Episode 188 - Uncovering The Layers Of The Music Industry: Artist Confessionals

We're sitting down with Musician/artist Cherell Terri (@Cherellgtvocals) and producer (@8oh3muziq) to talk all things music. We cover some topics including:

• How the music industry is layered and may not be all it appears to be.
• The process of making music.
• How being a creative impacts your personal life.
• Why some artists disappear or "fall off."
• Cherell's music and relatable goals.

Tune in and check out our socials for video clips!

Transcript

SPEAKER_02 0:00

Welcome to the show. Can I vibe with y'all?

SPEAKER_00 0:04

Oh yeah! What's good, what's good, what's good, what's good, what's good. Welcome back to can I vibe with y'all with the vibes are immaculate every h every time we hop up in here? We excited as always. We got different vibes. We got immaculate vibes. We got the guests back in the building. We in LA. You know what I'm saying? And we are excited to get back into this, bring you all the good stuff. If it's your first time listening, it's your boy Kaz, host of the show. And we got two lovely ladies in the building. Miss, what's what's your stage name, first of all? Do you have a stage name?

SPEAKER_03 0:37

Sherelle Terry.

SPEAKER_00 0:38

Sherelle Terry. Okay. We got Sherelle Terry in the building. Then we got 803 in the building. Okay. Miss Sherelle, do you want to start? You want to introduce who you are? Sure. Because we got we got some talent today.

SPEAKER_03 0:49

Sure. Um, so my name is Sherelle Terry. Um, I am a singer, songwriter, rapper, arranger, vocal producer. I do all the things. All things music. Um, I play any role that is needed to be played at that time for the you know, betterment of the record, is what I like to say. Um, but yeah, I do that. I'm a creative. I'm somebody's mama out here, you know what I'm saying? I make slaps from time to time, like all the things. So that's who I am.

SPEAKER_00 1:18

Okay. Yes. Thank you. Thank you. And 803.

SPEAKER_01 1:21

Hey, 803. Um from South Carolina. So where the 803 comes from. Living in Atlanta, I produce. Uh, some of my people call me like Swiss Army Knife. So, whatever type of vibe you're looking for, I can typically give you that. Um and my wheelhouse is mostly production, but also let some of my people tell it I can hear a little note every now and then. Oh. A little bit. A little bit.

SPEAKER_00 1:46

Oh man, we feel with it.

SPEAKER_01 1:47

Sensitive about my shit, though.

SPEAKER_00 1:48

See, um little background. I am not musically gifted. Okay. I understand music very well. There you go. But I cannot sing. That's all right. So maybe by the end of this, y'all y'all might teach me a little something.

unknown 2:01

Okay.

SPEAKER_00 2:02

We're gonna sing about that. Listen, we got we got y'all do it all. You do it all. So, Sorell, we're gonna start with you. What age did you learn that like you could sing? Like, how did it start?

SPEAKER_03 2:16

Oh man. Um, so I'm gonna date myself. Uh, it started when Mariah Carey was on the radio and fantasy came out.

SPEAKER_00 2:25

So was that 95?

SPEAKER_03 2:27

Oh boy, somewhere around there. 97? Like 90. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 2:33

That's about honey.

SPEAKER_03 2:34

No, 97 was honey. No, fantasy came out before that, didn't you?

SPEAKER_01 2:37

Yeah, it was like 95. Yeah, it was like 99.

SPEAKER_03 2:39

Uh, but yeah, so it was early on. Like I was a kid, and I was I heard Mariah Carey, and the way that the story goes, I was outside playing, they was playing Mariah Carey because my dad and my mom, they love music. They don't make music, but they love music. So they played everything. And apparently they heard me singing along and stopped what they were doing and came out.

SPEAKER_00 3:00

So it's it was natural.

SPEAKER_03 3:02

Apparently. So, yeah. Yeah, so that's where it started. Um, from there, I've always just loved music. I feel like music and TV raised me for real. Um, and it went from that to school plays to church to talent shows.

SPEAKER_00 3:19

Were you like uh the choir?

SPEAKER_03 3:21

Oh yeah. When I got to when I got to California before that, you know, my grandmother likes to say that my parents were some heathens. So we didn't go to church for real. When we were in Alabama. So originally, I let me start there. I'm from Alabama originally, and I moved to the Bay Area when I was 11 years old.

SPEAKER_04 3:37

Okay.

SPEAKER_03 3:38

So I spent the early childhood years in in the South.

SPEAKER_00 3:42

Okay. Okay. Yeah, yeah. It's different over there. Very. I live in the South. Okay. It's very however I'm in South Florida, so it's Y'all different, different. You're different. It's not the South, like not in the way you think about the South.

SPEAKER_03 3:55

I feel like y'all, y'all, Florida. Florida. Florida's its own country. Like it's the South, and then it's easy to be.

SPEAKER_00 4:00

Well, North Florida is what I consider the South. Like Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, Georgia. South Florida is just the Caribbean. Yes. And it's it's a it's a melted pot. It's a I love it, but it's a lot going on.

SPEAKER_03 4:15

I bet.

SPEAKER_00 4:17

So so you would say it's a gift.

SPEAKER_03 4:19

Yeah. Okay. I've always been able to sing a little bit.

SPEAKER_00 4:22

So what about for the average person? Like, is this something you're born with, or can you learn how to sing? Like you say, you just heard Mariah Carey, and next thing you know, your parents just, you know, put you out there.

SPEAKER_03 4:34

Yeah. Um there are people who I feel like you gotta have something. You gotta have something. Even if it's an ear or like a tone. So here's the thing now with music, and I'll probably say I won't go on a rant. No, you're right. But before it was more so based on talent. Singing was you had to be able to blow, right? Now they're not so much worried about that as they are with tone. So you can have a nice tone and it'll get you by and you can make a good record. But you may not necessarily have the natural gift to just be able to sing, if that makes sense. Tone is more along the lines of like talking where you can kind of play with it. As long as you stay apart with it. You can make a song.

SPEAKER_00 5:21

Yeah, we're gonna make a song today. Okay. We're gonna make a song today. All right, for real. We got a producer in the building too.

