Instrumental Intel - Ep 97 International Women’s Day Edition (3-7-26)

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Achickwitbeatz presents ⁠the Instrumental Intel podcast⁠, bringing you information instrumental to your artistic career including music industry news & tips, insights & interviews, and beats for your inspiration. Listen on Saturdays at 7 pm EST on ⁠⁠⁠Grander Radio⁠⁠⁠ and ⁠⁠⁠Achickwitbeatz.com⁠⁠⁠.
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Instrumental Intel Podcast

Achickwitbeatz brings you information instrumental to your artistic career including music industry news, insights, interviews, and beats for your inspiration. Listen on Saturdays at 7 pm ET on ⁠⁠⁠Grander Radio,⁠⁠⁠ Achickwitbeatz.com⁠⁠⁠, and your favorite podcast platform.

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Transcript Generated by Riverside

00:00

Hey, thank you so much for tuning in to Instrumental Intel. I'm your host, music producer, Achickwitbeatz, and I'm glad that you've joined me today's episode is special. It's the International Women's Day edition in honor of International Women's Day, which is March 8th. And so I'm going to be taking the time to highlight some conversations that I've had with some of the amazing women that have been on my show so far. And of course, there'll be beats and music industry news. So I'm excited to go ahead and bring this to you.

00:27

Before I go ahead and drop that first beat, I'd like to give a shout out to my home station, Grander Radio out of Grand Rapids, Michigan. And with that, let's go!

[BEAT BREAK]

15:25

All right, I'm music producer Achickwitbeatz back with the music biz brief. First up,

15:30

A Federal Appeals Court overturned BMI's 2023 rate court win against major concert promoters, ruling that the 138% increase in live performance royalties was quote-unquote unreasonable and sending the case back for a new determination. The original decision would've raised songwriter payouts from roughly .21% to .5% in concert revenue and expanded gross revenue to include ticketing fees, VIP packages, and secondary sales, but the appeals panel said the lower court relied on

15:59

quote unquote, flawed benchmarks and improperly broadened revenue definitions. Judges indicated that a revised rate could still come in higher than the previous structure, but likely below the overturned increase. Some unfortunate news there, but we'll see how that plays out.  It appears that TikTok is ramping up its music live streaming with a new LA-based job listing for a music campaign manager specifically focused on TikTok Live.

16:25

Responsibilities include leading data-driven campaigns to grow the platform's music creator community, developing case studies and educational tools,  and analyzing specific behaviors and pain points of musicians versus lifestyle creators.130 million users went live on the app last year,  and with monetization driven by tips and subscriptions, TikTok is focused on encouraging more music artists to livestream regularly and more effectively.

16:51

Universal Music Group reported $4.19 billion in revenue for Q4 of last year, up 10.6% year over year with recorded music generating $3.22 billion of that total. Subscription streaming grew 7.7 % to $1.46 billion due to global subscribers increasing, and physical revenue rose 21.3% to $609 million attributed to strong vinyl sales in the US and Europe.

17:18

On the publishing side, revenue hit $689.5 million,  with sync licensing up 27.4% year-over-year. A US Supreme Court declined to review a case challenging the Copyright Office's decision that fully AI-generated works are not eligible for copyright protection. Physicist Stephen Thaler tried to register an AI-created image generated by his DABUS system, which courts repeatedly rejected on the grounds that copyright requires human authorship.

17:46

The current policy is still in place. Works created entirely by AI have no copyright protection in the US, but projects where AI assists a human creator may still qualify.  And if you want my two cents, that's a good thing because it's kind of wild to expect to have copyright protection on something that you didn't even create. Anywho. Top Fan, a fan club platform used by major brands and artists like Tool and Maroon 5, is now opening its technology to independent artists.

18:15

The platform lets creators build fan communities where they can offer exclusive content, live streams, newsletters, and sell merch, tickets, albums, and subscriptions. Artists keep 95% of merchant ticket revenue and 85% of digital sales while retaining ownership of their fan data, including emails and phone numbers for direct outreach. So if that's something that you're interested in, make sure you check it out to see if it'll work for you and applications are open.

