Meaux Levar: A New Orleanian's Musical Odyssey

Ready to be inspired by a musical journey of transformation? That's exactly what you get with our special guest, Meaux, an incredible singer-songwriter and true uptown New Orleanian. Meaux enlightens us with his musical evolution, his early influences, and the power of music as a transformative medium in our first segment. His story is not just captivating, but deeply touching, as we learn about his passion for various music genres and how his upbringing in a family of musicians and singers shaped his career in music.

The episode takes a soulful turn as we venture into the world of R&B. Meaux shares his thoughts on the current state of the genre, the need for more love and vulnerability, and his mission to bring back the essence of R&B—love and relationships. With his new album on the horizon, Meaux‘s dedication to this journey is palpable. We also explore how R&B music has shifted from romantic love songs to explicit content, with Meaux offering his unique perspective on staying true to one's artistic formula to create authentic music.

Lastly, we dive deep into Meaux‘s experiences in the music industry, the power of collaboration, and the challenges he's faced along his journey. His reflections on the impact of his artist family members and his honest sharing of the struggles of working with other artists is raw and genuine. But above all, we discuss the vital role of a strong support system and the importance of carving out your own path in the music industry. So, tune in for an episode filled with inspiring stories, profound insights, and lessons you can apply to your own life journey.

More information and insights please click the links below, download and subscribe to the one and only Meaux Levar
https://music.apple.com/us/album/whutz-arn-bee-vol-2/1718624980
https://youtube.com/@the_meauxlevar?si=Pu-TKtGZWHOROPGd
https://www.tiktok.com/@the_meauxlevar?_t=8i3FbenBgOl&_r=1
https://youtube.com/@_eatpodcast?si=Asyq81hBHLHhccft

Transcript

Speaker 1: 0:39

Welcome back, dear listeners, to another electrifying chapter of Experiencing Amazing Transformation podcast. We're thrilled to have you join us as we embark on a brand new adventure through the realms of personal growth, extraordinary stories and profound insight. Get ready to be captivated by the extraordinary journeys of individuals who have undergone remarkable transformations, defying odds and pushing the boundaries of what's possible. So buckle up and prepare to be inspired as we delve into the exhilarating world of self-discovery and witness the power of change unfold before our very eyes. Feel welcome back to experiencing amazing transformations, where the extraordinary becomes reality. Hello everyone, thank you for joining. Oh, it looks like. Oh, hey, mo. Hey.

Speaker 1: 2:12

Oh, wonderful Welcome, welcome, welcome, yes, so far about that, guys.

Speaker 3: 2:21

It was rough, but we got it.

Speaker 1: 2:27

We're glad to have you on. We're glad that everything worked out successfully.

Speaker 3: 2:32

Most definitely. I appreciate the opportunity. I'm so sorry. I tried to prepare, but we here, it's all good.

Speaker 1: 2:40

That's right. That's right. Sometimes you just can't prepare for the unseen. So it's all good, we're quicker and we are so excited to have you on.

Speaker 3: 2:49

Thank you so much. I appreciate it. I'm definitely looking forward to it. It's going to be good.

Speaker 1: 2:54

Yes, I agree, I agree. So, for those that don't know you and those that haven't been on the podcast, my name is Kimberly and I am the host of Experiencing Amazing Transformation Podcast, and I am extremely excited about Mo and the music that just blew me away.

Speaker 3: 3:19

Oh, god bless you.

Speaker 1: 3:21

Oh my gosh, and I cannot wait until we dive into it. Guys, I gotta tell you, when I was listening to just my random playlist and I added him to my music that I listened to and it started playing and I was like, oh, I need to find my husband. It's amazing. It just kind of, oh, it captivated me, so I just could not wait to share and just let the world know. I want to be able to use this platform to just share this gift with the world because, man, it is a gift.

Speaker 3: 4:03

God bless you. Thank you. I appreciate that so much, man, I do. You know. This is only my second ever interview, so I'm very excited about it. So I hugely appreciate it, for real.

Speaker 1: 4:16

Fantastic. Well, we are so honored to have you really so honored, oh my God, because it's only up from here.

Speaker 3: 4:24

Yes.

Speaker 1: 4:25

Yes, yes, yes. So for those that don't know who you are and where you're from, tell us a little bit about who you are.

Speaker 3: 4:34

Yeah, yes, yes, yes, yes. For everybody that's joining us, first of all, thank you so much and Asalaamu alaykum Ramachalahi, but a kattu that means may the grace, peace and mercy of God be upon you all. I am Olavar. I am a true uptown New Orleanian. I am a singer, songwriter. I used to be a B-boy back in the day. I've been blessed from both sides of my family to have the gift of music. I kind of didn't have a choice. You know, when you have family on both sides that are just musicians, you know, singers and poets and all that kind of stuff, you kind of just really don't have a choice. You know, and it was a choice that I'm happy that I didn't have to make, you know, and that's about it, you know.

