Bring Me The Horizon

Bring Me The Horizon

Photo: Courtesy of Bring Me The Horizon

News

Meet The First-Time GRAMMY Nominee: Bring Me The Horizon's Oli Sykes

Facebook Twitter Email
The lead singer and creative force reacts to the band's first nomination, discusses creativity in the face of pain and says why he feels Grimes is "the millennial Björk"
Nate Hertweck
GRAMMYs
Jan 30, 2019 - 2:55 pm

Six albums into their career, Bring Me The Horizon flat out refuse to go through the motions. The band's new album amo arrived—or rather departed—Jan. 25 with a rich, variegated sonic color palette, unapologetic pop melodies and unflinching lyric themes of love, truth and betrayal.

While its lead single, "MANTRA," may feel more like home to longtime fans, with its punishing percussion and rubbery riffs, the rest of amo shows frontman Oli Sykes and company pushing up and out from their metalcore roots and into the dark yet lustrous skies above, exploring the cosmos of electro-pop, hip-hop, EDM and beyond.

We caught up with Sykes over the phone to get his reaction to "MANTRA" earning the British band its first GRAMMY nomination for Best Rock Song, hear what elements he feels makes for a great album, his thoughts on collaborating with Grimes, who he calls "the millennial Björk," and more.

Congrats on the GRAMMY nomination! Where were you when you found out?

We were in England. We just finished up our U.K. and Europe tour… We were signing about 2,000 CDs at the time to send out, and I guess we got the news at the same time as the world got the news. We were just like, "What the hell? Is this true?" It was kind of crazy.

You're up for Best Rock Song, a songwriter's award. What do you remember most about writing "MANTRA"?

We'd been writing for about nine months, I would say, and we had a load of cool stuff, we had a lot of stuff that we were really excited about. But it was the more experimental and weirder stuff and the stuff that you'd never heard Horizon do before, which we were excited about but the same time, we were ... One night I just said to myself, "Alright, if the record label or management or whatever said, ‘What song are you going to show the world first,’ what would it be?"

And in my head, I was like, we don't have that song. We don't have that song because all this music we've made so far is bats*** crazy and if we put this out first, people are not even going to recognize it's us or we're going to alienate our fans. And as much as we knew we wanted to do a completely different record, we still respect the fact that, to a lot of people, we're quite a new band. I know it sounds crazy, we've been going 15 years, but to a lot of people, they've only just got into us like one album ago, maybe two, maybe three, and so we didn't want to completely just pull the rug from underneath them.

So we had this mini-meltdown moment, and that's how "MANTRA" was born, with like, "Let's write the comeback song. Let's write the song that we would want to put on the album first, that we want the world to hear first."

The production on amo is daring and adventurous. Halsey even called it "a technicolor, emotion, trip" on Twitter. How do you see the sound of your sixth album?

I guess for me this album embodies everything that I like about music and what I'm into and what I'm doing in the best possible way. It's a record that I've always wanted to make. When we started writing this record, we had no idea what it was going to sound like. It wasn't preordained that this is how it would sound, but we just knew ... the goal was really to make an album that challenged you and it took time to like, and it was one of those album that you would almost be surprised that you like it, and it's not just something that when you first hear and go that's amazing, that's cool. It's something that really you have to [sit with].

My favorite albums are ones that when I first heard them, I was either underwhelmed or confused or just didn't know how to process it, and it always ends up being the kind of music that was ahead of its time and then everyone's catching up to do that kind of thing. That's not what I'm saying this record is, but I'm saying I didn't want it to be safe.

We knew what we could do to play it safe and keep our fans happy and all this stuff, but... it felt like it was time to push it that next level and do something where we just did everything we ever wanted to do. We used every kind of inspiration and influence and put it into this music and then didn’t worry if it came out the other end and everyone said this is not rock music, or this is not metal music.

We really don't care. We just want to be a band. We have no elitism, and we have no care for whatever people think. We're soft, we're pop, we're hip-hop, we're rock, we're whatever. We just really wanted to make something that hopefully blew people's minds.

You worked with Grimes on this album on "Nihilist Blues" – how did you connect with her?

We sent the song to her management. We knew we wanted a couple of guest features on this album. Again, we wanted to do some things from different worlds and try and connect bridges a bit more between rock music and everything else because you kind of feel like it used to be such a booming craze, do you know what I mean? Back in time when JAY-Z was collaborating with Linkin Park and all those kind of things, it's kind of gone now. We really felt like that should come back, so we were looking outwards to different places, and for me, Grimes is one of my favorite artists from that world.

All I listen to is kind of female fronted avant-garde-y pop stuff anyway, and I think she's almost like the millennial Björk for me, so she was my number one choice, and I'd seen her in a magazine a couple of years back where she said she liked our band. Wasn't sure if she was just joking or you know just on the spot, so we sent her the song and we didn't hear anything for about a week or so, so we were kind of thinking, "Yeah, well alright, maybe not." And then, out of the blue, she just texted me and she was like, "Yo. I f***ing love this song. This is one of the greatest songs I've ever heard."