18:42

Apple Music is reportedly introducing new transparency tags that allow labels and distributors to flag when AI was used in parts of a release. The metadata tags can indicate whether AI was involved in elements like the music, lyrics, artwork, or music video.  The system relies on distributors to voluntarily apply the tags when uploading music,  similar to Spotify's approach, while some platforms like Deezer are instead experimenting with automated AI detection tools.

19:09

And finally, Idris Elba's independent label 7Wallace has formed a strategic partnership with Nas' Mass Appeal Records to collaborate on co-releases, cross-market distribution,  and original content across music, film, and live experiences. The collaboration aims to strengthen connections between the UK and US Hip Hop scenes following the company's previous joint venture on Slick Rick's Victory Project. It'll be interesting to see what's birthed from this connection here. Alright, that's a wrap for the Music Biz Brief. I'm gonna take a quick

19:39

Pause for the cause and then I'll be right back highlighting some of those conversations with the incredible women that have been on the show so far in honor of International Women's Day. Keep it locked!

[BEAT BREAK]

25:01

Hey, I'm Achickwitbeatz, multi-genre music producer and strategist to indie artists and labels. Visit achickwitbeatz.com for resources for artists and instrumentals in various genres available for songs, vlogs, blogs, podcasts, themes, TV, film, commercials, and more. Once again, that's achickwitbeatz.com. That's A-C-H-I-C-K-W-I-T-B-E-A-T-Z.com. Let's make something happen.

25:32

everybody. This is Phire Free. I am a spoken word poet and author. And I am also a master's-level graduate in counseling psychology. I cultivate healing-centered spaces to work through trauma and to build on wellness, resilience, and

26:00

and presence and awareness.  And thank you so much, Achickwitbeatz, for allowing me to be here today. Yes, I'm glad you could take time from your schedule to share with us.  And so,  you know, many artists, they're going through challenges and they need places to put their emotions into their music or whatever it is that they do creatively.  How do you think the process of creating music can help both?

26:27

and challenge mental health for artists? Because we know it's kind of like a double-edged sword a little bit. So what are your thoughts on that?  So much. This is a really compound question.  And part of my frustration with this is the fact that being in the mental health field and being so dedicated and driven and passionate about trauma and its contribution to things like suicidality.

26:54

So we've had to increase suicide awareness um and self-interest behaviors and challenges just with dealing with and navigating mental illness in general. Um, there just has not been enough effort and interest in making sure that access to creative um outlets have been available.

27:19

Um, and so now it was just recently within the last year or so that it was released that, you know,  art and writing is so helpful with trauma.  Go figure. Right.  So, so to be able to take the time to give people  artistic opportunity to kind of delve into

27:44

reacting and responding to some of their most challenging and some of their most in-depth experiences offers them the opportunity to explore it in a different way. And we really do need to be more open to that culturally.  Hear more on Ep 1 - Mental Health & Creativity with Phire Free. Hello world. Yes, it is my pleasure also. Wynell J Soul is an R&B Soul singer. I do 

R&B, gospel, jazz. um

28:14

A little bit of blues, very eclectic style,  been singing for a very long time. um Always really been a singer,  like literally always. Since I was very young, I started off and I'm singing gospel in a gospel group with my cousins in Chicago. So I'm originally from Chicago.  I do reside in Michigan,  but  I was born and raised in Chicago, Illinois,  Southeast side.  So I've been singing in choirs and churches and

28:44

weddings and funerals and all of that good stuff since probably about like performing performance since about eight. Wow. That's so early. Yeah. Yeah. Me and my cousin were in a, we started a gospel group. So we always, we went from churches to churches singing. And we actually used to come to Michigan when I was little. That's how I ended up moving to Michigan. Cause I used to travel to Michigan to different churches to sing. Yeah. Wow.

29:14

So,  okay,  to think about doing that as early as eight years old, do you recall ever being like nervous when you started or was it just?  Oh, yes.  So funny thing is I was considered the shy one of  me and my cousin's group,  but  I was.

29:35

you know, the voice. One of my friends laughed. was like, oh, so you was the Beyonce of the group. I'm like, you know what? Honestly, when I listen to her story about how she started, how she was uncomfortable on stage by herself,  that is totally me.  Like, I literally took, it took me a very long time to get up by myself and sing and be comfortable because I was just so used to my cousins being on the side of me.  Even though I was the shy one, I was able to like do  a lot better, like  performance wise when I had other people around me for a very long time.