Speaker 3: 5:32

I mean, as it relates to music anyway, I'm heavily deep into it. I'm deep into all types of music. I mean rock. I love rock because of the major and minor chords. I love jazz, you know, for the fusion. I love R&B for the love songs. I love country, for the stories, you know. So I love it all. I'm walking, breathing, manifestation of music by the grace of Allah, wow, yeah yeah, yeah, and that's so.

Speaker 1: 6:07

When you, you told us a little bit about your background. So when you say you grew up on both sides of your family were musical backgrounds, what all does that entail is that you playing instruments. Is that? What does that look like? What did that look?

Speaker 3: 6:25

like oh yeah, most definitely. The first instrument that I learned was piano, and I want to give a huge shout out to Yvonne Hitz. Yvonne Hitz was actually the one that was my. She was my piano teacher and manager at a time. On.

Speaker 3: 6:42

My mom put me in piano lessons. My mom is a singer, my uncle Donald, he's a singer and a bass player. My grandfather was a quartet singer for design harmonizers. And then, you know, on the other side of my family, you know my dad was a poet. You know my grandmother on that side was a singer. My auntie Joy was a singer. My uncle David was a singer. So it's like I had such a huge background of music. So it started off with piano for me and then it grew into bass and the singing. You know how it is when you know when your parents and you know well my mom and my aunt specifically used to put me in a little Christmas programs and make me sing all the solos at church. You know, so there you go. So that's the segue right there. Yeah, I started singing in church.

Speaker 1: 7:39

I love it. All the great ones do right.

Speaker 3: 7:43

You know, they do, they do. That's where they get their start.

Speaker 1: 7:46

That's right.

Speaker 3: 7:48

Oh, yeah, yeah. But from playing piano, that's where I kind of got into. I wasn't disciplined enough to learn to read music, so I played everything by ear. Miss Yvonne, she did the best that she could, I promise you she did, but I just kind of wanted to do my own thing and I think, as an adult now, I wish I would have taken this seriously and I'm going to again, you know, because I would probably be way more diverse, I guess, if I had better playing skills. But she was great. And from there, that's when I started writing music and then started applying music, applying what I learned to that, and that just started a whole other different thing for me as an artist, you know.

Speaker 3: 8:35

I was young, I was like 11, 12.

Speaker 1: 8:37

Wow.

Speaker 3: 8:39

Yeah.

Speaker 1: 8:41

Oh wow, that is amazing.

Speaker 3: 8:48

Yes, it's great. It's great, it's a beautiful story, it really is.

Speaker 1: 8:54

So you absolutely love music.

Speaker 3: 8:57

I love it to death it's. I don't know what I would do. That's my most sincere and authentic expression. You know, and I've been blessed to not really have to grab motivation from anywhere. It's like if I hear something, I'll just grab the notebook and I'll just start writing about anything you know. So it doesn't have to necessarily be an experience, it doesn't necessarily have to be anybody else's experience. I can hear the music and I can hear what it sounds like. If it sounds like depression, then it can be a sorry, sad love song. If it sounds like having a good time, then I can write. I can imagine a club scenario. You know what I mean. Like it doesn't necessarily have to be an experience, something that I have experienced. I mean, when I hear the music, it just makes me feel some kind of way, so I write about it.

Speaker 1: 10:05

Man, that is a gift and it sounds like it's fulfilling.

Speaker 3: 10:09

Yeah, it feels so good. But you know, what a lot of artists won't say is that it can be very frustrating. It can be very frustrating when you have so many ideas come at you at one time. What they won't tell you is you know, when you want to lay down these ideas, the original idea that you may have had ain't it. So you have to keep going back over it and back over it, and back over it. It took me two years to record this album because it had to be right. So initially, what I wanted to put on there, or originally how I may have written the song, I had to change it because it just wasn't it. But it became it.

Speaker 3: 11:01

And it can be very frustrating, very frustrating, to turn all of your thoughts into a format. That's like taking, that's like trying to catch a colony of gnats in a net. You can't catch a net in a net at all. That's what it feels like sometimes. So then I have to go get a jar and just, you know and see it, you know. So it can be very frustrating, I assure you, but I wouldn't trade it. I wouldn't trade it for the world. I believe Allah has given me a gift for a reason and a message. For a reason, you know, and I think it's to spread love and vulnerability and expression, especially coming from a man you know.

Speaker 3: 11:59

Yes yes, today, because it sucks To me anyway. You know who am I, but you know to me.

Speaker 1: 12:11

I mean, you're someone that is using a gift to express and say things that some men aren't able to say, or you're able to present into words or into a sound that men feel but they can't because you know, for whatever reason, their backgrounds, their issues, their things they don't want to talk about that bothered them, but you're able to say it and sing it and they can hear it in a like that's what. I'm feeling.

