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T-West interview by: Tracey Octavia Phillips
Q: Who is T-West?
T: "T-West is a complete entertainer...within obvious physical
limitations of course. I mean, you won't see me beating out Stallone
for the lead in Rambo 5...or Clint Eastwood for a Dirty Harry remake,
but anything that's reasonably within my realm, I can do...and do
extremely well."
Q: When did you first
realize that you wanted to be a singer?
T: "When I was about 7 years old. I sang a solo in the church youth
choir called "I Stood on the Banks of Jordan". I liked the song so I
put my all into it and the congregation went wild. People were cryin'
and wavin' their hands and you know...all the stuff people do in
church when their praisin' God. That day, I realized that singing had
some serious power and that I could touch people. I couldn't wait to
do it again."
Q: Given the current state of Hip-Hop and
R&B, what do you feel you can bring to the table?
T: "Substance! Again, when I was 7, I felt the power of communicating
with people through song. That's the key element that I think is
missing most in the genre today...substance! I bring integrity to the
craft of song. A return to the days of true "soul" music. The
meaningful lyrical content...the harmonies...all those strong vocals
layered over live music...alot more effort had to go into making a
song back then. Technology has made things easier, but at a cost. Alot
of that soulful sound came out of that hard work and effort. I think
that the substance in my music comes from my admiration for those
pioneers of our music and my willingness to emulate them in the
trenches."
Q: Who are some of your musical inspirations?
T: I grew up with my mom listening to soul records, people like:
Earth, Wind and Fire; Chaka Kahn; Stevie Wonder; Patti Labelle; Angela
Winbush; Stephanie Mills; Sade; and Anita Baker. I personally was a
huge Prince and Michael Jackson fan as a kid also."
Q: Who would be your ideal artist/producer
you would like to collaborate with?
T: "Man, there's so many. First and foremost, any of the artists that
I just named, of course! Other than those greats, I think some really
cool music would come from a collaboration with Musiq, The Roots, Jill
Scott, Floetry, or producers Andre` Harris and Vidal Davis just to
name a few."
Q: Looking ahead, what musical award and/or
recognition would mean the most to you?
T: "Being an entertainer is the way I've chosen to spend my
life...it's my life's work...so the recognition that would mean the
most to me is years down the road...a lifetime achievement award of
some sort...yeah...that's the one."
Q: Where do you see yourself in 1 year? 5
years?
T: "In a year...I see myself reaping the benefits of having a very
successful first album. I'll be utilizing that podium to accomplish
some of the other things that I would like to do in entertainment. In
5 years...I see a third album in stores and lots of other
entertainment accomplishments."
Q: Breaking into the music game can be very
frustrating and arduous, how or what keeps your 'Eye on the Prize'?
T: "This is the prize!...Singing!...Making music, using my talents...I
love that! How many people get to do what they truly love everyday?
It's frustrating and arduous to have to do something that you hate day
to day. Whether I'm making a little or a lot...I'm blessed! This is a
joy."
Q: What does T. West want right now?
T: "I'd like to know that I'm doin' my part in this whole thing. I
feel that the music industry can and should play a much bigger part in
fixing some of the ills of society and developing some of the good
aspects of it. I just want to know that I'm doing my part in that
fight."
Q: How are you willing to make this happen?
T: "Well, obviously by making good, meaningful music first. Then, by
using the platform to do some positive things and to project a strong,
positive, female image."
Q: What's in your CD player?
T: "You know, that's a good question. I listen to so much different
stuff that I really can't tell you what's in there right now. It could
be anything from Jill Scott to Sarah McLachlan. It depends on my
mood."
Q: What's your favorite TV show and why?
T: "Right now, it's CSI. I think it's amazing what they can figure out
through forensic science. Good acting, good plots, suspense...what
else can you ask for? Oh, and Gary Dourdan represents, too."
Q: Any film or TV aspirations?
T: "But of course. I'm interested in feature films. I also have a TV
pilot that I've written and created called DIVA.. That's one of the
entertainment aspirations that I was refering to earlier. I plan to
shoot and shop it after that platform that I mentioned is sturdy."
Q: Do you feel that artists should stick to
one genre or is cross-over all good?
T: "My take on this is that cross-over is all good as long as the
integrity of the music remains intact. Music is universal. I want my
music to touch the masses; however, I would like to maintain my vision
while reaching cross-over status."
Q: Who are you sick of being in the media?
T: "(Laughter) Girl, you tryin' to get me in trouble! But on the
real?...I'm not sick of any one person, but I do find the actions of
certain people in the media sickening...I gotta put them on my prayer
list."
Q: Final thoughts on your album...what can we
expect? When is it coming at us?
T: "You can expect a collection of songs that flow from start to
finish. It's like a season of a TV series about life...each song is
like an episode that brings a new perspective. The first single will
be coming at you very soon, followed by the entire album."
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