30:05

So yeah, that was really hard.  It was hard when I was young.  But I got used to it. Like I said, we used to travel. And  I actually forgot about how much we traveled  until I was speaking to a friend of mine. And I remembered, I was like, oh shoot, I really used to go to different churches. And I used to come up here to Michigan and we used to go to churches in Detroit and sing. So yeah.  I think my first church we went to in Detroit, I think I was like 12 or 13.

30:34

Hear more on Ep 3 - Recognizing Milestones in Your Music Journey with Wynell J Soul.  I am Deepspawn Logic. I am a jazz fusion artist and music producer.  And I am also the host and creator of Artist Spotlight Sunday. I'm currently  living in the state of New Jersey. I'm originally from New York, from Brooklyn, New York,  but I've spent a lot of my life in New Jersey. So that's where I'm at right now.  music was something that

31:04

I started in 2020  after a bout of depression.  I had some close loved ones pass  and I was in not a good place. And so my husband introduced me to a couple of things and I just started dabbling in creating because it helped me focus on something else other than what was going on.  And from just the first song I created,

31:32

you know, I was just hooked, you know, and I really found something that I really, really love to do and it hadn't stopped yet. So for the past four years,  I've been  creating,  producing and releasing music. So  it's become something that I've really, really enjoyed doing.  Okay. Okay. Well,  you know, there's  so many  things to be said about producing music because one, you get to  the inspiration from doing the music.

32:00

yourself and then being able to inspire other artists to work with.  And we know you've got a lot of collaborations that you've done. uh Could you maybe offer any advice  as far as to uh any independent artists out there listening who don't really know how to go about  approaching others for collaborations? But what type of advice do you have as far as seeking collaborators or, you know, letting them come  to you? Like, how do you choose?

32:25

uh In all honesty, I've been very lucky.  I have not, uh I should say, collaborated with anyone I don't know or am comfortable with. um I'm still new,  so  it's more of a comfort thing for me. And I was very  scared to venture outside of the people I know. My husband, for those who don't know, my husband is a musician, so we do have other musician friends.  was,  being that they were  as excited.

32:55

to  edit in what I was doing.  It was very, I was comfortable going to them, asking them to do something with me.  Hear more on Ep 7 - Passionate Productions with Deepspawn Logic.  Please let the people know who is Öykü Doğan? And you know, how you got kind of started or pulled into music? All right, thank you so much. And thank you so much for inviting me. I'm so excited as well.

33:24

And um yeah, so I'm a singer songwriter,  composer, and also a jazz pianist.  I started with music when I was very little and with piano and composing,  writing songs later on.  And then  I was born in Turkey. I moved to Italy for college to focus on my music studies.

33:53

um So I studied modern vocals and then also jazz piano. Majored in both. In the meantime, I um started also producing and releasing my very first songs and then the first album. That's how my music career officially um took off.

34:22

Yeah, I still continue with all of these things.  I continue producing, writing, singing and releasing.  Also,  I now,  for the last few years,  am a vocal coach. That's another thing that I love a lot. So yeah, shortly.

34:47

This is it.  Well, that's a lot.  You know, especially having all the talents and then now being able to share that with others, I think, is a tremendous thing.  So since you do have so many talents, who are some of the, guess, maybe biggest musical influences you have? So whether that be other songwriters, other singers, other jazz pianists, like, you know, whatever.

35:16

Yeah, who have been your biggest influences, should I say?  Yeah, this is a very difficult and important question.  I started with classical music, but also in the meantime, grew up with um my mom's records, so  progressive rock, but at the same time, pop. And then I studied jazz. So I have different

35:45

oh inspirations from all these different  kinds of music, styles of music.  Hear more on Ep 11 - From Classical Roots to Contemporary Beats with Öykü Doğan.  Alexandria B. Can you tell us a little bit about who you are, how you got drawn into music and all the background stuff that we need to know  that shows us who you stand for in the world today?  And yep, yep, yep, yes I can. oh So...

