SEVEN Questions with Indie Soul Singer Collette

photo courtesy: Collette

Collette is a Columbia, SC-raised, Harlem, NY-based singer-songwriter bringing positive vibes with her sophomore release Juneteenth Revolution. Taking its inspiration from the African-American tradition that commemorates the ending of slavery in the United States, Collette’s Juneteenth is a celebration of freedom as well. In her own words, it’s a “freedom to live, love, go, give, and find real happiness.”

Continuing to spread a message of hope to the masses, the hip-hop and soul artist recently chatted with Unclouded By Ambition, where she spoke about being free, the revolution still not being televised, the recording process of Juneteenth, in addition to standing out as an indie artist in NYC. Check out the full interview below the video.

Collette’s “Material Star (Juneteenth Remix)” video featuring Akil Dasan.

Juneteenth Revolution has an easy-breezy kind of flow. There’s a sense of happiness throughout it. Was that intentional? And why is freedom so important to you today?

Thank you! Yes, the happiness is very intentional. I think that freedom to pursue happiness is the most basic and important freedom we have. It’s important to me because when I look around at art, politics, the economy, and all of the major issues of the day, they’re all basically struggles for freedom. Social media has brought about an unprecedented transparency, and people are realizing for the first time that they should be free to live and express themselves however they choose. It’s hard, even dangerous in some places, but it’s what we’re all born with and we deserve it.

Is the Revolution being televised now?

Nope, not just yet. But it’s being tweeted, texted, Facebook posted, streamed and podcasted every day. J Television is still very mainstream and almost solely-commercially driven, and the Revolution isn’t sexy enough. Plus, television and other traditional media are all about making the most money, for the least effort. Creativity is not a premium – cookie cutter is ideal. The Revolution I dream of is all about individual ingenuity, and that means time, effort, evolution and no easy shortcuts. The powers that be ain’t ready for that!

This is your second LP. Do you feel any sort of pressure?

I don’t feel any pressure, and that’s the beauty of being an independent artist. The only thing I feel is a great sense of privilege that I’ve figured out a way to share my voice with the world, and a desire to keep on doing that.

How did the recording process differ from Experience Collette to Juneteenth Revolution?

Juneteenth Revolution was a smoother process because I now have a production/engineering collaborator named Terry “20” Poindexter who is based in Memphis, Tennessee. So even as I received tracks from other producers, and produced tracks myself, I was able to get his help with refining them and achieving that consistency that makes an album great. Experience Collette was much more of a solo effort in terms of pulling it all together, which is fine, but I really enjoy having a close and trusted ear to help me refine my ideas.

To me, independent music is honest music. From the heart. How do you keep yourself grounded in an industry that changes so much?

I really draw on my true opinions, experiences, lessons learned and even outrages to formulate my musical material. I also think that having grounded myself in classic, timeless material like Stevie Wonder, Bill Withers, Ella Fitzgerald, Duke Ellington, Oleta Adams, Anita Baker, and others, helps my ears withstand the temptations of various musical fads. Or at least, I like to think so.

As a former Brooklynite myself, and knowing what I know about the indie music scene in NYC; the oversaturation, the competition, how do you make yourself standout?

I just bring my own little Southern soul flavor, and hope that it speaks to people. I take any and every piece of advice into consideration, but at the end of the day I define myself, my style and my sound, and I believe that it’s like a thumbprint – no one else has it.

I also make sure that I take time to foster my relationship with fans by talking to them on social media and releasing behind-the-scenes type material. I think that’s a great way to continue to stand out.

Last question: “Be Careful” is my joint! “Be careful with your mind/be careful with your time … be careful who you let in.“ Dope beat with a message to boot. What was the inspiration behind the lyrics?

Thank you! My mom’s various pieces of advice over the years definitely inspired that song. She always warned me, “You can’t walk away from everybody,” as a way of saying that I should be careful about people I chose to let into my life. So I took that idea and made it a little colorful for the song.

I think that negative relationships have ‘enslaved’ a lot of people today – I say enslaved because when you’re not able to speak freely, move about, pursue your interests, build your wealth, and all because of a partner or friend who is negatively affecting your progress, you’re being robbed of your freedom! How can you pursue happiness? So I feel like people – especially young girls – should really treasure their time, their minds and their bodies, and be very selective about who they allow to partake. That goes for boys and men, too! Everyone deserves to be treated like pure gold.

Collette’s Juneteenth Revolution is available now on iTunes.