Vudoo Vu (aka Vudoo Soul, born August 12) is a NYC-based singer/songwriter, who most notably gained attention for winning Kollaboration NY 2005, as well as taking part in Kollaboration NY 2009. A MIT/Berklee grad, Vudoo says that his passion for music developed while in university, and ultimately he decided to pursue that further. He spent sometime answering my questions, and I hope you enjoy this interview!
How long have you been doing music for? Are you doing it professionally or independently?
I started playing piano around '03, '04, trying to write songs by mashing on keys until it didn't sound bad. When I started 'professionally' in '05, I really only knew how to play 2 songs and sing at the same time. Haha, you gotta start somewhere!
What style of music do you generally play?
I sing mostly in the vein of R&B, sometimes it veers towards pop, sometimes more soul/singer-songwriter vibe.
How did you first get involved in music?
I was singing in a college acappella group called the MIT Logarhythms, and discovered that music was just a whole lot more fulfilling to do than my engineering work. After an Alicia Keys concert I went to, it just hit me that music was what I wanted to do with my life.
Who/what made you decide to starting YouTubing your musical talent?
I haven't used YouTube as much as a lot of other people yet, doing covers and such, but I definitely always used it to post live performances of my shows when I was starting.
Who are your biggest musical influences?
Stevie Wonder & Michael Jackson, both in their own ways, had huuuuge influences on me growing up. It was their honest message and passion in their music that taught me a lot. I continue to learn from them even now.
How does it feel to be getting all this support from people for doing what you do?
It's the best feeling in the world!!! I'm doing what my heart desires, and really, I just wanna see more people doing that too, whatever that may be important for them.
Is there ANY musician that you would like to do a collaboration with in the future?
I think I would pretty much die if I got the chance to collaborate somehow with Alicia Keys.
What has been your most popular cover on YouTube? Your most popular original song on YouTube?
Most popular cover hmm... not really sure about that one! People seem to enjoy my Michael Jackson covers best! Most popular original seems to either "Lazy" or "Baby Be Mine", which is odd to me, cuz I hardly ever perform that song!
How was your experience playing at Kollaboration NY this year?
I thought it was a blast, especially since winning Kollaboration NY in '05 was what gave me one of my first big starts as an artist!! I owe Kollaboration so much and will love & support'em to the end for giving people like me a platform to jumpstart our music careers.
I imagine you have a lot of music tastes; what do you normally play on your iPod and/or when you’re at home?
Right this minute, I'm listening to Muse & My Chemical Romance. I eat up a lot of live Stevie performances and John Mayer stuff. Tupac and T.I. sometimes for weeks on end. I just love music that tells a story, whether it's rock, R&B, country, hip-hop, whatever.
Where’s the one place where you can go and get your creative flow going in order to write/create music?
One place? That place is my past. It's painful, complicated, but beautiful... It's always a great starting point for me to ignite songwriting inspiration.
Who is your closest musician friend, and how did you two meet?
My brother-for-life, Taiyo Na. He's an acoustic hip-hop/soul artist born and raised in New York. He and I really got to know each other as part of a musical where I played the lead and he played the best friend to that character. In time, he would become my best friend in real life too. He's disciplined, passionate & so insightful. We learn from each other, this music game as an Asian American ain't easy!
What do you do in your spare time when you’re not playing music?
My life is made of intensely awesome music-playing, eating, partying, and sleeping. I can usually only handle 3 most of the time haha.
What do you hope to accomplish while being involved in music?
Besides world domination? With all the traveling and charity work that can come hand in hand with music, I would love to make a real impact in bringing more music & arts into schools. I didn't have that much growing up, I think it's a waste of human potential to not give people that opportunity more readily, early & frequently.
Do you have any final words for the readers?
Life's short. But it'll seem long, lost & meaningless if you don't do something that's personal to you. Do what you love, now.
There you have it folks, thanks to Vudoo for the interview. And until next time, peace out!
J~
Vudoo Soul
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