SPEAKER_02 5:28

Hey, hey. Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 5:30

Okay. So I we'll switch to the producing side of it. Okay. How what's the process of that? Like briefly explaining it, what's the process of that? Like, if we were in here right now with no equipment, could you produce something?

SPEAKER_01 5:45

I can get an idea going, I'm sure. I mean, you can really take anything, like so it starts with an idea.

SPEAKER_00 5:50

So if we're in here just and just yeah, you could take that.

SPEAKER_01 5:55

You could even take that sound in with some more equipment, like morph it into something else and make it sound like a kick drum or a snare. Like you can design a sound. So that's also part of it as well. An important part, like understanding like what sonically works together.

SPEAKER_00 6:12

You're mentioning the tone. Yeah. Um obviously uh music has changed a lot over the years. So, for example, let's say I'll just throw myself in there, hypothetical. Okay. Let's just say I was an upcoming artist and I had a good tone, but I didn't necessarily have the other talents.

SPEAKER_04 6:30

Okay.

SPEAKER_00 6:31

Um, do you think there's a difference when like people, you know, when they have to perform live or going on tour, or like like if they only have the tone, then how does that transition?

SPEAKER_03 6:40

They have auto-tune for that built into the microphones. There you go. And a person that's moving the board and cleaning up everything for you, so you don't have to worry about that. And there's a thing called show tracks where they are pre-recording. It's a whole bunch of little tricks and things that they do and to where you don't have to really so they could go their whole career with never actually showing their true voice.

SPEAKER_00 7:01

Correct.

SPEAKER_03 7:03

Happens every day.

SPEAKER_00 7:04

So so what especially I got so many questions that like how what what happens what happens if someone hears their true voice?

SPEAKER_03 7:12

Man, but I mean, it's it's not it's nothing that's new. There are we used to call them studio singers back in the day. There's always been an era with studio singers who just slid by and couldn't hit a damn note, including, I'll just I'll mention a couple. J-Lo, maybe. We can go back to J-Lo. J-Lo had slaps with J-Lo. Baby, baby can't sing. My baby can't sing.

SPEAKER_00 7:37

She can perform.

SPEAKER_03 7:38

She can perform, but she's never well, she tried to sing live recently and that didn't go too well. But before that, they made sure she didn't. You know what I'm saying? But she's somebody with a good enough tone and a lot of studio magic where she had all those hits and she was able to do shows and do all the things, and no one really cared about that or made her sing live type of thing, you know what I'm saying? So there's there's a lot of singers who have been able to skate by.

SPEAKER_00 8:04

So there's the performance side to it where you might be a great singer and have great talent, but you know, maybe you're maybe you get staged right or whatever it is. Um, you do think do you think that like stops them from propelling their career more? Or can you get by with just the natural, natural singing talent?

SPEAKER_03 8:24

I mean, we also see that every day. Jill Scott just get on stage and be Jill Scott. She ain't really got to move around and do just singing the mic.

SPEAKER_00 8:30

You know what I'm saying?

SPEAKER_03 8:31

Just being but it's how she does it. It's her stage presence, it's different things that matter. It's a different aura and what she brings with her music and who she is. She doesn't have to do all the other things. She doesn't have to she's still performing, you're still gonna get an experience, but it's just a different experience.

SPEAKER_00 8:47

Gotcha.

SPEAKER_03 8:47

She doesn't require to have to like dance and move around a stage a lot.

SPEAKER_00 8:52

Do you think that's preferred?

SPEAKER_03 8:54

Or is it I think it I think it's uh it depends on the audience and the taste and the type of music that you like. Um with Jill Scott, she don't make you want to dance around hella fast and shake everything you got that your mama gave you. You know what I'm saying? Like she don't make you feel like that, but she makes you feel like I could vibe to this a little bit, like, oh, I like this. So she could fill stadiums where people will stand up and just sway or people can sit down and enjoy her voice.

SPEAKER_04 9:17

Okay.

SPEAKER_03 9:18

Like she just has that. But that's what she brings in her genre and and who she is with her talent.

SPEAKER_00 9:23

Gotcha. Yeah. So really there's it seems like there's a spot for everybody in this. Um, especially with the newer generation, the taste is different. Yeah. Um, so like you said, maybe they just want to hear a good beat for you coming. Yeah. Um and they just, you know, maybe it's an artist who just has the voice to match it. The lyrics might be terrible. Right. If there are lyrics. But if there are lyrics, yeah. But how wait, so how long have you officially been in the industry?

SPEAKER_03 9:55

Oh, um, since I was 15 years old. Okay. Yeah, so I'll still be able to do that. We won't we won't date you, so I'm just okay.

SPEAKER_00 10:00

I'm just thinking about how much has changed.

SPEAKER_03 10:02

Um I mean it it has. I think the tactics have changed, and you have social media, like things have changed, but like the way that the industry moves has always been the same. So I think we just adapt to the times.

SPEAKER_00 10:17

Okay. Do you think it's an industry worth getting into?

SPEAKER_03 10:21

Um That's a very loaded question.

SPEAKER_00 10:27

In a good way or a bad way.

SPEAKER_03 10:29

So I saw someone recently say, and I agree with this person, I can't remember what interview it was, but she said there is the creation of music, there's a music business, and then there's a music industry. Those are three different things.

SPEAKER_00 10:43

Let's break it down.

SPEAKER_03 10:44

Okay. So the creation of music, or you have an artist that just wants to make music, right? They just want to do it. Whether they make it or not, it doesn't matter. They just want to create music, right? But it would be great if they made it. And you have the music business when you actually jump into it and you have to learn certain things about how to actually get this creation out of your computer and into the world, and all of the little things that you have to do in order to do that properly, and all the studying and the learning and all of that, and actually monetizing that, then you have the industry. And the industry is just people who do whatever they want to do at the end of the day. So that's like the dark part of it. But um I wouldn't I would recommend people go through the steps first, but the industry, the industry. Now are those steps in order? Um well, yeah, because it all starts with a creation.