She got all the reference points we were coming from… like Nine Inch Nails meets Darude."

She was going to come down to the studio, but she opted to just do it in her studio, which I think worked out good because she put so much work into it, she must've sent us about 30 different tracks with little noises and ad libs and all this stuff that we used throughout the song, as well as the vocals. It was my favorite song anyway, but her coming into it and also putting her, I guess, finesse and signature on it, just took it to that next level.

You've been forthcoming about your battles addiction and loss in the past, how have you seen your relationship with creativity change based on your physical and mental health?

It's one of those catch-22 situations. You go through these painful experiences and through all this stuff, but it really is fuel for the fire and it kind of contributes to what you do.

One of my friends said to me the other day, while I was going through my divorce process with my ex, and kind of found out all this stuff that she'd been doing and all this stuff, and he said to me today, back when we were sat in his flat and he was like, "I'm sorry, man." He said, "I knew it was the best thing that could've happened." He went, "I don't know why, because it wasn't like I knew at that point that she was wrong for you or anything like that but at the same time, I just had this feeling that it was all going to work out." And then he was like, "And look at it." He went, "Listen to this album."

He went, "Not only is it obvious that you've got out of something that you needed to get out of, but you're going to help so many people and they're just the best thing you've ever written in your career," and all this stuff.

RELATED: Meet The First-Time GRAMMY Nominee: FEVER 333 Tackle The Tough Issues

And he's just like, "How crazy is that? That something so terrible can just literally contribute to something so amazing."

And when you think of it like that, it's so true. It's not only therapeutic— and it's not necessary, obviously. Better not to have to go through these situations, but they not only make you grow as a person, but being able to write about them and put them into words where maybe people would never have looked at it in a certain way or can't, maybe, articulate it themselves, get to experience it and I think that's the greatest thing about music with lyrics that are actually real.

Totally. So what are your plans for GRAMMY night, and any spoilers on what you'll do if you win?

Oh god, we're not even thinking about it. I mean, it's such an incredible thing just to be recognized, I think we're just stoked that we can even be like, "We're GRAMMY nominated artists," that's amazing. And we're not getting too excited about the prospect of winning because we're obviously up against some huge and really good acts, so we're just going to expect nothing so we're not disappointed and just drink it in.

Back in England, we've never been to anything like this, so the fact that a different country is recognizing a song and a work we've done. That's just good enough for us.

Meet The First-Time GRAMMY Nominees: Between The Buried And Me's Paul Waggoner

Between The Buried And Me

Between The Buried And Me

Photo: Courtesy of Between The Buried And Me

News

Meet The First-Time GRAMMY Nominee: Between The Buried And Me's Paul Waggoner

Facebook Twitter Email
The experimental metal band's co-founder and guitarist reacts to being nominated and talks touring, coffee, and the chance to bring a GRAMMY Award home to North Carolina on his 40th birthday
Nate Hertweck
GRAMMYs
Jan 15, 2019 - 4:50 pm

Respect and mainstream success don't necessarily go hand-in-hand in the world of metal. As in life, most meaningful milestones are hard won. Nearly two decades into their career, North Carolina genre heavyweights Between The Buried And Me have recorded and toured relentlessly, covering a lot of musical ground while amalgamating elements from death metal, jazz, prog, blues, indie rock, math metal and much, much more. Defying categorization is a cliché, transcending it is an art form, and, for Between The Buried And Me, a calling.

The quintet's latest album, the two-part Automata I & II, shows point blank how versatile, imaginative and absolutely crushing the band's music can be. Its lead-off track, "Condemned To The Gallows," earned the band their first GRAMMY nomination for Best Metal Performance.

We caught up with co-founder and guitarist Paul Waggoner to get his take on being nominated for a GRAMMY, what he respects about the competition, how he'll be spending his 40th birthday, and, of course, coffee.

Where were you when you found out you'd been nominated, and what was the first thing you did?

I had just gotten up and I was eating breakfast, making coffee or something, and my buddy J.B., who plays in August Burns Red, who have been nominated a couple of times now, he sent me a text and it said, "Congrats on the nom." And I was like, "What are you talking about?" He goes, "You guys got nominated for a GRAMMY." I was like, "Nah, I don't think so, man. That's crazy…" So I went online and I looked it up, and I was like, "S***, it's real…" Then of course shortly after that, all the emails started flooding in, text messages and all that stuff.  But, yeah, I'll always remember that… I was riding high for a while after that.

Between The Buried And Me are extremely well-known, influential and revered in the experimental, metal and indie communities. How does recognition on a wider scale feel at this point in your career?

