In The Spotlight: Ridock King

Another spotlight for you all...and more on the way! I tweeted earlier today that doing spotlights is probably my favorite part of blogging. I get the chance to be able to connect with other people and share their work and stories, and that's really special to me. As always, if you are or represent an upcoming artist, producer, designer, etc., please refer to our Features/Submissions page for more info!

Today, on The Spotlight, we have hip hop artist Ridock King! Ridock began writing music at the age of 9, inspired by artists like LL Cool J and Tupac. “They created music that reached your soul and could also stimulate your mind to help you think more critically about life in general,” he explained. Growing up in Philadelphia, he admitted “many of the ‘street horror’ stories were not unusual to see.” However, he also began to educate himself and connect with other scholars and professionals, which he says gave him great balance. Ridock effortlessly uses a great blend of all of his experiences to create his current sound and lyrics.

In The Spotlight: Ash

I really do love featuring the up and coming and hearing their stories! As always, if you are or represent an upcoming artist, designer, producer, etc, please contact us (refer to our Features/Submissions page for more info!).

Today, on The Spotlight, we have alternative pop/R&B singer Ash! A few weeks back, I featured her song "Perfect" on the blog, which is getting a lot of great feedback from listeners. Of course, I wanted to interview this great upcoming artist, and share her story here!

Ash grew up in a creative home, and actually starting singing around the age of three. She wrote songs basically all of her life, but, after graduating from Spelman, decided to actually work for the government, just like her mom. "Once I started working in the public sector, I realized that I needed to stop working in the public sector and pursue my dreams," she chuckled. The singer saved up money, and began working as a background vocalist.

In The Spotlight: Kendra J

Another great spotlight for you all! As always, if you are or represent an upcoming artist, designer, producer, etc, please contact us (refer to our Features/Submissions page for more info!).

Today on The Spotlight, we have pop-R&B singer Kendra J! Kendra began singing at the age of five when she sang karaoke for the first time. Around the age of seven, she began singing on the children’s choir at church. “I knew music was something I wanted to pursue in elementary school,” Kendra admitted. “I loved singing for different ceremonies and assemblies. It made me so happy and I knew then because of the feeling of completion and peace that I experienced in those times that singing was what I wanted to do.”

In The Spotlight: Tim Wheatley & Crooked Saint

Today on The Spotlight, we have Australian artist Tim Wheatley! Born in Melbourne, Australia, he grew up in a family that was involved in music in one way or another. “My old man was a musician, and there was never a shortage of instruments lying around the house to kill some time on,” Tim said. Growing up in Australia, he always thought that the music had “quite a unique sound.” “Why that is I’m not exactly certain,” Tim said. “But I think it has a lot to do with the tyranny of distance. We take the music from places like the US and other parts of the world and put our own spin on it.”

The singer went on to form his own band in high school called The Sparrows, which signed with Sony a few years out of school. The band had gigs around Australia, the UK, and the States and was doing quite well. However, Tim and the lead singer Michael Badger, began moving in different musical and creative directions, and Tim left the group.

In The Spotlight: Graph Gonzales

Hailing from Toronto, Ontario, Canada, Krista Gonzales, known professionally as Graph Gonzales, became interested in music as a teenager, listening to hip hop and eventually recorded herself for fun. “It was probably what I spent most of my time doing as an individual, writing verses and recording them,” Graph said. “It was kind of a natural thing that happened.” The city of Toronto, Graph noted, has a very eclectic sound that she’s really inspired by, including great alternative and avant-garde rock music that influenced her sound a bit.

As a teen, she had a little nickname that a friend gave her—“Graph,” because her voice was “thin and airy, like spray pain coming out of a can,” she joked. However, that’s what she eventually went by professionally, adding on her last name Gonzales, after a suggestion by Pharrell Williams later on in life. Graph began working with various groups in Toronto and New York, building up experience by consistently working in the studio. Through hard work, she has collaborated with Pharrell and Chad Hugo of the Neptunes, Talib Kweli, Clipse, and more, just to name a few.

In The Spotlight: Villainettes

More spotlights to come as we end the summer (is it me or has Summer 2014 FLOWN by?)! Today on The Spotlight, we have Villainettes, hailing from Melbourne, Australia (one of my favorite places in the world, for good reason! Check out my somewhat embarrassing yet fun blog on my experience a few years back).

