ise advert us with ote m to pro
Chisom Confidence Flourishing Everyday PAGE 40
NEW ARTISTS CILLA pg 04 KIM TIBBS pg 26 gabby b pg 32
EKAT BORK WHO IS MEZZIAH? PAGE 32
CONTENT 04 CILLA 10 EKAT BORK
26 KIM TIBBS
40
Chisom Confidence
18 GABBY B
STOKES PUBLISHING EDITOR IN CHEIF CURTIS STOKES IV PRES. OF ARTIST MANAGEMENT MARLON JONES CREATIVE DIRECTOR EMIR MEŠIĆ EVENTS DIRECTOR SHARELLE CURINTON PHOTO CREDITS DANIEL ADELSTEIN FRANK BLENMAN CHISOM FELIX Samuel Sanchez Jr. Yi Duan Michael Pham Solitaire Photography Silvio Cattaneo OVAGROUNDMOGUL.COM INKMOGUL77@GMAIL.COM OVAGROUNDMOGUL@GMAIL.COM To Advertise contact us @ inkmogul77@gmail.com
32 Mezziah
Cilla
a leader, a person, a lover and a friend
4 | OvaGround Mogul
OvaGround Mogul | 5
6 | OvaGround Mogul
A
t 9 years old CILLA'S mom and dad would catch her singing her favorite tunes in the shower of their small project apartment in Woodside, NY. After all, that is where she found the best acoustics in her home. She discovered her talent shortly after when she was asked by her parents to sing something special at her uncle's wedding and then again at her older sister's sweet 16. She then auditioned for a few performing arts High schools around New York City, and was accepted to Frank Sinatra School of the Arts in Long Island City as a Vocal major. She was able to become apart of her class choir, a concert choir, a women's choir, and even landed a spot in the Musical theatre department. Cilla was given many opportunities to perform at some of New Yorks finest stages such as Carneige Hall, Cipriani's event Gala, and Bloomingdale's annual Holiday show; performing along side the founder of F.S.S.A himself: Mr. Tony Bennett.
OvaGround Mogul | 7
After graduating Cilla committed to developing herself as a leader, a person, a lover and a friend before jumping into pursing a career in the music industry. "I had responsibilities at a very young age and work consumed most of time." In her early twenties Cilla worked on feeding her mind and soul. Understanding that once these two were one, she would then be ready to pursue music as a career. "I never forgot how much I loved to sing, I just wanted to live life as a young adult, gain experiences, and be ready to accept all that comes with being a new thriving artist in NYC." Love is a huge inspiration to CILLA's music. Her goal is to touch her followers through lyrics and to help her audience during their experiences through her pop/soul sound. "Music has helped me get through some pretty tough times in my life, I want to do the same for others".
8 | OvaGround Mogul
Inspired by the classic sounds of Eryrika Badu & Mary J Bliege mixed with the new sounds of Jhene Aiko & Justina Valentine CILLA's first EP was born. Sprinkle that with heart break, passion and love and you've got yourself some hits! The journey has just begun, but CILLA's excited to see where it will take her.