That's something I've actually kind of had to think about a lot because, on the one hand, we've been doing this almost two decades now, so there's that sort of part of me that's like, well, we didn't really need a GRAMMY nomination to validate what we've done. We've always had pretty reasonably good critical acclaim, and it's hard to have any kind of success being a band like us. So the fact that we've had some success has been validating enough, and the fact that we're still doing it.

But on the other hand, it was definitely cool…It's really cool that everything we've been through as a band, whether it's lineup problems or just the trivial sort of flat tires on the road or bad shows or whatever, that all that stuff has led us here. We’re a progressive metal band and we got nominated for a GRAMMY.

Can you share what you remember about writing "Condemned To The Gallows"?

Part of the reason why we thought "Condemned…" would be a good song to release with a video and as the first single, if you will, we thought it was like one of those easier songs to the palate, you know, for the casual listener. It had a little bit of everything. It was melodic at times. It was weird at times. There's some quirky bits to it and then it was aggressive. So we thought it was just sort of a slam dunk as far as being a good song for us to put out there to kick off the whole album.

I remember the cool thing about the song, and I've thought about this when we were nominated, is that literally everybody in the band wrote at least some part of the song, which is cool… It was a true collaborative effort and it was the first song we put together for the album. So it's kind of fitting that that's the one that got recognized.

You mentioned the song is more palatable. Beyond the many genre titles that have been thrown at when describing your band, there's this concept of "accessibility,” or, one record or song being more or less "accessible" than another. How do you feel about that dynamic with your listeners, and does the concept come into play when you’re writing?

I think when we first started out, being a band, we knew we wanted to be a weird band. We wanted to write music that strayed from the traditional formula of what a heavy metal band could be. We wanted to write stuff that was unique and quirky but still in the context of metal. Especially in the early days, a lot of our songs were very linear and structured. They rarely had repeating parts, they just had this soundscape of craziness from start to finish.

I think as we've gotten older, we've realized that you can balance the two. You can still have a really long song that has instrumental bits, but at the same time, it's okay to have a repeating chorus. It's not like we're trying to be on mainstream radio or anything, but it I think it gives the song a little more structure and a little more identity.

You've mentioned diverse guitar influences such as grunge-era bands, jazz players like Scofield and Metheny as well as Rivers Cuomo. Who are some bands or guitar players who stand out to you today?

I still love listening to guitar players that just rip and shred… Steve Vai and John Petrucci… I'm fascinated with Devin Townsend, how prolific he is… Lately I love what Ghost is doing… I love bands that take the context of heavy metal or metal and push it in a different direction and whether that direction is just making it more genre-bending or if it's making it more accessible to the mainstream.

There's a lot of heavy bands out there that are doing really cool things. Some of them were nominated in the same category… Trivium, for example. They've been doing it a really long time, too, so and they're players and they're constantly challenging themselves. Deafheaven, they do something totally different. Again, they're taking the blank canvas of metal and sort of applying their own vibe to it and I think that's really cool. I have a lot of respect for bands that do that because we're trying to do the same thing.

What is the reality of making a living in music for you as part of a very successful artistic band with a relatively niche audience?

You have to work. You have to tour. You have to get out there and get on the road. I guess that's always been reality for us. As we've gotten more successful, it's never garnered very much more money in the way of royalties or whatever. It's all about just increasing your value, your market value as a touring artist. That's how we've been able to make a living. Otherwise, as a 40-year-old man, I would have had to give this up a long time ago, so that willingness to just get out there and keep beating the streets and playing gigs is our livelihood.

I think in a lot of ways a lot of our fans probably don't realize that we are totally dependent on their willingness to buy tickets to shows and buy T-shirts and buy vinyl and all that stuff, you know? That's what pays our bills and affords us the opportunity to keep doing it.

RELATED: Meet The First-Time GRAMMY Nominee: TOKiMONSTA On Why 'Lune Rouge' Is "A Celebration Of Life"

I understand the band began in Raleigh, but you now live in Charlotte. What's your favorite thing to do there outside of music?

I started a coffee roasting company a few years ago, and then about nine months ago we actually opened a café in Charlotte, a coffee shop, so that keeps me super-duper busy when I'm home. Probably too busy. So it's music and it's coffee for me. That's pretty much what I do and there's very little time for anything else, but I love Charlotte. It's a growing city that doesn't quite have its own identity yet, so it's cool to be able to contribute to that.

Well, good luck at the 61st GRAMMY Awards! Can you give us a spoiler on what you'll do if you win?

We'll be there… we had to move some shows around, but we figure it's a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, and Feb. 10th is actually my 40th birthday. So I said, “What better way to spend my 40th birthday?” It'd be really cool to bring an award like that back to North Carolina.

Underneath 'Undertow': Examining Tool's Classic Debut Album 25 Years Later

H.E.R.

H.E.R.