SPEAKER_00 11:41

Okay.

SPEAKER_03 11:42

Yeah. So it starts with the creation of music. And then um honestly, the music business or the music industry, it just depends on how you fall into it and like how you're discovered or how you find out about things or your opportunities, just the way that things happen for you. You might fall into the industry first, or you might um, you know, be blessed enough to fall into the business side.

SPEAKER_00 12:03

So you don't want to fall in in the industry first.

SPEAKER_03 12:05

Not initially, not in my opinion. But I mean it's working for people.

SPEAKER_00 12:08

Now, is it because you you become a product of the industry and you know, kind of get molded into whatever they want?

SPEAKER_03 12:16

Um, I don't I mean, that's a part of it, right? But at the same time, it's just a lot of muddiness, it's a lot of gray areas with the industry part of it. Um again, I feel like it's just a lot of people who do what they want to until someone says otherwise and stops them. You know what I'm saying? Like it's just a a whole different type of thing, and you have to think about politics and just different things that are actually super stressful in my opinion, or completely take make you lose sight of what you're actually here to do and things like that. So it's a very it like I said, it's very murky over there in the music industry.

SPEAKER_00 12:53

But do you think people kind of lose that dream because of they Yes.

SPEAKER_03 12:58

You don't even have to finish the question. Yes.

SPEAKER_00 13:01

I feel like you see even behind the scenes, you see it.

SPEAKER_03 13:04

Oh yeah.

SPEAKER_00 13:04

Um, you know, what happened to this artist? What happened to that artist?

SPEAKER_03 13:07

People get discouraged every day. It's a lot of stuff they they've dealt with that they're not willing to deal with anymore. A lot of experience, a lot of man, a lot of a lot of things are occurring back there that a lot of people don't see. And they wonder, like, what happened to this person? Or they'll ask you, like, well, why aren't you further with your career? Why aren't you this? And it's like you have no idea what I have to do in order to, you know, right, get to where you think I should be right now. Like it doesn't, it's it yeah, it's a lot. It's a lot.

SPEAKER_00 13:36

I understand. Yeah. 803, we'll we'll go to you.

SPEAKER_03 13:39

Okay, okay.

SPEAKER_00 13:40

Um kind of the same thing from the producer side. Like, is it different? Is it easier? Is it harder adjusting to the industry as a producer?

SPEAKER_01 13:49

Um, it it comes with its own set of challenges as well. Um yeah, like trying to make the space, particularly being a woman in this space where it's very, very largely male dominated. So that adds an extra layer for me and the other women producers out there, I know y'all out there, but it does add that extra layer because when we come in, it's like, okay, let's let the girl play and see. But we really be hard.

SPEAKER_00 14:16

We be fine out here. So do you think the men um seeing a woman as a producer, they're automatically like, you know, you they just look at you different. You got to prove yourself a little more.

SPEAKER_01 14:28

Yes. Um, I think over the years, I mean, I've been, I'm not gonna date myself, but it's been, I've been at it a long time. But I would say like at it, like collaborating and actually working with others, probably like 10, about 10 years. So I have seen um some positive change at the beginning of that 10 years. It's like, yeah, no girl, we're not gonna let you play. But now it's like there might be some looks, but there's all they've also heard like the fruit of it. It's like, okay, I can't really judge that this is a woman doing it. Let me just hear it first. Right. Um, but it still comes with its own challenges. Like in a working environment, you have that kind of El Bravado and being in those spaces and still making room for yourself in those male-dominated spaces.

SPEAKER_00 15:14

Now, you're I mean, when you're making when you're making beats, like your your art is, you know, through that beat, through the music. Whereas Sharella, the yours is through your voice. So do you think it's like different to be like, you know, you make a beat so good you can't even argue with it and like ban art woman?

SPEAKER_01 15:32

Oh it's possible. Um, but I'm I'm one of those that there's always room to grow and improve. So I'm really more so about like how something is presented. So I may feel it's perfect. Shrill might hear it and be like, Hey, sis, like, what about this here? Or what about that there? And that's okay for me as a producer. Um, and we really could go down the beat maker producer rabbit hole. Because I I define those as two different things. Um, because I want to be in the production, involved in the production of the whole track. Not just I'm making the beat, I send it off to Cheryl, like, hey, let me know when you're finished. Okay.

SPEAKER_00 16:09

Do you write too?

SPEAKER_01 16:10

A little bit. I can do a little piece. I can give you, I can give you some uh Okay, okay. I can give you a little uh feedback here and there. But ultimately, it's like, yes, I will send beats off and let it, the end products, if there's an end product, get back to me. Like artists, record your records and and put them in the world, please. And thank you. Um but my preference is to be in the studio with the artist so I can um provide my feedback as well. It's like, oh yeah, like that, like more power to your voice here, or maybe we want to switch this word up there, or maybe move some things around. So I'm looking at that. That's more of the producer, like even thinking of it like television. Executive producer, they're not in the show, but they're orchestrating everything, or like a calib, like at handmade beats in forever, but he pulls the people in the room. So um, producer for me is that, and beatmaker, not saying one is better or worse, they're just different. But the beatmaker is the one that is happy, kind of in that creation phase. That's what they want. It's like, okay, I'm creating the beat, I want to send it off, you do what you do. I don't want to be involved in the rest of that.

SPEAKER_00 17:24

Gotcha. Makes sense. I'm assuming you produce for Chirail, or no?

SPEAKER_01 17:29

Yeah, we work together. Yeah, we worked together.

SPEAKER_00 17:31

When's the last time you worked together?

SPEAKER_01 17:33

Oh, it's been a little bit, but I'm gonna say this, but I'm I'm out yet though. Yes.

SPEAKER_00 17:38

Do y'all have any songs together?

SPEAKER_03 17:40

Not that are out, not yet. They're still sitting. I know, that's why I laugh. That's why I laugh. But she knows that there's one in particular that I absolutely love, and Lord, I've redone it so many times, and I just feel like it ain't, it's not ready yet, but we're gonna get that out there. We definitely are. Okay. And plus we both make music all the time. So more stuff is coming. I just think it's timing.

