An Interview with Freeluv

Dami: What was your first introduction to music?

Freeluv: My mom would always be playing early 2000s and late 90s music when I was a kid so it’s always been a part of my life.

Dami: How much influence would you say that had on you as a kid to start making music?

Freeluv: Shit I started off making parody songs when I was like 8.

Dami: What inspired you to start making music professionally?

Freeluv: I started kinda later than most people not gonna lie but one of my old friends started getting some attention after rapping when he got outta jail, so I wanted that at the time. I was probably 16/17.

Dami: How much would you say you’ve grown artistically and creatively since 16?

Freeluv: I feel like I developed an entirely new sound/lane for myself. Still working on the aesthetic plus image side but we’re getting there. Plus, my music is way more real now since I grew up with it basically.

Dami: How would you describe this sound you developed?

Freeluv: Not saying I reinvented the wheel or anything, but it’s definitely gonna be something people haven’t heard before on the level I’m trying to reach.

Dami: What 3 words will you use to describe your sound/music?

Freeluv: Innovative, inspirational, and influential.

Dami: When making music, where do you grab inspiration from?

Freeluv: Art in all its form for real. Whatever that was created that started off from an idea or life experience.

Dami: Who would you say are your biggest inspirations?

Freeluv: Musically, it gotta be Juice, Peep, X, Future, and Ye.

Dami: You’ve made mentions of entering a new era of “castle music”. Can you tell us more about it?

Freeluv: I could try, but it’s really something you have to experience. I can’t even name any artist to compare this new sound to. It’s probably even bigger than me for real.

Dami: Speaking of castle music, you introduced us to it with your new single “srry_extnd”. What does the single mean to you?

Freeluv: Kinda like a transition from my old style into this new era. It symbolizes an end of an era and a birth of a new era.

Dami: How would you describe the era you just ended?

Freeluv: Unfocused plus chaotic.

Dami: What is your creative process like?

Freeluv: Starts before I even create. I gotta be sure to be in a relaxed mindset, then I go through beats and just vibe to whatever “speaks to me” and go from that. Sometimes, I’ll write but mostly I just punch in/freestyle.

Dami: How do you know what speaks to you?

Freeluv: You gotta be in a flow state to understand. It shouldn’t feel forced. It’s almost like the beat is talking to you.

Dami: What do you hope to achieve before the year ends?

Freeluv: To have built a solid foundation plus have enough songs out to go crazy consistently next year.

Dami: Where do you hope to see yourself in 5 years?

Freeluv: One of the biggest artists in the world. I don’t even think there’s really been a new male superstar for a while, at least on a global level.

Dami: Would you say the ATL scene has shaped your sound in some way or the other?

Freeluv: Yeah. Moving to ATL changed everything.

Dami: In what way?

Freeluv: My attitude towards life and overall my experiences here influenced this new sound.

Dami: You just dropped a single titled “Help Wanted/Take Away Feels”. What was the creative process like?

PlusIV: Differently different from the last drop, that’s for sure. “Take Away Feels” is a poem I freestyled, and “Help Wanted” was a poem I had for a while, but I put it down for a while because I didn’t like what I had down, then I cycled back to it. Sometimes, it’s good to cycle back with art if certain things aren’t clicking right. These poems are kinda old though. Old to me, new to you. For a long time, I had these tracks done but I didn’t like them. After some self-therapy with them, I found a new love for them lol. I love these tracks, even been practicing and performing them. This is just the beginning of what Ivy Verde has to offer.

Dami: As you said, these are different from the last drop but these sound deeper and more sensitive than previous drops. What mindset were you in when you recorded them?

PlusIV: Well, “Take Away Feels” was just a sad day. I guess. That was just the vibe I was on. I like that about Ivy Verde. He can kinda put you in a place that makes you feel uncomfortable for good or bad. You’ll never know. I remember otw_yj was on the floor at the time when I recorded this before the switch. I remember self-recording and I was like, “Damn bro, this sounds kinda sad”, but remember him giving off a “So?” type of response as validation to keep what I have, so I did. He was actually supposed to be on the track, but it never came through. “Help Wanted” was interesting. The poem itself is inspired by a conversation I had in college with God through prayer- metaphorically. At the time, I was just going through a lot mentally in school, so I turned to the two best things- God and music lol. As sad as these poems are, I know they will help the right person, at the right time. This is why we do this, to help others and change the world in a positive manner- through selective themes of course.

Dami: What message do you want listeners to take away from “Help Wanted/Take Away Feels”?