Photo: Sue Kwon

News

Meet The First-Time GRAMMY Nominee: H.E.R. On Being Born Into Music & Why R&B Is "At The Core Of Everything"

Facebook Twitter Email
"It feels like I'm exactly where I'm supposed to be," the R&B singer/songwriter, who is up for five GRAMMYs, told us
Ana Monroy Yglesias
GRAMMYs
Feb 7, 2019 - 2:17 pm

California native singer/songwriter H.E.R. may just be 21, but her honest and thoughtful approach to R&B, with personal lyrics and '90s throwback slow-jam beats, reveal an old soul. Her smooth yet powerful voice offers insights on love and identity with vulnerability and plenty of straight-up feelings.

While her music is communicative, and even her moniker is an acronym for "Having Everything Revealed," the rising star still operates with an air of mystery. She has chosen to reveal minimal details about herself and, always pictured behind large sunglasses, seems to ask us to focus on her music first.

We recently caught up with the talented multi-instrumentalist, who, as a first-time nominee, is up for five awards at the 61st GRAMMY Awards. (In addition to being nominated for the all-genre Best New Artist and Album Of The Year categories, she is also up for Best R&B Song, Best R&B Performance and Best R&B Album. H.E.R., the album in consideration, is a release combining her two EPs plus B-sides—she has yet to release a debut LP.)

During our conversation, H.E.R. told us how grateful she is for all she's achieved thus far, growing up in a musical household, the importance of keeping "real people" around you and what we can expect to hear on her forthcoming debut album. 

"I didn't think I would get this far so soon, so I'm focusing on elevation and really dreaming bigger." 

How did you first learn about your first GRAMMY nomination? When you found out you were up for five awards, what was your initial reaction?

Oh my god! There were a lot of tears. I was with my tour squad; we had all just woken up early after a show. I was actually really sick, and kind of sad and down the day before. My manager gave us the news and it changed my entire mood and attitude. It made my day. I immediately called my mom, dad and sister. I was on cloud nine.

Your five nominations include Best New Artist, along with Album of the Year and Best R&B Album. What does that recognition mean to you?

It feels like I'm exactly where I'm supposed to be. It's so easy to question your art, even to question what you're doing, to question the path that you're on. But this is such confirmation for me; "you're exactly where you need to be, you're doing all the right things." It just feels amazing, it feels like I found my objective and I'm fulfilling it. I'm so blessed.

Was there a moment when you were younger that made you want to make music? Were there other artists you admired that made you want to make R&B?

Music was something that was a given for me, like out of the womb. At parties I was always the center of attention, singing and dancing and playing instruments. I never made that decision of "I'm going to do music." My dad had a band that would rehearse in our living room, so all the instruments were in there and I gravitated towards them at a super-young age.

My mom would try to find talent shows and festivals for me to be in around the Bay Area, even when I was only seven or eight years old, because she knew I loved to do it. It was never a career goal or what I was planning on doing as soon as I graduated high school. I just did it. It came super naturally to me.

One artist I really respect is Alicia Keys. Because she plays piano and sings, and because I love instruments so much, she definitely paved the way for a young black musician and young black woman like me who wants to play instruments and find my voice in the industry. She played a big role.

Related: 2019 GRAMMYs Host Alicia Keys: GRAMMY Rewind

I never really thought about the idea of being an R&B artist. R&B is kind of the core of everything, rhythm and blues. I grew up listening to a lot of soul and blues, so those influences shine through me. When I started making my first project, H.E.R. Vol. 1, it was so honest. It has a '90s R&B influence, but you could feel the soul reflecting my background and where I came from.

"Focus" is one of your songs up for a GRAMMY; the lyrics feel very personal and are really relatable. Can you talk about what that song means to you and how you think the honesty in your music helps you connect with fans?

My music is my diary. When I'm writing a song it's what I feel in that moment. With "Focus," I was afraid to leave it on my first project because it was so personal for me, it's so vulnerable. I was really young when I wrote it and was just feeling like, "put your phone down, pay attention to me." It's crazy how it's gone deeper and resonated with so many women; women who are even five and ten years into marriage, and able to relate that small feeling I felt then.

What's your favorite part of being an artist?

I don't know if I have a favorite part of being an artist. I do love being onstage and performing with my band. I also love rehearsing with them and creating the show, that's always a fun part. But there's also nothing like being in the studio and being able to get back to myself and get back to my feelings. The studio is the place for me to really confront my feelings and get it all out. I love being in that space and creating, doing what I love, making art.

Outside of music, how do you feel the success you've experienced in this past year has influenced or changed who you are?

I've learned a lot about myself through my music and the way people perceive it, and the goal is for the success not to change me. I feel like the same person I was when I released it, I've just grown. The success has definitely taught me a lot about keeping real people around you, and about purpose. It's taught me about the people and the things that you really need you to ensure success, and how important it is to keep those things around you and block out anything else, and about being positive.

