Tweet
Hey Y’all, the comeback of Tweet is ON!! She joins Terrill to chat about her upcoming release, “Love, Tweet”, coming soon in June 2008!! She also speaks out about her influences, tour information & much more! We welcome Tweet!!
Terrill: As The Urban Music Scene.com continues to move forward, we have one of the hottest ladies in the game of the Urban R&B scene, We are more than privileged and honored to share some special time with R&B vocalist Tweet! What’s up girl?
Tweet: Hey, what’s up?
Terrill: Nothing much, what’s up with you?
Tweet: I’m just excited! I got a new release coming out, so you know I’m trying to contain all the excitement and joy I have just to be back in game again.
Terrill: To be back in the game. How long has it been since the last release?
Tweet: “It’s Me Again,” came out in 2005.
Terrill: About 3 years! OK! Alright! And of course you’ve collaborated on a few other deals too right?
Tweet: Yes.
Terrill: Talk to us about some of those collaborations.
Tweet: Since then I’ve written…..I’m on (R&B vocalist) Monica’s record that was out for her last album, on Missy’s album and a couple other people. I can’t remember … but yes (laugh), it’s been a long time.
Terrill: (laugh). It’s been a long time. Cause you bring a different flavor when you come in. It’s a different flavor. One of the flavors is just a very sensual feel for your R&B sound. Do you really appreciate that feel girl?
Tweet: Yes, I mean that’s who I am. I wasn’t setting out to try to become anybody else. I want to do music the way I wanted to do it. Which is kind of funny because I never wanted to be a soul artist. I was always in groups. So to be able to come into the game and people say I have my own sound is great.
Terrill: Yes, exactly. You got to find a niche.
Tweet: Yes.
Terrill: You got that niche and people know it’s you when the music comes on.
Tweet: Right, right. That’s a good thing, that’s a great thing.
Terrill: That’s a very good thing.
Tweet: Yes.
Terrill: Too much copy catting going on out there.
Tweet: Oh of course, I’m sick of it.
Terrill: Yes, I mean really, let’s be frank about it. Urban R&B has a lot of different elements now that’s being tested and whether or not you consider anything near traditional R&B, that should be left in the ear of the listener right?
Tweet: Exactly, exactly.
Terrill: But if I do have to bring that to your attention, was there any traditional R&B vocalist(s) from back in the day that you felt influenced by? What was one of your major influences?
Tweet: Major influences. At first I have to begin with my mom and dad and the whole gospel thing from the quartet groups, The Clark Sisters and Commission. Then I move on to Aretha Franklin, Diana Ross, Marvin Gaye and the whole Motown era and Whitney Houston of course. That’s where my roots are.
Terrill: And those roots are southern?
Tweet: Southern definitely! My whole family is from the south and I was the only one who was born in New York, but other than that we are from Florida.
Terrill: (laugh), That southern hospitality! There’s nothing better than just that. Speaking of southern hospitality and knowing that’s your background. What should we expect to hear on that third album.
Tweet: Third album. I’ve decided because the second album was compromised of a little towards the new record label Atlantic and I did some more, shall we say, “hip-hoppish” sounds, I kind of compromised. But for this new album, I kind of took it right back to ‘Southern Hummingbird’. The majority of the album is what you fell in love with in the beginning of Love, Tweet. That and then a little twist. I always have to bring a little something different. But you got songs that would remind you of a motel or a my place or a smoking cigarette or some acoustic sounding stuff that I began with. That’s what you’re going to hear on my album.
Terrill: Of course, Missy Elliott worked with you on the first two albums right?
Tweet: Yes, yes.
Terrill: Is she coming out for the third?
Tweet: She’s going to be involved. We’re getting it together now. At the end of, I decided that I wanted to do this on my own and she’s going to come in on the end and give me some hot tracks at the end. In a couple of days as a matter of fact.
Terrill: When she touch that vinyl, man, she makes it hot! Sizzle!
Tweet: Exactly!
Terrill: Blaze! Make it blaze!
Tweet: Right, right!
Terrill: Yes, that’s cool! I highly anticipate the third album and I noticed that you had a collaboration with hip hop artist TI. You did something with him. What was it like working in the studio with him?
Tweet: T.I. is such a cool person. I’ve always said he has an old soul. He would remind you of someone who has been here for a long time, even though he hasn’t and he was this very mellow, very cool person. He is very serious about his craft and very cordial. That southern hospitality! All of that he has within him and just a cool dude man.
Terrill: Yes. He’s definitely growing and has a movie career coming up. Especially with the movie featuring Denzel Washington in “American Gangster.”