Speaker 3: 12:47

Right, right, I think it just has to be cool again, you know, and I think that the industry, the greats to me, who I would consider greats, I think that they gave up their formula to fit into a different type of box and I think that's why R&B, at least on the male side, is on a steady decline. You know, when you have certain artists, you know are saying some stuff that's like damn man, you're really saying that, right, you know, because I feel like they have to make the money or whatever it is. And, trust me, I've seen it with my own eyes. You know, I got partners in the industry, you know, but it's like I don't want to do that. I can't change my formula because I wouldn't be who I am. You know what I mean.

Speaker 3: 13:43

I don't have an issue with, I don't have the issue with being vulnerable in my music, you know. Yeah, it's not. You know I was around masculine men, you know, in my life that weren't afraid to be like. You know. You know, dupa love you, shaka love you. You know what I'm saying. Oh, brother, I love you. You know, drill, I love you. You know like these are coming from men. So I don't understand, like, why it's a problem to talk in music, to project to our women a certain way, without it being overly saturated with sex, you know.

Speaker 1: 14:22

Right, right.

Speaker 3: 14:25

I don't know, you know. I mean, you know, making love is good, this good is great, but when it's, when it becomes a thing like from start of the album to finish of the album and then it's talking about, you know, whatever it is and I'm not hating on anybody it's just like that's it. That's all we got to offer is money and sex. You know, I don't know, not me, because I ain't, I really ain't got no money.

Speaker 2: 14:52

I mean would you be able to put what I'm saying?

Speaker 3: 14:56

Yeah, I just want to continue to put the message out of love and put the love back into our R&B, one song at a time. That's what I say, yeah.

Speaker 1: 15:09

I think it does help too, because a lot of I would say that I would listen to R&B male artists. They they would. How we started younger listening to it. They talked about love and all that and then they went into rapping.

Speaker 3: 15:32

Yeah, oh.

Speaker 1: 15:35

So okay, now it's Volga versus like easing it in there. It's like okay yeah.

Speaker 3: 15:46

Yeah, so it's not happened. I don't know how it happened, uh huh. No, I was going to say. I don't know how it flipped from. If only from one night. I'm so into you. Um, I remember the Shy Lies had a song. Uh, they said I want to give you a five pound box of love with a billion dollar bill on top, diamonds in every corner with a big black pearl for a lock, what you know how romantic that is. Yeah, we went from that. We went from that to this stuff.

Speaker 1: 16:27

That's how you have to describe it too, this stuff.

Speaker 3: 16:30

Yeah, this stuff you know. So I'm just trying to, you know, I'm not the only one, I'm sure, but I'm I'm just, I'm just trying to get back to the, to where it was all right to, to love and express, you know, to your woman, you know, or to your man. Now, you know so so I, I, you know, that's just, that's just where we are with it and you know we got to be okay with it. But you know I can't change my formula, you know yeah. I can't change it. Yeah.

Speaker 1: 17:11

I love so with this new album um okay, so for our listeners, I know we have it in the title bringing back R and B. Well, bringing R and B back to relationships. That's how I took it. I was just yeah, yeah, yeah.

Speaker 1: 17:28

Fighting um uh being married. You know 11, 12 years being with my husband, over 17 years, it's like you know hearing it made me go. Yeah, I'm sending this um, because it just it's love. So I just feel like even in the older a marriage that's been you know around for a while, you just kind of the music just kind of brings back a like in nights of fire. So with me taking all of that like, uh, what inspired you to do this album? Um, I had, I wanted to.

Speaker 3: 18:06

I was like, well, I'll do it. Uh, I don't know what, um, um, yeah, I'm there. Wow, that sounds great. Wow, I'm gonna do a non-binary actor what I'm your in here. Oh well, what an amazing idea you are. That's a good question.

Speaker 3: 18:15

Okay, take your time, aside from me just needing to complete another work because it had been so long. My last album, reinvention I want to say that was like 2018, 2019, I think, and that album was. It was a pretty good album to me anyway, and, aside from the time gap, I just felt like this album, you know, was R&B Volume 2. Obviously, I had a first volume under a different name. I think that this album was needed and I think that it really needed to be a true R&B album, and that means, from the production and everything, there used to be albums where you could talk about a love and then a breakup and then making love, and then there was an inspirational song. Some of your most fire R&B albums had even a gospel song at the end of it. Right, yeah.

Speaker 3: 19:26

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. And the reason why this album was to give Jodacy vibes, teddy Riley vibes, dave Hollister vibes, tank Vibes, you know, troupe vibes, chucky Booker vibes. You know, like I wanted this album to give those vibes and that was honestly my inspiration behind it. Because all of those guys that I just named, you know and everybody knows, you know, anybody that knows me knows boys to men, men, condition, michael Jackson are like my top people, favorite artists, favorite band, favorite entertainer, but R&B, like the true essence of R&B. I needed this album to do that because it was necessary. And do you know that this album right here, as of now, is more successful and I mean like in streams and in views than any other album I recorded for real. And I'm shocked because when I got the Apple artist thing, I'm looking I'm just like what, 250 plate, 1.2k, what? You know what I mean, like it was, it was, it was huge, you know. So I'm, I'm grateful, but anyway, but that was my inspiration behind it. I just wanted to take all of the elements, dig into my box and get all of the guys that I listened to and just pay homage to those artists. I mean by by arrangement, by how I you know how I mixed and mastered everything sonically like I had to, man, and I was able to work with some people.