Also, seeing the world has given me a better perspective on life. The fact that I can travel around the world doing what I love is such a blessing. I've learned that traveling is such an important thing; there's so many beautiful things out there and we get worried about such little things.

MAJORRRRR. UP IN TIMES SQUARE!!!!!!!! #mtvpush @mtv

A post shared by H.E.R. (@hermusicofficial) on

What are you most looking forward to about the GRAMMYs? How will you celebrate if you win?

It's going to be like a movie. The fact that I'm nominated for five [awards] is just, wow. And the fact that people are going to really see me, because as you know I haven't revealed too much of myself. It's going to be my first red carpet!

After the GRAMMYs, I just want be with the ones I love and to reminisce. I love to think about memories and all the things that got me up to this point, so that would be celebratory, looking at old videos and old pictures of where I came from.

Read More: Something About Her: The Mystery Of H.E.R.

What's on the horizon for H.E.R.—can we expect new music this year?

Absolutely. I'm going to release a debut album, which I'm excited about. It's crazy because my project that's nominated for Album Of The Year is the combination of my two EPs. So there will be the new album and I'll be touring more. Also, I'm starting a foundation called Bringing The Noise to help bring music back into schools that have lost their music programs. I'm really excited that I'm now in a position to be able to help people.

There's so much happening this year, I couldn't even tell you. Like performing at Coachella! I didn't think I would get this far so soon, so I'm focusing on elevation and really dreaming bigger.

Meet The First-Time GRAMMY Nominee: TOKiMONSTA On Authenticity & Why 'Lune Rouge' Is "A Celebration Of Life"

Protoje

Protoje

News

Meet The First-Time GRAMMY Nominee: Protoje On Evolving Reggae

Facebook Twitter Email
The Jamaican singer and creative force reacts to his first nomination, the importance of honoring tradition by embracing change, and how reggae crowns connect him to musicians like Bob Marley and Black Uhuru
Lior Phillips
GRAMMYs
Feb 1, 2019 - 12:48 pm

Protoje sounds urgent on A Matter of Time—fitting, of course, as the Jamaican star’s fourth album captures an artist carving a new space within the genre’s most persuasive tools: energy and elation.  The album honors the genre’s deep-rooted traditions, but bursts forth into bold, bright territory, infusing pummeling hip-hop beats, sheets of orchestral jazz, and dancehall claps into transcendent party grooves.

Protoje’s intense connection to his country’s music comes in part from family, as the son of Calypso king Mike Ollivierre and chart-topping Jamaican vocalist Lorna Bennett. Just as important, though, is the way the music has brought Jamaica to the rest of the world: Protoje spent 2018 on the road, sharing reggae with festival crowds like Reading & Leeds and opening for Lauryn Hill in the United States.

But he isn’t an artist content to rest on his laurels—nor those of reggae as a genre. “I can evolve, and I leave myself free to do so,” he says, low-slung yet resolute. Whether traditions in fashion or music, the 37-year-old artist finds comfort and strength in constantly pushing the envelope.

Protoje spoke with the Recording Academy about his first GRAMMY nomination for Best Reggae Album, his hope for a conversation with Jay-Z, and how proud he is to help make reggae a bigger part of the world conversation.

What a way to start the year! This is your fourth record, and your first GRAMMY nomination for Best Reggae Album. Did you see awards as a goal when you first started out in your career?

Let me tell you, I thought that my third album, Ancient Future, I thought that would have been nominated because it was groundbreaking when it came out in terms of modern reggae music. Winning a GRAMMY was definitely a goal when I started out. It's in the back of your mind always, you know, maybe one day I'll get that GRAMMY award, I'll be nominated. So I guess I thought about it but I was not obsessing on it. So much has happened since Ancient Future. It was very influential. When it came out we had the biggest song in reggae of like this decade. When I didn't get nominated, I took my mind off the GRAMMYs. I didn't expect to get nominated on my fourth because I thought the third was the sure thing. That's how it goes sometimes. It just works out that way. I was delighted when I heard that this [A Matter of Time] was nominated. Things happen and when it's your time. You don't have to worry about anything. Take your time and see what happens.

That's an amazing way to see things, and especially fitting considering the album is called A Matter of Time. What was that instant feeling when you first heard about the nomination? How did you react?

My mom called and told me. We've been together a lot in my career, making progress. I just felt that my team, everybody was excited, and everybody works so hard for me. So it's great to let them get that vibe and feel proud about it. I just know that I appreciate my family a lot and how they have supported me. Not every family is supportive, you know; not every parent is supportive, and I'm grateful for the ones I have, and I'm happy to make them proud. In the Jamaican music scene, there’s a lot of people who are supportive of each other. Everybody tries to support and help each other. I really like where it's heading.

