Chart Topping British Born Singer, Musician and Author, "Sharon Musgrave" Has a Fascinating Rhythm!

Interview By: Gina Sedman

Hi Sharon, our readers would love to get to know you more. Can you tell us a little about where you are from and how you get started in music? "I was born in Britain. My parents had immigrated there when they were young. Later, they moved to Canada in the '70s to establish themselves. While they were doing so, they sent me and my siblings to Dominica West Indies, their homeland. We stayed with our grandparents for a few years before reuniting with our parents in Canada. Then I immigrated back to Britain to pursue a music career on the advice of a family member who saw me performing at a beauty pageant in Toronto. I had always written songs and collaborated with several people, made many submissions, and attended A&R interviews. After a few years of hard work, I finally had a hit record with a song I wrote called Fascinating Rhythm."

Before your success what did you see as a major drawback of being a new artist? At the time I didn’t see drawbacks, but I certainly felt that I was being kicked back a few spaces after each A&R interview until finally one of my projects was approved by Virgin Records and became a top 10 hit on the British charts and had worldwide success in the dance charts.

What is your vocal range? I’m very comfortable in the range of Tenor, my lowest note is F# and my highest is G#

What have people who had heard your music say about your vocal style that sets you apart from another vocalist? I was once told that I have a voice that gives goosebumps, and that's my favorite compliment. Someone even said my voice was angelic, but I know I'm far from being an angel. People have used words like magnificent, amazing, and awesome to describe my singing, but many other artists have been praised in the same way. However, my producer thinks what sets me apart is my dynamic range and the way I phrase my songs, like a horn player. I believe my background of three different nationalities contributes to the uniqueness of my voice. But overall, I think it's the soul that I put into my music that makes me different.

 As an independent artist, what are some of the challenges you face? "I have faced many challenges as an independent artist. The major one is getting my work heard. Most of the time, you have to pay to get exposure, but even when you do, there's a risk of being scammed by promoters who take your money and provide nothing in return. It doesn't matter if the promoter is big or small; if they are not genuine, then you are at risk. Additionally, some promoters from different parts of the world use bots to add fake views or numbers to your work. If only these promoters could work as hard as the independent artists in their respective fields, then both could achieve their goals in the music industry."

I used to find social media very helpful for promoting my music, but as time went by, the owners of these sites imposed various restrictions to prevent artists like me from reaching out to the audience. They have a term for it, but I call it algorithm. I discovered that an algorithm is simply a setup created for the benefit of whoever created the program. It certainly wasn't designed to help independent artists succeed, at least not in my experience. I made more money from music sales in the early days of my independent career than I do now, even though I'm doing the same thing, if not more, and my music has improved. For instance, I signed up for SoundCloud to get direct accounting from views, but I never heard back from them, despite having thousands of listeners there. If I share a personal picture on Facebook, I'll get lots of likes, but if I share my music, the algorithm will prevent it from reaching more people. That's been my experience. I release my music and receive great reviews, but only a limited number of people can view it as determined by the algorithm. These are the challenges I face as an independent artist.

 How would you describe your music to those who have never heard it before? "I consider my genre to be neo-soul or nu-soul, which is a sub-genre of R&B with a unique edge that still retains the classic soul feel. My main influence is classic soul, but I also incorporate elements of jazz and blues into my music. Additionally, I enjoy collaborating with other artists and you may find my vocals featured on deep house and chillout tracks."

Who are your musical influences? Stevie Wonder, Chaka Khan, Prince, Bob Marley, Anita Baker, Natalie Cole, Teena Marie and others. After years of listening to these artists, I finally found my voice.

 How do you prepare yourself mentally for public opinion (either positive or negative) when you’re preparing for a new song release? I don’t think like that, I just let it go and hope for the best. If the results are bad, I think, is it me? Could I have done something better musically? The answer is always no :-) I work with where I am at the time and do the very best I can with it.

What other talents do you have that your fans may not know about you? I am writing a book called “Koob of the Songbird”. It’s based on a singer and the saga of her life as she journeys through pre-dynastic Kemet/Egypt. I’ve started an audiobook of it, which you can listen to at my website sharonmusgrave.com.

Many singles/albums do you have out presently and what is your favorite album/song to date? I have about 5 albums out independently and about the same number of singles. I can’t say that there is a favorite, I can only say that I keep getting better and better at my craft.

Tell me about your latest album/ song and what was your inspiration behind it.  Is it out now and where can people buy it? My latest project is an EP entitled “Jewelweed” The inspiration behind this is mother nature, ultimately. Jewelweed is a plant, a weed that grows abundantly in Canada, possibly all over the world. It has many healing qualities. We don’t learn certain things until we self-educate. The good old internet is full of information, that’s where I learned more about it. The project is a metaphor, it’s me, growing natural, wild, and free, ever living. It’s a compilation of four tracks, two soul tracks, one jazzy, and one spoken word. I like to play with words, so I call it my HOT EP, Hotep approved, referring to Imhotep who was a Master of Medicine in history. It’s out now in most online stores for download.

What advice would you give to new artists entering the changing industry? Creating music is a fulfilling experience, but it is not an easy task. As an artist, managing the business side of things can be quite challenging. Regrettably, there are numerous scams and dishonest individuals who exploit artists by embezzling their money.To overcome these challenges, we need to support each other. One way to do this is by collaborating with other artists in your musical genre. You can add their music to your playlist, and they can do the same for you. By doing this, you can promote your work to a wider audience and help each other succeed in the music industry.

It is important to submit your work to various magazines and independent radio stations, as they may be more willing to play your music than mainstream stations. If you can, try to find a team to work with but keep in mind that most people will want to be paid upfront. If you don't have sales, there won't be any money to pay others. Unfortunately, banks aren't giving out loans to singer-songwriters, and having a full-time job to pay others can be draining. So, unless you have a lot of money, you will need to do everything yourself.

Some independent artists may find it easier to gain support from their community, but if you're not fortunate enough to have that, you may need to look beyond your community to find an audience that appreciates your work. However, this can be challenging because as an independent artist, you have to handle various day-to-day tasks such as registrations, mixing, mastering, artwork, video editing, etc., in addition to constantly generating new creative ideas. Balancing your artistic creativity with the business side of things can be quite demanding and may prove to be the most challenging aspect of being an independent artist.

"Secondly, we live in a society where people are too focused on themselves. Everyone wants to be a famous pop star. You may be working hard to get views on your music, but some people are getting thousands of views just by posing without any talent. This is the reality of the business that I have had to face as an independent artist. Therefore, my advice to you is to be prepared for challenges."

Website http://www.sharonmusgrave.com/

END OF INTERVIEW