SPEAKER_00 18:01

What's the quickest you ever made a song, and what's the longest you ever made a song?

SPEAKER_03 18:05

The quickest.

SPEAKER_00 18:05

Or you ever took to make a song. I'm sorry.

SPEAKER_03 18:09

Were you in a studio that day in in Atlanta?

SPEAKER_01 18:12

What was that?

SPEAKER_03 18:14

Were we all with Tasha? Were you in the street?

SPEAKER_01 18:16

Was that the the Red Studio? No, that is.

SPEAKER_03 18:19

Not that one. Did you go to the other one with this, the Mud Knock Studios?

unknown 18:22

No.

SPEAKER_03 18:23

I'm trying to remember who was there. Oh, that oh, that was Simone. Okay, so there was a session that I had, and it was one of the last sessions I had when I lived in Atlanta. And um, it was me pulling a bunch of friends together like I like I be doing. She knows we always doing some collaborative stuff, and I'm like, come on, y'all, let's go to the studio. And there's a song that I did called Why You Wanna, and I did that in 10 minutes. Ten minutes. While everybody was on lunch, I had the hook already done. And I was like, man, just can you just play that? Because everybody went to lunch, and I was still like, no, I need to do something from from scratch, 10 minutes? 10 minutes.

SPEAKER_00 18:57

You gotta break this down.

SPEAKER_03 18:58

10 minutes, but it okay, so here's the thing: it is not always like that because it depends on the production. I follow the production. Um, I like to say that the production speaks to me. So there are moments where I can write like this, and then there are other times where that shit'll take me, I'm sorry, it'll take me days. Like it will take me days. Sometimes it'll take me a few hours. Like, it just depends on what I'm trying to channel, what the beat is saying, like all of that. It it it all of that matters. And for some reason, um, this was produced by my homeboy uh A ⁇ M and Yo Anatomy. So it's two people who produced this record, and it was like a spin-off of Gypsy Woman and T.I.'s uh Why You Wanna. And so I was already like, oh, I love this already. And I was just playing, and the words just came. So when everybody came back from lunch, I was like, Yo, y'all gotta hear this. I had already recorded the V. I'm sorry, I got excited again, but I had already uh talked to the engineer and we recorded the hook while they were at lunch, and I'm like, Y'all, we ready? Like, come on. And as soon as they came back, I had writers in there too. So as soon as they came back, we knocked that song out in less than an hour. The hook was already done, and we just pieced it together and made the song. But that's one of my favorite songs, and it's so fun. And we weren't even, I wasn't serious. I didn't even think anything was gonna come from it. It just flowed, it just flowed. And um, but yeah, it was the it was the beat that did it. It was just it made me feel so good. And I was like, let me play and just see what that's like because I don't play a lot. I always take things.

SPEAKER_00 20:28

What do you mean play?

SPEAKER_03 20:29

Um, like just have fun, just say anything. Oh, okay, okay.

SPEAKER_00 20:32

I thought you meant like instrument.

SPEAKER_03 20:34

Oh, no, no, no. You call an instrument? No, not not yet. Not yet.

SPEAKER_00 20:38

What you learning?

SPEAKER_03 20:38

I'm learning the the keyboard because I want to learn how to produce it. So, okay, yeah. So I'm I'm working on production because literally like 95% of my friendships and my relationships in the industry are all with producers. And they're like, why don't you know how to do this on real? Like, all you have to do is just say something. I'm like, yeah, but I'm I'm not gonna lie, I'm a little intimidated by it a little bit. But I do arrange production too. Um, producing myself, like doing the whole thing from top to bottom by myself. I'm not quite confident in that yet, but really I know me and I just need to do it. I'm just not over the psyching myself out yet.

SPEAKER_00 21:16

You don't seem like a woman who's not confident.

SPEAKER_03 21:20

Oh, thank you. For real.

SPEAKER_00 21:21

Like you on the podcast, you you good. Oh it's natural for you. Thank you. That that'll be easy for you.

SPEAKER_03 21:27

I appreciate it.

SPEAKER_00 21:27

I hope by the next time we talk, you make it happen.

SPEAKER_03 21:29

Oh, we're gonna work on it. But uh, but yeah, so it doesn't it doesn't happen like that all the time. So that was the quickest. It was like 10 minutes to make the hook, less than an hour to make the entire song. Um the song that it took me the longest to make. Ooh, it's one called Fade It.

SPEAKER_00 21:47

Faded?

SPEAKER_03 21:48

Four years.

SPEAKER_00 21:49

Four years.

SPEAKER_03 21:50

Four years for me to absolutely finish the song and record it properly and put it out into the world. I just released it this year.

SPEAKER_00 21:59

So did

SPEAKER_03 22:00

Would the process like you did I like it or just Oh it will it came from a very hurt place and so it took me a question related to this yeah so it took me some time to like I did make the song like the night of but I didn't like I was just doing it to get my emotions out the heartbreak yeah for sure for sure you love a good heartbreak song man listen My little night that's what that was I was I had I had a whole bottle of vodka to myself my feelings it was a night and I yeah but I love that song and now I can listen to it without cringing you really had a whole bottle of vodka I did and it was the rock it was during COVID like a big one it was a big one oh a little minimum no that's that's not a man a manless one break break big broke big big big broke yeah so that was that was a hard one to finish I it's funny and actually release but yeah it's funny that you said that because I had a question coming up related to that what's that do you think you make better music when you're heartbroken or in love I think you make better music when you're feeling something so I think it's equal to heartbreak and love it's just a different emotion um but the emphasis is on it on whatever it is so when you're in love depends how strong the emotion is exactly so much emphasis when you're in love you're like oh all the all the love and stuff you know all the things all the must and it's like you feel that you're like oh I'm about to make a song about you so yeah same way with with heartbreak like oh I'm about to make a song about you oh so it's like I got to get this off me or you know feel it or you know so I haven't heard your whole catalog so what do you have more of the love side or the heartbreak side? Oh that's interesting um I don't really have do I have much heartbreak I think I kind of bounce around like all over the place. Um so I have heartbreak but I also have like fun stuff um define the fun stuff so I have so I put out in a mini EP I call them my three piece EPs that I release every so often so every few months you'll get a three piece EP for me okay last year I released one called Pop Shit like that's the name of the EP Why You Wanna that 10 minute song is in there um there's one called Who You Is that was super random that I did and that's a fun fun song. Now or are fun like party fun like Yeah like uh it's more it's it's an anthem type of song um for everybody everybody likes it uh they call it they call it the money the money music like that's that money music um but like you can when you hear it you instantly want to dance you like ooh I like this it's more can I play that too? Yeah it's like my anthem the one anthem I have and I have it for women so yeah it's pretty dope.

