I had the opportunity to chat with Suzann last week and got details about why she decided to pursue a career in music, what she's learned from being in the industry, and advice for any aspiring artists.
Check out our interview below
What made you decide to pursue a career in music?
The main reason is because it was the only thing that I could think about doing. Even as I worked a full time job, that's all that I wanted to do. I'll admit that I started slacking at my job towards the end because I didn't wanna be there anymore because I started burning myself out from going to the studio late at night, writing songs while I was at work, building my website, and things like that. I started doing stuff for myself and my music and it was really the only thing that made me happy. I don't wanna do anything else.
Who would you say would be one of your main musical influences?
There are many. I'm one of those people who doesn't have favorites; like I don't have just one movie that I like, one book, one album *laughs* there are many. I would say people like Luther Vandross, Teena Marie, Lauryn Hill, and Mary J. Blige. Those are the artists that I grew up listening to and they definitely influenced me a lot. Whitney Houston is another major influence for me.
How has crowd reception here in Philly been for you so far?
Crowd reception has been pretty good. I've done a few shows last year and I've gained fans from those shows. I think that's a sign that I'm being received well because people com back to my shows and wanna hear me sing and actually check out my music. There are some times where I get to a show and there will be people who've never heard of me before and after the show, they wanna see me perform again.
What are your thoughts of women in the industry starting to collaborate with each other more and bringing back that sense of unity in music?
I think it's a great thing because what needs to be taking place and we need to show more unity between women. There's always that feeling of competition between women whether it be female rappers going against each other, or singers going against each other. We need to go back to the days where there was Whitney Houston, Kelly Price, and Faith Evans coming together on one song and Brandy and Monica coming together for a song, etc. I think it would definitely be well received and it needs to happen. There are a lot of female artists here in Philly that I would really like to work with, but we're all so busy that it's hard to get together, but that's what I would really love to do and see happen.
What are your thoughts on social media playing such a huge role in the music industry now?
I have two sides when it comes to social media. I think it's beneficial and can be a great advantage to artists, but at the end of the day it could also be bad. It's all about how you use it and what you put out there; some people may put out all of who they are on a social networking site and some just want to put out a little bit and aren't that transparent. I think that I'm transparent *laughs* I don't really hold back my feelings on my social networks. I think that's important because being a musician, you need to have people be able to relate to you and understand you.
How would you describe your songwriting process? Does it tend to be more hectic or therapeutic for you?
A lot of the time it tends to be more therapeutic. Songwriting works in many ways; sometimes I feel a certain way and I go through some tracks, and I may try to find that one track that connects with the way I'm feeling at the time. There are also other times when I write music and there's something specific that I need to write to and depending on what emotions that track is giving me, that's what I give to the track, if that makes any sense. A lot of music that I've done is based on experience.
What are some of your main career goals that you have planned out?
Right now I'm working by myself, so I just wanna find a real team. A team that I can work with, a team that can work with me, understand my vision and can take me to new levels. You always want to go upward in your career and you always want to connect with new people. People talk about "no new friends", but in reality, in our field you have to meet new people all the time, connect with new people, and sometimes you befriend people. Starting relationships and going outside of Philadelphia is a major goal; I'll be going to LA very soon to get some networking done out there, I want to hit up Atlanta and New York more often as well. It's time to expand my fan base and distribution; hopefully I can get some kind of backing, and it doesn't have to be by a major label. I'm okay with having independent labels, as long as the backing is right and everyone knows what they're doing, I'm down.
What would you say have been a couple memorable moments from your career so far?
There have been two really memorable moments. The first one was my first time performing on a big stage and that was in Miami. That was a pivotal moment in my career because it showed me what I'm really capable of; that was like God saying "This is what you can do; you can do this". I met so many people and I fit and I felt like it just made sense. Having Radio One fly me down and pay for my hotel stay was definitely a great thing and that's the kind of life I wanna live *laughs*. More recently being sponsored by a local juice called FamJuice and being able to see myself promoted in my own city on our transportation line. It was amazing and it still amazes me to this day; I scroll through my phone and look at the pictures and I'm like "I can't believe that happened" *laughs*.
What would you say has been one of the biggest lessons that you've learned so far from being in the music industry?
I would say that people are going to come and go. If you don't stand your ground, you're going to be used by people and I've been used on numerous occasions. You have to feel people out, so having the spirit of discernment is very important. Some people that you may consider your friends aren't going to stay your friends, and a lot of people are opportunists, so you have to be very cautious of the people that you're around. You're gonna come across people that aren't very good people, so you have to be wary and stay prayed up * laughs*.
You recently released a track called "Potential" that's available for free download, so what made you choose that song to start the year off?
It's one of my favorite songs and it's actual an old song. People have heard it before because at my shows I usually have CDs for people to purchase if they want to and people have heard the song and they love it. It was just like "Okay, I think it's time to start the new off right and give people a free song" and it's a good song. I had someone tell me that it needs to be on the radio in rotation, so I'm definitely trying to make that happen *laughs*.
What's some advice that you would give aspiring artists who are thinking of getting into the industry?
If you want to be an artist, you have to get yourself out there and get yourself heard. Start going out to open mics, start networking, start meeting who's who, finding out who people are and things like that. Start making music too; I didn't have a studio to go to all the time, but I invested in myself. You have to invest in yourself. Some people say they've lived the struggling artist life and I've done it myself, but at some point you have to have a job or something to support what it is that you're trying to do. I bought a Mac computer and bought a very sucky mic *laughs*and I started doing songs that were already out, and just re-writing to them. If you can't write, then at least put out some covers of songs and work with people who are good writers.
I know you have a show coming up on the 19th at Warm Daddy's, but are there any other projects or anything that people should be on the lookout for?
I do have another single coming out soon, it's gonna be an iTunes single. It's very different than what everyone has been hearing from me, but it's a crossover song that I believe people will love. I don't have a date yet, but the song is done and the video is done, so be on the lookout for that. Also, to go back to perfecting your craft, when you're in your youth (ages 10-18) that's when you start finding out who you are and what you like to do. It's important to get yourself involved in programs that support that. I do have a non-profit organization called SCH Creative and Performing Arts and we're starting to enroll students. We have dance, musical theatre, and we also have a fashion styling class.
Be sure to follow Suzann on Twitter, Instagram, and Soundcloud and be sure to get tickets to her upcoming show at Warm Daddy's on January 19th.