The Grammy’s  are coming up this Sunday, February 8, 2009, celebrating 51 years of recognizing the music industries biggest artists.  The Grammy’s organizes awards by fields, categories, and genre’s, which means there’s more awards to hand out then there is air time, and every year we only see a handful of the major players win their glory on national television, while many independent artists nominated go unnoticed in Hollywood’s limelight. 

For the first “Lo Down” interview of 2009, I wanted to get the perspective of an artist who hustles and grinds like many of us do on the daily.  Another testament that being unsigned may not be a bad thing after all.  Fellow publicist and iLL homie Fiona Bloom approached me with the opportunity to interview one of her client’s, Grammy nominee Wayna, to share her insight’s on the path to the Grammy’s.

Wayna, is nominated in the category “Best Urban /Alternative Performance” along with a few more names you’ll recognize, if you keep your ear to the blogosphere.  

Nominees for Best Urban /Alternative Performance
(For solo, duo, group or collaborative performances, with vocals. Singles or Tracks only.) 

Say Goodbye To Love
Kenna
Track from: Make Sure They See My Face
[Star Trak/Interscope]

Wanna Be
Maiysha
Track from: This Much Is True:
[Eusonia Records]

Be OK
Chrisette Michele Featuring will.i.am
Track from: I Am
[Def Jam]

Many Moons
Janelle Monae
Track from: Metropolis: The Chase Suite (Special Edition)
[Wondaland/Bad Boy]

Lovin You (Music)
Wayna Featuring Kokayi
Track from: Higher Ground
[Quiet Power Productions, LLC]

*source – www.grammy.com

 

The Grammy nod for D.C resident, Ethiopian born vocalist/songwriter Wayna, comes as a result of  hard work, smart decisions, and believing it to be possible.  To truly make your passion as an artist into a career, it takes more than what the average person is willing to put in, talent alone can’t always get you on the path to success.  Being business savvy is often times the difference between art as a hobby, and art as a career. With Wayna’s music going beyond the realm of soul by exploring and experimenting in diverse pop, electronic, and hip hop sounds, along with making smart business decisions, Wayna was able to achieve a highly coveted goal that many artists strive for.  The road to the Grammy’s may not be easy, but as Wayna recounts her journey, it is inspiring to know that anything is possible when you follow your personal legend.

What steps did you and your team take to get nominated for a Grammy? 
I started networking in the DC Chapter of the  Recording Academy, where I’m based, and then the following year I became a member and went to the actual show in LA. My sophomore release, “Higher Ground”, dropped a few months later, and I submitted the album for consideration.

Who does your team consist of?  How many people are involved in managing your career?
It is myself, a two-person management team – High Exposure,  publicity extraordinaire Fiona Bloom, and Jeneba Ghatt, who handles my email  list and supports in various ways.  I also rely on SEVERAL friends  and consultants who help out on special projects from designing  flyer’s, to booking shows, to managing my facebook.  

What lessons have you learned through this phase of your career?
To believe wholeheartedly in what you are doing  and the ultimate vision you have for yourself.  Nobody, even those who  are closest to you, can have that vision or believe in it for you.  It must come from you, and you must be willing to take risks in order to see it  realized.
 
If you had been signed to a major label do you think you  would be in the same, better, or worse, place than you are now?
 I don’t know if I would be as developed as an  artist or as a producer.  That’s the benefit of having to wear so many  hats, you learn to flex muscles you didn’t know you had.  But,  if the label really believed in me, I’d be better off in some ways, because I’d have the benefit of their resources and  the whole industry machinery. Still, money doesn’t take the place of  heart and grind.  

What advice would you give other independent artists hoping to reach the Grammy’s?
To study the music they admire, and work daily on developing their craft. Invest in making the work sonically competitive with industry-standards in terms of mix and  presentation.  Then, once they have a complete product they truly believe  in, network with people who can help bring it to as many ears as possible,  join the Academy and submit their work!

 

www.myspace.com/waynamusic
www.thebloomeffect.com/blog

ps. To the folks in NYC this week make sure you check out this show produced by Fiona Bloom’s company “The Bloom Effect”. (big up’s to Drizzle for the Funky Pixel design iLLness)