RELATED: Ashley McBryde On Self-Acceptance & Why There's Room For Everyone In Country Music

Beyond the feeling of the nomination, how are you feeling about attending the GRAMMY Awards? Do you have any idea what you're going to feel as the awards start getting given out?

For me, it's chill just to be there. I'm a very low-key, chill person. I'm not going to be overwhelmed or too excited. I'm not going to have too many expectations. I'll be there with some of my friends, the people on my team, and my family. I'm looking forward to seeing things I've never seen before—just seeing how things are done at this level. It's all just a learning experience for me.

Where did you get that low-key chill from? Is it from watching your parents in the industry?

When I was seven years old, I didn't want a birthday party. It's just my personality. I never wanted a party, I never wanted excitement. I didn't want to blow the candles out on the cake. I just wanted to chill out and be cool. I've just never been this excitable type of person. I'm just very grateful, you know? I just experience things and express myself differently. So I'm happy of course, but I don't feel any, "Oh my God, I'm going to the GRAMMYs" kind of thing. It's cool to be there and I'm just grateful to have been invited. I won't be asking everybody for selfies or anything like that. That said, I'd love to have a conversation with Jay-Z. I don't think he'll be there this year, but I would love to have a conversation.

When was the moment when you knew you wanted to be a musician, when you knew that this is the industry you wanted to pursue?

I was always obsessed with music, as early as I can remember. I think when I was about 13 or 14 years old. I first said maybe I could do this as a job, maybe I could do this so I don't have to work. I just loved being able to express myself, to spend time with myself, just thinking about ideas and writing. I didn't need company. It would just get my mind flowing. That was the main thing before anything else, just something to do with my time and not feel agitated, bored, or uninspired.

Speaking of being inspired, you recorded this album at the Tuff Gong Studios. Did knowing its legacy and its impact have any effect on your process?

That’s interesting. There's so much history, and it’s just a huge room. It's very spacious. It left me time to be alone. It's not one of the most popular studios in Jamaica today, it’s not where the industry goes. It's really private, I get to take my time, and that to me has an impact on how the music comes out. It's not rushed and not frantic.

While it’s clear that your latest record honors the traditions of reggae music, it’s also perhaps your most experimental work to date, blending genres and influences—a fusion. When you set out to record the album, did you have a specific goal or outline in mind?

I wanted to do things musically to push the genre further forward, to update it. Every genre of music grows and evolves, so reggae music should be no less evolved. I like to be at the forefront of change with my producer Winta James. He to me is one of the most innovative guys making music. So naturally it's going to sound innovative. We could have easily made another Ancient Future again. But I wanted to try to do things differently and move the thing forward. I don't worry about genres feeling too sacred. I have a commitment to myself and to those that listen to my music—or even those that don't. My job is to make the music, to make what I like and feels good to me, and then live with whatever happens after that. I don't feel pressure about the songs that I'm making.

It's just making the record the best way you can, taking the songs that are in your head and putting them down on record. That's it. It's not like I said, "Let me find a way to be different." We listened to certain types of music, we wanted to try new stuff, and incorporate influences from everything that we do. My mind naturally works like that, and if I do something, I don't want to spend the next two years doing the same thing all over again.

Your 2018 tour spanned the world and featured so many thrilling accomplishments—Reading and Leeds, opening for Lauryn Hill. And now 2019 keeps that tour going into new continents and new opportunities. What was it like to bring your music to so many different audiences?

Music has given me everything in my life—where I live, what I drive, what I eat. It has provided everything for me and my family. It's amazing to travel the world through music. To get to tour, to see people's reaction first-hand to the songs that you sing in your house, it's very humbling. I'm just very grateful, and again I must say that I am grateful to be able to be living my dream.

That said, performing in Jamaica is very important. Those are always my favorite shows. There's nothing like it. Those are the core fans. Those are the people who were there from the start. Those are people excited. You know, we get to invite the youth, people get to come out and celebrate the album. I know it's going to be crazy. The presales are going like crazy. I just must say, I am really thankful that I get the support here and people actually come out and share their vibes. Jamaican crowds chill out more. They're not as hyped as international audiences. They don't come out to party as much. Jamaica is very much profiling. They come out dressed super well—you know, too cool for school. They don't dance much.

What does it mean to be a Jamaican artist?

Jamaica is a very blessed place, very influential in world music. I can guarantee there's no comparison to any other place this small that has that much impact on world culture and world sound. For me, the music should be highlighted more, helped more, pushed more.

RELATED: Meet The First-Time GRAMMY Nominee: Bring Me The Horizon's Oli Sykes

Your performance style is incredible—and I use style intentionally, because you always look so fashionable. Can you tell me about your fashion philosophy and your clothing line?

[laughs] Thank you! I think presentation has always been a thing I've been key on. I just do what I feel, and have an eye for what I like. My girl always tells me that. Sometimes I want to wear a shirt with shoes and pants that don't really go together. I always like to do what I feel comfortable with. I express myself through that. It all plays together, especially with this generation, which is so audio-visual.