PlusIV: I want people to use songs like these as a way to escape/cope with whatever they’re going through in life. Music is an emotional escape. Writing poetry like this keeps me going in life a lot and keeps me alive- I hope it could save others too.

Dami: How much do you think you’ve grown artistically since “Last Forever”?

PlusIV: I’m improving, but there’s still a lot more to learn. I’m tryna be like a sponge and just learn. It’s taking me a while because I’m all by myself in this, but I rather have slow motion than no motion.

Dami: Is this new drop a hint of your new sound or a new era to come?

PlusIV: Ivy Verde is the era. Right now, we are testing different sounds and seeing how people reach. There is a very strong direction in this.

Dami: What’s next for you after this drop?

PlusIV: I was in the process of putting together a project for a while- but I’m thinking about just dispersing them as singles but we’ll see. Definitely a couple more drops before the year is over.

Dami: What should we expect from those drops?

PlusIV: Different sounds. New Voices. This is the beginning of the era.

Dami: Most of your work has been centered on mental health. Should we expect more of this theme from you?

PlusIV: Yes.

Dami: What role has music played in your mental health so far and how has your mental health inspired your creativity too?

PlusIV: I have always been an advocate for mental health- the awareness of it and practicing positive coping mechanisms with it. I got struggles with it like everyone else in the world, but I always loved music so they kinda go hand-in-hand a little bit. I try to create no matter how I feel- happy, upset, depressed etc. Those emotions driving into the melodic poems I create, personifying characters, and the visuals behind them give me a sense of purpose almost. I want people to enter the world of Ivy Verde and enjoy him while he is around. Nothing lasts forever (pun not intended). Don’t get me wrong, not every day is a perfect day creating-wise. Some days are better than others. I get inspired by a lot of things- people, sounds, situations, colors, clothes- a lot of things. I think a lot of artists create and write through people. I know I do from time to time. That’s what I kinda did with “Survivor’s Guilt”. At the end of the day, it’s all about balance because you can definitely burn out- mentally and physically. Every artist has their own limits in this lifestyle. I am still trying to figure out mine.

Dami: How do you deal with creativity on those bad days?

PlusIV: I try to put my energy towards other things. I like working out, being active, playing ping pong or pick-up basketball, and going for walks. So I try to do other things for sure. I stream on Twitch and game from time to time to take music breaks so I don’t drain myself. It’s a very hard balance because artists like me use their atmosphere/world for inspiration, but you can get so locked into this that you can lose yourself in it. Pushed away some friends for sure, for the good and the bad, but one day they’ll understand. Some people need to see to believe, so we’ll show them.

Dami: Any upcoming shows you’re excited about?

PlusIV: Planning to perform soon. Want to rack up a good catalog before the world can see us for who we really are.

Dami: What inspired you to start producing

Rooney Toones: My friends and I just started messing around in high

school with Garage Band, Logic, and a few other music software. That

was basically the catalyst for where I am today.

Dami: Did you ever try to make music during that time?

Rooney Toones: Yeah, I tried rapping and slowly realized overtime I’m

not the best rapper.

Dami: Where do you grab inspiration from when making beats?

Rooney Toones: I try to find inspiration wherever I can. Whether it’s

music I’m listening to at the moment or my environment at the time.

Dami: What was your first introduction to producing?

Rooney Toones: In high school, but my beats were trash back then.

Dami: How much do you think you’ve grown since then?

Rooney Toones: A lot, but I still have a lot more room to grow.

Dami: How do you manage the different parts of production, such as

beat making, mixing, mastering etc.?

Rooney Toones: I put a lot more time into production. I do a little bit of

mixing, but I have someone who does it for me. A very good friend of

mine. It’s kinda nice to have that little crutch because I can then really

hone in my on my production skills.

Dami: What parts do you think you’re not yet good at production?

Rooney Toones: I think consistency is something that I still need to

work on.

Dami: When collaborating with an artist, how do you decide what is

needed on the track?

Rooney Toones: It really depends on skills. Going back to your last

question, I really need to get better with instrumentation. So, if I’m

working with another producer, I’ll work with someone who I think can

make the track better based on their skillset. When it comes to artists, I

listen to their previous work and just chat with them to see what their

vision is.

Dami: You got a project dropping on August 6 th titled “Rooney Toones”.

What was the creative process like?

Rooney Toones: This is my first project with all house music. I’m very

excited to release this into the world. The house music scene in Dallas

has really inspired me to start getting back into DJing and also delve

into the genre in my production as well.