SPEAKER_00 25:02

I'm about to be a bad bitch right now is that what you're saying?

SPEAKER_03 25:04

Yep all of it okay I'm including all the skin shades too which one you said it's called Who You Is.

SPEAKER_00 25:10

Who You Is like Iz or uh IS IS fully spelled out so who you is I see one featuring a couple other people and then one just with you actually I'll let you let's see oh no that's the right one those are just the producers oh okay yeah tell them who you want to eat I think it's time I pop my shit light skin brown skin chocolate the one with them big old hips and them lips everybody wanna get every day ice take your shit it ain't nothing but a thing oh tell them who I is yeah yeah I like that yeah I was over there jamming I suck it I was like how to get you feeling that was a fun one like that yeah but it's not it's not too much it's not excessive yeah it's like kind of chill at the same time tell them who I is you know I got a little you know a little a little bounce with my uh my pop song I like to call it like pop soul if you catch me listen to that in the car mind your business everybody should be listening to it if it's okay I'll turn it on with today started I got uh I I I got some some ladies on the playlist here and there okay it'd be like that sometimes it'd be like that sometimes yeah balance balance exactly listen my car tinted too so I don't see in there I've been I've been there going crazy I love it oh oh oh oh the next topic let's go the link between dating slash relationships and music so we had a little question just now you know talking about like heartbreak or being in love how it affects the music whatnot um how has being an artist impacted your love life ooh we um she waited on answer it's been interesting you don't gotta give exact details just the overall yeah yeah yeah it's cool I I would just say it takes a special uh a very very special human to be in a relationship with a creative that also turned their creativity into a business um it takes a very very special person to be a part of that um that is not for everyone it is not it is not for everyone it takes a lot right and it's and that's not even just being a singer or an artist like that's across the board when you have something that's so unconventional or so unorthodox that people don't understand and it uses a different part of your brain and then you're so invested in it and you spend so much time away to take care of it and you have to do these things to keep it going because this is now a business for you that you're seeing through you now have life goals for this it changes things.

SPEAKER_03 28:17

So yeah it definitely takes someone um a very very special individual just to have the understanding and to create that safe space for you to be able to be you right and not take away not feel like they have to be in competition with your creativity in your relationship. It's completely different.

SPEAKER_00 28:36

Okay so yeah so I don't know your relationship status you don't have to say it but it sounds like the biggest thing in the past was just kind of having someone who just understands your lifestyle um understands what you do. Yeah which I definitely feel you because I'm in the same boat um even you know right now I'm away from home um working but it's hard for a lot of people to understand that like oh why are you in LA for a week you know might not make sense but um I mean has there been any positives with it? Like do you has there ever been like you know a man might be more attracted to you?

SPEAKER_03 29:16

Um okay so a couple things a couple things uh I am single but I'm dating I am dating right now um so there's that also another thing um I have not dated men in quite some time so okay okay we we can get into that too yeah we could definitely can I'm completely open to all that so actually matter of fact we're gonna get into it right now let's do it because it sounds like you were dating men and then you went to women yeah well I've always been um I've always been bi so that's just been my my entire life bi I was into the poly thing for a while but no one seems to do that right it just it's a nice idea that doesn't really it's not really gonna be so what do you prefer but um I exclusively date women now that now I would say past seven years.

SPEAKER_00 30:06

Okay so it's been some time yeah just exclusively okay so you prefer women yeah okay uh yep well you can get it this wasn't part this was a plan but we can get into it it's it's real with all the music it's very common now it's very common yeah so so was it something where you just got tired of men and you made the switch or you were just always open to so I I like this question because no not at all okay I still I still see an attractive man you know y'all still do your thing I still love y'all dearly I do it's just not for me anymore.

SPEAKER_03 30:42

Okay um on an emotional level on every level okay I just that's just what it is um but I don't have any malice I haven't been hurt so many times or I don't like men and it's nothing like that. I just don't I just don't want that anymore. The song faded that was about a woman that was about a man so we getting we're going we're going back that was about a man but I did write it at a later time so it was just Oh he hurt you it was my you already moved on to women and wrote the song about a man. Something like that. Oh he didn't discover it because what we in 2026 uh that was like 2018 2019 so I'm I'm dating it right yeah because I said exclusively like about seven years yeah about seven years okay so but yeah okay I actually I have uh a best friend of mine she was the same way um kind of jumped from men to women couldn't figure out which one she wanted more now she's exclusively women gotcha and that's always my biggest question is like because you know a lot of women now they're like you know they're they're over men yeah and they want to try sex a lot of men are over women you know we won't get into the whole battle the sex or whatever because it's too much but I've always I've always been curious like how people make that transition. You know I'm just gonna say this right and this is this is to my fams y'all know who I'm talking about right I need y'all to stop jumping over to women just because you're mad at your relationship with men or your encounters with men that's not okay because you're not gonna come over here and bother us. Because it's not what you want. You just want to try something different or you're just hurt or you just like I'm done with them let me try somebody else and then you end up coming over here and messing up somebody else's whole thing that they got going on and they life and they mental and all the things um and then I come along and I have to clean up the mess because just saying like the women that I've dated recently have run into women like that. So when they run into me they think that I'm that way and I'm like no baby I'm really like a whole lesbian love. Come here like I'm not I'm not on that. You know what I'm saying? Like I'm not over here trying to find a a woman that acts like a man or looks like a man or can give me what this man couldn't like it's a lot of that happening right now and it's so it's not okay. So we're like don't bring that over here baby just go heal. Go heal. If he hurts you go heal that's what you need to do.