The band recently came together in 2013, said to be born “amidst the ashes of three totally diverse bands.” Through friendships and professional connections, Villainettes were born! Vocalist and guitarist Michael Lindquist had begun to write, focused on some of his own personal life events, which helped to shape the band and their sound.

In The Spotlight: Buffalo Sunn

Keeping up with my goal of at least one spotlight a week (no matter what day it falls on *smiles*)! Still looking for great writers & bloggers as well to develop more content for the site, so email me at BrittanyShawnte@gmail.com for more information! 

Today, on The Spotlight, we have rock/alternative band Buffalo Sunn! Based in Dublin, Ireland, the group utlilizes retro 60s sounds as well as modern day beats to make up their unique sound. Four of the band’s members are actually brothers (the Paxton brothers--Daniel, who serves as songwriter, guitarist, and lead vocalist, Neil, who plays the keys, guitar and delivers backing vocals, Conor on keys and guitar and Ruairi on bass). The other two members (“honorary members of the Paxton clan) are Donagh O’Brien who plays drums, and Patrick McHugh who sings and plays guitar. The Paxton brothers themselves were sent to learn piano at an early age. “We hated it at the time because we had to go every Friday straight from school,” Daniel, who served as spokesman in this interview, recalled. “So while everyone was off for the weekend playing, we had to go to lessons!” However, after a few years, the brothers got the hang of piano and picked up guitar quite easily as well, becoming true musicians at just 12, 13 years old!

In The Spotlight: Travis Caudle

I absolutely love how many international artists I have had the opportunity to feature on The Spotlight this year! It’s always cool to feature people outside of the U.S. to give you all a little taste of what the outside world really has to offer. It’s also allowed me to talk with a lot of awesome people! Getting back into the swing of things after all of these vacations and whatnot, so I have even more in the works!

Today, we have Australian pop/rock artist Travis Caudle! Travis admitted that he fell in love with music at a really young age. “Dad was always into stereo systems in a big way and buying the latest records and Mum plays piano, so it was always around,” he said, even recalling his first concert experience at the toddler level! “I clearly remember being at a Neil Diamond concert in Perth, Western Australia where I’m from, when I was two or three and wondering why he had red, green and blue hair (the lights!!!). Mum and Dad must not have been able to find a babysitter that night!” he joked.

In The Spotlight: Constance Renoir

I have a lot of spotlights coming up, and even more submissions to look through soon. I plan to
hopefully have at least one spotlight a week for a bit, while I catch up (*fingers crossed*). As always, if you or your client is an upcoming singer, rapper, actor, designer, etc., please email me at BrittanyShawnte@gmail.com (Please give at least two weeks for response). 

Today on The Spotlight, we have singer/songwriter Constance Renoir! Raised in Brooklyn, NY, Constance got into music at a very young age. “I would say, by 9 years old, I had written my first song, and I knew that I could really sing,” she said. In junior high, the singer had what she called “sort of a life changing experience,” when she was asked by her music teacher, Ms. Christie, to perform in a talent show. “I had never performed before, and so I didn’t know which song to sing, so she recommended to me that I perform Mariah Carey’s ‘Hero,’” Constance recalled. “Once I grabbed that mic, and sang those specific lyrics, I knew that was what I wanted to do.” From there on, she started following Mariah’s music, trying to match both her vocals and songwriting skills.

In The Spotlight: Natalia Damini

Working hard to feature a few different artists this week! As always, if you or someone you know, is an upcoming artist, producer, actor, etc., and are interested in a feature, please email me at BrittanyShawnte@gmail.com!

Today on The Spotlight, we have Brazilian singer Natalia Damini! This upcoming star has had her sights on music since she was only five years old. “I remember when I was singing, imagining a crowd of fans in front of me. That was so fun!” she said. “ I have been dreaming [about] this my whole life.” When she was 17, she met a DJ that was looking for a singer to put on his record. He only had music, and not any lyrics, so Natalia wrote the track, which became her first single “Feelin’ The Love.” “The people liked it and the DJs started sharing the song all over the country and outside, I had a demand for shows and that's how everything started,” the singer said. Natalia eventually left home for Sao Paulo alone, touring around Brazil to pursue her dream.

