Its Time To Know More About “Brynn Elyzabeth”
Today we have with us a very talented artist from Seattle, Washington ‘Brynn Elyzabeth’. We will be asking her questions about her life, music and particularly related to her recent and upcoming releases. Lets have a chat with her.
Twist Online : Please introduce yourself to the readers and how and when did you first get into singing?
Brynn Elyzabeth : What’s up everybody I’m Brynn Elyzabeth. I’ve definitely always been interested in music. My father plays everything from Saxophone to Clarinet to Flute so I came up around music. He also taught me how to sing while we would be in the car on the way to Soccer practice. He started by introducing me to the sounds of Motown and I remember the first time I heard Living For the City by Stevie Wonder I was blown away. I kept thinking, “How did he take something so real as ‘hard time Mississippi’ and create this super catchy tune?” It made me want to know more about writing music that had a purpose and a message. We also listened to a lot of R&B/Soul/Funk music like Tower of Power, Sly & the Family Stone, Chicago, etc. We used to sing along to whatever record he’d be listening to in the car that day. He taught me how to pick out the harmony and he’d sing lead, then we’d trade off back and forth like that the whole ride. I felt like this music had so many layers to it from the Big Band sound to the multiple vocals that I was always picking up something I hadn’t heard the time before.
By the time I hit my Senior year of High School I had scored the lead role in the Musical and I took off from there. I fell in love with the reaction of a live crowd to just my voice and I was determined to chase that feeling.
Twist Online : Who or what inspired you as an artist growing up?
Brynn Elyzabeth : Stevie Wonder for example, is one who is passionate about getting his music out to the world and really making it a better place.
I read this quote from him a long time ago that has always stuck with me and pushes me to keep writing because of how powerful of an influence music really does have. He said “Music, at its essence, is what gives us memories. And the longer a song has existed in our lives, the more memories we have of it.”
Michael Jackson is another huge influence. The very first time I learned who he was I was watching the Grammy’s. I was very young but I still remember being glued to the tv screen after only seeing the first 30 seconds of his performance. He literally hadn’t even picked up the mic yet and the crowd was going nuts. He started The Way You Make Me Feel at about half the original tempo but his movements were so quick. I’d never seen anything like it. I figured out pretty quick that he was definitely in a league of his own at that point. The way he commanded the crowd was almost mesmerizing.
Lauryn Hill is the ultimate creative to me. She’s the best hip hop artist and her voice is untouchable. Not to mention her writing is the most honest of her time. What I mean by that is if you listen to her Unplugged Album there’s really no questions left on how she feels, thinks and dreams about the World. Superficial music is not only easy to write but it’s also easy to replicate. But Lauryn’s overall artistry leaves you knowing exactly who she is at all times. There’s never a doubt that she keeping it real-all the time. It’s incredibly bold and I respect that not just as an artist but as a woman.
Twist Online : Tell us about your upcoming release “I Sing Because…”?
Brynn Elyzabeth : I’m so blessed to be able to be working on a project all my own. I’ve worked the majority of my career singing other Artist’s songs and I’m finally ready to focus on my music. It’s definitely a process I’m learning new things about every day but that’s what makes it so genuine is that it’s nobody else’s but mine. I feel like I can clearly understand now why I’ve heard of Artist’s referring to their Album as their “baby.” It’s title, “I Sing Because…” is actually inspired by the lyric in the Gospel hymn His Eye Is On the Sparrow. I know I’m not alone when I reference the performance of this song by Lauryn Hill back in the 1990’s. Watching that I think made everything I felt about music in my life all of a sudden make sense. There are so many renditions of this song that have been done over the years but the lyrics are what make it so special. Music to me is sort of my religion and I think I always questioned if how I felt about it even rang true for anyone else. But when I hear this song it reminds me that what music means to me and my life can be as spiritual as I want it to be because it’s free. I wanted to take that notion and apply it to my first EP. My goal is to share that feeling with my listeners. Show them that music is freeing and in a world like we live in today full of such negativity, music can be that reliant constant.
Twist Online : You recently released your music video “Alibi”. How was the response by your fans?