Dami: How did you pick the tracks that made the tape?

Rooney Toones: Honestly, I just picked the best ones in my opinion.

Dami: How would you describe the tape?

Rooney Toones: Be ready to dance. That’s all I got to say. It’s fast paced.

Dami: Do you feel you’ve grown artistically since the release of your

debut album earlier this year?

Rooney Toones: I think so. I definitely have refined my craft a lot more

and learned a lot from that first release.

Dami: What’s next for you after “Rooney Toones”?

Rooney Toones: More music, more DJing, and just more music. I’m not

really sure, but for sure another project.

Dami: This year?

Rooney Toones: Oh yeah.

Dami: Any collaborations in the works?

Rooney Toones: A few, but imma wait till they drop to talk about that.

Dami: Any dream collaborations though?

Rooney Toones: Oh yeah, multiple. One of my biggest ones in Tyler.

Dami: How would you describe your production and its sound?

Rooney Toones: All over the place. I love blending genres. The two I

wanna focus on the most are hip-hop and house music. I think both

those genres have a very similar history as they have underground

roots and now have found themselves in the forefront of mainstream

music.

Dami: Where do you see yourself 5 years from now?

Rooney Toones: Hopefully, being able to be a part of both genres and

doing justice to both.

Pre-save “Rooney’s House” here

Dami: What inspired you to start making music?

Alex McQueen: Growing up, it was my big cousin “Sin”. He was like an

anomaly to me. He could rap and sing. This was long before Drake and

Phonte. He had a wild vocabulary and was fearless about expressing his

vulnerability and shit. This was in the mid-90s when gangsta rap was in

everyone’s faces. Something about him doing that made me want to do

this.

Dami: Would you say your sound was influenced greatly by your

cousin?

Alex McQueen: The foundation is definitely his but time and experience

morphed it. My cousin was great at expressiveness and fluency but my

godbrother who called himself “Tragic” was the one who actually

started me rapping. He was truly creative in punchlines and slick one-

liners. I picked that up from him and that’s a huge part of my DNA as

well. And then I had a homeboy in high school who pretty much kept

me rapping. He was a performer and could lock people with theatrics.

That was my boy Kay who goes by “King Kaun”. He was like an actor.

While everyone else kinda rapped monotone, he knew when to express

anger, urgency, sincerity, levity.

Dami: How would you describe your sound?

Alex McQueen: Lol I lowkey hate this question because even though I

give a lot of praise to my foundation, I didn’t just practice one sound.

But for the sake of the question, my sound for my next project will be

heavy southern 808s and good ole East Coast rap.

Dami: What other sounds did you practice then?

Alex McQueen: I was rapping in like 3 different cliques and with

countless extra people and we were diplomatic about the songs we

were doing and weirdly enough, everyone’s taste was regionally

different. So, if one guy liked Three 6 Mafia and Lord Infamous and you

want to rap, there wasn’t no “I’ll pass or you won’t get heard”. You

better learn how to jump on that track and make it groovy. Or maybe

we’re even doing something over a Pac or Bone Thugs beat. Try rapping

over Twista’s “Unsolved Mysteries” after hearing what he did to it. It

helps with inspiration when you’re picking flavors for a project.

Dami: How do you feel you’ve grown artistically since the release of

your “Camera Roll Demo” album?

Alex McQueen: “Camera Roll Demo” was super personal in a way. I

took a hiatus from music for like a good 5 years and woke up one day

sick. My little brother died and I just didn’t want to do it, and one day I

just had to. “Camera Roll Demo” is personal because nowadays there is

nothing more telling about a person than going through their camera

roll and it’s a demo because I knew the sound quality wasn’t going to

be the greatest but it was important to drop it on 12/10- his birthday.

The growth from then is now that I’ve kinda shed my skin a bit, I’m

stepping up the overall quality and changing the mood. Even though he

would love the songs in “I rather party in here” way more than the ones

on “Camera Roll Demo”.

Dami: About your next project, what should we expect from it?

Alex McQueen: My next project will be called “I rather party in here”

and it will be a lot of high energy music. Music to make you jump

around and shit. I feel like that’ll be something dope to do and I’m not

hearing too much of that so I want to do a whole project like that. My

first 2 singles for it are definitely in that vein and I don’t want to go left.

I wanna keep that sound and energy up.

Dami: Any collaborations on it?

Alex McQueen: As of right now, nothing is in stone. Wanna see if the

records are dope before I just toss it on there.