Speaker 3: 21:28

Can I give a quick shout out? Man, he was shot out to Donald D Ramsey. That's my uncle, you know, that's my go to guy. Uh, uncle, listen to this. You know he's part of the reason why I had to go back so much and redo stuff. And that's not a bad thing, because you know he, uh, he's a perfectionist and if something ain't sounding right, then who better to listen to somebody that has traveled the world for over 20, 30 years doing this thing? Um, so he was a huge contributor to my album. Um, he was shot out to Eric Nicholas. Um, another big bro. He's from the city of New Orleans as well. He's out in LA. You know he co-produced my album. It's great. Awesome, awesome.

Speaker 3: 22:15

You know. So, yeah, so far I had some OGs, you know, to help me. You know, with this, while I may have um had a lot of these songs already just formatted. You know, those guys came in on just like nine over here, over there. Now I don't think you should do that, you know, da, da, da, da da. So huge shout out to those guys. You know, uh, to those guys. E. Thank you, brother. Uncle D, you know what it is, man.

Speaker 1: 22:39

That's awesome, yes. I thank you guys, because, man, I love it. I want all my listeners to go in um those that haven't already download uh, moe's album and I'm going to put it in the link and, um, and I'm going to let him tell you a little bit of how you can listen to it and get to it after um, before we end. But, man, I love it and I'm glad you went back.

Speaker 3: 23:08

Yeah, yeah, and I mean we have to, I mean, and it's okay to, to dip and dab into, you know, to different things. You know, like like this is going to be my last R&B album for a minute.

Speaker 1: 23:21

Really.

Speaker 3: 23:22

Yeah, yeah, yeah, because, um, my first love is Neo Soul and Poetry. So I'm going to, you know, I was very, I had to think about it. It's like man, you know. So you're going to do volume three Because my, you know, um, a lot has blessed me. I've written so many songs, you know, since 16,. You know, and I'm 41 now, you know, I, just, I, just, I just have so much music and it's like man, I can make it. I can make another what's on B, volume three, volume four, volume five, but I have not done Neo Soul at all since I was a teenager. So I want to get back to my first love, which is Neo Soul and Poetry. Um, and that's going to be my next project, you know, um, and I think I think forward, that's probably what I'm going to be doing. I love R&B, I have a passion for it, but Neo Soul and Poetry, that's kind of really where it's at. I mean, like, like, like, that's what. That's what my start was, you know.

Speaker 1: 24:32

Yeah.

Speaker 3: 24:34

Um, so I definitely want to get back to that. I think I owe my support is that, uh, who have been with me for for about as long as I've been recording, you know, because that's what they kind of know me. You know, that's how they know me. I just got into R&B because I was just feeling it, but, but, but. But. Neo Soul is a different type of, it's a different type of vibe for me, you know, and I'm ready to get back into live instrumentation. Yeah, that's going to be a fight, that's going to be a fire, but we ain't going to talk about that right now. Okay, okay, man, it's going to be bad. It's going to be bad. Yeah, it's going to be a bad album. Yeah.

Speaker 1: 25:19

Yeah, awesome. So tell us, as an artist, um, how do you feel like you've evolved since you've done this album?

Speaker 3: 25:31

Man I um. So when I first started I've evolved so much vocally and even as an engineer. Huge shout out to Vsmooth Vsmooth. We were choreographers together and he is actually the one that introduced me to engineering. I went to college for it Music and Studio Performance Art at Texas Southern. He's the one that was showing me because he was the one that was recording me for free. Thank you, brother. Thank you so much.

Speaker 1: 26:21

People offered you how much studio time cost.

Speaker 3: 26:25

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, you know he's the reason why I'm so deep into engineering now, but anyway, he showed me the basics and it took me years to just kind of compound what he's taught me and things that I learned on my own. And when I say from my first my own first, that I've done myself project, which was Diamond in the Rough, that was a mixtape Up until now, night and day, night and day Vocally, there's no way I would have thought that I would sound like this now as opposed to then. I thought I sounded like this and I didn't. You know what I mean.

Speaker 3: 27:17

But you know, when you, you know, like you say when you have, when you have artists in your family, you know my mama tell me, oh no, you flat, oh no, you sharp. And Uncle D would be like, nah, bro, that ain't it you trying to do this? No, I can't even listen to it. You know, when you got people like that, that's not gonna bullshit you, that's gonna tell you. You know, like no, absolutely not, turn it off, I can't listen to it. Mama be like no, no, son, that's not how you do.

Speaker 3: 27:50

That's love, Listen, listen what you know what now you're talking about? You know I got. You know I got posters in here. I got studio stuff in here. I don't need a big studio, it's just me, my microphone and my laptop, that's it. And I engineer industry sounding projects, you know. So it didn't sound like that, you know back then, but now it does and it started. It started with this last out reinvention. Y'all go get that too, reinvention.

