You may know the little ditty The Sweetest Day Of May. Well, my friends, this May will be real sweet when we see the release of N’Dambi’s new album Weird Kinda Wonderful. But read for yourself what N’Dambi has to say about her music.
[edit: it looks like the new album will need a few more months for mixing etc. and won’t be out until summer.]

Q: In 2004 you’ve spend some time in Europe/The Netherlands. How influential was this time for you? And what struck you as very different over there compared to life in the USA?

N’Dambi: The difference I noticed with life in Europe/The Netherlands compared to life in the USA was no one seemed to be in a rush. I mean, there was a general hustle and bustle in the streets but people were mingling amongst friends and family during the day when most Americans are tending to the daily grind of work. There seemed to be a real sense of value in cultivating community and while work was important, it did not appear to be more of a priority than family/society.

Q: I guess you have a good insight what it’s like to be with a major label through your collaboration and touring with Erykah Badu. Your releases so far were very successful for an independent release. So I think there certainly were a few major labels interested in signing you. Yet you’re still an independent artist. Where do you see the advantages and maybe disadvantages of being idependent?

N’Dambi: As with anything there are advantages and disadvantages to being an independent artist. I think one of the more rewarding reasons why artists choose this option is for creative freedom - the unabashed ability to put down whatever moves one to fancy without explaining and having to defend its importance. Another reason is the reality of owning ones master recordings does not seem so far fetched. There are no time lines that one has to adhere to so, one can make an album when they are inspired instead of in time for a deadline. However, not having the financial resources may be the biggest reason why many artists are discouraged from trying this approach. Having to pay for producers, writers, graphic artists, photographers, marketing etc. from ones own pocket up front can be a big hurdle. That means you have no set budget given by a label to work from so sometimes, records can take longer to make. However on the bright side, if one uses their own means to pay invest in themselves they can rest assure they don’t owe anyone. Not having the ability to affect a certain music market all at once may not be realized quickly as an independent. You usually don’t have the access to major radio and you rely heavily on word of mouth to get you to the people. At the end of the day, the choice to be independent or a major label artist must be something as an artist you can live with.

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