Tell us about yourself and your music
At a very young age, I found myself liking drums and playing them. I also liked to sing in the apostolic church choir in Calabar, Nigeria. I sang alto. I remember my late mother being asked by the women’s rally to bring me to play drums during their church events because they liked the way I handled the drums. Over time, as I grew up, these moments became the bedrock that instilled the skills that I bring today into the music career as I have evolved into an artist. When I came to America, I was recording a demo in a studio in San Fernando Valley. The engineer and the studio owner, Chip Halstead, became super interested in my work. When it was mixed and mastered he mentioned to me that the song I just finished was really good and in his words “very infectious.” The song was called “Meant To Be.” When I was about to go home from the studio, he extended an invitation to me to come to the Songwriter’s Guild in Hollywood. He emphasized that he wanted to introduce me to Mr. Jack Seagull, whose credits include: “When Sunny Gets Blue” recorded by Johnny Mathis. I accepted his invitation and went. When I met Mr. Seagull, he immediately took an interest in me after listening to some of my recordings. From that point on I became a member of the Songwriters Guild and I was getting my songwriting training from the master himself – Mr. Jack Seagull.
Under his tutelage, I learned that music interprets life with a unique language of expression. That language is what makes up the genres. To me it’s tribal. In life, we have love, hate, and everything in between. For me personally, when it comes to writing, I simply interpret the mood that serves my inspiration at the moment.
Talk to us more about your latest release
Stay with me happened while my wife and I were on a quick weekend getaway to Las Vegas. Once we crossed the state line, I heard the melody and the lyrics all together in my head, so I pulled over. I told my wife to open the glove compartment and pull out the pen and paper I kept stashed away for moments like this. She brought it out and I told her what to write. She wrote the first stanza, the chorus and the second stanza of the song as we now know it. The melody was still in my head. We had our weekend in vegas as planned but I couldn’t wait to get home to my piano so I could play this melody and represent. I went to the studio to record the demo and that was the floodgate that opened up the songs that make up the album that is currently in the works. Stay With Me is the first single to roll out of the album compilation.
What inspired you to write this release?
As I said, in life we have love and we have hate. Stay with me comes out of the Love swing of the pendulum. I love romance and I wanted to capture a consummate musical representation of good romantic experience in a song. That’s what “Stay With Me” is created to acheive- I hope I’ve been able to do that with this piece.
Describe the writing and recording process
In the studio, we brought in musicians to record the song live. In essence, these musicians tried to capture what was recorded in the demo to bring the song to life. During the initial recording phase, the studio engineer/producer, Tony Gillis, layed down the tracks, the vocal arrangement, and the music instrumentation. At its final stage, the legendary record producer, Barry Fasman, put all the finishing touches to the song as we now hear it around the world.
Any plans to release a video?
Any plans to hit the road?
Not at this very moment.
As an indie artist, how do you brand yourself and your music to stand out from the rest of the artists out there?
I carry myself with a certain degree of sophistication and class. To that end, my music helps to tell that story – the story of myself. But I don’t want to get too far into labeling and just let the music speak for itself. Overall, I’d like the feeling of knowing that my fans and I can always find ourselves on the same page melodically and rhythmically.
Who have you been listening to lately?
I’ve been listening to Usher, Barry White, John Legend, Michael Jackson, Toni Braxton, Alicia Keys, Barbara Streisand, Sade, Seal, Smokey Robinson, Neyo, Sting, The BeeGees, Nat King Cole, and Teddy Pendegrass.
Who are your biggest influences?
Nat King Cole, The BeeGees, Michael Jackson, Prince, Usher, and Sade. I love how she locks the sound down. You can’t imitate her.
Tell us about your passions
I love to pray. I like reading well-written books that tell a captivating story. I love to watch the news to stay informed about what’s going on in the world. I love to cook.
What else is happening next in your world?
I’m also an author. I have a book that is undergoing a republishing process with a new publisher in the works.
Thanks for an awesome interview, Lloyd Nysek
Connect with Lloyd Nysek
Website: http://www.lojonsekentertainment.comFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/nseklloydInstagram: http://www.instagram.com/lloydnsekTwitter: https://twitter.com/lloydnsekYoutube: https://youtu.be/gbrJ6_ykcb8LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lloyd-nsek-247aa241/Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/user-955621831
