#FindOutFriday with Soneni & The Soul!

...Soneni & The Soul

Nothing says 'Summertime' like live music, in the sunshine. With more flavour than a tropical rum punch, Soneni & The Soul hooked me from the instant I first heard their set at a Shoreditch event last May. The band played to every corner of Soul's definition and Soneni on that Microphone had me entranced. Together, they are nothing short of hypnotic.

An eclectic blend of Indie, Funk, a dash of Rock and plenty of SOUL; this London-based quartet are carving a niche for themselves in a new genre of music where they have little to no competition, because they created it! Another interview I've been keen to do since this segment's return at the top of the year, pull up a chair this Friday and FindOut how Soneni And her friends make music for The Soul...

1. Hi Guys! Welcome to #FindOutFriday! Let’s start by getting to know you all collectively. Who are 'Soneni & The Soul' and how did you all come together? 

Soneni and her Soulful Friends...(l-r) Boukie, Elmo and Chris

Soneni: The members of the band are myself (Lead Singer / Songwriter), 
Elmo (Bass / Production),
Boukie (Drums) and
Chris (Guitar).


Each of us bring our own vibe to the band as a whole. 

Elmo: Soneni and I met in 2008, at the time I was producing for different artists and Soneni was a solo singer/songwriter working with different producers. We worked together on a track called StarStruck. 






Before the track had even been mastered properly, it found its way to BBC 1Xtra and was added to their homegrown podcast as one of their unsigned tracks of the week. Shortly after we were invited to perform at the Liverpool City Sound Festival so we decided we need to get a band together and take our sound on the road! We met the other two band members, Chris and Boukie through mutual friends and Gumtree!

2. In your bio, you describe yourselves as having a “soulful UK Sound with an indie, funky fusion”. Can you explain what that means to you and how you embody it?

Soneni: Our sound incorporates indie and funky influences all wrapped up with soulful vocals and delivered with that UK underground edge! The EP will be a great way for us to showcase how our sound has developed over the past few years. At the core of our musical style – whether on stage or in the studio – is that undeniable soul. The EP will consist of tracks such as ‘Million Miles Away’, the title track off the EP which is more reflective of the soulful indie side, whereas a track like ‘We Can Go (In The Sunshine)' is so much more upbeat and funky but remains real soulful. So it’s important for us to have a description of our sound that really encapsulates all that we are putting out there at the moment. Funnily enough, the most recent description of our music was actually created by a music journalist and we thought – that describes us perfectly, so we’re running with it!

3. I have had the privilege of seeing you both on stage and behind the scenes, so I know that you all graft! What other roles do you each play within the group besides your instruments?

Elmo: Soneni and I deal with the day-to-day management and long-term vision, as we are self-managed we take care of all the ‘management’ duties. In the studio, I produce the music and Soneni writes the songs. Boukie and Chris add spice to the tracks with their instrumental parts and creative ideas.

4. Talk me through the songwriting process in a 4-piece, acoustic band. How does it work?

Soneni: Initially when we started out, Elmo would create an instrumental, and once I’d written to it, we’d record it and then get to a rehearsal room with the guys to start interpreting it for live performances. These days however, there’s no set way of working to be honest! Recently we have found a nice process though that seems to flow quite naturally. Elmo will create the foundation of the track with the chords and maybe a musical melody on the keys then I’ll write to that. We’ll sit down and work out the song structure and lay down a demo recording with vocals and keys. From there we will build the music with the guys playing their parts before I revisit the vocal and add harmonies and adlibs.

5. ‘Love My London’ was a hugely powerful moment and one of the true positives to come out of 2011’s London Riots in my opinion. It’s certainly a moment that I will never forget. How did the project come together? Can you tell me about the whole experience and what’s happened with the project since?

Soneni: Oh that’s so nice, thank you. Well I’d always wanted to do a London anthem, like an 'ode to the city', and Elmo wanted to create a ‘POW’ of poetry, where he could just get loads of great poets on one track. It was a real blessing to work with the other artists we chose for the project; Leroy Rose, Ms KG, Tshaka Campbell, Comfort and Alim Kamara (artists who we ourselves are fans of). The aim of the track was for each person, including myself, to pen a verse based on their relationship with the city - their journey, experiences, what they love, can’t stand, etc. Everyone came with a unique perspective on the city whether it was Alim saying “it’s heaven or hell depending on where you stem from” or Ms KG talking about the “pavements full of pain”.

