We lately caught up with Lina for an interview on Instagram Dwell. Throughout our dialog, we touched on how she initially obtained signed to Atlantic Information, her debut album “Stranger on Earth”, her distinctive soul/swing/jazz fashion, writing for Tyrese, her second album “The Internal Magnificence Movemet”, and rather more.
YouKnowIGotSoul: Take us again to the start. Are you able to share the story of the way you initially obtained signed to Atlantic Information?
Lina: It was actually attention-grabbing. Even again then I had these aspirations of getting my very own label, and as a feminine that was uncommon. So what I did is I began recording songs and taking footage by myself, simply having mates fashion me. We ended up with this eight track EP, we made an image, and we put it collectively. I had simply moved from Texas to North Hollywood. We began doing reveals round city. The primary label that was was referred to as Precedence, and it was all rappers. After that, it was Jive, however a couple of labels got here to the desk. It was a bidding conflict, and Atlantic got here to the desk final. My supervisor on the time thought this label obtained me. Craig Kallman (Atlantic Information CEO) was a DJ, so he truly impressed me to call the primary album “Stranger on Earth”. He launched me to a track referred to as that. He had all of those Jazz data and Swing data, and it was precisely what I used to be into, so it was an excellent match for me. He actually did get it. We determined to go together with Atlantic Information. I’d have gone with Precedence, however they’d solely rappers. Craig truly got here to the home, it was loopy! Andre Harrell got here to the home. Executives had been truly coming to our home earlier than we signed.
YouKnowIGotSoul: Earlier than your debut album even got here out, you had been writing for different artists, like Tyrese. What was that complete expertise like?
Lina: There was a label that Tyrese and I had been each concerned with signing to. That’s the place I met him. That was earlier than he obtained his Coke business. It was in Hollywood, we had been actually younger, and I met him then. So after I met this different group of producers, they had been a boy group at one level, and so they had been up in New York. I went to New York for my first time, and I began writing for artists on Mariah Carey’s label as properly. I wrote the track for Tyrese, I simply stayed in New York in a writing camp for month. The track for Tyrese is known as “Aint Nothing Like a Jones”, and my background vocals obtained to remain on there. I used to be actually excited as a result of that was my first actual publicity within the music business.
YouKnowIGotSoul: Discuss your debut album “Stranger on Earth”. What do you bear in mind about creating that undertaking?
Lina: It was a kind of issues I didn’t assume would ever get heard. That’s why I used to be so free and uninhibited. I didn’t assume anyone would ever hear this. All I used to be doing was placing sounds collectively that I cherished, I didn’t comply with any guidelines. As a result of I like Sarah Vaughn and that complete Cotton Membership period. My mother sang Jazz and my dad was a blues singer. Then I went off to high school and obtained launched to Etta James and all of those nice Jazz musicians on the East Coast. After I obtained again house and moved to California, I used to be into Jay-Z and 2Pac, so I like the beats. I wished to maintain that classic sound. I put collectively all of these sounds and simply began singing. I had a scholarship to sing Opera at Howard College. I simply put that collectively, had these songs recorded, met this producer named Travis, he obtained it, after which there was a man who performed in an unbiased cowl band I used to be in, to make our hire. His title was Jeeve, he was from France. When it got here to producing the music, there was this child out of Hollywood, he hadn’t completed any initiatives. I heard him and he obtained it. I advised him what I used to be concerned with, after which I advised him the Benny Goodman band was one among my favorites. He went house, and inside three or four hours, he despatched me a observe. He despatched the observe to me on a CD and inside 30 minutes, I had wrote that track, and it ended up being “Playa No Extra”. It was opera, it was hip hop, and Craig Kallman cherished it. Mainly that track was why the labels had been . That was the primary single.
YouKnowIGotSoul: You had so many songs on that album that might have been singles. We actually appreciated the songs “Bye Bye Child” and “Ready”.
Lina: Thanks, I do hear that loads about these two songs. With “Bye Bye Child”, there’s a group of producers that DJ Jazzy Jeff had, A Contact of Jazz. Keith Pelzer and Ivan Barias and all of them. I used to be simply writing with them. The observe “Bye Bye Child”, Ivan Barias created and despatched it to me. He hadn’t heard what I used to be doing but, it was only a observe he had in his catalog. I heard it and I appreciated it. On the time lots of people didn’t get what I used to be doing till I put vocals on it. I didn’t have a document deal on the time both. It was simply one thing I picked out of the catalog. I truly met Jill Scott over there earlier than she obtained signed, and finally we ended up label mates at Hidden Seashore. I feel she was educating on the time, she was actual cool, however she was actually about her enterprise. She was speaking to me about publishing, she was on high of it! That’s the place that track got here from. “Ready” was produced by Jeeve. A buddy of mine was within the studio and he appreciated the observe. As soon as I placed on the observe, I began vibing to it and recorded it. I hear loads from those who these songs are a few of their favorites. It was simply timing. I feel the album obtained stunted development, as a result of you recognize 9/11 occurred, and the date of launch of my album was 9/28. It was like what’s occurring now, no one is leaving house, all people was scared, it was like these occasions.
YouKnowIGotSoul: Ultimately you left Atlantic Information and ended up at Hidden Seashore Information. What was the method like of shifting between labels?
Lina: It was just a little bit darkish. At Atlantic Information we had been like household. The entire help I had from that label, and the press. We had been establishing for this launch date. I had already been out on the highway with Guru and Joan Osborn and Craig David within the UK. We had actually arrange this album. We had tour dates set to start out across the time when the album was set to launch. We began supporting the album and the following week once we had our main excursions, we couldn’t go wherever, we couldn’t fly. It was a scary time, no one knew what was taking place! I bear in mind the place I used to be when the planes crashed into the buildings. I used to take the World Commerce Heart cease to and from New York. This time I had simply occurred to be in L.A. Any artist who got here out round that point, we couldn’t help our document. The ethical was down, it was a darkish time. However I truly didn’t get dropped, I requested to be launched, and the label let me go. I had heard tales about being shelved, however I began desirous about the Neo-Soul motion. I didn’t know the place I may match, it wasn’t R&B, or Jazz, or Neo-Soul or Hip-Hop. It had all the parts. I used to be sort of an outcast within the business. I’d get booked on reveals and I’d really feel like my friends didn’t think about me one among them. What occurred is, after I signed with Hidden Seashore, my similar supervisor and producer launched me to Steve McKeever. So Skip Miller ended up turning into my supervisor, he used to handle the Jackson’s at Motown. He launched me to Stevie Marvel and all of those individuals. Folks cherished the music. Stevie even co-signed the only “Clean” as soon as I signed to Hidden Seashore. The Grammy’s introduce an entry for artists like me. Skip knew they did it for me, it was various R&B, it’s a class that’s not there anymore! I obtained 4 nominations for my album “The Internal Magnificence Motion” album. I feel Jill Scott afterward gained in that class, and artists like Ledisi. Simply distinctive and superb artists.