were just pouring.

Because it's so good to know that people acknowledge you - and not for vanity, but just acknowledge your work and the effort that you put in and really want to hear what you have to say musically.

It was also at a place in New Orleans named the Dew Drop Inn, which has so much history for Black people. It was in an era where that was the only hotel and venue they could stay in, and they would have jam sessions, so we had people like Ray Charles and Little Richard and Nina Simone - so many noted artists that performed and stayed there. I was the first live performance since the grand opening, so to have all of that energy and the love in the room... I'm getting chills now thinking about it. It was just really a memorable and magical night.

Her Favorite Performing Venues In New Orleans

I have a few. The Dew Drop Inn is one of them. Tipitina's is another one here in the city, and another one of my favorite local places is the Maple Leaf Bar. So those places are like my homesteads.

Her Dream Collaborations

One of my dream collaborations, first, would have to be Anthony Hamilton. I love him. He has such a pretty, Southern, soulful sound. I just love him. Another one is one of our homeboys, PJ Morton. I love PJ Morton. I've known him since he was a kid, but he's grown up into being such a phenomenal artist. I love Jill Scott. I would love to do a collaboration with her. So, so many, I can't narrow it down to just one. I have so many artists that I love and would love to do collaborations with.

The Hidden Gem In Her Catalog

There's a tune that I wrote and it's on my first project, and it's titled "All Right." It's about falling in love and wanting to make sure that that person is going to treat your heart right. I really love that song, and it resonates well too when I perform it live sometimes. I haven't done it in a while, but that's one of my favorites.

Advice To Aspiring Musicians

There's only one you, and that's what you need to focus on - who you are. There's a lot going on in the music industry, and sometimes when you're just starting out, you try to mimic what's popular, but that's already taken care of. Beyoncé has Beyoncé covered. Summer Walker has that covered. But there's only one you. When you write your truths, that's what people connect to and relate to. Just be yourself and be honest and learn how to be vulnerable in your writing and your performing. I had to learn that. I started out as a background vocalist and support in the studio. So it was getting in, getting out, time is money, executing what they wanted. But when it was my turn to actually perform the things I had written, I had to learn how to convey that and not be afraid. It takes some growing - it doesn't happen overnight. But if you are honest about who you are as an artist and who you are as a person - that's the best ticket.

The Importance Of Having The Right Team

I'm grateful that I had people around me - I had a cocoon of people on the first record and the second - who really pushed and nudged and challenged. They were like, "Nah, you're shying away when you say this, so go back in and really sing it from the heart, don't shy away from this lyric," or, "How are you going to say this line? Because that may be what someone needs to really hear to help them with whatever they're going through."

Because naturally I'm an introvert, and I would shy away from certain things. They helped me really convey and tell my story in these songs and to learn to be vulnerable to say, "Okay, you wrote this, you wrote these lyrics, now you really have to get in and tell the story." So I'm grateful that I did have a cocoon of people - my producer, my manager, a longtime friend who also helps me with my writing. And the engineers, they had great suggestions as well - "Why don't you try it this way? Or maybe try this approach." They helped me to open up a little bit and be comfortable in being vulnerable.

How She Connects With Her Audience Through Her Songs

It's a beautiful thing when you're live, and when you're singing your songs and you can look in someone's eyes and it's just like a silent understanding, or when you look and there are tears in their eyes, or when the hands are up and it's an upbeat tune and they're up and they're having a good time. That's how I really connect with my audience and it lets me know that they really get it - they understand the music, they understand the lyrics.

I go in with that mindset in the studio as well. Like I'm in the room full of people and I'm really telling them this story. Fats Domino always used to say, "If you smile when you're singing in the studio, it comes through on the record." And in the same way, if you're really telling your story and being truthful in what you're doing and not making it a gimmick, you're really telling your truth - it's going to connect whether it's live or whether they're listening to it on a radio or on an iPhone or on Alexa. They still get the chance to connect to it.

What Other Artists Connect With Their Crowds?

Stevie Wonder is one - I mean, his skill of writing and telling his stories. There's this song "As" [sings a verse] "As around the sun the earth knows she's revolving"… such a beautiful lyric and he has a way of actually creating the picture. You can visualize these things as you're listening to him and as you're listening to the lyrics. So he's one that I love who can really convey the stories and connect with people in that way.

What Are Her Career Goals?

To continue to grow, continue to learn, continue to expand - expand my territory and continue to be a student of the game. Because there's always something new to learn, and always an area where you can grow and become better. Hopefully I can sustain in this game because it's ever-changing. But I always believe that real music will still stand the test of time. Even if I'm 80 years old in a wheelchair, roll me to the mic. I still want to be able to do it. As long as I can continue to do the music and do what I love, that's what I would like to see for myself for the future in all aspects - writing, performing, growing the whole thing.

May 28, 2024

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