Interview: Allen Stone – Singer, Songwriter and Producer

Date of Interview: 03/01/2013

© 2013 Clayton Perry

The music of Allen Stone pulsates with new millennium blues and reverberates with Gospel-infused fervor. On his self-titled debut, the rough, jagged and smooth contours of adolescent and young adult life are reflected in a free-flowing, introspective sea of sonic tales. Although born-and-raised in Chewelah, Washington, Stone’s music is “univer-soul” – tackling the highs and lows everyone must face along Life’s journey.

In the midst of extensive international touring, Allen Stone managed to squeeze some time out of his busy schedule and settle down for an interview with Clayton Perry – reflecting upon 20’s angst, “Satisfaction,” and pre-recorded music.

“Think Like A Man” Soundtrack Dares to “Be Epic”

For the past few months, I have waited anxiously for the “new” Epic Records to unveil projects from its fresh line-up of R&B singers. Much of this excitement was fueled by Antonio “L.A.” Reid’s attachment to the label, as well as his meticulous selection of executives to assist him with its rollout. Adding an additional layer of excitement, Christopher “Tricky” Stewart was designated as the president of A&R; his brother, Mark Stewart, was named EVP of A&R operations. On April 10, 2012, the label released one of its first major projects: a soundtrack to the comedy film adaptation of Steve Harvey’s Act Like A Woman, Think Like A Man. For this particular release, “Tricky” served as executive producer.

Considering the massive success of the original New York Times bestselling non-fiction text, the pressure was on to match the literary predecessors accomplishments visually – and sonically, with original music for its motion picture soundtrack. In both respects, the mission was soundly accomplished – and the Think Like a Man soundtrack is worthy of residence in the penthouse suite of Billboard’s top albums chart.

Interview: Mateo – Singer, Songwriter and Producer

Date of Interview: 11/09/2011

Considering the amount of formal and informal music training Mateo has received over the years, it may be unsurprising that the crossroads of his professional journey would intersect with those of Kerry “Krucial” Brothers, a long-time collaborator with Alicia Keys and the co-founder of KrucialKeys Enterprise. As the member of a highly-musical family, in addition to his business and music concentrations at Morehouse College, the care and precision of Mateo’s entry into entertainment’s saturated industry is guided by a “blueprint” established by Alicia Keys, a contemporary artist who has managed to have longevity in an ever-evolving marketplace.

To be certain: all great things take time to grow and develop. But in retrospect, the universal appeal of his current single, “Say It’s So,” hints of an artist whose bright light has finally been freed from darkness.

During a promotional campaign for Love & Stadiums, Mateo managed to squeeze some time out of his busy schedule and settle down for an interview with Clayton Perry – reflecting on the importance of his Morehouse experience, his perspective on “urban modernism” and the musical standard set by his grandfather, Freddy Jordan (of King Records).

Interview: Kerry “Krucial” Brothers – Songwriter, Producer and Entrepreneur

Date of Interview: 11/09/2011

Kerry “Krucial” Brothers epitomizes the classic example of the ever-present, yet semi-elusive man that works all of his magic “behind the scenes.” As the co-founder of KrucialKeys Enterprise, his musical collaborations with Alicia Keys have generated millions of album sales worldwide. After a decade of faithful and relatively exclusive production services for Keys, “Krucial” has focused his time, energy and talents on the development of Mateo – a singer, songwriter and musician from Cincinatti, Ohio.

Considering the successful track record “Krucial” has maintained thus far, expectations are running high for Mateo and his Krucial Noise debut, following the rave reviews linked to Love & Stadiums, the singer’s critically-acclaimed mixtape.

In the midst of a promotional campaign for Love & Stadiums II, Kerry “Krucial” Brothers managed to squeeze some time out of his busy schedule and settle down for an interview with Clayton Perry – reflecting on his love of poetry, his personal connection to classical music and a decade of significant success.

Interview: Warryn Campbell – Producer Extraordinaire

Date of Interview: 05/06/2011

When all things are considered, great music is quite simply great music. As a result, Warryn Campbell’s production talents have defied musical categorization – fluttering effervescently between the lines of hip-hop, Gospel and R&B. The diversity of his discography speaks for itself: Alicia Keys, Luther Vandross, Jennifer Hudson, R. Kelly, Yolanda Adams.