Dami: What’s next for you after this album?

Alex McQueen: I have an idea for a showcase. I’m dying to perform

these records; even the ones I haven’t written and recorded lol. This

energy is going to be massive and I’m just dying to show people.

Dami: Where do you see yourself 5 years from now?

Alex McQueen: I honestly want something that tops billboards.

Something that creates a moment and that the whole world stops to

experience. I want something that’s going to influence people and

challenge the way people hear music. I just don’t want to do the same

old thing everybody else does. I want to carve out my own lane and I

want my pen appreciated. I want my lyricism to be hailed and revered

with the greats. If there’s anything I believe in, I believe in my pen. I

believe I have the ability to be one of the best lyricists the world has

ever heard of. I know in the beginning, people won’t understand.

People may even think some of the things I do are amateur in ways but

then, if they listen long enough, they can hear how everything is

connected.

Dami: What’s your creative process like?

Alex McQueen: Something pops in my head. Either a beat or a concept.

I’ll be driving around with the radio off wondering what I wanna hear

then wait for an idea to conjure up. Sometimes, I might think of a line

and put it in my notes. I Frankenstein a lot of ideas these days though I

have different ideas for one song, then just play Legos to build the

castle.

Dami: What’s been the most stressful part of being an artist?

Alex McQueen: For me, I have all these grand ideas and I pretty much

am doing everything on a minor level. I’ve been an artist forever, but

the gift and curse of this internet is that you have to build your

audience and you don’t know the proper way to do that, and having all

the talent in the world means nothing if there is no one to hear it.

by Damilola Grey

Dami: What was your first introduction to music?

Sharita: My first introduction to music was when my mom used to play

her gospel and RnB CDs around the house. I would listen to them and it

gave me a feeling like I never had before. Then I was like I want to make

people feel like that.

Dami: What then inspired you to start making music?

Sharita: Songwriting is what inspired me to start making music. When I

was little, I discovered Taylor Swift and learned how she writes her own

music. Also, when I first listened to Mariah Carey’s “Butterfly” album

and discovered how strong Mariah’s songwriting skills are as well, and

how she helps writes her own songs. So, I began writing poems and

started turning them into songs.

Dami: Apart from Mariah Carey and Taylor Swift, who else are your

biggest influences?

Sharita: Some of my other influences are Whitney Houston, Christina

Aguilera, Arethra Franklin, Etta James, Monica, Lana Del Rey, and Toni

Braxton.

Dami: You dropped your first single in 2020 titled “On That Floor”. How

do you feel you’ve grown artistically since then?

Sharita: I feel like I have grown a lot artistically since my first single. My

music production, songwriting, and vocals have gotten much better. I

feel much more confident in my songwriting and voice. I also have been

experimenting with different sounds and genres.

Dami: What type of genres?

Sharita: Jazz and blues.

Dami: How would you describe your sound?

Sharita: I would describe my current sound as RnB and very fierce.

Dami: You dropped a single last month titled “Got Luv?”. What does it

mean to you?

Sharita: When I was writing “Got Luv?”, I was writing a couple’s point of

view- when a couple breaks up but then they realize they belong

together. Even though I’ve never been in a situation like that, it was fun

writing from that perspective. I think what “Got Luv?” means to me is

don’t give up on love because when its meant to be, it will be.

Dami: What was the creative process like for it?

Sharita: My producer was showing me some beats and this particular

one caught my eye. It just came naturally and I started writing to the

beat.

Dami: What do you want listeners to take away from this single?

Sharita: What I want listeners to take away from “Got Luv?” is don’t

give up on love.

Dami: When making music, where do you grab inspiration from?

Sharita: I grab inspiration from past experiences but sometimes, I can

be out and something just comes to me and I go from there.

Dami: What are 3 words you’ll use to describe your music?

Sharita: Empowering, different, and vibrant.

Dami: What’s next for you after this single?

Sharita: What’s next after this single is an album around Spring.

Dami: What’s the vibe for the album?

Sharita: The vibes for the album is self-love, being in the moment, and

happiness.

Dami: Which artists are you hoping to collaborate with in the future?

Sharita: The artists I hope to work with in the future are SZA, Bryson

Tiller, Coco Jones, Lizzo, Jazmine Sullivan, and Ari Lennox.

Dami: Where do you hope to see yourself 5 years from now?

Sharita: I hope to see myself winning a Grammy, touring, and writing

songs for other artists as well as my own.