BASSETERRE, St. Kitts: “MY hope as it relates to music is to one day make it my official career”.
These are goal-driven words of an uprising national artiste, 22-year-old Charles Emanuel, affectionately known as ‘Charlie’, who this week successfully released his first single and title track for his upcoming mixtape called ‘Invincible’.
The release was done Wednesday afternoon (Nov. 21 live on Freedom FM (106.5) with the DJ EK and within minutes on the air the tune was available for free internet download.
Emanuel’s music was recorded with well-known music producer Kelvin ‘DJ Kellz’ Christopher, the Chief Executive Officer of SKN Entertainment.
The mixtape is expected to debut early 2013.
Since the official release, Emanuel’s Facebook page has been flooded with congratulatory messages from well-wishers on a national, regional and international scale.
“Good Stuff Charlie and can't stop listening!!!!!!!!!! I love it!!!”, “best tune coming out of sk 2012” and “Can't stop listening 'Invincible' by our very own Charles Emanuel!!! SK has BIG talent!!! Charlie u badd baddd badddd!!!!” are just a sample of the positive and encouraging graffiti that’s has been written on his Facebook ‘wall’.
Read below to find out more about the aspiring artiste.
REPORTER: Tell me about your single…‘Invincible’.
EMANUEL: “The single I released was the first single and the title of my upcoming mixtape Invincible. It's a song that everyone can relate to. Whenever times get a little hard and things don't seem to be going our way, we must remember that we're strong and conquer life once we put our minds to it.”
REPORTER: “When did you first start singing?”
EMANUEL: “I started singing way back when. As a kid, my mother always had me singing alongside her and showing me the ropes, but I didn't start singing as a profession until 2007.”
SKNVibes found out that Emanuel’s mother, Francine Miller, was a singer back in the 70s and 80s in the United States. Additionally, it was revealed that she sang mostly in night clubs and the genres of music she performed were R&B, Blues and Funk.
REPORTER: “What influenced you to be a part of the music/entertainment industry?”
EMANUEL: “What influenced me to be a part in the entertainment field is really my family. Music is second nature to me and I was always surrounded by it. Sometimes it feels like I'm not too good at anything else but music”. [LAUGHING]
REPORTER: “Who are some of the artistes that have influenced you?”
EMANUEL: “The list of my influences is really long, but people like B. Slade, P!nk, Allen Stone, Fantasia, Luther Vandross, Prince, Patti LaBelle, Chaka Khan, India.Arie, John Legend are just a few.”
REPORTER: “What are your hopes for the future as it relates to music?”
EMANUEL: “My hope is to one day make it my official career. Having music be my life, my nine to five, my main focus is the plan.”
REPORTER: “Highlight the successes of your uprising music career.”
EMANUEL: “One highlight I'll always remember is opening for Dobet Gnahoré back in 2010 alongside Makeila ‘MiMi’ Armstrong and Samal ‘Z-Dan’ Duggins.”
REPORTER: “How would you describe your music?”
EMANUEL: “My music is more soul but that doesn't limit me from experimenting with different sounds and genres, which is really the focus of this mixtape, to experiment and try something new. The same applies to my lyrical content. Though a lot of my material is about love and heartbreak, other issues inspire my writing as well.”
REPORTER: “You have been receiving lots of feedback on 'Invincible'. How do you feel about that and the support you have been getting in relation to your music?”
EMANUEL: “The response I've been getting from Invincible is extremely humbling and it's a weight off my chest. I was so scared of what people would think about it, and now that it seems to be approved by the masses, it makes me feel proud.”
Anyone desirous of downloading Emanuel’s ‘Invincible’, can do so by visiting SoundCloud: http://soundcloud.com/charlesemanuelmusic/invincible-the-single. Additionally, persons can check out his live performances on YouTube channel http://www.youtube.com/gemini24590.
Many persons would know Emanuel from his past performances with the two bands within which he worked…Royaltiez and Untitled.