36:14

Pretty much how I got drawn into music for the most part is basically how most vocalists have, which is starting off in choirs and church. I was in band in high school and also in choir.  So  I have a decent amount of music background, not just in  like what I use as far as my artistry, but  with other things, because I play drums too. um

36:39

My mom was in the choir with Ricky Diller and New G. So was like I traveled with them before and kind of got reeled in through the gospel part of the music industry.  And she was doing other musical stuff like in the blues scene. So  having her influence, having  all of the music my dad listened to as far as the  crack baby music era,  like KRS-1 and Tribe Called Quest and stuff like that.

37:09

I listen to those of course I'm a Chicago native so I listen to house music.

37:18

What else did you say?  Oh, you're doing great.  I don't want to start rambling.  Oh, no. You know what? That's actually what this is for, you know, but you already started off pretty strong with  some of your influences  and uh how your parents have kind of groomed you in that aspect. So if you could maybe talk a little bit more about some of those uh things you mentioned KRS, Tribe Called Quest.

37:45

Are there any other singers that stood out to you from like when you were really young before you actually started getting into singing yourself in the church? I will say  because of my mom,  would have to be Aretha Franklin was the first one. And then  like my favorite all time celebrity, even though she's not like, I can't say this because that's  basically being backhanded. My favorite like performer and artist as a whole is Janet Jackson because her like,

38:15

artistry when it comes to choreography and performance and putting on the show,  like I commend it.  Beyonce would be next to it.  As far as like my favorite vocalist,  I would say from like high school all the way up until now,  I would say my favorite people would be Jasmine Sullivan, Erykah Badu, um Jill Scott, and this male singer by the name of Duran Bernard. Hear more on 

38:42

Ep 16 - From Raw Talent to Refined Artistry with Alexandria B. Kershaun, how you doing? Hey. Great to have you  on.  How you doing, sis? I'm good.  Good. Well, you know, some people who have been following what I've been doing for a while might remember that you were on the Music Marvels radio show.  But since this is your first time on Instrumental Intel,  if you could give the people a little bit of the background and how you got into music and all that good stuff.

39:10

Well, music's been around me since birth,  you know.  Just,  you know, my mom played with her playlist, you know, her playing a lot of jazz.  I really started out as a poet, you know.  And then from there, like I always was singing. I sang in the church choir, you know. So,  you know, that's how I really got started. And then,

39:38

I started producing, well, I started tinkering with making beats in like, oh, it was kind of like a touch and go kind of thing, you know,  didn't really,  I bought my first equipment,  my first  midi controller in 2010,  didn't really get serious until about, you know, 2012 on  and off and then  seriously started to catch wreck around.

40:07

2016. So yeah.  Okay. Okay. So yeah, you mentioned, you know, mom having the playlist for you, the records, whatever was going on. are some of your influences specifically that you can recall?  Golly,  I would say Ella Fitzgerald, Sarah Vaughn.  Of course, like my big three would be Jill Scott and Erica Badu.

40:34

in Georgia and Muldrow. Those are my big three right there.  I grew up listening to a lot of their music and everything like that. yeah.  Hear more on Ep 19 - Unpacking Hip Hop Production & Its Influence with Kershawn.  My name is Christen Eve.  I have been a singer songwriter since I was 13. I, at that age, fell madly in love with writing music.

41:02

same age I started playing guitar  and truly since then it has been the one constant in my life like other things have fallen away other hobbies other interests but that has been the one  constant and ever since then  there hasn't been one year that I haven't consistently written music and just continue staying passionate with my music

41:26

You know, that's interesting. You said there's other hobbies that have come and gone, but that one stays constant. And I think that a lot of people listening can probably relate to it because a lot of times on social media, you'll see people get frustrated and, know, they might say, quit, but then a lot of times they right back. But, but yeah, with that being that constant, especially to be able to continue to write songs consistently, what do you kind of do to get in that zone? Cause I know like there's been a lot of things that

41:56

everyone's been going through since the pandemic, but how do you kind of keep that in the forefront and still make sure that you sharpen your craft as you will?  So I've definitely had seasons where I've had writer's block, you know, I've definitely come and gone from that space.  But as far as writing music itself, I think the reason it's  always stayed a constant in my life is because it truly does feel like it's a part of me, almost like

42:23

Like,  you know, if you believe in coming to Earth or not, like, I came to Earth with that being, like, stitched into my soul. Like, it's truly a part of me.  And it's...  When I have gone through anything in my life, anything hard, any dark chapters, it's always songwriting that I turn to. So for me, I kind of get into that space naturally because  it is always the first thing I turn to. No matter what I've been through in my life, I feel like...