We actually recorded the track at a studio called The Limehouse back in July 2011. The video contains some of the footage from that day, and getting everyone together for the first time was such a vibe! Then a week before the London Riots, we got everyone back together to be filmed outside in Stratford and by the iconic Olympic stadium. So when the riots kicked off the following week, we were in a strange position as to whether to still release it and where the song would fit within all the madness. Then it dawned on us that as much as there was a lot of anger in London at the time, there were still people that loved the city and wanted to be encouraged despite the madness. Elmo went back out with George Malsbury (a fantastic director who’s worked with The Saturdays, and directed our previous videos) and took extra cutaways and shots of the city. It’s crazy to see how many people got stopped and searched in one day! The song then almost took on a life of its own and became one of defiance – like despite all this, we still love this city. We’re yet to all perform the track together, so our hope is that we get to do this at our EP launch later this year. That would be EPIC.

6. Something about your make up and formula makes me think of the great groups from the eras of Motown, Chess and Stax Records, etc. Do you model yourselves on anyone in particular? Who do you look to for inspiration?

Elmo: We all have different individual influences. For example, Boukie is heavily into jazz and I’m influenced by Funk Rock bass players like Flea from the Red Hot Chillies.


Soneni takes inspiration from Lauryn Hill as a soulful singer/lyricist and great artists like Erykah Badu and Jill Scott. When we put these influences mixed with the great love for UK Underground music you have us!!

7. You have enjoyed some great success on National Radio and across some popular, well-known events. For those bands looking to you for inspiration, what advice would you give on getting started?

Soneni: It’s really important to get your music out there and start building a fanbase. Social media has really made it so much easier for artists to share their music, the only thing is that means you’re competing against so many other artists, so you also need to build relationships with DJs/bloggers etc. These are the people that will share your music for you. Find out who plays similar music to what you’re creating and tweet at them (although be careful not to annoy them!), for instance. Or better still – find out where they’re playing/a seminar they’re speaking at and see if you can talk to them or at least give them a CD. Once you’ve made a personal connection, communication becomes so much easier.

Elmo: I would say to always work on developing yourself, learn new skills and improve the ones you already have with constant practise everyday. It’s also important to find what it is about you that is different and unique and work on bringing that out. Find where you fit in and what you want to do then go wholeheartedly at it. It may take awhile to find your sound and style but that is natural as we as people are always evolving and through learning new skills, new opportunities and ways of working will open up. Also make sure your marketing isn’t better than your music. Above all though it’s about PERSISTENCE!! Winners never quit and quitters never win!!

8. ‘Soneni & the Red Dress’. ‘Elmo & the Sunglasses’. To me they’re your trademarks, as synonymous with you as your names! What other individual motifs do you each have and what do they symbolise?

Elmo: Wow, that’s crazy!! All these things are completely natural, they are just us and our style in real life! I guess people have started to recognise the brand which is great. We don’t have a stylist and we really want to be as natural as possible (whilst looking good lol)! All the individual motifs are a reflection of our true personalities and it’s such a privilege to have a platform to showcase them.

Soneni: That’s really cool that the red dress is getting its fair dues haha. In terms of other things, when we first started out I had gotten really into wearing yellow and had these massive yellow earrings that I’d always wear, just because I liked them. Then people ended up associating me with the earrings, saying stuff like “you’re not wearing your yellow earrings!” – it was super random to me, but very cool that people paid that much attention.

9. Your debut EP is coming in a few short months (Summer 2012). What should people expect?

Soneni: Our EP will embody the description of our music. You’ll hear the soulful indie and funky influences all put together in a UK sound. We’ll be introducing the more soulful side to us as well as the upbeat funky sound we are known for. We’ll be having a big EP launch and will be filming videos for all of the tracks from the EP too.

10. If you could each take a talent from a bandmate for a day and assign them to another one of you, which talent would you take, who would you assign it to and why?

Soneni: We keep saying the guys should sing more, so I might let them take lead vocals for the day! I’d then be in the back and jump from drums to the guitar and probably start jamming away on Elmo’s keys! But I’m random like that haha.

Massive thanks once again to my favourite band on the Live circuit! I personally want to Congratulate them again on all their successes so far, but beyond that for remaining some of the friendliest, most down-to-Earth people on the London Music scene! I URGE you to watch and share their 'Love My London' video above. I remember exactly where I was when I watched it for the first time and having had some of the nastier events happen on my doorstep, how deeply the lyrics hit home.

You know this part by now - make sure you follow / LIKE / Subscribe to their Social Media Catalogue and all that good stuff:

www.soneniandthesoul.com

Twitter / Facebook

Soundcloud / Bandcamp / YouTube

Don't forget to Share it if you Feel it!


See you soon,
ES :)

#FindOutFriday with Jerren 'J-Kits' Spruill & John 'SK' McGee

Jerren 'J-Kits' Spruill

&

John 'SK' McGee

A while back I had yet another wonderful, out of the norm opportunity for an everyday girl. You gotta love it when that happens! I met a lovely young lady by the name of Koko; one of four serious entrepreneurs on the rise from a collective known as the 'Dame du Show Productions'. International DJs, these multi-talented childhood friends, hailing from Russia, Morocco, Sri-Lanka and Australia; created a European events management company that specialises in hosting the crème de la crème of nights out in London, Paris and Berlin, that incorporate the diversity of all of their Cultural backgrounds.