Then how can fashion connect specifically to music? I know one big part of your fashion sense is the reggae crown.

Yes! The reggae crown, specifically, is an expression of culture, another way to identify and to stand out, to carry on the tradition. It's always been a thing in Jamaican fashion. You see it and you think of Bob Marley, Black Uhuru, and all of those guys. I grew up seeing it and thinking it was cool, and thought I was gonna rock it but do my thing a bit different now.

What drives you to bring people to your label, In.Digg.Nation? And then to bring their art to the world?

I always wanted to be in charge of a label and managing artists. That was that my goal for the second decade of my career, which starts on January 1st, 2020. I've always wanted to set up a place where young artists that are coming up can have a space to go and be creative and have a way to get their music out. So I have two artists now, Lila Ike and Sevana. They're doing well. I'm just trying to get that going, releasing more and producing more music. Just making the industry turn more reggae.

What’s next in your trajectory? Do you have plans for another album coming soon?

More music, more music, more music! This year. I'm just building my studio now, so more music than usual. I won't have to go and get studio time anymore. I don't have to wait. If I want to record three songs tonight at 3:30, I can go and do it. So that's going to make things happen a lot quicker.

As time has passed, my perspective changes with it. I don't have to stay to any understanding of what my path is. Times change, music changes, equipment changes, sound changes. You have to be able to move and adapt.

Behind The Board: TOKiMONSTA On Creativity And Finding Common Ground Through Music

Tia Fuller

Tia Fuller

Photo: Jerris Madison

News

Meet The First-Time GRAMMY Nominee: Tia Fuller On Growth, Artistic Vision & Leading By Example

Facebook Twitter Email
The jazz saxophonist and former member of Beyoncé's touring band talks about her tears of joy for her first GRAMMY nom, her journey to get there, and the personal meaning behind the title of her nominated album, 'Diamond Cut'
Ana Monroy Yglesias
GRAMMYs
Jan 25, 2019 - 5:55 pm

Jazz saxophonist Tia Fuller recently earned her first GRAMMY nod for her fifth LP, Diamond Cut, becoming the second-ever female solo artist to be nominated for Best Jazz Instrumental Album. Growing up in a musically inclined household, music, especially jazz, runs through her veins, and her vision of playing sax was set at a young age.

Realizing that vision has taken Fuller many places. From touring with Beyoncé as part of her all-female backing band to teaching at the prestigious Berklee College of Music to recording as a successful solo artist and touring as the bandleader, Fuller has an inspiring story.

We recently spoke to Fuller to learn more about her journey, what she learned from working Queen Bey (hint: it's a lot more than just how to perform in heels), and at what age she knew she wanted to be a musician. She also shared how emotional the GRAMMY nomination felt, how she sees her role as a female in jazz music, and the powerful meaning behind the title Diamond Cut.

How did you hear the news of your first GRAMMY nomination? What was your initial reaction?

Oh, goodness. I heard about it from my publicist on the morning that the results were out. I was lying in bed, checking my phone, and she had said, "Congratulations." And I thought, congratulations for what? And then she screenshotted my category [Best Jazz Instrumental Album], and I just started crying. It was one of the most emotional moments ever for me.

I called Terri [Lyne Carrington, who produced Diamond Cut] right after I found out and I was crying so hard that she couldn't even understand me. I finally I told her, and she was like, "Oh gosh, I thought somebody had died. That's amazing!"

Shortly after that, I saw one of my best friends who teaches with me at the Berklee. She's like a sister of mine; her name is Mimi Jones. She asked if I was okay, so I told her and she said, "See Tia, I told you!" And then she started crying; we were just celebrating and praising God. After that, it was an influx of emails and text messages saying congratulations for the rest of the day, which was really amazing.

Any time I think about it, I start tearing up and realize it's really a combination of my whole trajectory as a musician, from the very beginning of when I started playing and all of my goals that I set. It's truly a blessing.

What made you want to pursue becoming a jazz musician?

My parents are musicians, my dad is a professional bass player and my mom is a singer. My sister is a great pianist who worked with me my last couple albums. I come from a family of musicians so I was surrounded by music my whole life. I am thankful because growing up I was so exposed to jazz in particular.

I've taken ownership over being, and not proving who I am, or trying to prove who I am; allowing myself to be in the process and embracing every aspect of being a woman, an educator, a musician, a woman of color in the male-dominated world.

Have there been major moments that validated your path as an artist?

There's many more moments, but [one] notable one is the Beyoncé gig. If that week had played out any other way I wouldn't have been able to audition for her band. To make a long story short, I was preparing to go into the studio to record my first album with my record label that had just signed me, Mack Avenue Records. Earlier that week I was coming from rehearsal for the recording, and I went to the audition for Beyoncé band. It was a long line outside of Sony's studios, so I cut the line because it would've been an eight-hour line and I had to get back to my studio. I played Beyoncé's "Work It Out" for the audition.