42:52

Writing music has always been there for me.  I think because at such a young age, I started turning to it when I would go through hard things.  It just became my normal.  Here more on Ep 25 - Defining Success Beyond Mainstream Fame with Christen Eve.  Adri-Anne, so thank you for joining me,  taking time out of your busy schedule. You were on our previous show, Music Marvels, before.

43:19

But this is your first time here on Instrumental Intel. So if you could give the people a little bit of background as into who you are and how you first got started with music.  Sure. So  I, um,  I'm a singer, songwriter  and vocal coach, and I've done many things, including being  like a performing artist, recording artist, and also doing session vocals.  And, um,  currently.

43:49

I'm recovering from like a pretty, pretty intense health challenge that stopped me from singing for a while. So I'm now trying to get back into it. But um I started out  just  really loving to write songs. And I remember like my parents gave me the opportunity to have piano lessons and like my piano teacher would get really frustrated.

44:17

because I would like make up my own songs instead of learning the songs I was supposed to learn.  Oh wow. So I kind of like, now that I'm a parent and I see my son do that kind of thing,  it's kind of funny to be like, no, like,  I understand why she was frustrated, but I feel like that creativity, like that spark of like wanting to explore ideas and play with sounds and like.

44:45

just make up your own stuff is like something to be encouraged. I'm glad my parents encouraged me to do that.  Yeah. Cause I mean, you know, if you had that spark back then, you know, it was just  kind of indicative of what was to come. And so it's kind of good that you can see that in your son now and know to nurture it as well.  Oh yeah.  So, you know, who were some of your biggest influences from when you got started?  Um,  I,

45:16

Let me think.  Now...

45:22

So as far as music, the music that I really loved growing up was R&B, soul, gospel, and then also randomly folk and Irish music. Because they're not really similar, but I can kind of look back and be like, oh, I love the harmonies.

45:52

and like the groove and the feel and the passion of like R&B and soul. And then you can kind of  see like in folk and Irish music, there's a lot of like storytelling.  Here more on Ep 26 - Crafting Emotional Connections through Song with Adri-Anne Ralph.  She's been doing so many things just for the culture.  I'd like for you to be able to take a moment and, you know, just kind of share with the listeners who you are and how you got into doing what you do.

46:22

Thank you so much. appreciate you. I was excited when I heard that AChickWitBeatz was reaching out to me. I was like, Go ahead and take this interview. Shout out to UltraMag 7 for putting me in touch with you. So yeah, so again, I am Nubi the Ear Hustler. I have a show called We Ear Hustling Baby. And I started out about three years ago, actually, in the middle of the pandemic.

46:51

And maybe it's three and a half years ago now. What I did was I started out doing my own show. And then I also reached out to another platform called Weekly Rap Gods. Okay. I had been watching them and I noticed that there was a gentleman, his name is Twon Mac, who was posting these interviews alongside another young lady. And I don't know her name. And I just felt like, you know what, I could do this. And

47:19

I think this would be the perfect platform because I  do have some background in Hip Hop.  And so  I reached out to the owner of Weekly Rap Gods. His name is Frankie Salvation. Shout out to Frankie Salvation.  And  I hey, I'd like to  audition to become a co-host. And he was like, oh,  OK, know,  who would you audition with? And  I said, I'll get Chip Fu.

47:49

And so he's like, okay. And so I did the interview chip was gracious enough  to let me uh use him as my first experiment,  if you will. And it took off from there. started  doing Hip Hop interviews there as a cohost with Twan Mack. And then on my page,  it was mainly geared towards R&B, actually, when I first started it, because R&B is my first love.  And  I said, you know what?