SPEAKER_00 33:10

It's funny how that only really applies to women because for men like you know if if we don't roll like that and we get over women we're not like oh we're gonna go to men we don't operate like that. Right. And if you do you you operate like that. You've been operating like that. You've been operating like that.

SPEAKER_03 33:28

Yeah but with women it's like they just let me try something else like I don't like that. I don't like that and we get a lot of that it really sucks. I understand because they really don't get down like that. You understand a little so they don't but yeah okay yeah um that's my channel thought real quick.

SPEAKER_00 33:41

No we good relationships and um so you were explaining like um before how someone has to be understanding and accepting what you do. So what would you say this could be kind of general or it could be personal for you. Like what is your ideal romantic match as far as like who you are as a creative and a singer um as far as like what that person does and who they are like what would be an ideal match with that oh the number one thing is that they just have to they have to know who they are and what and who they are in their greatness and in their confidence they have to be secure in themselves.

SPEAKER_03 34:24

It has to start there. If that is non-existent it's not gonna work okay I've trial and error too many times like they have to have their own thing their own dreams aspirations goals things that they're actively working through uh or working towards um they have to love themselves in a way where they're not insecure like you know what I'm saying? So yeah that's the biggest thing for me. Have your own thing be in your own greatness you you're chilling over here you're not in competition with what I got going on or wanting me to stop what I'm doing type of thing. And that usually comes from people who don't have those things or they're not pursuing or they're living a life that they really don't want to live. They're living it for someone else and then they secretly feel a way about people who we're just no matter what the risks are we are living the way that we want to live oh hold on Miss Sherelle what's the most embarrassing moment you've ever had as a singer oh my God I've had two one was on stage um I want to say back in 2006 2007 I was still in high school and I was doing shows all the time I did plays all the time I do all these things all the time and for some reason I was in a showcase uh in Vallejo California and there were like 300 people there and I don't know what happened just no words came out no words came out and I yes always okay but that's all I was like girl you do this all the time what is going on I don't know what happened I had no idea what happened just froze completely and then I was just sweating and then I couldn't catch the words and they kept trying to start it over they was trying to help me and it was a lot and I just couldn't do it. And then I was sweating so bad and then my weave was like the curls and dropped because I hadn't sweated from the weave and the scalp it was a lot going on. I don't know so I just I just walked off the stage yeah I left oh I left I was like okay I can't I don't even I'm out I'm out y'all I couldn't even have a good night what's my time was were there other people performing or just you no it was a few of us because they they did smaller showcases around the Bay Area and they picked people from different cities to do this big one and there were only like seven of us and we had a packed house it was like waiting on you. Yeah because I had already won a competition to be a part of this one like that was so they knew I could sing. That's everybody was like what the what's wrong with you? What is wrong? I don't know. I don't know do you ever figure out what happened or you don't know to this day you just got staged for I blacked it out until I saw that question and I was like oh I'll never forget that that's that did happen. That did happen. So so what you said there was a second time something oh yeah it was a second time I had the opportunity to work with a major artist and completely froze up in the studio. Oh in the studio in the studio he was flown out to the Bay Area because he worked with um a producer from my area a lot a lot a lot and they called me in it was like hey we got such and such like come on you need to get on record he's looking for hooks right now he got this one and I was like okay cool and I heard it they sent it to me before and I was like all right I could do this and when I was in the Bay Area when I started making music like somewhat professionally and recording and working with other artists I was the hook singer so I was always brought in to do hooks and things like that. So again this is something I always do and they didn't tell me who it was initially then I got to the studio and they told me who I was making this song for and I was like are you allowed to say it I'm rather not I'll tell you off camera. Okay off camera off camera stay tuned for the bonus content major rapper yeah major major rapper he's from the south and yeah I completely blew it I don't know what happened I just like couldn't I just couldn't I did stuff well was it the same I did stuff kind of stage fright um back in high school or was it like a star struck it was I don't know what it was because I'm like I'm in here but like I couldn't get the hook together it just didn't make sense I was like second guessing myself I I was acting as if I had never done this before like I had never done this before like I had never written a hook before I had never come in there with melodies before I had never worked with anybody before it was so so you just have as an artist you just have days when you're off I mean you have off days yeah I have off days all the time but not like though those two instances that was those have never happened to me again not on stage and not in the studio.

SPEAKER_00 39:28

Was he like I'm I ain't doing this again he was just like man I let her you know do whatever she needs to do like I'm gonna step out you feel me and he ended up leaving and going to do other things he had to go do other things and it was like if you got something cool if not we just gonna have to find somebody else or I'm gonna go a different route he ended up going a different he didn't get another singer he ended up singing it him himself but he did he's a rapper who kind of rocked his own hooks anyway but because of his relationship with that producer he was like nah let's get Shrill on that so and that probably really would shot me up there real quick real quick but yeah I couldn't do it the it just didn't come out good at all so a follow-up question with that like when you have a moment like that where you know big name and your name gets get gets attached to it like how how does that process process work with like blowing up um does it open opportunities to new deals new um collaborations like you mean like when somebody co-signs for you or like yeah or you just you're featured on something and then you know people hear your name oh like what like what's the process with that?

SPEAKER_03 40:41

I mean that's that's always great. It's always great when you're working it's always great when you get the opportunity to work with someone that has a a bigger name than yours so to speak. All those things help. It also helps for your resume um I like to call mine like my digital resume and people can go look me up they can see the people that I've worked with like all those things it does matter. It it matters I mean it's like a a word of mouth kind of job you know what I'm saying so it just gets around that oh she can do this she does that let me call her and let's see if she's available for this kind of thing. So that's really how it works in the music industry and in music business. It's all relationships to be honest with you so it's relationships it's who you know then what you do and how well you can do it and all those things then availability and then it goes from there but it's an industry industry I'm still trying to learn to be honest.

