Published: October 19, 2008 11:45 AM EST
By: Isaac Davis Jr., MBA (Juniorscave.com)
New Music Exclusive Spotlight
IreneB
IreneB
By Isaac Davis Jr., MBA
Raised and born in Barcelona, Spain, Irene Bauzá (IreneB) first encountered the world of music at the innocent age of six. As the years progressed, IreneB grew fondly of soul music as she became familiar with such mega stars as Bobby Brown, Michael Jackson, Boyz II Men, Mariah Carey, and Whitney Houston; just to name a few. From this experience, IreneB was enthralled to pursue her own career as a singer/songwriter.
By the time IreneB turned eighteen, she began studying music at the Aula de Música Moderna y Jazz del Liceo; a place where she studied the art of music for seven years. Moreover, IreneB always kept her schedule full with both live performances and in the studio making music. Amazingly, IreneB has since then been fortunate and extremely blessed with eight years of touring in venues such as the Razzmatazz, Jazz Room and Vic Jazz Festival with an array of jazz, blues, and R&B music.
Please take a moment to enjoy this spotlight that Junior's Cave Online Magazine, JC Internet Radio, and The Southern Mix recently conducted with this mega superstar.
Members: IreneB (voice), James Smith (keyboards), Frankie Biggz (drums), James Johnston (guitar)
Label: Rama Music LLC
Manager: Frankie Biggz
Isaac: Elaborate on who you are and your upbringing.
IreneB: I'm IreneB, the first Spaniard to release an English R&B album worldwide. I came from Barcelona, Spain to the US to make my dream come true. I'm a single child and my mom and dad are both psychoanalysts so I was brought up in the world of psychology.
Isaac: Was there any one musician that spoke to your heart so profoundly, you were
inspired to do your own thing?
IreneB: I've always felt inspired by good artists, especially in the R&B genre, there are so many great artists. If I had to choose an artist, I would definitely choose Mariah Carey.
Isaac: Which singer/group would you say you would most like to do a duet with?
IreneB: There are so many groups and artists out there that I would love to do a duet with, but if I had to pick one I would say Mariah Carey.
Isaac: What singer/songwriter do you most connect with?
IreneB: Once again, I know I sound boring, Mariah Carey.
Isaac: Out of your entire song collection that you've written thus far, which song(s)
would you say is/are the most personal/meaningful to you?
IreneB: Of all the songs in my album, "Metamorphosis" has a place in my heart. If I had to choose which one means the most to me, I would say "I Wanna Fly". The song talks about how I overcame the obstacles of being an R&B singer in Spain, a country not really known for that kind of music.
Isaac: Which singers/groups do you enjoy/like from some of today's music genres?
IreneB: I really love Alicia Keys' last album, "As I Am" and I respect the turn Rihanna's career has made.
Isaac: What charities are you involved with or support?
IreneB: I'm actually gonna be performing in next year's AAURA (Aid 4 Autism); you can check it at http://aid4autism.info/. Last year I was performing in a concert for Psoriasis children. I love to use my talent to help people.
Isaac: Have you (or would you ever consider) writing a song about any of today's particular world issues/problems? If so, what world issue would speak to you the most to write about?
IreneB: I haven't really gotten into talking about today's world issues, because "Metamorphosis" was written more from the personal side of life. I would love to write something more general in my next album, maybe about war, or about hope for finding a cure for aids or cancer.
Isaac: Why should people listen to your music?
IreneB: Why? Because it's pretty innovative R&B coming from a Spaniard, isn't it? The main thing is that people like it and feel related to my stories.
Isaac: What has been the greatest moment for you as an entertainer thus far in your career?
IreneB: Wow! So many, I feel so grateful for every moment that I've had thanks to music. But definitely the most important was meeting my producer Frankie Biggz because without him I wouldn't be here.
Isaac: How far into the creation of a song do you share any of it with anyone? Who would you play it for? Would it be a chorus, a verse and chorus, or a complete song?
IreneB: It depends on the song. I do write songs and also share the experience of writing with other songwriters; like I did with Frankie Biggz or Amy Hartwig. They helped me putting words to my ideas, since English is not really my main language.
Isaac: How much do you let others "mess around with" one of your new songs?
IreneB: Not much; I do accept suggestions, but I gotta admit I'm really really picky with my music.
Isaac: Do you have to be a tortured soul to be a singer-songwriter?
IreneB: Well, I think you need at least to know how to relate to tortured souls if you're not one of them…
Isaac: Do you prefer to write music from your own personal experience, life's issues, or a little of both (explain why)?
IreneB: A little of both, I've had so many experiences of myself, but not every song that I write is a personal experience. For example, "Forgive Me Now" is a song that Frankie and I wrote of a new idea we had, nobody has written before a song of a girl asking for forgiveness for cheating, is always from a male perspective.
Isaac: How long does it take you to process your emotions and turn them into songs?
IreneB: It really depends on the song and inspiration, I've written a complete song in an hour, but I've also taken months to complete one in other occasions.
Isaac: The best piece of advice you actually followed?
IreneB: "Don't ever give up. Never, never listen to anybody, when they try to discourage you; 'cause they do that, believe me!" by Mariah Carey in 1995. She's always been an inspiration to me and I've had people trying to tell me what I was trying to do was impossible, but I always believed in myself and my dream.
Isaac: Give Shutouts to your family and friends.
IreneB: I want to give a shout to my biggest fans, my family and friends in Spain. To my producer Frankie Biggz and to the CEO at Rama Music Carlos Valderrama. To all people that helped me in my journey: Cesar, Marilyn, Karen, Trey, etc. To all the radio stations and podcasts that played my songs.
Isaac: Last but certainly not least, what are you working on, now?
IreneB: I'm working on my stage presence and development and rehearsing for my live show. On the other hand we're already writing some songs for my second album.