Follow and become apart of her journey by following @theelovelytrend. Website: Theelovelytrend.com LÜM: https://lum.fm/profile/93650 Youtube: https://youtube.com/user/theelovelytrend Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theelovelytrend/ Twitter: Theelovelytrend Apple Music: https://music.apple.com/us/artist/cilla/1496353922 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/3FU7476ifZnXfQYMyU9EEJ?si=2Ui9Ac2pQfKoOE1WLjP0SA OvaGround Mogul | 9
EKAT BORK she threw her entire self into creating a vehicle for her music, live performances that left Ekat and her devoted audience drained and euphoric. Photo Credits:Ekat Bork - Silvio Cattaneo 10 | OvaGround Mogul
OvaGround Mogul | 11
W
43°48’N 131°58’E. inter. Tigers and snow leopards scavenge the bins of the suburbs. Ekat Bork was born here with China to her west and the Sea of Japan to the east and Moscow 6000 miles away. She was too young to remember the Soviet Union but the scars on the community remained. Like the big cats of her city she scavenged and survived and planned her escape. Her city had a circus. Ekat learned the trapeze and gymnastics. She sang traditional songs of the Russian far east. She danced and wailed, wild and unrestrained. She studied at the university. She watched heavy metal bands but didn’t understand them. She packed all she had, stole the money from her mother’s purse and caught the Trans-Siberian Express to St Petersburg. It took nine days. But her journey to freedom would take much longer. She busked on the subway, she crashed in filthy squats with no-name bands. She worked and was fired for singing instead of selling. She escaped again… to Switzerland. 12 | OvaGround Mogul
She studied at CPM IN Milan “singing and contemporary writing and production” and made contacts within the musical world of Switzerland and Italy. Ekat expresses herself by writing music, lyrics and arrangements. In October/ December 2013 she performed with Eric Martin and Jannifer Batten in acoustic and in electric shows on a long tour. June 2013 she released her first album “VERAMELLIOUS” produced by the Indie Label GinkhoBox with her manager and producer Silvio Cattaneo and the music producers Francesco Fabris fand Sandro Mussida. In 2014 she reached the most important stages in Switzerland like the Gurten Festival, M4music , Label Suisse… With her co-producer, Francesco Fabris she found an outlet for her anger, her passion, her uniqueness, her love of people, her desperation, her explosive sensuality. Together, they recorded two challenging, uncompromising albums, “VERAMELLIOUS” and in 2015 she was working on her new Album “YASДYES” (“I am here now”) recorded in different locations in Italy, Switzerland, Russia, Poland and
You’re trying to gag me. You never will.
OvaGround Mogul | 13
14 | OvaGround Mogul
Germany. January 2016 Album mastering at Calyx studios in Berlin. The response from her European audience base was divided. Some couldn’t handle her frankness and resistance to commerciality. Many others embraced her. At last they’d found the sugar-free honesty they’d been seeking. Someone who’d seen the best and worst of the world and wanted to talk to them about it. To meet that demand, she threw her entire self into creating a vehicle for her music, live performances that left Ekat and her devoted audience drained and euphoric. She took her show across Europe and then disappeared to her Alpine eyrie to regroup, reconsider and relax with her love and her hounds. In late 2017, Ekat needed a new environment to inspire her next project. Greenhouse Studios in Reykjavik became their creative lair in the land of fire and ice. The wild, unfamiliar landscape and the openness of the Icelandic people refreshed Ekat’s creative juices and over a period of weeks, “KONTROL“ emerged. Mastered by composer, producer, engineer, Valgeir Sigurðsson. OvaGround Mogul | 15
“KONTROL” is a four song EP of vast electronic atmospheres, heart-pumping rhythms and dark, emotional depth. It is beautiful and tense and desolate. Two tracks will be singles, wrapped in provocative videos. The first is the title track, KONTROL, expressing Ekat’s frustration at the pervasive surveillance society in the so-called free West. “Why are you afraid of robots when you act like a robot yourself?” It will be released on the 17th May. The second,”ZHIVAGO” will release on the 21st September. It evokes a sense of loss: loss of family, loss of her ties to the 16 | OvaGround Mogul
mighty River Amur that divides her homeland, and loss of history and connection to her/ our roots. Neither single is for the faint-hearted. Like the river, nothing about Ekat’s music is shallow or safe. When Ekat ran away from her home, she wasn’t seeking safety. She was seeking freedom. And so, in May and June, Ekat Bork will find herself free, naked and fearless as she embarks on her first SOLO TOUR. Ekat Bork is still escaping… “You’re trying to gag me. You never will.”
18 | OvaGround Mogul
Since Gabby B has come onto the music scene, she has quickly made vast impressions throughout the music industry.
