Michelle Williams Cover
August 2013
AIRPLAY 360
INSIDE AUGUST 2013
CONTENTS 3
PUBLISHER’S NOTE: Look How Far You’ve Come by Ace Alexander
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COVER STORY: Michelle Williams: Her Purpose in Gospel by Louise Moore
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PRODUCER’S CORNER: Recording Your Demo by Roger Ryan
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NEW MUSIC RELEASES
11 A&R 101: Does Social Media Help Your Career? by Tracy Williamson 12 YOUR VOICE: Three Ways to Find Your Unique Singing Voice by Dileesa Hunter On the Cover: Singer, Songwriter, Producer Isaac Carree On the Cover: eOne recording artist Michelle Williams
Does Social Media Help Your Music Career?
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Ways to Find Your Unique Singing Voice Pg. 12
PUBLISHER’S NOTE Look How Far You’ve Come! ou may not be where you want to be today but look at how far you’ve already come! Someone once said, “People often fail in achieving their goal because they look at how far they have to go instead of looking at how far they have come.” How far have you come and are you discouraged because you’re looking ahead and your destination seems so far away? Well, if that’s you, you should give yourself some credit for where you’ve already been and, most importantly, don’t forget to give God the ultimate credit. Sure, your journey might have been rough at times but it’s just that—a journey—which means you are constantly moving forward. Don’t allow fear, problems, stress or anything to cause you to be troubled. Some people might advise you to not look back but I believe there are times when you need to get a good rear-view look and see where you’ve been. You need to see all the obstacles you’ve overcome. You need to see all of God’s footprints when He carried you through difficult situations. And you need to count every one of your blessings and know that God will carry you through to the end.
August 2013 / Vol. 5 No. 10 PUBLISHER Ace Alexander ASSISTANT TO PUBLISHER Michelle Slater EDITORIAL DIRECTOR Louise M. Moore CONTRIBUTING COLUMNISTS Adrian Anderson Tina A. Fears Kathy Grant Angela D. Green, Esq. Dileesa Hunter Pam Perry Roger Ryan Nicole B. Simpson, CFP Mark A. Williams, M.D., Ph.D. Tracy Williamson CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Francesca Hayes Letita Martin Tray Simmons
ADVERTISING LTL Entertainment LLC AIRPLAY 360 Online Magazine published Monthly airplay360.com Copyright © 2008-2013 Airplay 360 Online Magazine, an ace alexander company publication Reproduction, in whole or in part, is strictly prohibited. Readers are free to forward this web magazine to friends and colleagues.
Ace Alexander Publisher/Founder Follow @acealexanderVIP publisher@airplay360.com
Ace Alexander is a Stellar Award winning nationally syndicated radio host, a two-time recipient of the Central South Distribution REACH Award and two-time nominee for the R&R/Billboard Achievement Awards for Radio Personality and National Music Director. He is also a speaker, consultant and facilitator.
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DISCLAIMER: The articles and resources in AIRPLAY 360 are not intended to be a substitute for professional consultations. While all attempts have been made to verify information provided in this web magazine, neither the author nor the publisher assumes any responsibility for errors, omissions or contrary interpretation of the subject matter herein.
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Her Purpose in Gospel BY LOUISE MOORE
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e all know singer, songwriter and actress Michelle Williams as a member of the Grammy Award winning R&B group Destiny’s Child. We know she has performed in Broadway productions Chicago and Aida and has toured with theatrical productions The Color Purple and What My Husband Doesn’t Know. But what we may not know is why Michelle, who has experienced so much success in secular music and in live theatre, is preparing to release her third inspirational album. The eOne recording artist explains why to Airplay 360 and gives new perspective on her purpose, not only in gospel but in the entertainment industry overall. A360: I want to congratulate you on your new single release, “If We Had Your Eyes.” Tell me about it. Who is it that you are trying to reach with this particular single? MICHELLE: Everybody—the church and the unchurched. The church because those of us who are born and raised in church think sometimes that we have the advantage over people. You’re just churched with no relationship. You think that because you go to church every Sunday you’re first in line to go to heaven, that your name is first on the list or that you have a VIP pass. No, we all standing in the same line on Judgment Day. As far as the unchurched, I want to let them know that whatever they are going through in life to inspire them to dig deep and gain some type of perspective from my eyes as far as the love of God and what he has done for me. A360: We know that you have had a very successful career with Destiny’s Child and then doing your solo thing but most secular artists shy away from doing gospel projects. Let’s face it, most of the time when they do it, it’s not going to be as successful (in sales) so I just want to know why you choose to do inspirational music? MICHELLE: Well, I love it and that is my foundation, that’s my first love. Now mind you, I love all types of music. This is my third inspirational project. I also
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did a pop album. I love all types of music. I love jazz. I love country. I love it all. So, even with this album, it’s like a musical gumbo and you’ll hear all of these influences in the album. It’s so much great, beautiful music (that has inspired me) from people like Whitney Houston, one of my first loves. Then you’ve got Yolanda Adams and Cece Winans who have inspired me as a gospel performer. A360: Tell me this Michelle, how do you respond or do you respond to criticism that you receive from the church about doing gospel music? MICHELLE: Oh I don’t respond anymore. I used to. All I can do is look at the results of my music, what people come up and tell me. Like right now, if you look on my lyrics video for “If We Had Your Eyes” on YouTube, you’d see a couple of comments on there that say, “I don’t listen to gospel music but I love (this song), it’s making me rethink gospel music.” All I can do is do the work, plant the seeds and hope that there are people’s lives being changed. I’m not here to preach and lay hands and throw this good Bible down your throat. My purpose is definitely to let you know about the God I serve, the God who loves you so much and what he has done for me. The first time I did Aida on Broadway, a woman came up to me and said, “I need you to pray for my husband.” So, we prayed for her husband and he had some type of meningitis that had spread really bad. He was so excited that he came to opening night of my show for Aida, walked down the aisle and sat in his seat. Now mind you we were praying for him and didn’t know if he was going to make it. I don’t know if it was necessarily the prayer that I prayed but I’m hoping that I had something to do with it. Basically, someone sees something in me where they ask me to pray for them. A360: Were you ever in that position with Destiny’s Child or with other secular artists where they asked you to pray for them? MICHELLE: Absolutely! So when I tell you that’s my MICHELLE WILLIAMS CONTINUED PAGE 8
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PRODUCER’S CORNER Recording Your Demo BY ROGER RYAN
ow that you've penned a great song, it's time to record the demo. Recording a demo can be done in a number of ways. It can be piano and vocal or guitar and vocal. It can also be a full production with a band or it can be programmed. The main goal as a writer is to present the demo in such a way that an artist or label can hear the song with the intended artist in mind. It's better to record the demo with a female if the song is for a female and the same would apply for a male as well. Make sure the demo is recorded in a studio and not on your Smartphone. A little mix and now it's time to send it. Hopefully, it will be recorded as a master by an artist. Now you have a demo for your producer. He or she can now produce a master.