48:18

I want to do both.  And so I did. And for almost two and half years, we did weekly interviews on weekly rap gods. And then I alternated and did weekly interviews on my show.  Here more on Ep 27 - Chronicling Music History Past and Present with Nubi the Ear Hustler.  So if you could just kind of give everybody a little bit of background as to who Megan is and how you got into music. Absolutely. Thank you so much for having me.  So

48:46

To start at the beginning, I grew up in a very musical family. My parents are extremely talented musicians, so it's literally in my DNA to be a musician. Um And so just, you know, all throughout grade school, I was involved in music, I was involved in theater,  and in college, I've studied acting and music. I sang for a lot of different bands throughout the years.

49:12

And then I started producing my own music in 2019. So, and the rest is history. All right. Well, awesome. You said that, you know, it's in your DNA. Yeah. As music. What types of songs do you remember kind of gravitating towards when you were young or any special artists? Oh, I mean, you know, my parents, of course, they they had so many different

49:41

I mean, they did a lot of  80s pop music, but for me, like I grew up in the 90s. So  I'd say like Christina Aguilera was a huge inspiration for me. um You know, like the different pop singers. uh I actually really loved Enya too. I don't know if you remember the Pure Moods CD.  But yeah, so I, there are so many different types of music that I'm drawn to and I've

50:10

I think as an artist, I don't really want to be confined in that way. I just want to have my own sound. I think that speaks through all the music that I like. Especially since you mentioned some of those heavy-hitting pop stars. Yeah, absolutely. How do you kind of get into your own?

50:35

inspiration. yeah, even though you grew up listening to them,  like to define your own sound, how do you kind of get in that mode before you start to create?  let's see. I mean,  well, again, I feel like I've just been drawn to so many different genres of music over the years. I mean,  I listened to a lot of the like the punk bands in high school. I listened to Radiohead in college. I mean, I love Bollywood music, so it's just like all across the board.

51:03

Hear more on Ep 29 - Navigating Indie Artist Life: Music, Content & More with Megan.  My name is Deidre DSSense Smith. I am a lecturer for the School of Music, Theater, and Dance for U of M. I'm also a cultural ambassador with the State Department and Next Level Program formally. And um also, ah yes, I facilitate a workshop that is actually the course of my um class at U of M called SYMMYS: Speak Your Mind, Mind Your Speech.

51:31

recognizing the power in your words.  And so um I take that workshop and I teach it in elementary schools, middle schools, high schools, organizations, colleges,  what have you.  Wherever I'm beckoned,  I answer the call  and I educate through art. And so  I myself am an emcee,  sometimes a vocalist,  but don't sing as well or as much as I used to.

52:00

I'm also a songwriter and recently an author of a children's book that should be released pretty soon.  That's so amazing.  Yeah. Oh my goodness. I think that's going to be for me,  the highlight of my career. um yeah,  I'm so excited about that.  But I'm just, I'm a Detroit girl, uh East side and I reside on the West side now.  I believe in investing into the city of Detroit. So I'm big on community and

52:30

So I'm back into the city of Detroit, the way that it's given to me. And I'm all about amplifying as citizens with my All My Detroit Everything initiative. And  yeah, so I'm just,  I'm kind of like a round the way girl.  I love it.  So, okay. You know,  right off the top. All My Detroit Everything, the initiative is powerful. I see it all across my social media platform. So, you know, kudos to you for that.

52:58

But you did say you want to sow back into the city the way it's sowed into you. How do you think that Detroit, if you could quantify it or qualify it with words, how would you say Detroit has shaped your artistry?  I think that the landscaping alone does something to me. Just to have grown up in a neighborhood that I did on the East side and saw just intergenerational interactions.

53:28

with community members and citizens alike. I remember seeing both the beauty and the ugly within the city of Detroit, know, human nature at its best and worst. And I was always able to draw upon it by just, you know, first acknowledging my own faults and my own successes and all those things that come with age and experience and just living life. And Detroit has a way of, I always say it has a

53:58

the hustle and bustle of a big city, then it quiet, quiet sound like a countryside at night.  And so we have all of this experience and wonderment to take on in the, in the, in the day, you know, and even into the evening, but then late at night into the wee hours of the morning,  you have peace,  have solace, you have calm and you have a time to reflect no matter your situation within the city. It has a grace that allows you to be still and to be quiet.

