Hey, everybody! I have some updates and errthang. That's a word, right?
Anyway, my song "City of Flames" has officially been delivered to itunes, Spotify, and the like. They still have not posted it live, but it is much closer than before. I'll do another post when that finally happens.
Also, the album is coming along nicely. When I finish upgrading my equipment, I can start finalizing some things. I already mentioned the track listing, and that is pretty set--even though I have started writing several new songs. This is a delightfully creative and free period in my life and music. I am ecstatic to see just where this all leads me.
This brings me to my next point: how I am relishing being completely independent from a label. I am just starting to appreciate how freeing it is to be independent and how this gives me free rain to do whatever I want musically. If I want to experiment with electronica, there is no problem. If I decide to do random EPs or singles, I can do that. If I become a completely different person, my "image" can reflect that.
Actually, I do realize that there are a lot of artists that are allowed such freedom; but, in the end, the record business is more about the money than the music. Images are built (how ever well or how poorly it reflects the actual artist) for the sake of selling the records. The music is rarely allowed to stand alone, or to really breathe. If an artist debuts with one image, it will be extremely hard for them to shed said image.
A primary example of this comes in the form of two of the most influential music artists in my life: Terence Trent D'arby (Sananda Maitreya) and Michael Jackson.
I've been waxing philosophical on this thought for a while now, and I feel that it points to two possibilities: fading away or being so big one can hardly change. TTD represents the former while MJ represents the latter.
When people hear of TTD, they tend to only remember his debut "The Hardline According to Terence Trent D'arby." Most people have yet to delve any further into his catalogue under his original name. They are truly missing out, if you ask me, and it is due to his having been mishandled by the record company.
On his debut, TTD mostly stayed in the realm of R&B and Funk. These are traditional forms of music blacks did in the industry. Upon doing that, the company thought they had him pegged. It turns out that they were completely wrong, though; as TTD began to show his far larger artistic vision that incorporated elements of world music, rock, soul, and anything he could get his hands on. His second record was, needless to say, not what the company was expecting.
I cannot now recall how long he took to make the record, but it certainly clashed with how the company desired to market him. There was also an alleged tussle with another big artist who further pigeonholed TTD into the realm of "non promotion." The company did not put forth nearly the effort they did in hyping his first record.
The record, "Neither Fish Nor Flesh," would actually serve as a preview of the synthesis he was trying to achieve. It was received by some as being pretentious and, while it was true that TTD was incredibly cocky, I would have to say that those opinions likely reflected the state of race in the music industry. Most black artists, excepting Prince, TTD, and (at times) MJ; fit into a desired mold. It was simple and easy. Most were not attempting to blend or experiment with different sounds. Such forays into realms as of then unheard of, made it difficult for the music machine to know exactly how to profit from such artists.
Artists like Prince and MJ were established enough that weird directions in music were not as big of a deal, but TTD was just starting out and he already was doing weird stuff. Due to this, his company didn't hype him as they should. Their lack of promotion lead to declining sales (though still fairly good sales, if memory serves) and interest in TTD. Thus, the two records where he successfully pulled everything he tried in "Neither Fish nor Flesh" in brilliant fashion, were relatively ignored on many levels. "Symphony or Damn" and "Vibrator," moreso the former, are some of my favorite albums and influenced me greatly, as I grew as a musician.
After those two records weren't well received, TTD slowly lost his confidence and eventually himself. He changed his name because, in his mind, "they killed that boy (TTD)." That is what represents the fading away. As Sananda, TTD is still releasing music, just independently. He kept a good following as TTD and most of those likely followed him in his next "iteration." He is living in Europe somewhere and likely gaining new fans there. He releases music when he wants and makes the records he wants. He is free.
The other side of the spectrum is MJ. MJ was famous at 11 and then had to go through puberty, in front of the world. He also had to make the transition into adulthood, which he did with "Off the Wall." That record is probably his most complete work in my opinion. The subsequent three albums of Thriller, Bad, and Dangerous, were solid records; but, they were made with the intent of popular appeal. There is nothing wrong with that, but they were not done in the artful, free-flowing way he approached "Off the Wall" with.
A lot of this had to do with Michael's psyche and the damage that had been done to it; however, public and critical perception played a huge role in how he made his albums. MJ would make the albums in a way that would strike a chord and be successful. It was a response to the rather tepid recognition of "Off the Wall" in the Grammys. As slick and awesome the record was, it wasn't even in the running for anything outside of R&B (he won the award for best male R&B vocal).
There again is that whole pigeonholing of black artists thing. He was really distraught about that slight and then said it wouldn't happen again. It didn't. He structured each of his records in a way that the Grammys and other awards ceremonies could not ignore. One good thing that came out of this was Michael's reaching into more rock n roll and expanding his sound a bit. I just wonder what he could have done with expanding the sound of "Off the Wall" instead of the sound of "Thriller."
After "Thriller," people--more than ever--wanted Michael to be a very specific thing. I think that crushed him artistically.
I could go on, but my main point is that I can avoid such things and be far more connected with fans, which will get my name out there more and more. I don't need an image. I don't have to stick to certain types of music. If I want to do an oddball album like Kanye's "808's and Heartbreaks," I can do just that. I won't HAVE to change my image, because it is myself.
So, in closing, I want to thank everyone who has supported me thus far. I hope that you will spread the word of my musical deeds as I continue to grow as an artist, performer, etc. This free reign that I find myself in is perfect and will help me provide some very special music for all of you!
Peace and Love,
ZK
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