We were lucky to catch up with NuSoul The Poet recently and have shared our conversation below.
NuSoul, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Can you talk to us about a project that’s meant a lot to you?
So, it’s definitely my album “Formidable.” It was released last year in March, and was my very first full-length project. Up to that point, I had only ever done EPs (Welcome 2 the Dawn, Sapio in 2018), so approaching this project was super intimidating. But, growing up listening to classic albums from MJ to Prince to Earth, Wind, & Fire is what gave me the motivation to take the plunge anyway. And I had every reason not to. Album production is expensive, no matter how many tracks you’re doing. But taking on 11 all-new original material was certainly going to be a monster. It took me almost a year to get it done, and I hit writer’s block at LEAST 10-15 times. But, once it was done, it showed me what I was made of. I reached heights of my creativity that I really didn’t think existed.
Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers
Well, my name is NuSoul the Poet. I’m a recording artist and songwriter from Beaumont, Tx. I started taking an interest music when I was 7 years old, and auditioned for a school talent show. Killed it at the talent show, and from then onward, it’s all I’ve ever wanted to do. And what’s funny is, I started out wanting to be a singer, and then…we’ll, puberty happened. So it forced me to try my hand in songwriting, and eventually rapping. I started rapping around 13-14, and I officially started recording my first songs just a few years later, at 17. And looking back on it, I was a lot more creative than I gave myself credit for. I was nowhere near where I am now, obviously, but my desire to be more like MJ or Prince over any given rapper was always present. I think that’s what sets me apart from most people. I don’t think small. In spite of how little I have to work with, in terms of capital and all, I tend to reach for something higher than anyone’s expectations of me. Another thing that sets me apart is my musicality. The production on basically all my material has been centered around R&B and Soul and Funk music, and driven by my live performances. And I think that’s what I’m most proud of too. I feel like a lot of rappers, especially in my age bracket, don’t really give energetic offerings at their shows. It’s just a lot of walking back and forth on stage, flashing jewelry, trying to flex for the crowd. But, I’m much more simple. The music is the centerpiece of every live show I do.
What can society do to ensure an environment that’s helpful to artists and creatives?
I think society should embrace the artists that don’t rely on gimmicks to gain popularity. There’s a lot of artists who lack substance in favor of having an image that sparks controversy and those are the ones that society tends to cling to. There was a period of time where that wasn’t the case. The era of niche artists is born from the industry’s search for that next movement in music, but they do us all a disservice when they exalt the artists who don’t offer anything meaningful outside of good headline material for blog sites.
Any resources you can share with us that might be helpful to other creatives?
Well, yes and no. It’s really more or less resources that I wished still existed in todays music industry. Sending demos, auditioning, talent scouting, artist development. All of these practices have gone out of style, and that’s why a lot of artists don’t stick around as much as they used to. Labels often will select the artists that have big numbers on social media, because they know the following is already there so they assume the return on their investment is all but solidified. But they miss out on those of us who lack the big numbers in streaming and views and followers, but have all the creative energy in the world. I think if the industry re-adopted the process of listening to demos, talent scouting, and artist development, everybody would flourish. Artist and labels alike. And music fans would certainly appreciate the return to form with artists who have a richer and more layered artistry.
Contact Info:
- Website: linktr.ee/NuSoulthePoet
- Instagram: https://instagram.com/iamnusoul?igshid=NDk5N2NlZjQ=
- Youtube: https://youtube.com/@souliisoultv8239