G
abby B is a Brazilian songstress with a plethora of untapped superstar talent ready to rock the world. The triple threat persona that she has made her own has begun to raise antennas from across the music world. Gabby is an avid Barbie collector with hundreds of mint condition dolls in her portfolio. She loves the hue of Barbie pink and often models herself after the poise and fashion sense of the doll’s “life sized” persona giving her the nickname, “Brazilian Barbie.” OvaGround Mogul | 19
The pop vocalist has always been in tune with the entertainment industry. Born an only child in Goiania, Brazil, to a mother (Brazilian performer) and father (Professional martial arts master), Gabby was instantly synchronized with two worlds that would eventually shape shift her passion to entertain. Gabby’s parents travelled a lot in their respective professions that would have them migrate to France for a period of time. During their stay, she picked up on one of her 3 speaking languages, French. Ultimately, she was in France at the tender age of 3 when she discovered her love for singing. While on the road, Gabby watched the sensual moves of the Brazilian dance, Axé, instructed by her mother, and fine-tuned her natural gift of dance. The martial arts infusion from her father via Capoeira, allowed her to discipline her body with a level of limber finesse that only enhanced her rhythmic body language. This is evident when watching Gabby on TikTok, where she posts daily dancing videos for her 2.6 million followers who are constantly in awe of her moves. Spectrum News noticed this and aired a story based 20 | OvaGround Mogul
Be Be you, you, do do you, you, and and wear wear whatever whatever the the hell hell you you want! want!
OvaGround Mogul | 21
on her viral video that reached nearly 40 million views. Since Gabby B has come onto the music scene, she has quickly made vast impressions throughout the music industry. After releasing her first EP “Therapy”, Gabby took to the stage for the first time ever at the Brazilian Festival and opened for Brazilian sensation “Iza.” Shortly after that, Gabby toured with High School Nation during their South Florida run. Along the way, “Loot” was released which featured Netflix Rhythm & Flow standout “Londynn B.” This high-powered collaboration made its way up to the #4 spot on the DRT Global Top 150 Independent Airplay Chart. This was followed by a press run where Gabby interviewed with a variety of FM radio stations and performed live at “Rolling Out.” Although briefly interrupted by the extreme circumstances in 2020, Gabby B’s quest for greatness did not stop there. She came out with “Fine” featuring Devvon Terrell which marked her highest viewed music video at over 400 thousand views. Multiple songs and music videos later, she ended the year with her first 22 | OvaGround Mogul
The triple threat persona that she has made her own has begun to raise antennas from across the music world.
OvaGround Mogul | 23
ever Christmas song called “Christmas Day” which has over 105 thousand streams on Spotify alone. Gabby’s latest single, “Merry Go Round” also surpassed 100 thousand streams on Spotify within the first two weeks of its release. Gabby has now locked in on her style of music and has a lot in store for the near future. Gabby is always representing her culture by wearing sparkly bras, which are hand made by her mother, and her one glove which represents her love for martial arts inspired by her father. Destined for greatness spells out Gabby’s energy, as she tells her supporters every day to “Be you, do you, and wear whatever the hell you want!” Social Links: Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/1CB4dfzr8SJj2OwLjznm5s IG: https://www.instagram.com/gabbyb_music/ Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCUjUjJj3N94Fk9VD51QFJiw TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@gabbyb_music? All Socials: https://solo.to/gabbyb_music 24 | OvaGround Mogul
Fueling the vintage soul music flames
Kim Tibbs
y a m e m o s t a Wh s r e h t o " , k c u l " call ! Y N I T S E D call
26 | OvaGround Mogul
OvaGround Mogul | 27
S
ince birth, Kim Tibbs has been honing her craft...Crediting her late father, Pastor Robert L. Tibbs for her musical ability. Kim has over thirty years of musical experience as a vocalist and accomplished Arranger, B-3 Organist, Keyboardist, Lyricist, Pianist, Producer, and Songwriter. Since last year Kim has been steadily building a fan base as a solo recording artist, her debut digital single "I Need You For Your Love" a No. 1 hit in the Official UK Soul Chart, and No.4 rating In Top 100 of the year’s best soul records on the Official UK Soul Charts. "Soul!” built on her popularity by hitting No.1 in the same chart this year and so securing the interest and demand for an album. Kim grew up in Huntsville, Alabama, discovering music as a toddler, developing over time as a leading Hammond Organist, an unusual skill she shares on this, her debut album. “Kim” is a celebration of that which makes her strong: a journey through her childhood to now in which she explores each poignant stage in her life. Inspired by Wilson Pickett, 28 | OvaGround Mogul
Janet Jackson, Aretha Franklin, Al Green, and more influences can be heard on "Kim." Kim is currently an Endorsed Hammond Artist with Hammond Organ Company USA, a Roland Artist with Roland Corporation US, a Peavey Artist with Peavey Amplifiers USA, Slick Audio Recording Artist, a Focusrite U.K. Artist, and an Artist withmany other companies. Kim is also a staff writer with Skope Music Magazine in Boston, as well as a Staff Writer for the Songs of Love Foundation. She is a Council Member of the Board of Advisers in the College of Arts located at J.C. Calhoun Community College and holds a Bachelors of Arts and Science in Business Administration, Double Masters Degrees in Organizational Leadership and Masters of Business in Public Administration as well as currently working on a Doctorate of Business Administration in Leadership. Kim is also engaging in live tour dates in support of “Kim,” Fall of 2018 in Europe and the USA. For more information about Kim Tibbs, please visit www.KimTibbsMusic.com.
