If ever there was a musical act with 9 lives it would be Sevyn Streeter.
Indeed, after making her mark with groups TG4 and Richgirl, Streeter is now riding down the solo path – looking to carve her name atop Billboard by her lonesome with hits like “I Like It” from her forthcoming solo LP.
Chatting exclusively to That Grape Juice, the singer-songwriter (who has lent her pen to hits for the likes of Alicia Keys, Kelly Rowland, Brandy, and more) talks about crafting her own debut album, working with R&B bad boy Chris Brown his new album ‘X’, and so much more!
It all awaits below:
Sevyn Streeter Shouts Out That Grape Juice
TGJ: First, congratulations on the success of ‘I Like It’! Burning up the clubs as we speak, why did you feel it was the best single to introduce yourself as a solo act?
Sevyn: The reason why we chose ‘I Like It’ is because I feel like it definitely represents different sides of me. We built that song from the ground up. From the hard-hitting drums to the churchy chords, that’s me all day! I’m a church girl who loves harmonies and, of course, I love to dance!
It’s also “kinda ratchet”. And, I got a little of that in me too. All of those elements make up who I am.
TGJ: So, should we expect more tunes like ‘I Like It’ on the album? Tell us about the album’s title and sound as a whole.
Sevyn: It’s definitely Urban and R&B influenced. I love 90s R&B and the coolness of that kind of music. Lyrically, I write about real things that people go through that are relatable.
Don’t be surprised if you hear some “pop” records, but even those pop-leaning records will have Urban undertones. I’ve written pop records like ‘Yeah 3x’ (Chris Brown) before, but don’t expect my stuff to be that far left into pop.
Sevyn (continued): No title yet. And, the reason we don’t have a title as of yet is because I believe it’ll come toward the end. The records that we decide to put on there will tell a story and the vibe of the songs will let us know if it feels right.
The closer we get to nailing down what songs we want on there, we’ll have the discussion about if we want to title it or not. Right now, it’s self titled.
TGJ: Awesome. Any dates set for when fans can get their hands on the album?
Sevyn: We don’t have a release date right now because we’re so focused on finding and creating the right vibe. I don’t want to keep people waiting forever though. I really want people to hear the music as soon as, but I want to be sure I give you guys a great body of work too.
TGJ: Ok. Switching gears a bit, we know you’ve written for a number of artists including Chris Brown, Alicia Keys, Brandy, and more. Who are some people you haven’t worked with yet that you’d like to?
TGJ: People are signaling the huge first week sales of Justin Timberlake’s ’20/20 Experience’ as indication that R&B is on the rebound. What are your thoughts on that?
Sevyn: I’m excited for it. It’s evolving into something new and I think the R&B that we’ve known in the past was incredible, but as with anything else, you have to push it forward to progress. I look at people like Miguel, Luke James, and Justin and just think they’re turning it into something new.
Anything new and unknown people will probably be leery of, but I’m excited for it. For my own album and Chris’s new album, the music on there is real music!
TGJ: Speaking of Chris’s new album ‘X’, did you contribute to it?
Sevyn: I have and it’s been my pleasure to be a part of that album because it is such a work of art. There was a great deal of emotion and passion that went into it.
I wrote on ‘Fine China’, I wrote on the title track ‘X’, and a couple of other ones. The vibe this time around was so good. Because I’ve been around with him for the last four albums, I can say this album is a testament to his evolution. It’s such a great body of work. I’m so eager for you guys to hear it.
TGJ: We can’t wait! Now, a question we definitely have to ask is: What happened with Richgirl?
Sevyn: Nothing bad like some would believe. Really what happened there is not something that’s uncommon. I’ve learned to understand its just the nature of the business we’re in. The group itself – we’re still friends.
The thing that we hold onto is that we loved music and were individually pursuing music before RichGirl. For four wonderful years, we pursued it together. Unfortunately it ended. We look at it like this – we earned three new friends.
(BONUS) TGJ: What do you feel you bring to the table that nobody else is bringing right now?
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Interview by: Quinno Rashad (That Grape Juice US)
(@blueeyedsoul517)
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