To celebrate the company's second anniversary in November, they joined forces with an official fan club for a certain Romeo who's Songz are notorious for making R&B masses swoon...'Trey's Angels' undertook a significant amount of charity work in 2011 and the Superstar, in turn wanted to give back with a 'Fan Appreciation Day'.


Invited to cover the event and interview two representatives who have worked closely with the self-proclaimed Deliverer of 'Passion, Pain and Pleasure'; your favourite Jamerican Lekhem and I headed down to the swanky Agenda Bar in Central London for  video interviews. Unfortunately, some technicals meant the footage is not available (hey, it happens sometimes!), but I had such an amazing chat with these two surprisingly grounded and down to Earth fellas, that I couldn't not bring you the gems I managed to salvage from our chat. 


In this week's spotlight, meet Jerren 'J-Kits' Spruill and John 'SK' McGee...

1. Raleigh, North Carolina is your actual hometown, but I know that you call some other places your 'Musical Home'. Atlanta, New York, Brooklyn, Los Angeles and more...Where are you most at home 'Musically' and why?

Jerren 'J-Kits' Spruill

J-Kits: My hometown is not really big for music, it's really spread out so you need to go where the music is. Atlanta...there's a couple of places there, but New York, I love. It's like a completely different vibe there. I don't have a perfect place, because each one brings something different, the work ethic is different! But I'd probably say New York is my favourite. I like the pace. When I go to New York I get stuff done. When I go to Atlanta I get sleep! I work hard in both places but when I go to New York, I get my focus. 

2. SK, you're also from North Carolina. What was it about Music that took you so far away from home?

John 'SK' McGee

SK: I started playing the piano in Church from around 7 up until now, really. I'm from a small, rural area. There's no stoplight or anything...There's like, one intersection, one convenient mart; I'm from deep Country, it's like 30 miles to the nearest city! I would listen to songs on the radio, but I didn't start trying to make my own music until I was around 18. I heard Usher's 'Confessions' album, that's one of my favourite albums of all time. That's what really influenced me to start making music.

3. I read a quote of yours where you once said that your "only way of getting in the door was to make yourself useful". What did you mean by that and can you think of an example?

Nicki Minaj

J-Kits: You have to make yourself an asset in some form. Everyone has a different way of getting into the Music business and the opportunities and circumstances may not be the same for everybody. I guess my experience was, no one was buying my tracks. Even though they were good enough, you still need a connection and it's about that happening. So I was just like well...I need to make myself useful! I decided to think from the view of an Artist and "I said why not learn to engineer?" That was an asset I picked up in terms of just getting in. It helped me become a better Producer, to see the creative process from an Artist's point of view. So that's all it means - doing whatever you have to do, to get where you need to go! My Number 1 example? Nicki Minaj! Only because she's such a great person. She was very, very hardworking; her work ethic? It was crazy. I mean I didn't know that she was going to be so big then. She had just moved out to Atlanta and I was just recording her and stuff...That was a fun time.

4. SK - a few people have mentioned to me that Trey Songz' 'Anticipation' mixtape was a turning point for him musically and you both had something to do with that. At least five production credits are yours. What do you think that you brought to his music? Do you have a favourite track and what makes it so?

SK: A new sound. I think I gave him a new sound that really worked for him. Everybody loved it. 'You Belong To Me' would be my favourite because I did the beat in my bedroom, on a Sunday...I never knew that it would become that! It had radio play, it was a bonus track on the 'Ready' album - it was definitely a great moment.

I love that you actually remember exactly what day it was, where you were...! Of course - I'm still living the dream! I'm humble. Even this right here with you is like a dream, because look what that song did - I'm in London!

5. You have done more than a few collaborations yourself, J! The list so far is absolutely crazy, especially for someone so young. Which stands out to you the most and how did it come about?

J-Kits: I have to remember which one! I'll say the very first thing that stood out, was when I remixed 'I Kissed A Girl' by Katy Perry. 

I never got to meet her, but it was just an opportunity that seemed so big, because I didn't have a lot at the time. So it literally took like, two weeks for the record label to even want it! Just because, I was a new Producer, it was already a huge record at the time so they weren't too sure about me. Finally, I could say I got something good. It was just a very proud moment for myself. It made everything make sense up to that point. How did it come about? Shout out to TNT! He's one of my partners in New York. I ended up meeting him through my Manager at the time. One day we were vibin' in the studio and he said "Let me hear your stuff". So I said "Cool" and played him like, a million tracks...He said "Y'know Katy Perry's looking for someone to do a remix, you wanna give it a shot?" Well I didn't have anything else to do, so I said "Sure, let's do it!" He gave me an opportunity to get my first placement.