In The Spotlight: Montrey Slayton

I have a great spotlight (and a lot more on the way, slowly but surely!). As always, if you are or know of an upcoming artist, designer, producer, etc, please email me at brittanyshawnte@gmail.com.

Today on The Spotlight, we have upcoming singer Montrey Slayton! Born in Springfield, IL and moving to Marianna, Arkansas for most of his childhood. Montrey grew up in a musical family, so his singing talent was always evident. “We didn’t have a lot growing up but we ALWAYS had music. If our lights was out, we put batteries in the boom box and it’s like all of our problems faded away,” he said. He and his family eventually moved to Milwaukee, WI, in 2004, which Montrey calls a “gem” in terms of music. “We try to be different than other cities like Atlanta or Houston. You could hear in certain people music where they from. But it’s such a mix of originality in Milwaukee that you would always hear something new and unheard of,” the singer said of the city. Once he graduated from high school, Montrey recognized that he had a gift of writing music. That’s when he decided to record his first demo and take his music seriously.

In The Spotlight: Frankito Arias

I'm blessed to be able to share with you all these amazing spotlights of talented artists, designers, producers, and more! I get more and more requests every month, and it blows me away! As always, if you are interested in featuring your work (or your client's work) on The Spotlight, feel free to email me! 

Today we have on the blog, model/actor Frankito Arias! Frankito is relatively new to the industry, and was introduced to acting and modeling back in 2011 by his current manager, Tahyira Savanna. “The truth is, it was just something fun to do and she thought I had real skill.” The duo were both new to their jobs—Frankito to acting and modeling and Tahyira to managing—but they gave it a shot anyway. “The response was so good, we started to take it more seriously and now that I have had a taste of what it is I found my true path,” the actor admitted.

In The Spotlight: Super Jay

Excited to have quite a few new spotlights in the works, so be on the lookout for those in the coming months! As always, singers, rappers, publicists, etc. email me with any amazing work you would like to be featured on The Spotlight!

A few weeks back, I featured music from upcoming singer, Super Jay! His track, "Yo Body," was sexy and smooth, and perfect for radio! I wanted to feature a little bit more about him to give you guys a good look into who this great artist is! Often compared to Trey Songz because of his sultry vocals, Super Jay is a triple threat previously opening up for Trey Songz, and J. Holiday, and already embarked on his own "All of Me" tour that began April 4, 2014 in Ardmore, OK.

In The Spotlight: JproD

Another spotlight! My goal is to feature as many artists as I possibly can this year (I have a set number but I'm hoping to exceed it!). As always, if you would like your work to be featured on The Spotlight, email me and I’ll get back to you as soon as I can.

Today, we have JproD (Jeopardy). Born in New Bedford, MA and raised in Bristol, CT, this bold artist recalls wanting to create music at the age of five! “Most of my childhood memories involve music,” he recalled. “Whether it was driving to my grandparents’ house with my mom, singing Mariah Carey or sitting behind the couch with a yellow Walkman, bumping “Mama Said Knock You Out.” At nine, he remembers writing emails to record labels asking them for a record deal. At that young of an age, J.Prod KNEW that he was going to be involved in the music industry in some way. However, it wasn’t until his senior year of high school that he gathered up enough confidence to pursue his music as a true artist. “There was a new teacher at my school. Never had him as a teacher, just kind of found myself in his classroom,” he recalls. “Long story short, he happened to be a former independent record label owner and he gave me the scoop. He also let me borrow his laptop and keyboard to make beats and record.” From then on, it was all about the music.

In The Spotlight: A.R. Stylez

Happy April all! I'm excited to have quite a few spotlights lined up in the coming weeks (as always, if you are an upcoming artist, producer, designer, etc., and are looking to be featured on the blog, feel free to email me, and I will get back to you as soon as I can).

Today, to bring in the new month, we have hip hop emcee A.R. Stylez (Always Real Stylez)! Hailing from Brooklyn, New York and raised by a single mother, A.R. grew up listen to good soul music from artists like Ben E. King, the Blue Notes, and Ray Charles.  He took an great interest in art at a young age, but as he got older, he found that he could "paint pictures through words." His first performance was at the age of 13 at the historic Knitting Factory in NYC, and it was clear that music was an outlet to express himself. The emcee said of Brooklyn's influence, "Every day you're reminded that you're in the city that never sleeps. Living in the hood, being introduced to violence, poverty, and struggle will make just about anyone what to pursue better."

