Washington, DC native Courtney Salter is the definition of raw, original talent. With a distinct voice and sense of artistic self, she is the epitome of avant-garde. Choosing not to follow the path of several popular artists of our time, Courtney has paved a new road all her own. Not only is she a gifted singer, she is also dedicated to establishing herself as a genuine individual. Embracing her experiences and sharing them with the world is an essential part of who she is. If you are not captivated by her voice, she will certainly interest you when she speaks.I was blessed with the chance to see Ms. Salter perform in person, and made it my business to include her in this blog as a result.
Take a look at my interview with her:
Q: You are 19 years old, yet you possess a sound that complements that of your older neo-soul counterparts. Where did this "beyond your years" sound come from?
A: Well, I think I was tired of listening to a lot of the same old, played out, modernized, commercial music of today. I just wanted to research where this whack music came from, what was their influence? I just did a lot of research on my own and started to really embrace the neo-soul vibe. I started listening to a lot of amazing artists like D'Angelo and Earth, Wind and Fire and its just been on from there.
Q: You've had experiences with singing on television. Tell me a little about that.
A: Well, they were auditions that I went on that never made it to TV that people go to see. It was kind of nerve-wrecking. There were cool auditions, I did a lot of networking, but unfortunately they didn't make it to national television. That didn't really phase me, it was a cool experience but I felt like they didn't really care too much about talent. They go towards a certain look. When you're too out-of-the-box, when you're too different, it's kind of hard. People aren't very comfortable with different sounds, or something new. I guess that wasn't the destined path for me.
Q: You have recently been signed to Premier Musique Group. How did it feel to get a record deal?!
A: It felt like a relief. A lot of my Internet promotion, I was doing myself. It feels like a boatload has been lifted from my shoulders. They've been doing a lot of MySpace promotion, and I've been getting like 3,000 plays a day, which is pretty awesome. It feels good to know that I can work on my YouTube promotion and they can be working on other things as well. There's a real team thing going on.
Q: In "The Weed Song", do you use the high from marijuana as a symbol, or is the song to be taken literally?
A: I feel like being subliminal is really played out. I want to be out there, honest and blunt with with the issues that I've dealt with because I feel like there are so many people that have dealt with a lot of crazy issues. I had a bad experience with weed, and I decided to write about it. Weed is glorified and glamorized, and everyone talks about how great it is, and it wasn't like that for me. I have to be honest.
Q: In "Since You Left", you speak of the absence of a lover and you say, "Promiscuity becomes familiar, I'm sexin' away my problems". Why did you choose to highlight that reaction to the loss of love?
A: I feel like so many artists write about love and heartbreak, and that subject is beyond played out for me. I wanted to give a blunt and honest feel of what really happens after heartbreak, and hoe I pessimistically and blindly reacted to it, and that was through promiscuity. But instead of ending the song with depression or pessimism, I conclude with asking God to help me through it, because He is the only one who truly can!
Q: Do you think there is more freedom when it comes to lyrics when it comes to the realm of soul music?
A: I had a chance to talk to a lady in the industry and she told me that there's basically no difference between any type of music genre. They all kind of feed off of each other. I feel like if you have the guts to express yourself in any type of genre, you can succeed. There should be more than one genre where you can express how you feel. I feel like everybody has their own experiences and you should express who you really are. Its unfortunate because a lot of artists nowadays remain a mystery to the public. I just want to be honest. Soul music is great, but its not the only genre I want to go for. I want to do rock, reggae and just a lot of different sound because I feel like music is connected. The powers of the world try to divide everybody, when really, we're all in sync. We just have to open our eyes and see how one we are.
Q: You have a YouTube channel where you post covers of other artists' songs, but maybe more importantly, you post video diaries. You recently posted a video on self-mutilation. Where did the courage to share that come from? How important is it to have a personal relationship with you followers?
A: Man, it's just of those things where, you get one life to live. What am I really doing here? I feel like singing is never enough. You should always be expressing what you've gone through because someone could want to end their life today, and your expressive/honest music can be the one thing they identify with, the one thing that keeps them alive. I want to take advantage of the platform I'm about to get, and I don't want to take it for granted. I want to help people who struggle because I know there aren't many people willing. Don't get me wrong, it makes it easier to express my secrets to the world because I'm talking to a camera, I feel like I'm talking to myself. It would be a little harder if I was face-to-face with people, so I feel like YouTube has a great advantage. But regardless of how I feel, it has to be done. Too many people don't talk about it.
Q: How do you decide what songs you want to cover? What was your favorite cover?
A: Usually, I get requests by fans. A lot of the modern songs I do I usually don't even know about them because I'm so in tune with D'Angelo and Lupe Fiasco, who aren't really on mainstream radio. A lot of mainstream songs [I cover], I have to look up. As far as songs, you never heard before, really chill songs, they just speak to me. The speak to my vocal range, or speak to how I'm feeling. I really have a thing for Xscape, especially "Who Can I Run To?". I really like the words. The emotions I get with that song, come from God. When I think about who I can run to, its not some man out here, it's God.
Q: You are affiliated with the BarrelHouse Bklyn movement. Describe it and how it affected you music career.
A: First of all, big ups to George Chapman! He found me on YouTube and started putting me on little events at Howard University. I performed two or three times at small little venues. Though him, I found about this group whose doing big things, kind of like a pro-underground musical movement. I went all the way to New York and people were like "Wow, you came all the way to New York for an open mic?!" and I'm like "Yea!" Its such a refreshing atmosphere to know that people your age really care about your craft and who you are. I mean, I love DC to death, but it took years for people to notice me! Maybe because New York is like artist central, they opened up and embraced me. They're just a group of beautiful people. Through them, I've met so many amazing friends. I've learned so much from them about different artists like The Fugees and Estelle. I'm so thankful for them.
Q: If there were only one thing people could take from your music, what would you want it to be?
A: Um, I just want people to be free. Don't expect things to be handed to you. It's going to take years to accomplish that journey. I just want people to know that it's hard work. Just be happier and have an open mind about life.
Listen to Courtney Salter's "Since You Left" and "The Weed Song" on the Fresh Feenz playlist!
Be sure to:
Check out her official website:
http://www.courtneysalter.com/
Check out her YouTube channel:
http://www.youtube.com/user/cokecourt
Check out her MySpace:
http://www.myspace.com/courtneysaltersingssoul
