Wayna pop quiz — SXSW Artist

Based in Maryland, Wayna is a 2009 Grammy Nominee (Yes, a Grammy Nominee!) who is blazing trails with her indie R&B.  She was in the Best Urban/Alternative Performance Category, which tells you she’s anything but traditional.  Though Chrisette Michelle’s “Be OK” featuring will.i.am was chosen over her song ”Lovin You (Music)” featuring Kokayi,  it’s all about the nomination in popolio’s book.  She’s popolio’s  first Grammy-nominated pop quiz artist.*  From the Grammys to SXSW, her show is next Wednesday, March 18, 2009, at The Mohawk Patio (912 Red River Street) at 1o:00 PM.  She’s part of the urban bill there that includes our first SXSW popolio pop quiz artist this week, Kendra Ross.  More info at the SXSW site here.

March 13, 2009

Name:   Wayna
Genre:   R&B/Soul/Hip Hop/Singer-Songwriter
Latest Release:  Higher Ground
Release Date:   April 15, 2008

This, That, or the Other
1. Underground OR Mainstream? Mainstream
2. Maintain Artistic Integrity and Vision OR Make a lot of Money? (or both)??? Both, but if I have to lean toward one, it would be Integrity/Vision.
3. Studio or Stage? Stage, I love vibing off the band and the audience.  Anything can happen at any moment.
4. Spirituality OR Hedonism? Spirituality, it is at the heart of everything.
5. Make Love, Have Sex, OR %$*!? All of the above, but with the man I love.

Fill in the Blank
6. Music is my escape, my best mode of communication, and the boyfriend with whom I have a slightly obsessive relationship.
7. I’m musically inspired by a story that needs to be told.
8. My favorite old school joint is “Yesterday” by The Beatles.
9. If I was a super hero I’d be The Bionic Woman with Wonder Woman’s jet and jewelry.
10. Sex, Drugs, and Rock & Roll should change to Truth, Wine, and Live Instruments.

Short Answer
11. I make music because:  It is the only job I would do for free.
12. I want my fans to:  Feel inspired and to keep inspiring me.
13. If I could share one thing about myself it would be:  Nothing motivates me more than being underestimated.
14. Wild Card!  My ideal vacation is laying on a quiet beach with a mimosa and good book.
15. I want my musical legacy to be:  Making a catalogue that is appreciated many years to come and that really captured what people of my time were thinking and feeling.

 

 Enjoy the track, “Daydream,” from Higher Ground.  Check out Wayna’s MySpace Page.

 Wayna’s favorite old school joint!

* Editor’s Note:  Though officially our first EVER featured Grammy Artist was Lisa “Left Eye” Lopes, though posthumously.  I interviewed her brother, Ron Lopes, for a popolio podcast regarding her first posthumous release, Eye Legacy.  TLC is a four-time Grammy-winning group.  You can find that popolio podcast interview posted in January 2009 here.

 

 

Single and Listening

Single Reviews by Release Date

♪	♫	♫♪	♫♫	♫♫♪
all over the place	carries a tune	part of the chorus	featured soloist	conducting the choir

 

I’m am actually a fan of the following ladies,  Brandy, P!nk, and Christina Aguilera, believe it or not, but their latest releases have me underwhelmed.  I’ll let my reviews speak for themselves.  Am I being too harsh?

Brandy “Right Here (Departed)” Released: August 13, 2008
From Upcoming Release:  Human ♫

Not the strongest choice for a song kicking off a come-back, but not the lightest fair either.  Obviously, a tribute song for those who have passed, but is it meant to encompass a general “letting go” altogether, too?  Not a bad ditty for the subject matter with an okay sing-along quality.  Not sure if it’ll catch on.  In 1995, Mariah’s and Boyz II Men’s memoriam song, “One Sweet Day,” had mass appeal.  Maybe this will too.  It does bring to mind that Brandy has recently accidentally taken life and that makes one wonder if that’s part of what’s prompted this release.  Overall, not a memorable single, though it may be a grower.  Brandy’s recently leaked songs would have made stronger impacts.  Knowledge of her experiences the last few years and the title of her upcoming release, Human, are intriguing enough to wonder how those experiences will shape the lyrics and sound of the other songs and her growth as an artist.

P!nk “So What” Released: August 15, 2008  From Upcoming Release: Funhouse ♫♪*

Surprisingly, this single has peaked at Number 2 on the Billboard Hot 100.  This song sounds like material from P!nk’s last album, I’m Not Dead.  Competent and catchy, the problem isn’t that it’s good, it’s that it’s not better.  It’s more of the same going nowhere new.  Name-checking L.A. Reid and Britney Spears in “Don’t Let Me Get Me,” which was part of a fresh sound from P!nk on Missundaztood, revealed her cleverness, insight, and vulnerability.   Satirizing young Hollywood “Stupid Girls” the last go around was deep and relevant commentary set to a catchy tune.  But name-checking her ex and Jessica Simpson becomes tired retread like the song itself.         

Christina Aguilera “Keeps Gettin’ Better” Released:  September 8, 2008
From Upcoming Release:  Keeps Gettin’ Better –  A Decade of Hits ♫ 

This is the first single from Baby Jane’s upcoming first greatest hits package.  Ms. A has been touting the futuristic, pop art, high fashion influence on her new stuff in the press lately, but this doesn’t sound edgy or forward-thinking at all.  Sounding like a P!nk left-over, this track makes me nostalgic for the nostalgia of Back to Basics.  She’s talked about a return to pop from the soul sound of the last album, but this pop song is missing the “snap,” “crackle,” and “pop”.  The electro blips don’t sound like something new, they sound like every other mainstream artist’s “futuristic” attempt since the dawn of Y2K.  The Super-Bitch and Super-Girl imagery is clever and that is in line with the bright colors of pop art.

*9/18/08 Update: Since this review P!nk’s single has taken the number 1 spot on the Billboard Hot 100.