Warryn Campbell is also the founder of My Block Records, whose roster includes artist such as Mary Mary and Kelly Price. With the recent release of these artists’ respective albums, Something Big and Kelly, Warryn Campbell managed to squeeze some time out of his busy schedule and settle down for an interview with Clayton Perry – reflecting on his internship at Death Row Records, the founding of My Block Records, and his production contribution to Our Stories Films’ Jumping the Broom.

Double Interview: Andre Harrell and Hamilton Park

Andre Harrell Interview Date: 04/30/2011 | Hamilton Park Interview Date: 02/28/2011 

Hamilton Park is the “next generation” male R&B group. With the assistance of music mogul Andre Harrell, they aim to fill the void left by hometown legends, 112 and Jagged Edge.

In a special double interview feature from Clayton Perry, Andre Harrell discusses his latest business venture, Harrell Records, and Hamilton Park (Anthony Dorsey, Marcus Lee, Chris Voice and Royce Pinkston) reflects on the long road to success.

Interview: Musiq Soulchild – Singer and Songwriter

Date of Interview: 04/22/2011

Album after album, Musiq Soulchild never fails to deliver. And with the release of his sixth album, musiqinthemagiq, the world has been reminded that there is quite a bit of “magic in the [music].” His latest release pays homage to the traditional elements of R&B, while incorporating contemporary elements of urban music.

As part of promotional campaign for musiqinthemagiq, Musiq Soulchild managed to squeeze some time out his schedule and settle down for his second interview with Clayton Perry – reflecting on a decade of recording, stepping outside “the R&B box,” and embracing fatherhood. [Musiq’s 2008 interview can be found here.]

Interview: Jessie J – Singer and Songwriter

Date of Interview: 01/21/2011

After writing songs for Justin Timberlake, Alicia Keys and Christina Aguilera, as well as touring as a supporting act for Chris Brown, Jessie J’s polished American debut seems less a surprise, when you consider that dreams are often deferred. But the past six years have been spent wisely, as Jessie J waited for her moment to shine.

The massive success of Jessie J’s underground buzz single, “Do It Like A Dude,” is due largely to her 300-plus performances in London and venues across Europe. Her tireless dedication has led to the opening of international floodgates; and Stateside, American audiences will be introduced to her work via “Price Tag” – a collaboration with B.o.B.

In the midst of a promotional campaign for Who You Are (April 12, 2011), Jessie J managed to squeeze some time out of her busy schedule and settle down for an interview with Clayton Perry – reflecting on her father’s influence, her crazy haircuts and behind-the-scenes battles over her music artistry.

Interview: KEM – Singer, Songwriter and Producer

Date of Interview: 01/20/2011

In a world inundated with Auto-Tune singing and GarageBand beats, KEM has managed to create a space in the contemporary marketplace for his jazz-inspired music to thrive and survive. And since 2003, to the surprise of industry prognosticators, his first two solo projects – Kemistry and Album II – attained gold status. KEM’s third project, Intimacy: Album III, would become his best-performing album on Billboard’s Top 200 Chart.

Intimacy: Album III features “What Would You Say,” a heart-wrenching ballad that garnered two nominations at the 53rd Annual Grammy Awards: “Best Male R&B Vocal Performance” and “Best R&B Song.” In preparation for “music’s biggest night,” which takes place a few days before the start of his headlining Intimacy tour, KEM managed to squeeze some time out of his busy schedule and settle down for an interview with Clayton Perry – reflecting on the decline of live instrumentation, the importance of authenticity, and his “ironic” signing with Motown Records.

Interview: Conya Doss – Singer, Songwriter and Educator

Date of Interview: 10/07/2010

As a graduate of Cleveland School of the Arts, it should come as no surprise that Conya Doss has found a way to utilize her craft in nontraditional ways. A full-time teacher by day, and a critically-acclaimed singer by night, she has managed to balance the worlds of academia and entertainment with relative ease. Even so, living life as an independent artist has had it fair share of ups-and-downs.

Since 2002, Conya Doss has slowly and steadily built a dedicated fan base, who patiently await every new release. And with the announcement of Blü Transition, her fifth studio album, the excitement reached record levels. In September 2010, “What We Gone Do” made waves in the online community for breaking Lalah Hathaway’s digital download record on Soultracks, which honored Doss as “Female Vocalist of the Year” in 2008.

In the midst of a promotional campaign for Blü Transition, Conya Doss managed to squeeze some time out of her busy schedule and settle down for an interview with Clayton Perry – reflecting on the integration of art in education, the journey to finding her “natural” voice, and the challenges of motherhood.