Speaker 1: 28:25

Oh man, and that is awesome. You got a good team.

Speaker 3: 28:31

Yeah, Listen, I have, I have some of the man. I tell you the thing, the thing that I, the thing that I like about my team, is that they don't. They don't push their, they don't push their resources on me. You know what I mean? Yeah, they don't. They don't bridle their artistic feelings or input or perspective and that just makes for a stronger me. You know what I mean? Yeah, Because I mean I, I just come from a gangsta lineage and while I won't, you know, get into all of that, you know like they to them, it's just like nothing. It's nothing.

Speaker 3: 29:36

You know, yeah, man, I used to travel and sing with this choir. Yeah, I used to travel with this dude in place. Yeah, your grandfather was over here. Yeah, yeah, you know you ain't teacher. Yeah, you don't man, it was like, yeah, so listen, if that's your sound, that's your sound back. But if it's sound good, it's sound good, and if you need me, you let me know. It's never been. Look, well, I got this going on. So why don't you come here and you talk to this person? It was, it's never been that. It's always been a work thing. You know, I had to add to work to attain. That is what I mean. So whenever I would go with my mom somewhere, whenever I would go with my uncle or my grandfather somewhere, you know, and they had to perform or something if they would bring me, it was up to me. It was up to me to do it. I have one story I went to Essence Fest for the first time and my uncle bought me right.

Speaker 1: 30:33

Yeah.

Speaker 3: 30:34

And this is before Jill Scott was big, like she was. You know, this was. This was way before our first album. She was still singing for the roots. Well, she was. She was in the I can't remember what they used to call it a lounge, but anyway she was in that lounge. She was backstage.

Speaker 3: 30:52

So I'm with him. So he'd taken me to the back tower Power was there, it was great. So he takes me back there and he's talking to Jill Scott and she's backstage bumming cigarettes. And now one time that he said oh, jill, you know, this is my nephew. Not one time it took for me to step up and say Hi, I'm, I'm Marie, I like, I like how you sounded on, you know, if you don't wear me, you know, like it was just so cool, you know, but I, yeah, man, it was just so gangster, you know. So I've never, if I, if I needed to network or needed to be in a position to where I could, you know, do things, it was up to me, it was never pushed on me and I respect that so much, you know.

Speaker 1: 31:44

Yeah. Yeah. Yeah, that is something to respect.

Speaker 3: 31:51

Most definitely yeah.

Speaker 1: 31:52

Find your, find your way. Yes, find your way. That's awesome. Oh yeah, oh yeah, I like that that is growth, yeah that is growth. So, um, I'm just throwing some questions out here for you. Um, were there anyone that you collaborated with on the album that you just want to give a shout out to or thought was amazing, or how was that collaboration? You know, how do you feel about it?

Speaker 3: 32:34

Listen. So here's the thing, and this is about to shock you, and this is the honest to God truth Nobody wants to collaborate with me.

Speaker 1: 32:47

What.

Speaker 3: 32:48

Listen, let me tell you something. There's two people that has collaborated with me on an album, and one I just finished talking about him which is my uncle, and another dude, uh, his name is, uh, uh, his name is Quinn, but he goes by Q Corvette. Those two have been instrumental in my collaborative efforts because they never said no. I don't know why. You know, and it's definitely not a stop story kind of situation, you know what I'm saying.

Speaker 1: 33:29

Yeah.

Speaker 3: 33:30

But it's like I mean, okay, you know I've been wanting to do a duet for I don't know how long. You know I can't get that to happen. You know I've been one other guys that I, you know that. I just know that I. You know, homies, man, like man, look man. You know, come get on the song with me, bro. You know, man, come to the house while I bring the studio. You know I bring the mic and stuff down there. You know, whatever it's I don't know. But huge shout out to Uncle D, huge shout out to Q Corvette. They've contributed vocally to that album more than I could ever begin to. You know. Thank them for collaborative producers. Now we start talking about production. Eric Nicholas, we got Tomaso Pinto with dope boys music. Anthony Simmons, Ronald Ronald, brian Clark played the guitar on Okay to Fly, beautiful, beautiful song.

Speaker 1: 34:27

Yes.

Speaker 3: 34:27

Yeah, okay, okay, okay, okay. To fly is like man. Yeah, who else in harmony is another producer, o'brien Pittman with O'Brien music. That's another producer. So I've had some producers collab. Now I mean, you want to talk about that man? I had man, heavy hitters, heavy hitters, heavy hitters, you know, I mean like musicians, not no beat makers, musicians, and that's that's what we want.

Speaker 1: 34:58

You can actually tell, because it's more the sound. Yeah, I got to listen to it.

Speaker 3: 35:07

Yeah, that that crisp. Yeah, that's long hours of engineering man. Man, I can talk to you for hours about the engineering process. Man, you talking about tedious process. Yeah you couldn't man. It's exactly what it says engineering yeah, I wouldn't wish that on nobody.

