The socially-aware songstress chats about her new EP, songwriting, and the art of staying patient
We’ve been listening to Baskerville Jones for a while now, and we think it’s about time that you got to know her:
How would you describe your sound to someone that has never heard your music before?
‘In a nutshell, it’s Soul-Folk. It is music delivered from my contemporary soul and pulled from the roots of eras past, and my upcoming Mile 1 EP is an acoustic representation of this. I’d say that it’s simple, stripped down, and vocally driven feel-good guitar music, but one blog said that it sounds like a female Jason Mraz. He’s an artist I admire, so I’m happy with that!
Is there a theme that runs through the Mile 1 EP?
‘The theme is the realization of mistakes – accepting the gifts they leave behind, and moving forward and accepting that the future doesn’t have to be so dark. The honesty and vulnerability of the songs is intended to be conveyed through the EP’s minimalist approach to production.
Can you talk us through your songwriting process?
‘I feel things… And then I write them down. It’s not always with the intent of writing a song, but just to get it out of my system, or to record the words of the voices in my head. (No need to call the shrink, I think we all have those voices – some of us just choose not to ignore them). I’ve often been awoken in the middle of the night by an idea, and I quietly record a voice memo of the idea just so I could go back to sleep. I then tuck away the thoughts I’ve written and continue living. If the idea resurfaces in my mind, I will revisit it and run to the keyboard to start working out the rest of the melody or lyrics. Once an idea is developed, I bring in another musician, to help flesh it out even more musically.
Where do you get your inspiration from?
‘I mostly get inspiration from my own experiences, nature, and my identification with people that I am somehow connected to. I admire silence, and that’s when these inspirations are usually realized for me.
What made you want to start making music?
‘My first introduction to the music scene was through church when I was a kid, where I grew up sort of touring churches in the South singing Gospel Music. I went to a college – Belmont University – that produced a bunch of the talented singers that you’ve seen on American Idol. Throughout college, I learned of many other things that I could sing about and relate to. After college, I went through a few different projects, trying to settle into my own voice, and I was able to work with a lot of different top-tier artists, musicians, and producers – performing live, writing, recording, and arranging vocals. I am blessed to have been around so many highly talented people for a long time, but it wasn’t until 2010 that I began to steer my career in the direction of being a recording artist, as I began writing and recording music as a lead singer for The Rebirth, and then 2013 as a solo artist.
The album workes well in the stripped down, honest and pure state that it is. Was there ever a time where you thought about adding more layers to the songs?
‘Absolutely! That was my original intent, actually, but the universe yanked me back. In many ways, I kept learning this lesson – keep it simple. And, after a few detours along the way, I ended up applying to this lesson to this album. There may be versions of some of the songs released at a later time that involve more instrumentation. But, the honesty and the purity was something that I didn’t want to lose.
What have been the highlights of your career so far?
‘I’ve always appreciated music for being an international language and one of the things that glues the world together. So, I’m always excited to see the world open up in my own musical experiences. Recently, I’ve gotten the opportunity to travel and tour the UK, perform in Costa Rica with a charity called Funk Foundation, record music with two French artists, and soon, I’ll be on stage with Armenian artist Arman Hovhannissyan at the Nokia Theatre in Lbos Angeles. And with the EP releasing, I’m excited about the chances to meet and have musical conversations with music fans all over!
If given the chance, is there anyone you would like the chance to work with on a future project?
‘Jason Mraz, Chaka Khan, and any of the characters from Walt Disney movies!
Do you have any advice for any musicians who are looking to record their own album?
‘Be patient! Don’t throw the music away before it has been born. Don’t let others who don’t show up for you keep you from moving forward. It just means either they weren’t meant to be a part of your movement, or it wasn’t time for the music, yet. It will all work out, if you continue to believe in the music and continue to develop the art.