6. SK, for people who aren't quite as familiar with your work by name alone, what would you say is the 'Signature' in your sound?

SK: When it comes to slow R&B, I kinda have like a dark, petty sound. I don't just do R&B, I have a lot of stuff pending right now as far as Rap goes. But for the R&B music that I'm "known for"; it's very dark, very sweet, piano sounds.

7: J, in your opinion, what makes a good Producer?

J-Kits: I think, for me, what makes a great Producer is doing what it is you do to the fullest. You don't have to know how to do everything to be a good Producer. Personally, Swizz Beatz is one of my favourite Producers because he just knows how to create a vibe with the Artist in the studio, he can do a hook and that'll be it! The initial idea that I get from him, is just doing whatever it is that you're good at. Don't ever let anybody tell you that you have to do what you do best, differently. 

8. We talked about this being your first trip to London. SK -What have you found to be the biggest difference between here and the US?

SK: Really it would be the clubs. he clubs are what I love, just because of the variety of music! In America, we have one DJ who plays the entire thing; you all have like, 6 DJs, like every hour - that's crazy to me! The club scene is just great.

9. You both have quite a long-standing relationship with Troy Taylor, how did that come about?

J-Kits: I was hitting up everybody in the entire Music Industry on MySpace. Troy was one of the first people that actually listened to my music and gave me constructive criticism. Really, he gave me a lot of validation in what I was ready to do. He's really a great Mentor. I mean, he knows everything from Producing, Writing, Vocal Producing, Managing, just everything. He's one of the Generals in this Business that you just have to love and learn from. It doesn't matter whether you're signed with Troy or not; you always have to keep learning something and for that, Troy's 'The Guy'. He helped me a lot to grow as an Artist and as a person. 

10: Have you worked with anyone yet that's an Icon to you?

SK: 'The Icon', to me, is the guy that discovered me, Troy Taylor. He's an Icon to me because I studied his music, I wrote him on MySpace and that's how we got in contact. From then on, he's taught me so much. Everything I know about the Music Industry, I learned from him.

Troy Taylor of Songbook Entertainment

I'd just like to say a MASSIVE Thank You to Jerren (J-Kits) and John (SK) for taking the time out to speak with me, also the wonderful Ladies of Dame du Show Productions for extending their kind invitation - we got there in the end!

Keep up to date with the latest from both hugely talented Gents:

J-Kits: Twitter / Blogspot / MySpace

SK: Twitter / Facebook  / MySpace

Dame Du Show Productions 


The Ladies next awesome event 'RAW', takes place next Saturday:

'RAW' at AGENDA, 31st March

Be sure to get your tickets!

Hope you enjoyed this week's feature - I know I did! Until next time...Sharing is Caring!

ES ;)

#FindOutFriday with StooShe!

...StooShe!!!

Three lots of Vocal Prowess.

Three lots of Fun, Feisty Fashion.

Three lots of Mouthy Mischief in completely different, Down-to-Earth, Strong Female personalities.

What is NOT to love about StooShe?!

Alex, Courtney and Karis are three beautifully-talented definitions of MAYHEM! They're first official single, 'Love Me' entered the National Charts at Number FIVE on Sunday. They're one of the biggest names in the UK at the moment and having caught them live, three of the best sounds in my humble opinion - even the BBC agreed with me! You already know all of this though because they're everywhere! As always, I wanted a 'peek behind the curtain' aka a nose in to how this South London trio came to tear up Country-wide stages in three different ways. A shot in the dark, I reached out to a Management and PR team as friendly as the girls themselves (MUCH gratitude to the wonderful Caz and Kathryn) who made what you're about to read, happen.

Now I read a lot of press kits and write one or few myself. But with what I entitled 'The StooSheKit', the StooShe girls popped a cherry...Never before has a press kit had me laughing. Never before has a PR breakdown left me so entertained and hand on...heart...I can honestly tell you: NEVER before have I seen one so BIG (hey, these girls inspire the mischief)! I'd say "behave" but really, why not start as we mean to go on?

StooShe have done more in less than eighteen short months than most have in a career and they're so far from stopping. Fancy Finding Out about their story so far?

1. We all know that in the UK, to be 'Stoosh' means to be 'Stuck Up'. If ever there were 3 people who do not fit that bill, it's you! Can you explain why you chose the name?

We liked the combination of meanings for 'Stoosh'. It also means 'mystery' and we thought the combination worked for us! We added the 'She' at the end cos of female empowerment! Buttttt, we found out since that 'Stooshe' means 'to cause havoc' - which sums us up!!!