Speaker 1: 35:40

His work.

Speaker 3: 35:42

It's a lot of work when you think it sounds good in here on the studio monitors, which is awesome, but when you get to your car and that's like straight dog water, now you. Now you got to come back inside, go back into your sessions, adjust stuff, eq stuff, dumping back into a master suite master, it do some stuff. Then it may sound like dog water in here but sound great in the car. Man, that's a lot going on. That is it.

Speaker 1: 36:21

It's a lot to that goes into actually making music, making an album. And most definitely is, is a huge accomplishment and we just really take our hat off to you. And let you, yeah, honor you for it, because that that was some amazing work, and thank you.

Speaker 3: 36:48

Yeah, two years, that could be a lot of time for some people.

Speaker 3: 36:53

Yeah, I mean, well, it's definitely especially. You know, it doesn't just start with, it doesn't stop with just writing the song. You know what I'm saying. It doesn't stop with writing. It doesn't stop that. You write the song, now you got to arrange, now you got to figure out. You know, and pretty much for me I have all of that figured out. Now it's the music part, now it's the EQ and part, now it's the publishing part, now it's the mechanical licensing part, now it's the thinking part.

Speaker 3: 37:24

There's so much stuff that you have to do to make sure that this stuff is completed. You know, and when you hit, when you hit submit on distribution and they say rejected, now you got to go back and see what's wrong. Listen, it ain't for the week, it's not, it's not. You know, and three albums mix, four albums and yeah, yeah, yeah, four. So one mixed tape and three albums. It's been a journey. So again, huge shout out to you know D and E and you know all of the producers, you know that collaborated on this album, because I know it's a tedious process for them as well. You know, waking up to them emails like, hey, listen to this and let me know. And also, that's a huge shout out to you guys, thank you all so much?

Speaker 1: 38:24

Yes, yes. So how do you hope that listeners will connect with your music on this album?

Speaker 3: 38:35

I just hope that it makes them feel good. I hope that it brings them back to a time to where music was fun and where it made you feel something. I think sometimes we listen more to the beat. If it sounds good, then we do lyrics. I want people to get back into listening to the lyrics. If you don't like the way I sing, totally fine, but just hear what it is that I'm saying here, what I have to say, you know? Okay, put that in there.

Speaker 1: 39:13

Down amazing. Let me put that in there.

Speaker 3: 39:15

Thank you, I appreciate it. God bless you. Thank you. I just want people to you know, if it sounds good, then that's great, but I want people to listen to what it is that I have to say. And okay to fly is one of those songs where it's inspirational and we should be okay to listen to things that are inspirational. You know what I mean? Yeah, we should just have to compile a work with nothing but X, y and Z. I should be able to talk about whatever it is that I want and everything still be able to flow into each other, you know.

Speaker 1: 39:55

Right.

Speaker 3: 39:58

Yeah, and I think I accomplished that with this one. I really do here. I go, plug this thing on up here before I lose y'all.

Speaker 1: 40:08

Yeah, we don't want to lose you. Yeah, we don't want to lose me.

Speaker 2: 40:10

Right, I'm good, you can see me. Yeah, I'm good, I'm good. I'm good.

Speaker 3: 40:12

I'm good, I'm good.

Speaker 1: 40:19

Yeah, well, no, you kind of froze. You can't. No, you kind of froze. Uh-oh. Long time we use these Okay.

Speaker 2: 40:32

Am I here? Am I good, we can still hear you.

Speaker 1: 40:34

We can still hear you, we just can't see you.

Speaker 3: 40:37

Ah, ah, I'm sorry.

Speaker 1: 40:39

It's okay. I think everybody is still good, because what you have to say is amazing. Oh, now one of the um someone backstage did ask um long term. Where do you see yourself in the music industry?

Speaker 3: 41:03

Um, I really want to be behind the scenes. I don't really want to be seen on a major scale. Um, that has never really been my thing at all. Um, I want to be. I would prefer to do like intimate um settings. I would prefer to do things like um, tiny desk, you know, tiny desk stuff. And if I can do stuff like that, man, I would be so great, I would be so good with just doing that. Because I don't believe that I, I don't think I will fit in the main industry. I maybe would fit the aesthetic, but I don't think I would fit mentally in the main industry. I don't think that there's a place for me at all. Aesthetically, yes, but artistically, no. Um, there's only a couple of artists that can do that, and it's not to say that I'm not that artist. And that artist, you know, was Prince. May he rest in peace, steve. You wonder, um, we got to keep eyes on him. We got to make sure he all right all the time.

Speaker 1: 42:14

You're right.

Speaker 3: 42:16

Um, you know, Michael Jackson and those three, I mean, come on, you know, we're never going to see that ever again, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, right, yeah, um, but they were able to get into the industry and change the narratives, um, and I feel that I could do that, but I think my scale, it would be up to my supporters to help make that happen. You know what I mean? I don't think that I would just be able to get on stage and sit on my stool and and you know what I'm saying yes, I don't think so. I don't think so because that would, because that would be my vibe. I would go out there, sit on that stool, I would work the stage.

