Can you tell us a bit about yourself and your musical background? What led you to pursue a career in music?
when I was young, I was the family jukebox. Someone in the family would give me a quarter or a dollar to sing their favorite songs, and I do it! To me it was just a way to make money because I had ambitions of playing football. However, my grandmother said’ Nope! You’re gonna do music!” She put me on the piano, and I was sent on the path to music.
What was the inspiration behind the song, and how did you come up with the concept?
I feel like many people don’t take the commitment of marriage seriously. Like eveyone prepares for the wedding, but not for the marriage.
From my experience, from what I see, people are challenged to stay in it together. Marriage is the closest thing to God’s love for us on earth and there are so many things that try to distract us from that love. “So Good!’ is about finding and remaining in that love, it’s about working through differences and fighting for each other instead of against each other. It’s about my grandmother remaining and sticking to her man regardless of his victories and his challenges and it’s about my wife who’s my best friend and her respect for me, my love for her and no matter how many challenges the world throws at me, she remains and is a constant reminder that what we have is “So Good!”
Was there a personal experience or a specific idea that influenced the song’s theme?
It actually happened while sitting in my home with my wife. our twins were jumping all over the couches, our 9-month-old baby was crying her eyes out, the house was a mess, and I was tired, but I looked at my wife and said, “This is perfect, our home is full of love, I will protect this with my last breath. God is “So Good!”
How would you describe the musical style of “So Good!” and what motivated you to experiment with these particular sounds?
I wanted to tap back into my R&B roots, all of those that inspired my sound and brand. The Great Ones like Al Green, Sam Cooke, Stevie, Michael, & Prince. It’s a mashup of all of their sounds, their styles, their lives.
Collaborations can bring a unique flavor to a song. How did the collaboration process unfold for “So Good!”? What did your collaborators bring to the table?
I’m fortunate to have an amazing team. My business partner and dear friend Levester White, who’s a Grammy, Stellar Nominated & an award-winning producer. and I actually came into a recording session with a whole other song and idea. We even recorded it, but then Levester started playing the beginnings of “So Good!” and I was like, “HEY! Forget about everything we just did, let’s do that!” and we built it, wrote it, recorded it, shot the video for it and that’s why we’re having this interview right now!
“So Good!” has a catchy and memorable chorus. Could you shed some light on the songwriting process? How do you go about crafting hooks that stay with listeners?
Lyrics tend to come easily for me, as I mentioned before about my grandmother and wife, I pull from my life experiences. So, everything I release is true and almost always is relatable. Levester heard what I was doing, and just kept building around it and that how we the creation came together. I like to keep it simple and not make it overly complicated for the listener. It helps the song stick to the listener.
Many listeners have praised the production quality of “So Good!” Could you share insights into the production process and any specific techniques that were used to achieve the song’s sonic character?
A good mix from Levester and then a masterful master of the song from award-winning producer and engineer Hellfire (credits include Meek Mill and many others). They buttoned up all the loose ends and gave it quality that we believe could be a classic 20 years from now.
Music often connects with people on a personal level. Is there a particular message or emotion you hope your listeners will take away from “So Good!”?
Yes! Love Matters. Love Matters is my non-profit organization that reminds people that love matters. Love is patient, Love is kind, Love doesn’t dishonor. It doesn’t boast, it’s not arrogant. Love protects, perseveres and never fails. Thats the core of how we should treat people. Thats what I hope people will remember about me. The Music is amazing, but at the heart of it, I make music that unites people, instead of dividing us.
In today’s competitive music industry, standing out is crucial. How do you think “So Good!” showcases your unique identity as an artist?
Oh, it’s a classic! I definitely believe it’s memorable tune and could be a song that you still will love many years later, even after I’m long gone. Well at least that’s my goal.
The music landscape is always evolving. How do you see “So Good!” fitting into the current music scene, and what do you think it offers that’s different from what’s out there?
The landscape of music has evolved tremendously. in this season of making music, it’s based on quantity. The more songs you put out, the more that keeps you relevant. But there was a time when you put out good music and that song was still good music years after its release. Now a days if you’re not putting out music every 3 months you’ll be forgotten and honestly almost all of it sounds the same, with exceptions of a few.
My approach is different, I take my time with one great song in hopes that it will become a classic, something that you still want to play year after year. Something that grows old with you. I believe that there isn’t a sound like what we do, at the core of it it’s something refreshing. I’m not out here putting records in stores every 2 and 3 months to stay relevant, the songs aren’t overly sexual, not overly in your face for shock value either, but it’s just good music. Those are the people that follow what I do and the people I hope to reach.
And my approach to every song is the same every time, I say, “If I can’t listen to this music with my children around, I’m not about it!”
