Seine intimen, introspektiven Songs führten ihn bereits auf die Bühne des renommierten Montreux Jazz Festivals und ins nationale TV-Publikum von American Idol. Nun veröffentlicht er mit „Better World“ (VÖ: 05.09.) sein zweites Album – ein Werk, das Resilienz, Liebe und Hoffnung in den Mittelpunkt stellt. Wir haben mit Marquise über seine Vision von einer besseren Welt, seine musikalischen Wurzeln und den Entstehungsprozess von „Better World“ gesprochen.
Frontstage Magazine: Your new album is titled „Better World.“ What does a „better world“ mean to you personally, and how is that vision reflected in your music?
Marquise Fair: A better world to me is a world where people have tolerance for others way of life so long as they are not harming anyone. A world where everyone loves the responsibility of taking care of the earth the way a gardener enjoys watering their plants. One where people are content with themselves and their lives so much, that all they want to do is share the joy’s of life with everyone around them. That vision is reflected through my concepts which can be found within elements of my songs. For example the song nature of Love is about unconditional love, in one line during the chorus I say „I could have he whole wide world inside my hands wouldn’t mean a thing without you.“ That „you“ part could be a person a place or thing. its the concept that matters the most though. No matter what you have to gain or lose you’d rather chose that love of yours(earth, others, you name it). This kind of energy will be needed to build a better world.
Frontstage Magazine: You’ve collaborated with renowned musicians like Jason Lindner, Yosvany Terry, and Jacques Schwarz-Bart on this record. How did working with them shape the creative process of the album?
Marquise Fair: For one, I knew I had to step my game up to meet their standards which helped me to adopt a new standard for myself. I put more effort than I had previously, to get the vocals expressed in a way that people could feel what others and myself get to feel during live performances. Their collaboration changed the way I approach studio time as well. I create the base of the songs by myself, so to have such well renown musician agree to grace my music with their embellishment’s made me approach creating in a much more serious manner. After each musician recorded their parts to my guitar rhythm and vocals. I then rerecord the vocals, which altered the original idea melodically, inspiring a knew sound or feeling. Each addition from each individual creates little nuances that shape the way in which the song develops. This you will hear in the Album „Better World“.
Frontstage Magazine: Your sound blends soul-pop, jazz, and reggae with deeply personal and spiritual themes. How do you manage to unify these diverse influences into a cohesive musical identity?
Marquise Fair: What a great question, to do this I pull from my influences. The singing was passed down to me from my grandmother and her grandmother to her dating back to the Atlantic slave trade. Therefore, the singing is deeply spiritual in its nature yet soulful at the same time. I pull from my fathers introduction of reggae into my life at the age of 5. It was only an introduction though I wasn’t allowed to listen to music that wasn’t church music or the temptations while living with my grandmother. It wasn’t until I was 13 that I went on a 2 year binge of Bob Marley singing in patwa (Jamaican dialect) for hours on end every single day without fail as his music was my medicine. I take those elements of my singing background and pair them with musical chords or notes played however my hands deicide to strum creating unique rhythms and strumming patterns. later I would learn that some of the chords or musical notes I use are jazz chords. However the jazz elements of my music are also found from each musicians input. Not to mention there are probably no songs without elements of jazz embedded within them.
Frontstage Magazine: Your music often touches on resilience, love, and hope. Can you share a personal experience that has most significantly shaped your musical journey?
Marquise Fair: Moving to the ghetto, seeing first hand what I had only heard about or seen in movies. It was very heartbreaking especially after being raised to believe that people were suffering because of their ungodliness. My knowledge of history didn’t help because I know the amount of effort an planning it took keep these people impoverished and not necessarily in a financial way. However, children born into generational poverty with parents strung out on hard drugs did not chose to be born in those situations meeting these kids, kind and warmhearted kids at that, and becoming friends while watching in real time as they struggle to function in a world set up against their progress is beyond saddening. The only thing other than Mary Jane that could help me cope with my knew found reality was music. The reason I produce music is to make medicine for others like many others have done for me.
Frontstage Magazine: With „Nature Of Love“ and „I Dream,“ you’ve already released two emotionally powerful singles. How do you decide whether to deliver a message directly or more subtly through your songwriting?
Marquise Fair: I don’t, I usually express how I feel and whatever comes out I find a concept within it and create a song around it. What I do decide to do is add subtle messages within songs. There is no genius involved in the added subtle messages it is just a natural consequence of my unique human expression. Its almost like a biographical expression of the emotions and conceptual understandings I have learned and or experienced during my life, all piled into one or two lines.
Frontstage Magazine: You grew up between gospel choirs and the tough realities of the city streets – how much of that upbringing still influences you when you’re creating new music today?
Marquise Fair: A great deal, The teachings of Jesus Christ are instilled in me‘ its a part of who I am. No matter how much I have tried to deviate, I get dragged back in because I do not do well with unchristian like behavior, situations or circumstances. That doesn’t mean I am a saint. As for the city streets, much of the conflict I have when creating music is to try and freely express myself and the message that I want to convey without focusing too much on a one demographic. My music is meant to heal everyone. The hood will always have my heart but the people(everyone) gets to have my music.
Fotocredit: Nkosi