Roger Ryan is a Grammy, Dove and Stellar Award nominated producer, songwriter who has worked with artists like CeCe Winans, Whitney Houston, Karen Clark Sheard and Wynona Judd. His TV productions credits include UNCF Parade of Stars, VH1 Save the Music Show and PBS White House Program.
MICHELLE WILLIAMS CONT’D FROM PAGE 7 purpose, there are artists today that I pray for. And I think that’s what they really appreciate because they know their business is not going to be (in the media) the next day. A360: When is the full project “Journey to Freedom” going to be released? MICHELLE: The full project is slated for February 25, 2014. I don’t say that release date too much because I’m hoping they will change their minds and it will come out a little earlier. If not, we’ve got a great plan for the rest of the year to continue to crank out the good music so people can get a feel for it because I haven’t put out an album in four years. To connect with Michelle Williams visit her online at iammichelle.com
Michelle Williams with gospel singer Wes Morgan presenting Group/Duo of the Year Award at the 28th Annual Stellar Awards, January 19, 2013, in Nashville, TN. (Source: Rick Diamond/Getty Images North America)
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A&R101 Does Social Media Help Your Music Career? BY TRACY WILLIAMSON
rtists, let’s talk social media and how we use it to promote the music we want to share with the world. Here we go. I have a question for you. As an artist, should your success be measured by the number of Facebook and Twitter followers you have? Now I know many may respond differently and I’ve posed this question to cause you to think more on how we market on social media while using traditional promotional methods. Yes, I do communicate on social media and understand that it’s the current trend, but let’s not forget the importance of remaining in the face of fans and consumers via national touring, local concerts, live radio, community events and more. Just think when fans see you live, they draw from your authenticity and you’re able to feel their support in person. I do agree that posting new music and events on social media will keep followers informed, but can you imagine how far your music will go, once fans see what they’ve been told? I’m aware that sometimes it’s easier to send out a tweet or Facebook post, but keep in mind, that media trends change and it’s always great to think ahead to avoid becoming stuck in the latest trend. When the legendary Berry Gordy founded Motown,
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they didn’t have social media, but they did have drive, ambition, a dream and raw talent and so do you! If a new trend starts tomorrow, let’s make sure our creative gifts are properly developed and ready to inspire and encourage others beyond our reach. Artists, keep praying, learning, growing, practicing, performing, giving, traveling and loving, no matter the number of tweets, posts or likes that you receive. Tracy Williamson is owner of TRE7 Entertainment, a premier A&R, marketing and promotions company specializing in developing gospel artists. As a songwriter and producer, she has worked with The Rance Allen Group, Shirley Murdock, Bishop Leonard Scott and many others.
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YourVoice
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Ways to Find YOUR Unique
BY DILEESA HUNTER here are a lot of talented singers in this world. Every year there is a new generation of singers graduating from performing arts high schools and pursuing a music degree or jumping into a music career. Moreover, it’s easier now than ever before to record, package and sell music, but the question remains, how can you make yourself stand out as a singer? How can you find your own voice? One major way to find your own voice is to develop good listening skills. This includes: 1. Listening to the skeleton of a song. Listen to a song for its sequences and try to imagine a song without the original artists’ vocals on it. Explore ways to play with the melody and phrasing. Does the song sing itself, is the melody stuck or are there things that may be more natural for you that the artist doesn’t do? 2. Learn to play with different keys when singing. Song keys are not set in stone. If there is a song you like and you feel it would fit your voice perfectly except for it feeling a bit high or low, don’t be afraid to change it. Adjusting a song up or down by a half or whole step is not a negative reflection on your vocal skills.
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3. Examine vocal affectations that are authentic to your voice. Vocal affectations, such as a unique way to attack a note or a vibrato or run or a ‘lick’ as I call it sound good on some people’s voices but sound out of place in others. With the help of listening to diverse musicians, learn and develop the ones that are authentic to you and your voice. While you do these exercises, don’t be surprised if you begin to see flaws in your favorite artist’s singing. Remember that they are limited to only do what is in their skill set as well. If you find yourself thinking, “Geez, that was ugly,” or “Why did he or she do that?,” then you are learning to find your voice. If you follow these steps to find your voice you will find that it will become more than you had imagined. You will develop a gift for interpretation which will make you unique amongst the crowds of singers out there.
Dileesa Hunter is an international vocal coach and consultant based in Atlanta, GA. She also records and tours with several recording artists and performs in various stage plays. Born in Manchester, England, she has always been exposed to different music styles. Dileesa’s vocal repertoire
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