Musiq Soulchild
Def Soul recording artist
Coming from the brotherly love streets of Philadelphia, whose roots from jazz to hip hop runs deep, Musiq Soulchild is on a mission to shatter the misconception that is dead. "In the last few years the music has been watered down slightly," agrees Musiq. "But I feel blessed to be making music at this time, because there is definitely a renaissance going on in soul." On his first single "Just Friends (Sunny)" its obvious that his moniker Musiq Soulchild wasn't chosen in vain. Sleek as old-school black velveteen poster hanging behind a jukebox "Just Friends," which first appeared on the multiplatinum soundtrack Nutty Professor II: The Klumps, embraces the listener with an innocent romanticism rarely heard on the radio. "The purity of the song is the reality of me and the innocence is the inexperience of me," confesses Musiq, shyly. "I just wanted women to know, its not always about sex. I can just be that boy that goes to the library with you." Born and reared on the musically sweetback streets, Musiq says, "Although I'm now aware of our deep musical history, growing up I wasn't that knowledgeable about it." It wasn't until his early teen years that Musiq discovered the blueprints to his own aural foundation. Milling at the memory, he says, "It was my father--who also sang and played saxophone --who introduced me to '70s soul, and I almost lost my mind." Lost in the grooves of Stevie Wonder, Patti LaBelle, Sly Stone and countless others, Musiq almost drowned in this ocean of sound. "After that experience, all I knew was...I wanted to sing".
From awestruck to melancholy, the stunning Aijuswanaseing, which was recorded mostly at Touch Of Jazz studios, is overflowing with the naked power of Musiq's electric emotions. "Girl Next Door," featuring the vocals of Ayana of the duo Aaries, is a lovely gem dedicated to that little tom-boy who grew-up to be fine as cherry wine on Saturday night. With the laid back jazzy arrangement and sweet lyrics, "Girl Next Door" is a tender testament of unrequited passion. Musiq, brought to Def Soul by his management team, Mama's Boys, comprised of Jerome Hipps and Michael McArthur, has performed at Philly showcases like The Five Spot and Wilhemina's, where he worked hard to perfect his skills. He says, "I'm still experimenting, because I don't believe soul is something you can fake. I'm trying to make my music as real as possible, because I feel this is my form of communicating with the world." Musiq's extended soul-family also includes his songwriting partner Carvin Haggins. "Me and Carvin are like a two-man Motown team," jokes Musiq. "We mix our experiences and just try to keep the lyrics as real as possible. Although an emotional track like "You & Me" might be more Carvin--he has a flare for the sadness and dramatics--we usually balance each other perfectly. It's a blessing." Working with producer James Poyser, who has worked with Lauryn Hill and D'Angelo, was another blessing in the short career of Musiq Soulchild. On the bouncy uptempo jam "My Girl," which Poyser laced with breezy melodies and a simple bass line, Musiq's boyish charm once again shines seductively. Having come a long way from the days of beatboxing ("I used to mock my favorite songs on the radio), Musiq says, "I think singing is about conviction. I've been through a lot and I've grown a lot. The conviction I have comes directly from my experiences." Indeed, that conviction is felt in the lushness of "Love." On this ballad to the emotion love, Musiq's voice has an aching quality that shivers through ones blood. With Aijuswanaseing, Musiq Souldchild delivers with an emotional rawness and purity that is rare in a debut disc. "Right now, R&B is going through a little evolution," said Musiq. "It's coming into itself. A void has been in R&B and now that the attention is focused back on us, we really filling it up. Our sound is staying. It's sticking. More attention is being focused on us but we have been here for a while." Music also described his music style as hip hop soul, stating, "My rhythms, my style and my approach to singing is a lot like how an MC would deliver it. Hip hop is a major influence to me so my contribution is to deliver good music. I just want to be appreciated for delivering good music."
Bio Courtesy of MTVONLINE 