OvaGround Mogul | 29
30 | OvaGround Mogul
OvaGround Mogul | 31
32 | OvaGround Mogul
Who is Mezziah? OvaGround Mogul | 33
S
ome may say that he is what the saturated rap scene has been praying for! He is the voice, the lyrics and artist whose style can completely revolutionize the face of Canadian Hip Hop. Mezziah is the founder / CEO of (Hustle Coalition Against Poverty) “HCAP Music Group” an organization born out of an idea to produce and promote young up and coming artists by providing them with an opportunity. His own artistic mind and skills were apparent on his 2nd mixtape released in '05 entitled “Key 2 the city 2.1” hosted by well known comedian Trixx, which earned him a nomination for best Canadian rap artist by Buffalo, NY's radio station (BLK 93,7 FM).
34 | OvaGround Mogul
OvaGround Mogul | 35
This was followed up soon after with his street EP entitled “Man of my word reloaded” which showcase a more mature and versatile sound. Recognizing the importance of branding, 'Ziah has taken his hustle to a whole new level, by joining forces with Motive Music / Fontana North to deliver you his long anticipated LP “Anointed” and donating proceeds from the album to Autism Ontario. He calls it “Good music for a great cause”. Mezziah has shared the stage with some of the industrz’s greats such as Mobb Deep, M.O.P, Lloyd Banks, Obie Trice, Drake, Kardinal Offishal and Karl Wolf's 'BAE' to name a few. What does the future hold for this talented artist? Take a listen and you will also agree, that it appears very bright indeed!
www.instagram.com/two.zeez www.facebook.com/mezziah www.twitter.com/mezziah www.youtube.com/mezziah www.soundcloud.com/mezziah 36 | OvaGround Mogul
OvaGround Mogul | 37
He is the voice, the the voice, lyrics and and lyrics artist whose whose artist style can completely completely revolutionize revolutionize the face face of of the Canadian Hip Hop. Hop. Hip
38 | OvaGround Mogul
Enter Sweepstakes to win Playstation 5 All you have to do is subscribe to OGM Magazine. IT’S FREE!
Click here
X
Flourishing Everyday
I
'm Chisom Confidence Felix, from Ubakuru Mbieri in Imo State Nigeria. I schooled in St. Scholastical group of schools from my primary school to secondary school and I did my tertiary education in Federal Polytechnic Nekede where I studied mechanical engineering. Thereafter I worked in an oil firm for a year (profluid well services) while I was working for the company I was not fulfilled, something was crying inside of me that I was not doing the right job. Then I quit and applied for a teaching job and I got the job in a private school in river state Nigeria and then started teaching social studies to junior secondary. There I discovered different challenges caused by low self esteem student were facing, I saw a group of students isolating themselves just because they feel their parents are not rich so they are not worth the class of others, some feel they’re not intelligent so they can’t talk 40 | OvaGround Mogul
where others are talking and the passion in me was stirred up to make a change and then I saw a glass ceiling over women, especially African women their voices and potentials has been hidden in the kitchen, so my passion to speak their self esteem up grew and since then I have been working so hard with a positive mindset enable them to think outside reducing the rate of immorality, inefficiency at the work place and corruption.
My Facebook link is https://www.facebook.com/ chisom.confidence.1000.
OvaGround Mogul | 41