This week's #IndieArtistSpotlight is Robbie Russell.
Robbie Russell is a singer-songwriter from Newport News, Virginia. This past
week, RnB Junkie Official had the delight of interviewing this passionate
emerging artist. Robbie Russell talked his first start, inspirations, his
sound, his recent EP 'The Bad Guy,' and more. Check out our interview with our
#IndieArtistSpotlight Robbie Russell below.
Can you tell us a little about where you’re from
and when you first started to get into music?
Well, I am
from the 757. For those that don’t know where that is it’s Newport News,
Virginia. I’ve always been into music. I always had a pair of headphones glued
to my head, but I started taking it seriously around high school. That’s when I
really started to write and when I actually started to perform live. That’s
when it really came to life.
You‘ve previously cited Chris Brown as being one of your
biggest inspirations. What is it about him that inspired you?
For those who aren’t familiar with your music how would you describe your sound?
Listening to some of your tracks from your most recent EP ‘The Bad Guy,’ the vibe and some of the lyrics were very dark. Can you explain what inspired the project?
You have some great visuals, especially for the ‘The Bad Guy’ short film and ‘Warning.’ How much are you involved in the creation of the visuals?
That I am only human and that I am
passionate about what I do. Like I want people to listen to music and know that
I put everything I have into every song I make. That every song is real because
every song I write is about something that I’ve been through and experienced
myself. I want people to understand that I am an ordinary human being, just
like everybody else. I feel. I have my ups and downs, and music is how I
express that.
Where can our followers find your music, as well as reach you on social media?
Just how pure his talent is. I mean he can sing,
rap, dance, and act. He’s like a quadruple threat. He can really do whatever he
puts his mind to. In my opinion, he consistently puts out good music. He has an
incredible work ethic. As I said, he’s incredibly talented.
For those who aren’t familiar with your music how would you describe your sound?
I'd say my sound is like dark Contemporary
R&B with Hip-Hop roots.
Not
to be offensive, do you find it hard being accepted as a white R&B
artist?
Personally I never really tried to think about it
like that. There are so many other factors that play into it. Just the fact
it’s an oversaturated genre of music, but yeah, it’s a little tough. Of course,
people tell me that I can sing and that I am talented at what I do, but getting
that acceptance and recognition for what I do has been pretty difficult. I mean
I’m not going to switch up what I do and go like an easier path. [R&B] is
the style of music I enjoy doing and I am going to continue to do it.
Listening to some of your tracks from your most recent EP ‘The Bad Guy,’ the vibe and some of the lyrics were very dark. Can you explain what inspired the project?
Depression! [Laughs]. No, it’s all inspired about a
relationship that I recently got out of before I started writing this. I don’t
want to bash it too much, but it was a toxic relationship. There were a lot of
insecurities, and I fell into a really dark space after that. In that time I
decided rather than taking these emotions and pushing them down inside deeper
and deeper, I just decided why not write some great emotional and raw songs and
let everybody else experience what I am going through to kind of vent and
flush that all out.
You have some great visuals, especially for the ‘The Bad Guy’ short film and ‘Warning.’ How much are you involved in the creation of the visuals?
I am 100% involved. Every video I’ve done I created
the concept for it. I've picked out the locations and everything. I basically
write the shot list, come up with the concept, and then present it to my
videographer. His name is Spencer Sease, and the two of us have very similar
mindsets and visions. He basically helps me bring it to life. I write the
scripts, and I write the storyline, I come up with everything for it.
What
is one thing you would want someone to walk away with after listening to your
projects?
That I am only human and that I am
passionate about what I do. Like I want people to listen to music and know that
I put everything I have into every song I make. That every song is real because
every song I write is about something that I’ve been through and experienced
myself. I want people to understand that I am an ordinary human being, just
like everybody else. I feel. I have my ups and downs, and music is how I
express that.
What
do you have coming up next?
I have actually been trying to plan everything out
strategically for the releases coming up. I think I have a single or two that I
am planning to release before the end of the year. Maybe a visual for one or
two of them. I’ve been working on a lot of collaborations with a couple of
different artists. I am not really sure when those will come out, but I am
pretty sure that it’ll happen soon.
Where can our followers find your music, as well as reach you on social media?
You can find my music on all streaming platforms (Apple Music,
Spotify,
Tidal,
SoundCloud,
etc.) anywhere as Robbie Russell. You can reach me on social media
@ImRobbieRussell. That’s @-I-m-R-o-b-b-i-e-R-u-s-s-e-l-l.
Thank
you so much for the opportunity to interview you today.
Thank you very much for putting the
time aside to interview me. I really appreciate it.
