By Ahmed and Saba

Dowmload Songs:

 

Agony

Wine Me

 

Sumeet, the rising Star from US had a tour of Canada with here melodic & funky sensational vocals. A rising star. Promising music that’s suppose to hit world wide in the coming years. With a major management deal in the US which will bring about a commercial label release. Lets hear it from the girl…

Firstly I would Like you to Introduce Yourself Briefly.
I just finished up my first album, Deeper, which has started shipping at the end of March. I’ve got two singles out right now, “Agony” featuring Elephant Man and another called “Wine Me”. I’ve been trying to work the music scene for as long as I can remember, and things are finally beginning to take off. Music means everything to me… it starts my day, ends my night, and changes the way I step - the only thing that makes me truly, undeniably happy. I’d like to bring a piece of myself to you through my music, and hopefully make your head nod while you listen!

How did You Step Into the Music Industry?
Music was always a big part of my life; I’ve always been singing, whether it was in the temple growing up or to myself as a little girl in front of a pretend audience… I don’t remember ever not singing. In fact I spent most of high school in detention for singing during lectures (I swear I didn’t mean to – I never realized I was doing it… it just happened)!.... But the first time I performed in front of a really big audience and felt their love is when I knew music was going to be a big part of the rest of my life. I was an overly skinny, un-cool, high school kid and was attending this big University event that my brother was emceeing. There were about 2000 people there; it was a big affair for our city, and of course… technical difficulties. My brother had to kill about an hour while they fixed the problems and so he called me up from the audience to entertain the crowd. I was terrified! I was so nervous, I sang from behind my brother at first, then got a little more daring and sang with my back to the audience. After a couple of tunes the crowd was giving me so much love I turned around and gave them love right back. It was one of the most exhilarating times I had ever felt and I absolutely loved it. That was my first taste and after that I just couldn’t get enough; I started putting together a demo, and doing more shows here and there. It wasn’t until I was about to begin my last year at University that I realized Music was the only thing that made me happy, the only thing I wanted to pursue in my life, at which point I left school to follow my passion.

Every type of music has a lesson or message, Tell your fans about the message that your music has in it?
Every song we create is different, each has a life of its own and a story to tell, but overall our songs have a general message which is to Save the Music! Musicianship is all but lost now; beats are looped, live instruments are rarely used and harmonies and backgrounds seem to be fading with every new song I hear. Music quality has been going downhill for some time now - you buy a CD and it’s only got a couple of good songs, all the rest are just fillers.

What is that?
We believe in the Music more than anything. We’re coming with strong songs, each and every one, that mean something to us. If it doesn’t work, it won’t make the cut, no fillers here, but above all musicianship and quality of music comes first. Save the Music.

Performing live, how does it feel in front of the audiance?
It’s such an incredible feeling! You step onto the stage, not always knowing what to expect… different crowds, different places… and then the music starts. And whether there’s a sea of faces in the crowd or just a few, this nameless energy fills up the room until it’s one big pulse, pounding in my ears alongside the bass - I love it! There’s a moment where everything just fits, it’s hard to explain… like a rush of slow motion… and everyone’s connected through the music. Truly incredible.

You have collaborated with a lot of artists in your music career, let’s hear it from you.
I have been blessed to be able to work with Elephant Man, a reggae artist I’ve loved and listened to from when I was likkle girl. He is featured on my first single, “Agony”, produced by Brukkout Entertainment. I’ve also collaborated with an up and coming artist out of Jamaica named Deva Bratt who drops some serious vibes on my track “Secret”. Djinn, one of the best new producers out of the UK, has also graced the album by producing 3 of my tracks. Lookout for his album, coming soon. I’ve also had the opportunity to work with Grammy nominated Engineer, Dave O’Donnell, who produced “Rush” for the album and who’s experience and advice was invaluable.

Tell us about your album “Deeper” in Detail.
Where to start! The album’s got a little something for everyone with a smooth blend of R&B, Hip-Hop and Dance Hall.

It starts with infectious dancehall reggae jams such as “Agony" featuring Atlantic Records recording artist Elephant Man”, and “Wine Me (2 Da Ground)" which have both been in heavy rotation across Canadian and UK radio, as well as Sirius Satellite Radio in the U.S.

The songs were produced by Brukkout, the team with studios in Brooklyn, NY and Portmore, Jamaica. The combined sales of “Agony” on a Universal Records Compilation, AV8 Records, and Brukkout Records, are nearly 20,000. Because of popular demand, “Wine Me (2 Da Ground)” was included on Toronto’s Flow 93.5 FM’s prestigious Urban FlowCase CD.

We’ve got a tune called “Rush” on the album, produced by 2004 Grammy Award Nominated engineer Dave O’Donnell, which is a lush mid-tempo song with a classic R&B style Rhodes over a beat-box infused rhythm. O’Donnell, who has engineered artists such as Sting, Mary J. Blige, and James Taylor, was able to infuse his own experiences and knowledge into the song to give it a somber maturity.

Three of the songs from the album were featured on BBC Radio. “Connection”, which is sung in a playful storytelling style, made the A-Playlist. “Get On Your Feet”, a simple but infectious club jam, and “Love Goes On” were both picked as songs of the week. “Love Goes On” produced by Djinn along-side his guitar playing partner Tom Linden under the moniker ‘The Godfathers’, is a unique blend of Hip-Hop based R&B and the popular South Asian dance style, Bhangra. The song was picked as “Recommended Listening” in the April 2005 issue of The Fader Magazine, as was “Agony” in August 2004.

Other highlights on the album include sexually charged songs “Secret”, which features a gangsta style Dance Hall verse from a new Jamaican artist named Deva Bratt, and “On” which has a subtle safe-sex message. “Ghost” which features me chanting over a relentless loop about being haunted by a past lover, and “Deeper”, the title track, bring the listener back full-circle with their strong emotional connection.

Like I said, there’s definitely something for everyone, and for those who’d like to taste the flavor of the tracks, there are snippets of them up on my website www.sumeetmusic.com.

Any plans for performing in the Middle East or any South Asian countries anytime soon?
No plans yet but I would absolutely love to come out there!

Your advice to the upcoming musicians?
I know it’s such a cliché but above all I would tell the aspiring artist to stay true to themselves. Musicians have a calling, they need to create, they have ideas in their heads that must be heard and translated as they are…that’s what makes an artist an artist. You can’t worry about whether radio will play it or if people will feel it – if it’s an honest extension of yourself it will stand out and be heard. Our greatest musicians didn’t worry about what was in, or what the radio dictated as ‘hot’, they just made the music they heard. Look at artists like Prince, or Outkast, or Erykah Badu – these artists took their own paths and their albums are incredible, track for track. It’s so easy to get caught up in whatever’s popular at the moment. Radio is not offering us a variety of artists to listen to and decide how we feel about them – radio makes songs hot by playing them overandoverandover, until they’re stuck in your head and you have no choice but to like them. I feel that good songs have their own life, they don’t need to fit into a pattern. So that would be my advice to any aspiring artists out there – ignore those radio waves and just translate what you hear in your head; make sure every song means something to you. Save the Music.

Concluding Statement.
I would like to give my love to everyone who’s been supporting me, it means so much to me. Thank you all from the bottom of my heart. Much love to UMREVOLUTION for taking the time to interview me, thank you. Save the Music.