SPEAKER_00 41:31

Good luck. I'm not we try and learn it every day it's just every day it's more sort of curiosity I'm not necessarily trying to be in it. I do want to learn an instrument maybe a couple let's go because I come from a musically talented family. I just I don't know I just I I love music I I I listen to music every single day we play you found me listening to music I have so much love for it I just never actually done it so I'm always curious how the industry works like we were talking about earlier like how like man this person was great what happened so but I always hear you know sling to the industry.

SPEAKER_01 42:10

Yeah that part that part shadowy muddy part over there yeah now do you both have an end goal with this you just created for the love of it like what um you're some of your goals oh sure um primarily because I've been at it a a long time very seasoned um primarily really for the love of the creation but ideally just to provide a comfortable life for myself doing that like I still got the nine to five gig right now um but that's won't change it's crazy economy out here so it is but being able to you know provide not even be greedy just provide for myself comfortably with what I create and what I'm passionate about.

SPEAKER_00 42:54

That's the best thing is coming from passion. Yep that's it and not chasing the wrong things. Absolutely okay what about you?

SPEAKER_03 43:00

Um for me I want to do as much as I can possibly do with music and make an impact on as many people as I possibly can I am an artist and all those things love the creation of it that's why I still make it right but I also do things like the writing camps and the writing retreats and those I'm I'm big on collaboration. I'm big on connecting people that's what I do all day. So I'm usually on the phone like someone will call me be like Sheryl do you know who does such and such and I was like let me get back to you but I'm pretty sure I know somebody can do that for you. Let me connect them make sure it's good for me to give the information like that's what I do all the time. So my goal is just to continue to make an impact um in front behind the scenes like all of it but to be able to do that and make a life out of it and a living out of it. Because right now it's all out of love. Love is great but it's not paying my bills and I got these kids, y'all I have three.

SPEAKER_00 44:01

Oh wow, good for you.

SPEAKER_03 44:02

Thank you. Um, I have three. One's almost on his way out, so I'm getting ready for that this year. But um, but yeah, like I believe in putting the time in and the money will come. Like, I will. I mean it it will, but it would be nice if it was sooner than later. But the end goal is just to be in this and just to impact people. Um, I've always known that music is just an outlet and a way for me to reach people, but it may not necessarily be my full purpose in its entirety. So, but people are so in any way that I can reach them, that I can make an impact on them, that is really the ultimate goal. And again, still be able to take care of my family while doing it. You know what I'm saying? You know, all that thing.

SPEAKER_00 44:43

But yeah, I mean definitely keep going, both of you. Um, you know, as creatives, it's not easy. Yeah, especially when you're doing it strictly out of love. You know, the the money don't come from it. But you know, it sounds like y'all both have your head on straight as far as you know, the reason for doing it, making a difference, uh, reaching people. Hopefully this podcast helps reach more people. Thank you. Um you know, that's like I said, off-camera, like, you know, we try to do more stuff like this, um, connect more, because especially with music, like there's so many voices to be heard. Oh, yeah. Um, you know, I I'm I'm just hearing your voice for the first well, besides my research before this. But you know, even hearing your voice in person now, I'm like, you know, I'm a fan now. So um, you know, I definitely want to see it keep going, keep exploring. You never know. Just like you had that moment, you know, it could be one moment where you just it takes off. Yeah. But now you're ready.

SPEAKER_03 45:38

I'm ready. I'm ready. I've been ready for a while now. You know, now I can get on stage and be like, what we doing? I'm ready to go because I'm ready. Like, I love that by the way. That that's a new development that's only happened within like the last two years that I've been doing shows and I could just get up there and I'm not nervous anymore. Like it just feels so I actually have a question.

SPEAKER_00 45:57

What's up? Because I'm I'm about to get into that. What's good? Probably in the next couple months.

SPEAKER_02 46:03

Okay.

SPEAKER_00 46:04

Never really been on stage before. Okay. Um, I'm excited for it.

SPEAKER_02 46:08

Good.

SPEAKER_00 46:09

But it's kind of like how you mentioned with the stage fright. Like, how do you what what recommendations would you give to just look past it and just perform?

SPEAKER_03 46:19

Um, well, in what way are you getting on stage?

SPEAKER_00 46:22

Uh doing live podcasts, um entertaining. Gotcha. Um, kind of creating an environment to where I you ever seen like a comedy stand-up? Yeah. Like I'm not gonna do comedy like that, but kind of like interacting with people with people to um, you know, kind of be the host entertainment, like how we're talking now, but doing it in a crowd setting.

SPEAKER_03 46:46

Oh, I mean, it's the same thing. It's just they're in front of you versus being you not being able to see them. But it's the same exact people. So you just think of it as, oh, these are my people, they're already in the crowd. Like, hey, what's up, y'all? Y'all here all the time. Like, high vibes. Like all the things, but no, for real, like those those are your people. So if you think of it that way, like everybody in this crowd, these are my people. Like these are my cousins, this is family, that's my homie over there. Like, they've been listening, they've been tuned in. That helps. It I well, I feel like that would help you a lot because it's like there's not there's not a stranger in the room. They know what you do already, they're there because of you and who you are and your platform already. That's half the battle is getting them there. But the fact that they're coming on their own and they're coming off of the strength of you and their you know, experience with the podcast and how it made them feel and all those things, you can just get up there and literally be you. There's no pressure.

SPEAKER_00 47:40

We chilling. Yeah, put some good music on, we chilling.

SPEAKER_03 47:43

That part. Okay, yeah, okay.

SPEAKER_00 47:45

Like I said, I was just curious. Um, anything we'll wrap up in a sec. Anything y'all want to promote, share? Um, anything you got going on next?