2. You've already been compared to a lot of girl groups, British and International. Who do you liken yourselves to?

Well we've been compared to The Spice Girls, TLC, En Vogue...and we are really happy with that comparison! We think we are different to other girl groups, and that there hasn't been one like us yet, but we do take inspiration from different girl bands, like The Supremes - we love our vocal harmonies and with The Spice Girls, we all have our individual personalities.

3. Can you describe your fashion style collectively and individually, and also name some of your inspirations?

Our style is just an extension of what we love, we just push fashion as far as we can get away with it!

"Tattooed, Bootylicious Brit-Brat" Karis in her
Deer Oh Deer 'Made In Britain' tee!

Karis takes her inspiration from a 50s pin up girl...

"Big-boobied Blue-Blood" Alex; OWN descriptions - I SWEAR!!!

(but #Salute to the C+ Nation ;>)

Alex takes hers from 80’s vogue models...

"Quirky, Bubbly and Batty" Courtney 

...and Courtney takes hers from everything! Fresh Prince, Old School, New School!

We all mix vintage with new pieces, and wear what we feel comfortable in.

(l-r) Karis, Courtney and Alex

4. The 3 of you are full of flavour - you remind me of a layer cake! What ingredients do you each add to the tasty 'Stooshe Recipe'?

Haha! We are all very different. Courtney is the baby of the group, she is the youngest and is really sweet. Karis is the Mummy as she is the oldest and has the most experience in the music industry. Alex is the Auntie, as she is really light hearted and she keeps the peace! We are a big Stooshe family.

5. I noticed that on your website, you have an unusual feature; what made you decide to include an advice column?

We wanted our website to be interactive and we really like the fact that we can help our fans, and give them advice.

6. 'Betty Woz Gone' was a massive opener for you onto the music scene. You seem to have a knack for sneaking 'in your face', taboo subjects into the mainstream with a cheeky wink and an impish grin! How do you decide the songwriting approach that allows you to flaunt raw subjects in the mainstream?

We were just all talking about real life issues and what’s real to us and to people around us. We like to put a Stooshe twist onto it all though and give it a light-hearted vibe so that it can appeal to everyone.

7. Congratulations on the Number 5 spot! 'Love Me' was a Monster all on its own, before your label-mate Travie McCoy jumped on the remix. Can you give us a clue as to who else we're likely to see you collaborate with in the near future?

Thank you! We havn’t actually done anything with anyone else, it’s just been us, Future Cut and Jo Perry. We are gonna get in some sessions with people like Rizzle Kicks (hopefully!) and a few others so our next album is gonna be heavy!

8. The 'StooshTape' was a hugely energetic insight into the 'no-holds barred' StooShe that any audience is Blessed to see live. What can we expect from your first album and when are we likely to get it?

It’s out in June and its an eclectic mix of everything! There’s Pop, R&B, Funk, Urban, Motown, a bit of everything!

Download 'The Stoosh Tape'
(PARENTAL ADVISORY - EXPLICIT CONTENT!)

9. 'Lovin' aside; what other pleasurable past-times do you like to get up to?

Sleeping and eating!!

10. What's the main message that you hope your audience take away from your work?

That StooShe always have fun and say what they like, wear what they like and do what they like. BE YOURSELF!

The HILARIOUSLY Cheeky 'Love Me' remix with Lioness, A.Dot and RoxXxan under the track's original name.

Here's a hint: It rhymes with 'DUCK'...

A MAHOOSIVE Thank You to Alex, Courtney, Karis, Caz and Kathryn for a fun interview! FINALLY a girl-group that covers every angle, I can't wait to see what you do next!

Keep up to date with all things StooShe!

Website

Soundcloud

YouTube

Facebook

Twitter

Hope you enjoyed! Don't forget - Sharing is Caring! See you for the next feature sooooon!


ES :)

#FindOutFriday with EricaSharlette

  ...ME, the ES in the P!

I don't know what I was thinking.

Let me tell you how all of this came about...It was 4:14 last Friday morning. A last-minute change to this feature's schedule meant I needed to replace the talented person booked for today's mini-milestone (It's the tenth since #FindOutFriday returned, insert bells and whistles HERE). A rejigging of the line up could have been done, but not without issue, then a light bulb went on.

I now recognise it was just my bedside lamp, but at the time, I would have sworn on my existence it was illumination of a GENIUS (really...it was just the lamp). I always get threats of retaliation for the difficulty of some of my questions, so to celebrate reaching double figures, "Why don't I do it?" Questioned my un-righted mind - and so the plot began to form...

I needed to think of a way to continue the precedent (I hope) I have set and throw in a twist! That's where things got...Interesting. Quite convinced that there was nothing interesting about me answering my own questions, I asked 10 friends to submit a question and...well, by the time I realised the madness, 3 hours had passed and I already had my first reply...read that one plus nine, in the culmination of this week's hair-brained scheme!