Speaker 1: 43:02

now I'm gonna work the stage now.

Speaker 3: 43:05

You know, but just on a main, on a main in the main industry. Now you know that that's not my dream. I just want to write music and be in the um and be in the background. You know, yeah, like, like, do the small stuff. That's really like. That's my dream.

Speaker 1: 43:23

That's your dream, oh yeah.

Speaker 3: 43:25

I want to connect to people like that, you know.

Speaker 1: 43:28

Yeah, yeah. So when you see yourself with the album, do you see, or do you have any upcoming performances? What's going on?

Speaker 3: 43:45

Listen, that is the question. For as long as I've been trying to record this album is as long as I've been trying to get a show together. I was actually in the mix of getting a show. It was going to be like a virtual concert, Um, but that, yeah, yeah, yeah yeah. That was supposed to be last year of the year before, but that fell through because of work.

Speaker 1: 44:07

Okay.

Speaker 3: 44:09

Yeah, that fell through because of work, but with this album I'm definitely going to rehash that idea. Um, with a with Ty. Ty is like my, ty is like my, my manager. You know, ty almost knew it was up big brother. Um, I got to rehash that with uh, with Ty, and, uh, I say he's like my manager, he, he, he. He doesn't like to be called my manager at all, but he's, he, he's the guy that I would go to for that type of stuff to get the ideas. You know, so I mess. I thought, yeah, so I mess with them when, uh, when I call them that you don't like it, so it makes me call them that even more. Yeah, but, um, yeah, with a, I'm going to rehash that idea with him and with uh. Uh, my other partner's name is heard. He's a cinematographer, photographer, man, media consultant, man, he is all of that stuff. So he's great. So we're going to rehash that idea. Um, they may not know it yet, but we are. They know now.

Speaker 1: 45:13

This way to find out something. Go to an interview.

Speaker 3: 45:17

You know, you know, um, but until then, I'm just going to do these home video studio, these home video visual things with my songs on them, just to have something for people to see. I'm not really, um, social media is not my thing at all. I personally think it's demonic and I think that's just the way that I feel. No shade or harm to anybody. I just think it's too much, you know, um, but I understand that. I understand the time that we're in and, uh, that's the only way that I'm going to be able to really be seen, which I don't like. That either. Anybody that knows me. No, I can't stand to be safe. I just want to be in my little corner. You know, I'm not that, that's just who I am.

Speaker 3: 46:04

I've never been that guy, you know, um, but I have a YouTube channel and that's where I have my little, you know, videos and I'll be making some more. And I do have a tip talk, but I don't. I only have like two videos on that. So I'm going to, I'm going to try my hardest to be more, more visual with my music. Okay, so until you know, I discuss, until I get the details for the virtual concert, then that's what I'll be doing Um and hopefully I'll be doing some more uh, some more interviews. I know I will be.

Speaker 3: 46:41

Then there's another interview that's going to be coming shortly after this. You're right.

Speaker 1: 46:47

You were right.

Speaker 3: 46:47

Oh yeah, oh yeah, oh yeah, it's coming.

Speaker 1: 46:52

I am so honored and blessed to be able to have you on before we let you go, tell, tell everyone how they can. We know you have a YouTube and a tick talk, but go ahead and can you share those links? I'll make sure I type them up, but can you share the names of them. Or, and also tell us the name of your album and one of your favorite songs? Oh, I threw that in there.

Speaker 3: 47:25

Um, one of my favorite songs on the album is is okay to fly. Okay to fly is one of my favorite songs on there. It's actually an old song, interesting fact. Um, I can be the one. I can be the woman Slow dance. Okay to fly. How can I? I'll just name those four songs. Those, those four songs are almost 20 years old.

Speaker 3: 47:59

Are you serious, I'm very serious. I wrote I can be the one I wrote, I can be the one like in 2007. I wrote I miss you when I was in college. That was 19 years ago. Um, I wrote slow dance when I was living in Atlanta, so 2008, 2009. Um, I wrote, I wrote okay to fly in 2010. So these songs are yeah, yeah, so, so right, so right. We're looking like we're looking decades old and the fact that those songs are, they just seem to know, timeless.

Speaker 1: 48:39

Yeah. That's what I said that's what I told the team. The music is timeless.

Speaker 3: 48:46

God bless you. God bless you, um. But? But you guys can find me on um, on TikTok, at the th? E underscore Mola Vaughn M-E-A-U-X-L-E-V-A-R. And it's the same thing for YouTube at th? E underscore M-A-U-X-L-E-V-A-R, at the underscore Mola Vaughn Um. I had a Twitter. I don't even know the password to that.

Speaker 1: 49:19

You can start over. Ask me, you can start over.

