........As a vocalist I felt I lacked the acrobatic gymnastic style of so many other vocalists........
To me my voice lacked that flawless purity of so many singers that I liked to listen to, I was always yearning for what I didnt have rather than giving thanx for what I do have. I had a friend at college who had a voice, real clean and pure like a razor cut in cloth, I always said if you could draw a line that would resemble our voices hers would be drawn with a freshly sharpened pencil and mine would be a drawn in charcoal with a finger smudged though it!!! I have a thick rich tone which is probably why I have always favoured male vocalists, one of my earliest and greatest discoveries was an artist called Solomon Burke many of you may remember a song of his that was used in the movie Dirty Dancing called 'Cry To Me' the album had been a gift from my dad to my mum when she was nineteen years old!!! After that discovery Sam Cooke followed along with Sam and Dave, Marvin, Al Green and a whole lotta Motown. I remember an album my mum had by a country singer Marty Robbins maan I used to love his stories and an Everly Brothers album too, mum was also an Elvis fan 'Elvis in Acapulco' caught me on the Latin rhythms loved it.... At thirteen I was introduced to Hendrix, Stevie Vi, Iron Maiden and Van Halen by my oldest friend Gareth Brooker aka Garf Van Halen aka Garf Vader hes been in rock bands forever he was playing me stuff that blew me away, literally these guys were making guitars TALK!!!!
Later on via my dad I discovered Patti Labelle, The Isley Brothers, Curtis Mayfield, Earth Wind and Fire Gladys and Aretha and the Jazz of Miles, through my aunt Cameo, Anita Baker, Alexander O Neal an Babyface and via my uncle who saw life through bloodshot eyes and a permanent grin FUNK & REGGAE!!
Every step of the way has been influenced by music and touched by the type of vocalist that you feel before you hear, I remember seein Terence Trent D'arby sing What A Wonderful World' on a music show with Jools Holland that voice never left me.........
Through the 80's was all about Modern Romance and Punk which I was defiantly affected by but musically my biggest love affair was with Hip-Hop sheeit when I heard Sugarhill Gang Grandmaster Flash, Melle mel, Bambaataa, and saw the hip-hop documentary Renegades of Funk everything changed maan it was the stories the beats and the awareness of these artists they were political, educational, plus hip-hop knew how to rock a party Hip-Hop was a culture a way of life it was music it was dancing it was dj'ing it was graffiti art it was a whole process of creation and the dress sense was always cool as f*** it was a voice of rebellion and understanding and realization it was my heartbeat............I grew up in the age of hip-hop, with the blood of funk running through me, my father is from ghana and if you ever hear old ghana funk you could easily mistake it for the P funk of George Clinton, Bootsy Collins, or Sly and the familly stone!!!
As I reminisce over the musical memories in my life I can really see where my influences began, when I create music the many different flavours is so apparent, an amalgamation of all things musical. Now when I buy music Ill probably pick up Rachel Farrell and Redman at the same time, or maybe Nikka Cost and Maxwell, Antony Hamilton and Chilli Peppers........I remember my old ballet teacher Michael Moore telling me to be a good artist you have to be able to appreciate the art of others...........
Who am I?
A voice with alot to say........
A heart with alot to give...........
A soulful of emotion to express.......
I want the vibrations of my music to travel the universe creating new galaxies.......
My songs are unchartered territory, welcome to a new world.........
Welcome to my world/B.Available now to buy at ITUNES........ RAINY NIGHTS: CYRUS DA VIRUS ft TAMSINSOUL, C.Y.R.U CYRUS DA VIRUS ft TAMSINSOUL ..