Tweet: Exactly.
Terrill: Him and Common. But let me ask you this, TI not being so much the only Hip Hop artist you worked with, do you have any dream artist(s) out there…..it could be Hip Hop, gospel, R&B …. Is there some music artists out there today that you would wish to work with?
Tweet: Definitely! (producer & artist) Pharrell & (actor & hip-hop arttist) Andre 3000.
Terrill: Andre 3000?
Tweet: Yes! Also, Van Hunt. I would love to do something with Amy Winehouse and Lauren Hill, if possible. That’s my strive! So, and if I could, my ultimate would have been Marvin Gaye. If he was still here or if we could hook something up with some vocals that he didn’t use. I love Marvin Gaye.
Terrill: Me too, baby. He always put those tracks together that made you sit down and chill for a minute.
Tweet: Yes.
Terrill: Before the interview, I pulled out your previous single, “Taxi” for playback.
Tweet: “Taxi,” yes.
Terrill: I was blazing it the other night.
Tweet: Yes!
Terrill: Is some of that flavor should we come to expect on your third album, “Love Tweet?”
Tweet: Yes, “Love Tweet.” It’s about love and giving back to the fans and the people that stuck with me throughout all of this. Throughout the times when I said I wasn’t going to do it anymore. Just for people who come up to me on the streets – wherever I am, on the web site to just say how my music touched their lives and just to give back to them and to sign my name on it. Like, “Love, Tweet…”. Here you go!
Terrill: Signature.
Tweet: Yes.
Terrill: Do have your own web site?
Tweet: I have a MySpace page. It’s Tweet. It’s MySpace.com/southernhummingbird and then there’s one that would bring up the early stages. It’s MySpace.com/tweetfanpage. So you could go on there. The one with southern hummingbird is my personal one – I’ll go there and try to keep people up to date on what’s going on.
Terrill: Good, good. It’s in the interview and it’s going to be published. That’s more traffic coming to you baby!
Tweet: Ok, great!
Terrill: How about some tours? What do you have planned for 2008 in regards to touring/promoting the new project?
Tweet: I want to hit the major cities, because with the last album, I didn’t. The only tour I went on was the tour with C-NOTE. I really want this time to be on the road the whole year. So hopefully I can hit every major city, every small city, & every venue. I want to do a smaller, more intimate venue so I can sing and touch the people that enjoy the music. We’re looking into doing that now.
Terrill: See and touch the people?
Tweet: Yes, exactly. ‘Cause I like to bring people on stage and have them dance and sing to them and have them perform also in the show. Show their talent.
Terrill: Please keep me in the loop so I can possibly come to see you!
Tweet: I will, I sure will.
Terrill: I’ll be right on over there front and center!
Tweet: I sure will (laugh)!
Terrill: (laugh) That’s cool Tweet! You’re hot! You know you’re gorgeous and you got a lot going for you! And we definitely, the Urban Music Scene.com wish you the best. We hope for your success and the day’s coming that we’re going to be in video soon, so you’ll be looking at us online or something.
Tweet: Right, right. I can’t wait. (laugh)
Terrill: (laugh). It’s in stage works right now and we’re getting a lot of feedback from people who are suggesting that we go that route. We need to bring it back to that stage so that people can see us.
Tweet: Yes. That would be cool.
Terrill: So where are you now?
Tweet: I am in Atlanta, Georgia, where the weather is beautiful, the people are nice and you can’t beat it!
Terrill: The ATL.
Tweet: Yes.
Terrill: That’s awesome. That is awesome. And I know you got to be excited to be signed on to Jheryl Busby’s new label.
Tweet: Yes I am. Jheryl is a wonderful person, and he has given me this great opportunity. I think we all should thank him ’cause I really wasn’t going to do this again until he came with the old opportunity and wanting to push an artist like myself. In giving me this opportunity. So I Thank Jheryl, Lisa and everyone that works with him in the business.
Terrill: Absolutely. That’s complete experience backing you up and hopefully that will amount to success. Keep your focus girl.
Tweet: Yes I will.
Terrill: Keep your focus! It’s been an honor. I thank you so much for your time today. I’m not going to hold you back from a beautiful day in the ATL!! (laugh)
Tweet: (laugh) Yes!
Terrill: And I look forward to doing a part 2 down the road. Another interview after the CD is released?
Tweet: Yes, lets do it.
Terrill: Let’s do it. All right Tweet, Thank You!
Tweet: OK, Bye!
Tweet: OK, Bye!