You can tell when an artist is playing from the heart. Guitarist, lyricist, and photographer Brittney Marie brings a soulful sound to the music scene in Miami. She puts herself in the Neo Soul category. Her tunes are acoustic. Natural. I sat down with her to bring you an inside look.
How did you get started?
I’ve always written poems or songs from earlier than I could remember. In fact, I remember when I brought home my first composition notebook. I was in 6th grade, and the first song I ever wrote was called “Broken Jester” I still have the song and the book!
I was 13 when I started singing in youth group, 14 when I learned to play guitar, and 13 years ago when I was 16 in church I learned all my skills. A Puerto Rican man named “chi chi” Gave me my first few months of lessons. Shortly after I was leading the youth group worship team for the next coming 4 years until I was 19-20. I stopped going to church and stopped doing music for many years. In 2014 I picked it back up slowly and began to write songs again. In 2015 I decided to become a serious artist and started street performing in Wynwood, which fell into open mics, and events, and now we’re here.
Do you go to church now?
Literally just started going back 1 church service ago.
Where do you get inspiration?
My inspiration comes from my own raw thoughts and feelings, things that I could never say I can sing, or rap, or bleed my heart through the brass strings on my guitar.
Let me be more specific. Which musicians inspire you?
I’ll break that down, I have a few different categories. The artists that inspire me are Erykah Badu, Tribe Called Quest, Goodie Mob, Gary Clark Jr.
Artists that breathe life into me are a different category. These artists every time I listen to them I hear something new, understand a lyric a bit deeper, get a better grip of whatever the subject at hand may be; Lauryn Hill, Mos Def, Tash Sultana, Tank and the Bangas, MCR( yes the punk band).
Another category is performance goals; Tank and the Bangas, Tash sultana, & Gary Clark. These artists leave it all on the stage and the emotion is so raw, the crowd is memorized. Yeah. Dat part! I’ll get there one day.
The last category is my spare time listening, which is a lot of instrumental music. Always live sounds, never just beats unless I’m trying to freestyle. Love old school like Etta James, Dina Washington, Rosemary Clooney, and on a polar opposite definitely a lot of local trap/conscious music. Kidd Adams, Brillo, 6 wings, Ian Mann, Kidd Krippy and when I’m lazy. Hot 105.1 is my best friend.
Which song is your favorite?
I have a lot of favorites. Of my own music, I would say “Untitled “ is my favorite, because it allows me to express more with expression and music rather than the lyrics itself. In that sense for that song, I’ll do a lot of instrumentals. You can feel so strongly what the song is portraying. I often very comfortably pull back my vocals and let my guitar tell a story that my words never could. Unfortunately “Untitled” has yet to be recorded. But the Brittney Marie Soul Jam will change all of that! It’s easy for me to get lost in it and just let my soul cry.( low key where the soul jam gots its name).
Describe your sound.
I would describe myself as a very soulful individual. I categorize myself as an acoustic- soul/ Neo-soul artist. Only for the sake of a label. But I am aware that the music I make, there is nothing specifically like it.
Who would you tour with if you could?
I’ll start with local artists I know personally. Starve Marve, J. Howard, and Free Dystopia Band. Mainstream, Mos def, Erykah Badu, Chance the Rapper, Childish Gambino, Tank and the Bangas, Tank and the Bangas.
What is the funnest part of being an artist?
Funnest or funniest? The funniest thing about what I do, people ask me if I play guitar, while I’m holding my guitar on stage!
That is hilarious! What do you do when that happens?
When people ask me that I usually just turn around and continue what I was doing or I’ll say that I like hold the guitar for my health because it brings my blood pressure down, unlike their question.
Which instrument would you play that you are not playing at the current moment?
I would play either piano or drums. Piano for the slow and sexy, drums for the boom boom haha!
What is the first song you ever learned musically?
First song I learned to play.. sadly.. smoke on the water. First official song “As the Deer”
Make sure to listen to Brittney Marie on Soundcloud. You can see her and other local musicians perform live at the Brittney Marie Soul Jam in Wynwood.
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