Brynn Elyzabeth : In a word-incredible. My fans are amazing. They have shown their support on all of my social media by liking, sharing and commenting on the video and have helped make it a success. Without their continued investment in my Artistry I wouldn’t be where I’m at right now. I am so humbled and grateful for their compassion for good music. I’ve even got some fans who have developed new followers for themselves based off of them sharing my video.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X_6i1HmwQtw
Twist Online : What is your process when writing a song?
Brynn Elyzabeth : Collectively, The Writers’ Room 412 is working on developing an innovative and signature style of music. We’re not interested in riding any current trends in popular music. When we sit down to create, our minds are thinking about 2020 and beyond. We’re utilizing a lot of what made the music of past eras timeless in our approach but we are very firmly situated in the future with the main ingredient being hope.
Twist Online : Do you like performing live or working on music in the studio?
Brynn Elyzabeth : Hmmm that’s a tough one. I really enjoy both but in different ways. Writing and recording in the studio feels like a privilege to me and always has. I used to be the kid who’d say my dream house was actually living inside a studio. Getting to be surrounded by that creative energy all the time is so inspiring. I’m not gonna lie it’s challenging to write sometimes but when you find that groove and everything just flows it’s pretty epic. When I’m in the studio it’s my time. I create an atmosphere that’s usually dark lit and has either incense or candles going. All of these elements help me forget about everything that is going on that isn’t going to add to my creativity. Meditating is actually something I just picked up as well so sometimes if I’m having trouble remaining undistracted I will take some time to meditate right there in the studio or in the vocal booth. I treat it like a sanctuary so whenever I’m in there, I only feel good, healing vibes and this is then in turn what motivates me to write from my most honest state.
When I’m performing live for a crowd there is no other feeling like it. I’ve had a lot of performances that stood out to me as being in the top but the one that I’ll truly never forget is when I got the chance to sing alongside Stevie Wonder back in 2008. I had won a singing contest off the local Radio Station and got to perform his song All Is Fair In Love with him on a stage in front of a sold out crowd of 20,000. It was incredibly surreal to look over and see him playing piano while I sang. It was the most beautiful sound I’ve ever heard. I remember hearing all of these cheers from this crowd of people I didn’t even know. It’ll always be one of my favorite memories of a live performance for me.
I do have to say though that there’s something incredibly humbling about a crowd singing along to YOUR lyrics. It’s such an amazing feeling and I can’t wait to experience that over and over again.
Twist Online : What’s your favorite music genre? any particular reason?
Brynn Elyzabeth : Hip Hop is my go-to. It’s pretty much always on when I’m driving around or when I’m at home, etc. I’ve always been attracted to the beat. I can honestly say it’s the only genre that makes me feel completely comfortable and excited at the same time. What’s also great about it is that no matter what mood I’m in, there’s an artist or song I can put on and it just clicks every time. My favorite has got to be Lauryn Hill hands down. I only wish she had more records out but in a way it almost makes me value the ones she does have so much more.
When I’m in my car is when I’m the most in tune to what I’m listening to I think. When I’m just cruisin around I love to roll down all the windows and turn up the system real loud and just kinda zone out.
My favorite genre to sing however is R&B/Soul. There’s a definite vibe I catch every time I sing within this genre. It’s almost impossible not to feel something. For awhile I was doing work in performing with some Top 40 Cover Bands but I never felt much passion until I hit that genre. Singing other people’s lyrics can sometimes be difficult to really relate to. But when it came to something like an old Marvin Gaye tune I had no problem taking it there.
Twist Online : What are your future goals as an artist?
Brynn Elyzabeth: Individually, I’d like to be able to tour after the release of I Sing Because… We are performing at this year’s A3C Festival in Atlanta, GA. It was really cool to be voted in by the fans and be official artists for such a prominent music festival. So in the immediate future, I’d like to give the entire music festival and the beautiful city of Atlanta something new and fresh to talk about.
Twist Online : Are you on Social Media? Your fans would love to follow you.
Brynn Elyzabeth : Yes of course!
Facebook: http://bit.ly/1SWGNO4
Twitter: http://bit.ly/1Y1FhIz
Instagram: http://bit.ly/1SUnYrw
Soudcloud: http://bit.ly/1TehMHV
If you like what you hear LIKE, COMMENT & SHARE with the hashtag #BEMUSIC
Thank you so much for this opportunity to talk about my music. This is part of why I sing!