1. Sophie Horne, (one half of) DoubleM Entertainment. One of the most successful up and coming Event and Artist Management companies on the UK Scene, Soph is a friend and business woman that I find highly inspirational. Read my recent #FOF interview with both halves of an unstoppable whole:

"If you were an Artist, what would your stagename be?"

It would be exactly what it is now! The woman I met in the birthing Suite once upon a Moon had fanciful notions of naming 'Erica', because it means 'Everstrong, Ever Ruler'. She wanted a name that people couldn't shorten and thought that as the black daughter of a Single Mum, I would need all strength I could find in life. It's also a flower (which, from someone who only likes looking at Botanics through a screen, further proves your confusion with yourself, Mother Dear...). I never ever never liked my first name - phonetically, I don't think it fits 'me' at all, but I LOVE my middle one. Even now, I have a host of abbreviations and nicknames that most people use instead of it.

'School Daze...' Stoke Newington School, 199*ahem*...

I actually went through a phase in Secondary School where I stopped answering to 'Erica' altogether and tried to force my classmates to call me 'Sharlette'...it lasted the best part of a day before they stopped bothering to speak to me, period. As someone who physically can't not talk, that didn't really work for my existence so I gave up... Be.Grudg.Ing.Ly!

Anna and Emma with Artist, RoxXxan

2. Anna Newbury & Emma Berry, Bloggers. I first met Anna and Emma at January's Musicalize where they adopted a Solo me and all three of us have been gabbing away ever since! Check out their wonderful works for the House of Hoxshore :)

Photography by
Charli-Anne Shirley for Jelli Ltd. 

"If you could have one extra limb, what would you chose, where would you put it and why?"

Ha! Gotta love the randomness! I think I'd have to say an extra arm, that way I could do more on my 'To-Do' list! I'm not quite sure where exactly I would put it, but as the most accident-prone person known to Man, I think it's best I put it somewhere on my torso for proportion and balance!

Drassick and Luz

3. Luz Paguyo, Business Support, ESP. The loveliest PA in the Whole Wide World, Luz is Family in more ways than one. In addition to joining the team in January of this year and helping to sort me out, she's also otherwise known as Mrs Drassick DIGITAL:

"If you weren't into PR, Marketing and every other single thing you do, where and what do you think you would be? And where do you see yourself in 5 years?"

At the 'Female DJ Takeover' Launch,
Avalon, February 2011

That's a hard one and the honest answer is I don't rightly know! My background is as an Events PA across quite a few different sectors. I've always loved putting shows together, but never had a real love for any of the Industries I worked in; that was always the down side for me. My last 9-5 was as a Business Development PA for a Children's Charity Network. Because I love Bubbas (as you know being Mummy to two of my nieces), I thought the kid's aspect would appeal to me, but it so happened that was never really involved in the role and I absolutely hated it otherwise! So when I was made redundant, the only thing that really broke my heart was the loss of a steady paycheque! ESP was starting to take on a life of it's own, so the freedom made me feel like I could breathe again. In 5 year's time...I honestly don't like to think that far ahead unless I'm sketching workplans for the fam! If there's one thing I swear by, it's that life is unpredictable. One unexpected thing can happen and the best laid plans turn into petals on those fluffy, cotton wool-like flowers that you blow on...All I can say is what I want to happen. I want a chain of Deer Oh Deer boutiques all over the world, I want Drassick and Lekhem to be cemented household names and for me? I just want to come along for the ride if they haven't put restraining orders on me by then! :)

The One and Only
DJ Melody 'MellyMel'  Kane

4. DJ Melody Kane, Full Time International Club / Radio / Event DJ; Official SB:TV DJ, Female DJ Takeover Pioneer. She's 'Melody' to you but to me, she will forever be MellyMel! One of the first people to take a chance on an unknown, Melody gave me a chance with absolutely no just cause and for that I will be forever indebted.

"What do you find the most interesting and the most frustrating about working in this industry?"

Photography by Charli-Anne Shirley for Jelli Ltd. 

I would be outright lying if I said I wasn't over the MOON that someone asked me this! I think the two are one and the same, in that I. Love. TALENT! I cannot stress that enough! I'm an Art fan first and find the beauty in a lot of things that most people wouldn't, especially music. I love honest expression, no matter the form. When it comes to music, I think it also makes me a proud snob, I'm really not ashamed to admit that! So whilst there is SO much talent breaking through and I'm really happy to see that in those that deserve it, I'm far more frustrated to see the wealth that is overlooked. I knew there was a 'pool'; but I think it's only since starting ESP and expanding my network that I really now understand it's more of an Ocean. I'm Blessed to work with A+mazing Artists because people like you gave me the opportunity. It's beyond frustrating to see how rare those shots are for those who earn it, when it seems to be so easy for those who do not.

