Blind I | The Boutique Music Blog | Quality Over Quantity.

BRITTANY BOSCO

Ready For The World: Brittany Bosco

Brittany Bosco is a dynamic artist. Musically, she’s a chameleon that radiates colors, moods and energy with every note. Her vocal range is as tremendous as her production. She’s a grounded, southern belle, cultivating a sound that’s two steps ahead of other singers. Her EPs, City of Nowhere and Spectrum, reached thousands of ears and cooked up an appetite for her official debut, Black.

This winter, Bosco will deliver a gem for audiophiles, full of live instrumentation, invigorating vocals and unique overtures. The Savannah native recently did a series of shows in New York City that roused the underground scene and got people talking. We have been waiting for Brittany’s defining moment, which is undoubtedly approaching.

Interview after the jump.

Blind I For The Kids: You just wrapped a few NYC shows. Were they your first?

Brittany Bosco: No, my first time in New York was last year at the Knitting Factory with Peter Hadar, before it closed.  But this time, I did a show with the Jaspects and Kimberly Nichole. I did some interviews and Honey magazine was there. I had a really good time—it was dope.

Blind I: Some artists consider NYC a litmus test—a good gauge of constructive criticism since the crowds are tough? Do you agree?

Bosco: Yes they are tough crowds, I do agree. It takes them a little while to warm up. But if you’re gifted at your craft then you can win them over though. It’s not hard.

Blind I: What is your most memorable concert experience thus far?

Bosco: My most memorable show would be the one I did in March with J*Davey. I went out right before them and the crowd was totally into the performance and they were participating. It moved me so much.  I felt all of the crowd’s energy that night and I gave back to them what they were giving to me.

Blind I: You seem to incorporate many theatrical elements into your shows.

Bosco: To me, performing is just like acting. I think entertainers play a lot of different roles onstage. You have to be your own hype man, singer and sometimes background singer, yet still engaging the audience and remembering your lyrics and cues from the band. You have to take all of that into consideration.

Blind I:  I read that you are classically trained. “Black and White” feels like opera at times—it’s beautiful. How did you get involved in music?

Bosco: I got involved in music traditionally from the church. And from the church I went to audition for local plays and the chorus in the school. In high school I started developing my voice and my teacher really believed in me. She’s an opera singer and she had me singing Bach and nothing like you’ve heard from me, almost like Broadway. Then, I was asked to be a part of the Savannah Symphony Choir with like older people and I was like, ‘What am I doing here?’ Then, I got out of school I started with this hip-hop group called Dope Sandwich I used to do backup for them. They’re really great guys and I started to have my own little shows and branched out from them and that brought me to where I am today.

Blind I: You grew up in Savannah. Was it tough breaking into music from there?

Bosco: People consider the south to be on the slower side or a little bit late to get music.  But what I appreciate about Savannah is that it gives you time to craft your gift and study it and be inspired. It all depends on what side of Savannah you see. I grew up around the art community and went to art school and I really think that helped me develop my gift. The architecture and the greenery; it’s a very beautiful city and it inspired me to do what I’m doing today. It is difficult to start there. It’s a small scene and you can dominate it quickly and just be out.  I started beginning to take my career more seriously so when I felt that I’d done all that I could, I decided to go to Atlanta. And it opened doors for me.

Blind I: The Atlanta seems to be opening up in terms of experimental music. How would you describe the culture there and where does Brittany Bosco fit?

Bosco: The only difference from Savannah and Atlanta is that Atlanta has more people and a huge club scene. It’s more mainstream here like Soulja Boy and that’s not quite what we’re trying to do.  Personally, I don’t think I would fit anywhere. I don’t fit in the soul area or the hipster scene and I definitely don’t fit into the mainstream. So me and my collective started doing our own thing, like this is our kind of music this is what we do. I’m not going to compromise.

Blind I: You have this extraordinary voice, and people seem to focus so heavily on beats nowadays. Do you ever feel like you’re cheating your vocal talents?

Bosco: It is definitely hard to balance all of those different styles of singing. Sometimes people go to a show and expect to see the same thing and the minute you change it up they’re caught off guard. But with this new project, it doesn’t really give them space to say I’m going to a Britney show and this is what I’m expecting. People who know me appreciate all sides but you have to be open to different things. You have to allow the artist to grow and you shouldn’t want them to stay the same. I think that we’re now developing a strong balance. Somebody once said the best way to describe my album is like you’re defining yourself in your diary but you decided to put it on CD.

Blind I: It’s challenging to categorize your EPs. You incorporate jazz, classical, soul and hip-hop into your music. Will your next album be a bit more streamlined or move between genres?

Bosco: We’re going to begin to streamline my sound. Of course it’s going to be different variations, but you can have a certain style track and just used vocal sounds on it. As far as the music and production side of it it’s actually going to have a sound to it but the difference is the way I approach the track. I’m really excited about that to see how it develops and how it comes out.

Blind I:  Tell me about the concept behind your upcoming album Black. What’s the mood? What kind of story is it telling?

Bosco: First of all, black is like me. It’s my favorite color. We came up with the concept like there is a depression in the music that is being made. Music is not like it used to be. And if you remember like the Great Depression when that happened, I feel that with the economy and music like it was, it’s kind of like that present day. The reason why it’s called black is because we want to show people a different light. Like this is not what music really is!  And the other side of that is people’s perception of what black music is. People think black music is just the people on the forefront, but truth be told, we are the creators of everything from tribal drumming, church music, to funk to blues. People take from our culture and apply it to theirs. It’s a shame that people think that black music is just what you hear on the radio and things that you see, but it’s not. And that’s what I see my album doing – showing another route, another sound, another look.

Blind I: Which producers did you work with? Do you have a team that does most of your music?

Bosco: Yes, I work with Alex Goose, who did the Blueprint 3 outtakes recently. He got thousands of downloads in a few days. I’ve also worked with Omar Ferrer who’s worked with people like India Aire and Anthony David but what he’s doing for me is way different from what he’s done for others. I work with this band called Jungle. I think they have the potential to be the next Black Lips or the next Deer Hunter. They’re very skilled musicians and very down to earth. I also worked on a song with Spree Wilson.

Blind I: Do you write most of your own music?

Bosco: I wrote all of my own music from City of Nowhere to Spectrum but on this album my team is going to help me cultivate the songs. Usually I come out with an initial idea and they kind of pick it apart and put it back together. It’s not a one-man-band so everybody helps me with everything and I like it that way.

Blind I: Have you picked a single and are you shooting any videos? “Blues for Blue” was great!

Bosco: We are probably going to have a single by the end of October.  As far as the video is concerned, we’re most likely going to do a visual for the song it’s not going to be like “Black and White” because we’re doing something totally new and fresh from packaging to branding. It’s really exciting we’re all putting our heads together trying to do something different.

Blind I:  Is there anything else about you or the process of making Black or you as an artist that you’d like to share with your fans?

Bosco: When people see all of the fruits of your labor they think its all glitz and glamour and for show. But me and the Big Up, we work very hard for all the things we accomplish. I just want people to know that if you have a dream work hard, don’t give up and stay with your team. And I want to thank them for supporting me!