Why is it when you hear an amazing soul voice, that you think it must be American? Probably because they gave us Marvin Gaye, James Brown, Aretha Franklin and Nina Simone – not to mention Jill Scott, Erykah Badu and Mary J. Blige, and the UK gave us...
Accordingly, when I heard the ‘Untitled’ LP, I was surprised to hear that the sweet honey-dripped soul vocals belonged to a British girl, 23 year old Ms Terri Walker. As well as being superlatively beautiful, Terri’s voice is as smooth as a used bar of soap, has more soul than a size 14 Hush Puppy, and what with some deep, textured and lush production her new LP will doubtless put the UK on the new-soul map at last.
CMU had the pleasure of playing ’20 questions’ with Terri:
What did you grow up listening to? My mum always had a selection of music playing: from Aretha Franklin, Chaka Khan to Michael Jackson. When did you first get into music and decide that you wanted to be a singer/songwriter? I always wanted to be an entertainer from a very young age. I’ve always lived and breathed music. Who have you worked with in the past? I've worked with Doge, Ignorants and Shanks & Bigfoot, all of which were great experiences for me. I got to perform a lot with them, which was good practice for me. What musical/stylistic elements do you see as represented in your sound? There’s a lot jazz, soul, hiphop… with a slice of Terri Walker!!! You had problems signing to a label in the UK, while the US were falling over themselves to sign you. Why do you think the UK majors don't get progressive soul/future soul?A lot of major labels these days aren't interested in investing into long-term projects that might take time to build; but I believe I have a couple of albums in me.What was the effect of already having done most of the LP when you signed? Not only was I taken more seriously, but I had a lot of artistic freedom. And I'm glad of that, because that means all you get from my album is me. Did you get what you wanted from the producers?
Me and the producers worked together and bounced off each other, they inspire me and I inspire them. I’m very happy with the result. What was it like having Mos Def on your single? It's incredible to know that he’s on MY record – but I still haven't met him yet. The UK has garage and drum & bass, but do you think that the UK will ever rival the US’ future soul/conscious hiphop? And how much do you think it is to do with producers? Of Course we will, I think there is so much talent in this country, we just need to be heard. Producers like James Yarde and Sammy Jay who have produced and written tracks on my album really have it locked down. I believe it is only a question of time until they get the exposure they deserve, they really feel what they are doing, and that’s really important.What are your thoughts on new Black music in the UK at the moment? I'm really feeling Big Brovaz and 3rd Edge. As I said, there’s so much talent out there, just give us a chance man [laughs]. Who are your current favourites? Jaheim, India Arie.
As well as forthcoming releases on Def Soul (Mercury in the UK) Terri will be on tour in the coming months. Be sure to catch her: ride the spell.
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