The next day, I went into the studio to record my album, over three days. On that Friday evening, my last day in the studio recording, I got a call back from Beyoncé's people saying I made the first callbacks. I was able to go to the second call backs on Saturday and then the third call backs.

If they would have called any other day that week I would've not been able to be able to go, because being in the studio would've taken precedent. So I kept seeing these small blessings as to how I was able to do both. And that to me was a very clear indication that this is what I was supposed to be doing.

What was the biggest thing you learned from working and touring with Beyoncé and that amazing experience as a whole?

Well besides being able to walk in heels on stage? [Laughs.]

It was really empowering to see her function as a woman, a woman of color, as a leader, as a bandleader; seeing how she worked with her staff of 50 to 60 people—outside of the band—who traveled with her. I saw how she would always turn no's and into yeses, as far as being able to really walk fervently with her vision for her show, and for her life.

I observed how meticulously she put her shows together and how her shows were seamless. The way that she created the set list was extraordinary. It had everything in it genre-wise, music for an actual audience. These are all things that now I consider, and it's enhanced my process as far as creating set list for my band of 10. She showed me how consistency leaves room for spontaneity; everybody knows what they're supposed to do within the framework of the template set up for the show and how things are supposed to move in this show. It works even though I'm playing a different genre of music.

Diamond Cut is the first solo album you've put out in six years, since 2012's Angelic Warrior. As you mentioned, you've also taken on the role as a professor at Berklee—how have you grown or changed as a recording artist and as a musician over this time period?

Oh goodness, there's definitely been some growth. I've taken ownership over being, and not proving who I am, or trying to prove who I am; allowing myself to be in the process and embracing every aspect of being a woman, an educator, a musician, a woman of color in the male-dominated world.

Early on a lot of interwoven issues were brought to the forefront when I was out there playing, when I was really just trying to focus on the music. A lot of people would come up and say, "Oh, well maybe you need to smile when you're playing on stage." Or someone goes, "Why don't you come over here and help with this and that," but they're not saying anything to the other musicians.

I think that I have evolved, especially in the past six years, that I have been able to really come into the fullness and oneness of what I have to offer and am not trying to prove myself, instead allowing myself to be who I am and and celebrate that and in every aspect.

RELATED: Meet The First-Time GRAMMY Nominee: Angela Aguilar On Her Culture And Family Legacy

I read that the title for Diamond Cut is a metaphor for the time you've spent developing yourself and your artistic craft. Can you speak to that a little bit more?

I was looking for a title for some time and diamonds just kept coming to me in the process. The first reason for using diamonds in the title is celebrating legends of the community. That's why I included Jack DeJohnette, the legendary drummer, and Dave Holland on bass, celebrating our diamonds in the community.

The second reason, which is more personal to me, came from when I started reading up on diamonds. There are three things I realized. The first thing is that when a diamond is embedded in the earth's surface, it knows that it's a diamond upon extraction even though it's enclosed in ore. Once the diamond starts to rise to the earth's surface it has to endure an extreme amount of pressure and high temperatures to get to the earth's surface.

That relates specifically to my life as far as I know that I got put on this earth for a purpose. And like I said before, I took ownership, knowing that I'm a diamond but that I definitely had work to do. I still am doing the work, all the formulating and then all of the things that I've had to in order to rise to the top. Now the third part is really the catch, the term “diamond cut” doesn't pertain to the size or the shape of the diamond, but it pertains to how much light is reflected in the diamond; that's where the brilliance of the diamond lies.

What does a GRAMMY nomination for Diamond Cut mean to you personally and your artistic journey?

Oh my goodness. Wow. [Pauses] Emotional. It allowed me to see that all is possible.

No matter how it looks upon the inception of the diamond, you'll go through good times, and you'll go through bad times, and it's important to maintain a crystallized vision of your purpose because everything is possible in life. And it may not happen when you think it's supposed to happen, but to know that in the midst of my life, I realized that everything had its place and I'm walking in my purpose, being a light for others, and it's been reiterated. Whether it be on stage, whether it be in the classroom, whether it be for your family, it's you who is opening up opportunities for others and you who is letting them see that it is possible.

In my category, in the 61-year history of the GRAMMYs, I think I'm the second woman to be nominated, after Terri Lyne Carrington was nominated and won in 2014. So me being there is making a statement, now for women it's an equal playing ground. We're showing our presence, we're out here, and we have always been out here. In the history of music, specifically jazz, we've been pioneering this music, and now we are more so being seen. So this is giving me the opportunity to be a vessel for women, for other young women who are out there and now were saying, "See, we're doing it."

Meet The First-Time GRAMMY Nominee: TOKiMONSTA On Authenticity & Why 'Lune Rouge' Is "A Celebration Of Life"