Interview with Koren Washington


Q: Please tell me something about yourself. Where you're coming from musically and who or what had influenced you to pursue a career as musician?

Koren Washington: I'm a native of Denver, CO - USA; a Pisces; student of yoga; love to travel. My sole motivation as a musician is to honor my truth. To me that means expressing my true emotion and conveying honesty in my lyrics. This is essential, because I spent a great deal of time hiding what I really felt. I also want my music to be a unique reflection of my influences - which are r&b/hip-hop, jazz, and British rock. While other artists inspire me, I honestly believe that my actual pursuit of doing this is in the blood. Both of my parents are musical and were in various groups when they were younger, and my paternal grandmother was a gospel singer. As it often happens though, their dreams were dashed once the routine of adult responsibilities set in. So those seeds of desire were passed on to me, I believe. Music is what I always wanted to do. Ever since I can remember, music has been my companion. Singing, in particular, is sacred to me somehow. You are the instrument. When I got sick as a child, the way I knew that I was well again was that I could sing again.
I always dabbled in performing - plays, talent shows, weddings, guest spots in bands, but I thought that it would be much more pragmatic to take the secure and respectable route. So I focused on academics and went to college with the intention of becoming a doctor. Medicine wasn't for me, but I stayed on the safe path for a bit. The reality, though, is that the urge for an artist to express only grows stronger the more it is ignored - and you will go mad if that part of you isn't honored. Well, the urge nearly took me over, so I finally got to the place where I had to acknowledge that I am a singer/songwriter, as much as I am female and black. So it was that inner thing that forced me to actually pursue this as a career.

Q: The music on The Experiment is quite diverse ranging from house, soul, jazz to urban/R&B. Where do you see your musical niche and what was your motivation to record The Experiment the way you did?

Koren Washington: The diversity of genres was intentional. My comfort zone vocally is jazz and r&b and yet many styles of music inform me as an artist, so I don't want to hover solely in one area, even though it's all related. The record was really Tymm's challenge to me to play outside of the box and experiment with new stuff, hence the title. As the concept became more comfortable to me, I wanted it to be a musical ride. Generally speaking, as far as a niche is concerned, if I had to give my approach a label, I'd call it "left of center soul".

Q: How did you meet Tymm Oblique and how important was he as producer for The Experiment?

Koren Washington: Tymm and I were featured members in a band that was pretty popular in Detroit. I was a background vocalist and he was one of the horn players - he's a fantastic trumpet player. We were performing quite a bit and hit it off because we were the only members who didn't smoke or drink. We hit it off and I learned that he also produced and had been wanting to work with a singer/lyricist. Musically, we completely embraced the other's individuality. That creates a comfort level that is so important when you are creating something - knowing that you can bring all of you to the table. He didn't blink if I mentioned Ella Fitzgerald and Bjork in the same breath, and I loved that he could be so free to improvise and venture away from structure and rules.

Q: My favourite song on the Experiment is Fish Out Of Water. Please tell me the story behind this song. Why did you wrote it?

Koren Washington: I hope you know that you tug at my heart for stating that, because that song is so personal and special to me. 'Fish' was born the day that I learned that my marriage was legally over. Literally, the moment I hung up from getting the news, the words poured out and sang to me. All of my emotions and thoughts had been organized. As a writer, I experienced what it is to have an entire song lyric come through you.

Q: Why isn't there a Koren Washington website yet? The copyright notice on the CD says 2003 so it's been some time since you've finished the Experiment and a website is always a good tool to promote your music.

Koren Washington: You're right. Actually, there will be a Koren Washington website very soon. It will be a great way to communicate with listeners about tour dates and such and to promote the music.

Q: You've told me that you're working on new material. What will it sound like and when will you release it?

Koren Washington: What I can say is that the new material will be a bit more naked/unplugged - more organic. As for time of release, if all goes according to plan, it will be out later this year.

Q: The Experiment was released by yourself. Do you like to stay independent with future release or would it be an option for you to do some labelshopping and possibly sign with a record label?

Koren Washington: At this point in my career, I want to stay independent, so the next release will be me again. I really enjoy the autonomy and entrepreneurial aspect of being an independent artist. It's nice to have control over my sound and image, which gives me more room to explore. I certainly don't rule out the possibility of a label deal at some point, but even then I see myself with a smaller outfit.

Q: With whom would you like to work on future projects and why?

Koren Washington: As far as producers are concerned, I'd love to work with Glen Ballard, Kanye West, Rich Harrison, Dallas Austin. Really, I respect all of their bodies of work, their innovation, and the diversity of the artists they've all worked with.

Q: Please tell me you all time top 10 of favourite songs.

Koren Washington: It is truly painful to try to answer this question; it would have been nearly impossible if you had asked for 100, but if I were stranded on an island today, the list of companions that come to mind would be:

1. When Doves Cry (long version) - Prince
2. He Loves Me(Lyzel in E flat) - Jill Scott
3. Duetto No.2 from Lakme' - Delibes
4. Joga - Bjork
5. Still Ray - Raphael Saadiq
6. All I Do - Stevie Wonder
7. This Woman's Work (MTV Unplugged version) - Maxwell
8. Mr. Paginini/You Have To Swing It - Ella Fitzgerald
9. Remember The Time - Michael Jackson
10. Fragile - Sting

For more infos visit cdbaby.com and read my review of The Experiment.