In The Spotlight: Celleste

Another spotlight for you all! Music keeps coming in, and I'm loving it! As always, if you are or you represent an upcoming musician, singer, rapper, designer, poet, etc., please feel free to email me for a feature on the blog!  

Today, we have Canadian singer-songwriter Celleste! The singer, the youngest of four, grew up in a musical household. Her own dad was a musician, and that opened her ears to a lot of great music! "My brother introduced me to classic rock, my sisters helped me discover bubblegum pop, and my dad had me listening to country music. Quite the mix!" Celleste said. She's a big fan of Led Zeppelin, but also pop stars like Madonna, Lady Gaga, P!nk, and Justin Timberlake. The 30s and 40s eras of music are seeming to pop up more in her music these days, she stated. "I've always loved the feeling I get when I listen to singers like Ella Fitzgerald and Peggy Lee," Celleste said. "So even though I'm writing pop-rock, those flavors seem to be showing up more and more." Definitely an eclectic taste!

Originally from Montreal, the artist admitted that it wasn't her own music scene that had an impact on her sound. Even in her own city, she felt a bit like a "fish out of water." "Somehow I found myself 'California dreaming' at the age of 5," Celleste said, reminiscing about her love of American culture. "I knew there was something else out there for me, and I was determined to find it."

In The Spotlight: Eric Zayne

Here's a spotlight for you all this morning! (As always, if you are or represent a musician, producer, designer, etc., and would like to be featured on the blog, please feel free to email me!)

Today on The Spotlight, we have pop-rock artist Eric Zayne! Raised in the city of Montreal, Eric got his start with music around 13 years old, playing in various bands around his hometown. His first big gig was a five year tour across Asia, where he played keyboard, guitar, and sang with a funk band. Huge deal! It was these years that taught him about songwriting, performing, and connecting with audiences, all qualities that a true artist should have.

In The Spotlight: Glenn Aitken

Another spotlight for you all today! As always, if you would like your work to be featured on The 
Spotlight, please email me!

Today on Spotlight, we have New Zealand singer-songwriter Glenn Aitken! Glenn picked up playing piano at an early age, and then went on to teach himself guitar and saxophone as well. He played in bands four nights a week while studying at university, and when he graduated, he left to play with a band in Shanghai, China!

Inspired by the Beatles, Pink Floyd, and John Mayer among others, Glenn also admitted that his home of New Zealand also has had a strong impact on his career. “New Zealand has a thriving music industry full of amazing talent,” the singer said. “I grew up playing songs from such great songwriters [such] as Neil Finn and Dave Dobbyn.” Pop rock band Crowded House, formed by both New Zealand and Australian members, is one of his favorite bands to this day.

Read more on Glenn below!

In The Spotlight: Skylight

I'm excited to give y'all the first spotlight of 2014! (As always, if you are interested in being featured on Spotlight, please email me!)

Today, we have South African band, Skylight, made up of talented musicians Greg Jorden (vocals and rhythm guitar), Wesley Ayliffe (lead guitar), Peter Klien (bass), and Bradley Cumming (drums)! The band was officially established back in the summer of 2009, after Greg, Pete, and Brad performed together at a Christmas Carols event in late 2008. As the trio worked on their first tracks together, Wes, who worked as an engineer in the studio, became a part of the group. “We really connected, and they invited me to a rehearsal,” Wes recalled. “The rest is history.”

Check out more about the group below!

In The Spotlight: Nikki Billie Jean

Today we have a spotlight on designer/blogger Nikki Billie Jean, creator of Billie Jean Bowties &Designs! (As always, if you are interested in a feature, feel free to email me!)

Born and raised in Maryland, Nikki is a 2009 graduate of Archbishop Caroll High School in Washington, D.C., and a 2013 grad of Penn State. She first took interest in fashion after subscribing to Seventeen magazine in high school, but really got the chance to show off her style in college. “Every time I had an opportunity to express myself when it came to fashion, I seized that moment,” she said. In her sophomore year, she helped organized a fashion show for an event at Penn State called “Taste of Africa.” “I modeled, directed, and even helped make clothes for this show,” Nikki stated. “After this show, I knew fashion was something I really wanted to get into."

Check out more about Nikki below!