5. Drassick aka DIGITAL, Artist and Lyricist. This HUGELY talented MC is a one-off that still surprises me daily. Not just with his talent, but with his mindset as a young family man who stands apart from the typical mode of thinking commonly associated with his peers. Most recently releasing his second mixtape 'RiseNGrind' hosted by DJ Ames, keep your eyes peeled for this one because he's on his 'Grind Daily':

"What made you start ES Promotions Ltd. and how did you go about it?"

Five syllables: Charli-Anne Shirley. One Sunday afternoon in September of 2010, I saw a tweet from someone I would run into occasionally (usually whenever Mariah Carey was in town). She was a Fashion and Jewellery Designer who was also juggling a Web and Graphic Design company. It said: "I need an assistant! Someone help me organise my life!" In desperate need of something to distract me from some personal dramatics at the time, I replied. We had an email conversation where we talked over what both of us was looking for, met up 4 days later and we've been together ever since! After telling my closest friend Ms. Sherii ven Dyer about what I was planning with Char, she asked me to do some music promo for her too. I loved the diversity of it all and kept coming up with new promotional ideas for both. 

With the Big Sis who's half my size,
Super Singer-Songwriter - Sherii ven Dyer

It took a LOT of encouragement and convincing, but by November Char had the idea that I could do this for a living firmly implanted in my mind. The end of December saw me joining DJ Melody Kane's 'Female DJ Takeover' movement after bonding via Twitter, over the phone and one Skype chat! Then Niji Magazine invited me onboard a few days later. Through my 'trial by fire' with the latter, Lekhem got in touch in mid-January. Like with you, we hit it off from our very first conversation and went to work within a week. By April, your adorable self reached out. All of this happened whilst I was still doing 3-days a week at the Children's Charity Network I mentioned earlier and also juggling part-time Carer's duties for my Mum, so everything I did was squeezed into my non-9-to-5 days.

Photography by Charli-Anne Shirley for Jelli Ltd.

I can't give any 'advice' about how to get started because to be honest, I still consider myself a newbie. All I can say is you can't do this if you don't truly love and believe in what you do. You have to give up too much of yourself. You need to be prepared to say Goodbye to every spare moment; in some cases, your sanity! In terms of what I personally did...I registered with 'Getting British Businesses Online (GBBO)' in November of 2010 to get my web domain amongst some other bits and bobs. It wasn't until the middle of last year that things really started moving on the 'official' front though. I joined the East London Small Business Centre in the Summer, where I was assigned a lovely Adviser who patiently explains the (many) logistics that baffle me. I finally registered ESP as a Ltd. Company in 2011 Q4; after doing a Small Business Start Up course with the ELSBC. I now see my Adviser for regular sessions where he tells me off for missing my project submission deadlines! On the upside, he always tells me how much he loves what we do and this blog. I think he was actually our first '#SundaySauce' subscriber! So thank you for everything El Capitan Jim P, my homework is coming I swear...!

6. Lisa Ella, Singer-Songwriter. Lisa and I were recently introduced through DoubleM Entertainment. A huge talent, with a beautiful sound, look out for a LOT more from this Mancs-native soon:

"If you had to have a night on a desert island with Someone who would it be?"

I considered this my 'Great Debate'! But since it's only one night I'm going to say my future second husband Brian Casey, of Jagged Edge fame. Yes second. After Shemar Moore and I officially call it quits. I think the perfect 'Mr. Me' needs to be a 'Creative'. The idea of anyone producing something based on emotions that I evoke, is beyond anything I can imagine. To deliver it in voice of someone like Brian, who I've been head over heels in love with for roughly 12 years? *Fans oneself* Yeah, I can definitely say that's a night I'd enjoy...! ;o)

My ALL-TIME FAVE Jagged Edge track - 'I Don't Wanna'

7. Lekhem, Producer, Artist, Musician. If you're familiar with me, then you'll know about my 'Jamerican' Nemesis! My favourite Country cocktail from America and Jamaica, by way of West London, released his third project 'KrateDiggin - The Instrumentals Mixtape' earlier this week, and has far more to come. Make sure you walk with him down 'LekLane':

"As someone who's been given a few intriguing facts from time to time, one of the things I want to know about is your musical exploits back in the day. Give us all a breakdown of your discography."

'Spot the Extra'...On-set,
'Uncle Jack & The Dark Side of The Moon'
BBC Elstree Studios (1992)

Biggest claim to 'Stage Fame'
Appearing in Simon Callow's
Production of Carmen Jones (1991)

No. Next question!

