“Desperate to record song ideas, Grammy Award-winning R&B singer Erykah Badu used to dial her own phone number and sing into the voicemail,” Phil Stewart reports for Reuters.
“That’s until her 10-year-old son took pity on her and explained how to use Apple computer’s [Mac] built-in music recording program, GarageBand,” Stewart reports.
“The result for the self-proclaimed ‘analog girl’ was 72 new songs in three months that ended a dry spell away from the studio. It also led to the diva’s critically acclaimed new album ‘New Amerykah Part One (4th World War),’ which blends soul, funk, hip-hop and blues. Part Two is due out shortly,” Stewart reports.
“Badu sat down with Reuters during her European tour to discuss her return to recording music, the use of new technologies and her fascination with blues legends like Lightnin’ Hopkins,” Stewart reports.
Q: It was your son that taught you how to use (the computer to record music ideas)?
Badu: Garageband? Yes. Because he felt sorry for me. I would get my cell phone and try to remember a song, and he said: “Mom. You don’t have to do that. All you have to do is drag the music into this one track. And then create some tracks to sing on and you can record right now.” And I began to do that and to manipulate the system and to EQ, and add effects and instrumentation and I had an opportunity to write 72 songs in a very short span of time — a three month period, which led me to come in with New America Part One, and then Part Two … because of that freedom, of being able to record and just be wherever. Anywhere.
Full article here.