54:28

And I don't think many people recognize how blessed we are  in the city of Detroit to have that.  Hear more on Ep 30 - Detroit, Hip Hop Culture & Academia with Deidre D.S.Sense Smith.  Kim Carson,  who is,  I almost feel like radio personality isn't enough because you've done the TV series. I mean, just, I should just say just an all around great personality. How about that?

54:54

But yeah, I'm just excited that you're here and to be able to share with me and my audience your story. So if you could kind of give people a little bit of a background as to your relationship with music and how you got started  as a radio personality.  Yeah. Thank you so much. It's so nice to talk to you again. The last time we did this, I was interviewing you. I'm much more comfortable with that.

55:19

Yeah, no.  was it.  My my how the tables turn, but how the turn tables is my. Exactly. Well, you know, when you talk about music, I mean, for me in my life,  when I talk, music saved my life.  I doubt I'd be here if it wasn't for uh music. was it was the great escape. You know, I grew up in Detroit  listening to  WDRQ and Bill Bailey in the morning  where I later had a chance to work for him.

55:48

um He's a legend in the business and  just grew up with a very eclectic  ear  because of growing up in Detroit um and didn't really realize the full impact of music.  I think just throughout my life,  being a radio personality, obviously  working with music every day, was important, but  the respect for  music and what it can do for somebody just grew and grew and grew.

56:17

Yeah, I can definitely understand that. Detroit has had so much influence on me musically, even though born and raised in Kalamazoo, I think kind of having the connections between Detroit and Chicago, mean, both of them are like just so rich, I mean, Detroit has shaped a lot of my electronic production. yeah, mean, yeah, sure you had Motown, know, but

56:45

It went, then you had Eminem, know, and then the electronica movement. mean, and disco.  It was just  Detroit is just rich.  Detroit.  I didn't realize how lucky I was. I thought the whole world was like Detroit because I grew up. you graduated from Denby High School  on the East side. I grew up on eight mile and Kelly  and your Eastland Mall. And I thought the whole country was like that till I got away when I was like, you know, 16.

57:15

um and  realized, wow, like I didn't,  I grew up in a really special place and  it was a microcosm, I think, of the world, really. And musically,  it was expressed that way.  Hear more on Ep 33 - Lessons from the Airwaves: Insights for Creatives and Innovators with Kim Carson.  I'm Miss Jenny. I'm from Cleveland, Ohio. I started singing when I was like younger.

57:42

ah Probably like elementary, middle school. I was in a girl group with my best friend. Of course, that's how I started. oh But then we kind of like, you know, just merged apart, not relationship-wise, but music-wise. oh And I just decided to do things on my own and release my own stuff. So. Okay. Well, you know, that's kind of interesting. I feel like that's a common  trait for most of us who like

58:12

music, at least women, we've all been a part of at least one girl group in our youth that kind of makes us giggle when we think about maybe the subject matter of the music and whatnot. uh had one with my cousins that we actually called ourselves the cousin group. How hilarious is that? But anyway,  but yeah, it's okay. That's pretty early to get started. What do you think kind of influenced you to uh want to do music so early? Well,

58:40

My mom used to like, uh she used to play those uh concerts. You know how they used to have them with like VHS tapes back in the day. oh But she would play them on the TV and we would like just sit there and sing and dance and have fun. And  I don't know, it was just always a part of my life. And I picked up on it and then it became  like kind of like a therapy.

59:06

That's beautiful. So who are some of the singers that you remember that kind of drew you in when you heard them? Oh, definitely Mariah Carey. Destiny's Child, Beyonce. Who else? Aaliyah, for sure. Monica. Alicia Keys. Hear more on Ep 44 - Writing Without Fear and Finding Your Voice with Ms Jenny.

59:35

Alright and that's a wrap for this episode. I've been your host, music producer Achickwitbeatz and once again I want to thank you for tuning in. I'd like to thank all the wonderful guests that I've had on the show to come through and share their wisdom and story. I'd also like to thank my home station, Grander Radio out of Grand Rapids, Michigan. Make sure you come back next week, I've got more goodness lined up. So next time you know where to find me. Tune in, tell a friend and I'll see you then. Peace.