While on vacation, most people cast their work endeavors aside until they return. Luckily that’s not me! During my trip to New Orleans, Louisiana I made it my mission to meet with one of the area’s most promising vocalist, Arielle Dominique. On what felt like the most humid day of my trip, the songstress was kind enough to meet with me at Jackson Square Park located in the famous French Quarter. Once she arrived, my inner fan quickly erupted. I broke out with in a smile from ear to ear and continuously thanked her for taking the time out of her busy schedule to have this intimate conversation about a passion we both share, music!
When you think of music in New Orleans you automatically think Jazz! What would you say is the indie sound here in NOLA?
Yeah, it’s a lot of folk music. It’s a lot of rap. A lot of rap! But what’s interesting is the rap down here, [the artists] consider it almost like underground but it’s really just because I guess there is just so few rappers. There’s like your intellectual rappers and then you have the Lil’ Wayne style which is straight New Orleans; street. It’s interesting! But the indie scene here for singers it’s very folk but authentic. There are a lot of instruments. Lots of live instrumentation. Lot of live bands. Very few spots where you can play a track. It’s a place where you know, for me I’m R&B and there’s definitely R&B in the mix but it’s a little harder unless you really want to go Jazz or you want to mix in the local music. For me personally my sites, my sounds and my ideas are a little broader than my region. So it’s a balance when I’m choosing music to perform live. Something the crowd will love. Everyone’s excepting to hear a trumpet here or a trombone there. It’s an interesting city. For Jazz it’s definitely the place to be! It’s a little harder for just about anything else.
So what inspires you to create outside of the sonic box if you have to then tailor your music to a specific audience?
For me, I just decided that, that is not me! There’s no point in me trying to make it sound like something that I’m just not! You know! Because at the end of the day when you get on stage and perform, when you just write a song or when you record a song if it’s not you it will not feel right. [To the ear] it won’t come out right. The audience is going to tell that this is not your thing. But when I do anything live I like to mix it in. I’ll take a Lauryn Hill song and put a violin on it. Or take a pop song like one of Beyonce’s songs and put a New Orleans bounce on it. That way I can still stay true to my sound which is more soulful R&B, a very feminine sound but I can still play with it live. So it will be fun as I grow and do more music.
What’s your vision for the next project.
This project I’m working on now is R&B. I’m not pulling in as much. Like in the past I had my Dad on the track playing the harmonica. This time I’m staying true to the songwriting. I’m excited about it! I can’t stop listening to what I have so far and it’s not done but I’m excited to start promoting it. So people can actually hear it! I’ve been so secluded almost trying to stay in my zone until it’s done DONE. Then I can hit the road to see what catches. Songs like “Wish” and “Meant 2 Be” are kind of the vibe I want to go for.
So how did the collaborations with T Black the Hitmaker come about?
We’re both from the same city! We’re both from Lafayette and I kept telling a really good friend of mine that I really needed someone that could produce for me. I know what sound I’m going for but I really couldn’t find someone to make it happen! And I can go online and find producers in other cities and I can go find people that already have the tracks to just choose from. I’ve done that! And with being an independent artist who comes out of pocket for everything by yourself, you really learn how to fine tone your focus. I can’t just go out there and experiment with every producer. I have to find someone who’s going to be able to tailor because if not I’m wasting my money and I’m putting out all this energy, time and effort and not getting any product that I can put out there. So with Black, my friend just told me hey I know he does music but I don’t know if he’s still in Lafayette but just hit him up and see. So I sent him a message on Facebook and he responding which I didn’t think he was gonna do and told me he was no longer in Lafayette and that he was in Atlanta. So he asked if I wanted to fly down or if I wanted him to fly up but we ended up doing some Skype sessions. He’d played something for me and I told him nah I don’t like that it’s not what I’m going for. And we’re both preacher’s kids. So I told him, can you take the Soul and put some sexy? So he sent me some stuff and we kept going back and forth then he played something for me just 6 notes and I told him, THAT’S IT! That was the track “Meant 2 Be”.
With T Black the Hitmaker being from Lafayette how did that feel?
It’s cool to see people from my hometown doing things outside of the region. Coming from a small town people tend to think that they’re doing a lot more than they actually are. So it’s cool to see Cupid performing the Cupid shuffle in Germany! I remember Cupid from North Side High. It’s crazy! It’s cool to see them actually working and putting their stuff out. So with Black it’s like living vicariously through him right now! Every time he tells me what he’s doing I’m just so excited. The crew he’s with is just good people. So I like working with them. They’re doing big stuff, so I’m just excited to be in the mix.
Be sure to connect with Arielle Dominique please visit her official website www.starringarielle.com or click here to be redirected.
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