Since 'The EVIL One' has exposed me, I will confess...Not too many people know that I grew up on the other side of the spotlight. I trained in Acrobatics until the age of 10 when my Mum and I moved from South, to North of the River and I changed Stage Schools. I trained in Dance (Tap, Jazz, Ballet), from the age of 5, earning a few Grade certificates until health problems finally got the better of me and I changed to an Academic Secondary School in North London at 14. I also did Drama and Music throughout, until I left College at 17. I mainly performed on Stage and TV so most of  my credits are pre-YouTube, gosh darn it! I have seen one or two old recordings that I was going to post here...Oddly enough, the links have been flagged for content - SUCH a shame. Can't imagine why anyone would do such a thing...? As far as Musical recordings go, unfortunately most of those were (Stage) school  & GCSE projects and demos that are not in the public domain. Sorrrryyyy! :)...I mean :(.

8. DJ Fearney, DeJa Vu Radio DJ/Presenter and Interviewer. I first came across Fearney's SICK skills at a Rock The Belles club night at East Village. Since then, we've run into each other at a host of different events and I just love what she does on those decks! The fact that she's down to Earth, approachable and a bandit on those decks only add to her appeal!

"You seem to have your finger in all the pies, PR being one of your attributes and a notoriously difficult job. Tell me what is the most relative book you have read in this field which was maybe a huge eye-opener or the most informative for you?"

I would be lying if I said I had a great big reading list of 'How To's'.  It's more one of those 'One day, when I've got five minutes I'd like to' lists! I can guiltily admit that I started reading David Ogilvy's 'Confessions of an Advertising Man', after picking up a copy in WH Smith's at Heathrow, while stocking up on my holiday reading. He's completely sexist, but he's upfront and admits that in later years plus the fundamentals still rang true. So that aside, I was really enjoying it, up to where I'd gotten! I also grabbed a copy of 'What You Need to Know About Project Management' by Fergus O'Connell to help me round out the Operations side of things. I'm ashamed to say I haven't gotten round to finishing either (cringe), but I do read 'Waxing UnLyrical' - the daily PR and Comms alerts from Marketing Guru, Shonali Burke. I also really like the ideas from 'Make It Happen Mum', Michelle Holmes. Whilst I'm not a Mum, I am someone who cares for someone else, whilst juggling my own Start Up and a chronic illness of my own - all from home. So I feel that a lot of what Michelle talks about applies to me also.

9. Dominy Roe, Creative Writer, Youth Development Worker, Presenter, Radio DJ. I have had the pleasure of knowing Dom for the best part of a year now and she's one of the sweetest people I know! A great live show host and Writer, Dominy was one of my Champions for starting my own blog, so for that I have to thank her! Keep up to date with all things Dominizle via her blog:

"If you could make a difference to this World, what would you do and how?"

Wow this was a really hard one! There are SO many things that I would love to stamp out. I think I would take on bullying because that's something that's personal to me, I have a lot of experience in that subject. I remember the effects of what I dealt with to this very moment in time and that was all pre-Internet, so I have so much sympathy for the abuse I see online, on a daily basis. As corny as it sounds, I think the only way you will ever be able to combat harassment is to put an antagonist in the place of their victim. Let them know how it really feels, walk a mile in their shoes and all  of that...In a parallel Universe, I would connect every bully with their victim telepathically so that their words and actions would be like mental double-edged swords. For every ounce of pain caused, they would feel the effect in equal measure. We'd soon see if causing another person pain was still fun.

10. Charli-Anne Shirley, Web, Graphic, Fashion and Jewellery Designer. Who else was I going to end with?! Charli-Anne's path is so similar to mine, it's no wonder that I always look to her for a blueprint. Working on a million and one Jelli Ltd. projects in addition to designing Deer Oh Deer's upcoming  Spring Summer 12 collection entitled 'Carnivale', she knows a thing or two about how to juggle commitments:

"What would you do if you had a time machine?"

I would go back to the 24th August, 1998. I was supposed to visit my Gran for her 82nd birthday, but I'd recently had an accident and damaged my leg. I had cab fare to get back to South London but in all honesty, I was just feeling lazy on crutches and as a moody teen during Summer, couldn't really be bothered to try to get down there on my own. Three days later, we woke up to the call she had passed and instead of my last memory being spending time on her birthday, it's a lesson about not letting the people who mean the most to you leave this Earth without knowing their worth in your eyes. I never imagined the World without her, so always took our next visit for granted.

My Gran was the strongest, most inspirational woman that I have ever met. After a lifetime of pain, she still had a bigger heart, kinder word and more compassionate Soul than anyone. If I had a time machine, I would go back to the day her youngest grandchild was supposed to visit and let her know that her influence and her life lessons set the bar I try to meet everyday. More than anything, I'd just let her know that I love her.

So that's me folks! Hope I didn't bore you too much! I want to say a massive Thank You once again to everyone who took part and put me through my paces! You know where to find me on Twitter and  that news on the entire ESP Family always comes thick and fast through the Official ESP account!

Have a great week!

ES ;)