Andrea Love's Sushi Soulful...Rich...Earthy...Powerful… That is the voice of Andrea Love, undeniably a musical force to be reckoned with. We celebrate the release of Stereo Sushi: Version13 by catching up with Andrea, a voice so talented she’s already worked with some of House music’s hottest names, and now she appears on the legendary Stereo Sushi series.
Q. Andrea, you’ve already worked with the likes of E-Smoove, George Duke, Michael Manson, Darius Brooks, Maurice Joshua, Typhanie Monique, Byron Stingley and Celeda. You also have a vocal range just over 5 octaves which is pretty impressive but when & where did you discover your vocal talents and how did you go about perfecting them?
A. First of all, thanks so much for this opportunity! I’ve been singing since I can remember – I know it’s been since I was at least age four or five - I remember putting on “shows” for my daddy at that age, and I started singing regularly in my local church’s choir at age seven – it was then that I knew singing was something I really had to do in life.
Q. Like many vocalists, your delectable voice can be found gracing the dance floors of the world’s best venues. Standing out most notably, “Shined On Me” became an international club hit with Subliminal Records. Where do you continue to get your inspiration from & what is that gets Andrea Love moving?
A. I get my inspiration from everyday life – the down sides as well as the ups. On the musical side of things, the Dance artists that inspire me and keep me moving are Jocelyn Brown, Martha Wash, Celeda, Kim English and Barbara Tucker just to name a few. Other artists I listen to faithfully are: Jill Scott, Ledisi, Brand New Heavies, Maroon 5, Esperanza Spalding, Patti LaBelle, Jamiroquai, Terisa Griffin, and my favorite band in the whole wide world of all time, INCOGNITO – and let me just say that if anybody knows Bluey personally, please connect us so that we can do a collab!!!
Q. In 1998 you became a member of the Gospel / Jazz group, Masque. You contributed lead and background vocals on their 1999 debut CD entitled “Thank You,” which received a Gospel Stellar Award nomination. Do you set yourself targets / goals and what does it mean to you when you receive awards like these?
A. I have always tried to set goals for myself, and I continue to do so – right now I have a goal to have my solo project released by the fall of 2009. The sound will be a mixture of some of the greatest styles of music that have inspired me – there will be some Jazz, R&B, Soul, and of course House, but the bulk of the tracks will be similar to the sound of Incognito – believe it or not, that sound is me all day long….In regards to being nominated for awards, I always feel so blessed, and I thank God for just being nominated. It lets me know that I’ve been heard, and at some point, I’ve made people feel something good. Looking forward to more nominations – and some wins in the future!
Q. When people look at dance music, a lot of the time people forget that the vocalists & songwriters play a major part of these tracks. Do you have any advice that could help fans of Stereo Sushi break into the scene?
A. The advice I would give to artists wanting to break into the Dance music scene or the music industry period is to not look at it for fame and fortune – do it for the music! If you do it for the music, you can’t go wrong, and you’ll definitely be rewarded more than you could’ve ever hoped, simply because you put the music first. But, on the flip side of that, make sure your contract states that your name will appear on the track and will be listed as a writer in credits.
Q. You’ve released a great number of records, even appeared on TV a few times but what is it that is your proudest achievement to date & what do you strive to achieve?
A. My proudest achievement to date – well there’s been a few of them. I would have to say definitely being on “Hit Machine” in France, as well as working with the legendary George Duke – both were huge deals for me – but my proudest achievement to date I would say is being a mommy (I have a 3 year-old daughter Hailey, who I wrote the song “Higher” for (Gotta Records- France)), and showing the world that you can be successful in the music industry and still be a great parent.
Q.You’re based in the States but when can we expect you over here and when can we look forward to you joining forces with some of our British producers?
A. I would love to perform for you all!! If anybody out there can make it happen, reach out to me! In regards to British producers, I’m working to make some collabs happen very soon. I have had the pleasure of doing a remake of Shirley Lite’s “Heat You Up, Melt You Down” produced by the awesome Dave Wareing of RedSoul (Playmore Music), and the super-hot producers Danny Clark and Jay Benham have just finished a remix of my track “Body and Soul” with Kings of Groove in Spain that is getting great reviews, and both tracks are currently available on Traxsource.
Finally, a few quick fire randoms....
What’s your favourite Sushi?
I’ve had very little experience with Sushi – but I do love Smoked Salmon Sushi Rolls.
You’re stuck on a desert island with nothing but sand, sea, a few trees and a handful of coconuts. What would you do?
Kick back under a tree, crack a few coconuts, sip the coconut water, and enjoy the scenery and being alone with my thoughts until I get found by the rescue team….
Why is it that on a phone or calculator the number five has a little dot on it?
Is it to let you know where exactly your hand is positioned over the keypad when you’re not looking at it??? Wow – that’s a good question….
Why does the sun lighten our hair, but darken our skin?
I think the sun is dyslexic – just kidding…allow me to put on my science/biology cap for a moment…. Skin is a regenerative organ in which melanin is produced when exposed to the sun, causing the skin to become darker while protecting it from harmful UV rays – but since hair is not a living organ, the UV light actually breaks down the melanin in hair causing the opposite, a bleaching effect…OK, now the world knows I'm a nerd...
Steven Stone’s “Good Love” & Sergio D’Angelo’s “Cant Live Without You” both feature the sublime Andrea Love & both tracks can be found on Stereo Sushi: Version13.
Andrea would like to to say thanks again for this opportunity, and thanks so much to everyone that has supported my music over the years. Also, a very big thank you to Steven Stone and Sergio D’Angelo for giving me some wonderful tracks to work with, and there’s definitely more to come, so keep your eyes on me!!!