Speaker 3: 49:22

Yeah, you know, so I'll, I'll get back into it, you know. I just I just need to baby step into that. It's not, it's not really that important to me. You know what I mean? Um, the artistry and I, in order for me to get my artistry out there, platforms like yours and you know and others, is how I want to get out there. You know what I mean? Yeah, posting and reposting and liking shit it makes me cringe, it really does.

Speaker 1: 49:47

It's work. But, it's work.

Speaker 3: 49:48

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. But guess what? I am so grateful for everybody that has um supported, um the album thus far. Like I said, you know I'm getting shazams. You know the music is on tick, tock and and, and, and, and, youtube, and all of this, you know. So I'm getting monetization, you know, from those things, man, I'm, I'm just, I'm grateful, I'm grateful. You know, um, yeah, yeah, I'm grateful. Well, we are, so we're excited.

Speaker 1: 50:22

We're grateful for the music, we're grateful for good, solid, wholesome R&B love back. I'm a pleasure, yes, yes and it's. I'm telling you. It's only up from here and we are behind you 100%.

Speaker 3: 50:42

So Thank you so much. Thank you, oh, and the name of the album is a what's R&B volume to the spelling is a little crazy, but just go up on music or Spotify. Just type in my name, mo Lovar, and everything will pop up M, e, a, u, x, l E V A R. Mo Lovar, that's me.

Speaker 1: 51:04

That's it, that's it, that's it. We thank everyone for joining us today. This has been so amazing, so inspired. Um, before I do let you go, I want to ask one more question. What would you tell an inspiring artists?

Speaker 3: 51:28

Um, I would tell them to be gentle with yourself and your artistry. Whatever you have to say, say it. Don't doubt your gift, don't hide it. And um stand 10 toes on what type of artists you want to be. Don't try to fit into anybody's narrative except yours. Um stand, stand on business. You know with what type of artists you want to be and everything will work out fine. Not in your time and God's time.

Speaker 1: 52:12

Man, y'all heard it first. I was so excited to be here with some very uh, encouraging and inspiring Um, that's it. Stand on the artist you want to be. I like that.

Speaker 3: 52:25

Yeah, stand on it.

Speaker 1: 52:27

That's good. That's good, yeah. So everyone, I want you guys right now to go to Apple Spotify. Where else is it? Is it on all platforms?

Speaker 3: 52:38

Man, it's on everything, Uh, apple music, itunes, spotify, title. I know those are like the main ones, pandora, even Napster. You remember Napster? We still have Napster.

Speaker 1: 52:48

No, I wrote it.

Speaker 3: 52:51

Yeah, yeah, we still have Napster. Um, yeah, I mean so, so, so, all of them. You can find the album there again. It's called uh, it's entitled what's R&B, volume Two. Like I said, it's spell funny, but you'll see me, it's a purple. It's a purple, um, album cover with me, you know, by the microphone. It's great, it's great. I'm just typing my name, uh, mola Vaughan, m-e-a-u-x-l-e-v-a-r, and uh, you'll see it and I, and hopefully you'll enjoy some of the other works as well, um, thank you all so much for tuning in. I'm, I'm, I'm grateful.

Speaker 1: 53:25

Yes, Thank you all so much for tuning in and um make sure y'all go on um all of the platforms. Y'all know how I am. I want y'all to go on every platform, yeah, and definitely go listen, support, um. Follow him on. Make sure you subscribe to his YouTube page. Make sure you subscribe to um, his soon to be Twitter. We'll get that information for you.

Speaker 3: 53:53

Um, yeah, it's most definitely.

Speaker 1: 53:57

Cause it's going to happen, all of it's going to happen. Sometimes you get in this lane and God just kind of catapult you in, which we know is happening in your life right now.

Speaker 3: 54:07

Most definitely.

Speaker 1: 54:08

Man, would you like to come on.

Speaker 3: 54:13

I would love to come back on. I would love to come back on. I appreciate it so much. Like I said, you know I got to get my feet wet with these things, you know.

Speaker 1: 54:26

Well, we thank you so much. We thank you for your time. We thank you for this opportunity to have you on Everyone. You guys will be able to go on Experience in Amazing Transformation podcast page, which is eat-podcastorg for those of you that don't know, and you 'll be able to listen to this interview again, and also his album will be connected to this on that page. So make sure you guys go listen and just enjoy him. Okay, thank y'all so much, thank you Thank you so much.

Speaker 1: 55:01

And Mo, we just thank you and we can't wait to have you back on. We pray God's blessings abundant over you. And God, I truly I know I said this before, but I truly want God to just blow your mind.

Speaker 3: 55:18

My shalom, my shalom. Yes, it's going to happen.

Speaker 1: 55:21

It's your season, it's your time, and it's going to happen. And it's going to just breathtaking. Just bask in it.

Speaker 3: 55:29

Thank you so much. I'm going to receive that.

Speaker 1: 55:32

Oh well, we're going to give you your time back. We love you so much. Thank you so much Thank y'all. And we'll see you guys next time.

Speaker 3: 55:45

All right, y'all be cool.

Speaker 1: 55:48

Bye.

Speaker 3: 55:49

Bye.