SPEAKER_03 47:54

Um, yeah. So I just I just released a single. I released a single last Saturday. It's called Saturday Night. Um, so I am a singer with bars. So I rap and do all those things as well. And that record is one of my favorite records that have ever come about, and it is a wonderful record, and we're getting a wonderful response from it. So I would love for y'all to go check that out. It's everywhere. Yes, called Saturday Nights NYTE. Okay, we had to be extra special. And why yes, make it easier for y'all to find it too. I think there's only three songs all over streaming that have that spelling, so you can just find us. So I did that for a little cheat code. Yes, you know what I'm saying. SEO, SEO. Yes, yes, yes. Add a little extra. Um, but yeah, so that's what I have going on right now. Um, I also host a writing camp in LA every third Saturday of the month. So if that's something you're interested in, musicians, producers, songwriters, singers, rappers, all of that, we get together, we create. Um, I get to get in my executive production bag and my vocal production bag for that. We work with different sync supervisors and things like that, and we build amazing work and catalogs and send those off. So yeah, I'd love to have we've we've had an amazing, amazing groups every time that I've done it. So it's been three times this year, and they've been incredible every every time. The music's gotten better, the vibes with the people have gotten better. They've never worked together before. A lot of them I've never worked with before, and it's just a beautiful thing. So I love it. Come out and see us. Beautiful. Yeah, come work with us.

SPEAKER_00 49:30

If I'm here, I'm a why not? Come on. Why not? Why not love it?

SPEAKER_03 49:34

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 49:36

Um, you still want to showcase that talent or wrap it up? You don't have to.

SPEAKER_03 49:39

Um, because you said you wanted me to do like a popular song or something. Uh what that was. I don't know.

SPEAKER_00 49:45

Just if you feel like using your voice tonight. It's completely up to you. It's no pressure.

SPEAKER_03 49:52

You like La Toya Luckett?

SPEAKER_00 49:54

You gotta put me on again. What? I'm a little younger, so it's Oh no, that's no excuse.

SPEAKER_03 49:59

I'll be listening to all types of music that we're gonna do.

SPEAKER_00 50:01

Right, you're right, you're right. I'll listen to everything. Um Are you gonna sing her?

SPEAKER_03 50:06

I think so. Who was what was we looking? What was we listening to in the car? Regret. Regret.

SPEAKER_00 50:12

Um, do I need to put on like an instrumental?

SPEAKER_03 50:16

No, because I'm just gonna do a little bit if I can remember the words. Okay.

SPEAKER_00 50:19

Oh, you oh, oh you okay. Let me sit back, relax then. Yeah, because let me just listen.

SPEAKER_03 50:24

Oh, you didn't want me to sing because we don't have to. I could just play a song. Is that what you wanted me to do?

SPEAKER_00 50:28

You could sing a little bit. We could we could sing a little bit to end this off.

SPEAKER_03 50:32

Okay, what'd she say? She was like, uh I close my eyes.

SPEAKER_00 50:37

I won't.

SPEAKER_02 50:37

I made you cool.

SPEAKER_03 50:40

You were not dude until I started fucking with you.

SPEAKER_02 50:48

Gave you swag and a duffel bag. You left the best you had. Why you wanna act like that? Yeah. You must regret the day that you love me. You must regret the day that you love me. Still tryna get back. Still tryna get back back with me. Oh.

SPEAKER_03 51:16

Still tryna get back. Something like that.

SPEAKER_01 51:20

It's her. Let's go sleep.

SPEAKER_00 51:22

Sound good, girl. Yeah, God. Hold on. No, that was beautiful. Listen, we'll mix and master it for you, make it real.

SPEAKER_03 51:33

But yes, you should listen to La Toy Lucky. She just did uh Did you watch the verses then with Tank and Tyree?

SPEAKER_00 51:39

I saw the clips. I I forgot what I was doing that night.

SPEAKER_03 51:42

Okay.

SPEAKER_00 51:42

I saw the clips, though.

SPEAKER_03 51:43

You gotta go back and watch it. Turtle knit.

unknown 51:46

Turtle knit.

SPEAKER_03 51:48

And then they they're supposed to be taking it on the road or something is going on. They are. They are. I thought that was hilarious. Uh no, Tank and Tyrese. They're taking their whole thing on the show. Yeah. They're doing the whole thing, yeah.

SPEAKER_00 52:00

Oh, nice.

SPEAKER_03 52:00

Yeah, but um, so Tank wrote that song for LaToya Lucky. And so she got to perform on versus Yeah. I believe it was Regrets, yeah. She performed.

SPEAKER_01 52:11

His writer bag is the man, Tank's writer bag. I didn't know that. Tank is one of my favorites ever in the world. I like Tank. I like Tank.

SPEAKER_03 52:16

But yeah, listen to LaToya Lucky. I'm gonna listen to Lato bag. Listen, how are you gonna put me on? All that good stuff. Do you listen to Solange? I'm gonna give you a list. It's okay.

SPEAKER_00 52:26

Just just part of the next one. Give me the list. Give me my homework. We're gonna get it right. Don't worry.

SPEAKER_03 52:31

Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_00 52:32

But yeah, for real. Appreciate y'all coming on. This was fun. This is uh day one in LA. Hopped off the plane straight to the studio.

SPEAKER_03 52:38

Man, gotta get to work.

SPEAKER_00 52:39

Gotta get to work. So you're the first one. Um, but it's been great.

unknown 52:43

Thank you.

SPEAKER_00 52:43

Set the bar high. Thank you. Set the bar real high. Oh, wow. I'm gonna do a little feedback after all this. Be like, how was my LA experience? Oh wow.

SPEAKER_03 52:50

Thank you.

SPEAKER_00 52:51

So far you're in first place.

SPEAKER_03 52:52

Appreciate you. That's a beautiful thing.

SPEAKER_00 52:54

Of course.

SPEAKER_03 52:55

Yeah. Of course. Thank you for having me. And my sister.

SPEAKER_01 52:58

Yeah, me too. Thank you for letting me.

SPEAKER_00 53:04

There we go.

SPEAKER_04 53:06

Birthday vibes, you know all the things?

SPEAKER_00 53:08

Yeah, big bully gang. Much love. Appreciate y'all tuning in. Go follow, subscribe, YouTube, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, TikTok, IG, Facebook. Did I miss any Patreon, the bonus content, all that good stuff. You know what I'm saying? The vibes are always immaculate. So appreciate you. Have a great week, a great month, a great year. Let's do that. And all the above. All of the things. One more time.