Posts in Q&A
Toosii on Country Music, Summer Walker, Homelessness and “Favorite Song"
Toosii on Country Music, Summer Walker, Homelessness and “Favorite Song"

Crossover star Toosii knows his way around a recording booth.

Whether offering slick lyrics, a country twang, a smooth singing voice, or tight rap bars, the burgeoning music star can hang with the likes of Summer Walker or kick out a song solo with ease. A fan of Tim McGraw, R&B, and more, Toosii has a new music video out this week for the track, “Favorite Song.”

American Songwriter caught up with Toosii and discussed his origins as an artist, how he survived homelessness, what it was like growing up in the South and upstate New York, and much more.

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Q&AJake UittiAmerican Songwriter Magazine
Hozier on the Importance of History and New Music
Hozier on the Importance of History and New Music

On Friday, March 17, 33-year-old Irish-born rock musician Hozier is releasing his latest record, an EP titled, Eat Your Young. As with all of the Grammy-nominated artist’s projects, it’s both stunning and powerful. With a knack for writing songs with skill and oompf, Hozier (born Andrew John Hozier-Byrne) has given fans more to love him for.

Hozier, who also announced a forthcoming tour, has a new LP coming later this year. The artist, who has brought the world songs like “Take Me To Church” and “Angel Of Small Death & The Codeine Scene,” is ready to turn up the volume and unleash more music into the world.

American Songwriter caught up with the artist to ask him about his entrance into the world of songwriting, his work as a custodian, how he values history, and much more.

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Q&AJake UittiAmerican Songwriter Magazine
Meet Antoine Davis, the college standout on the cusp of breaking records held by Pete Maravich and Stephen Curry
Meet Antoine Davis, the college standout on the cusp of breaking records held by Pete Maravich and Stephen Curry

If you haven’t heard of college standout basketball Antoine Davis, you’re not alone. But for basketball fans, it’s clearly time to start brushing up. Davis is on the cusp of breaking one of the most unbreakable records of all time: Pistol Pete Maravich’s all-time NCAA scoring record. Maravich tallied 3,543 points in his three-year career at LSU in the late 1960s.

As of today, Davis, a senior at the University of Detroit, is 124 points away with two regular season games left and (at least) one Horizon League tournament games after that. Today is Senior Night for his Detroit Mercy squad and after the game, Davis will have his jersey retired by the school—a big and rare honor. Going into the game, Davis is also 22 three-pointers away from Stephen Curry’s single-season NCAA record.

For many, this would be a blur, even an impossible task to complete. But Davis, the son of a coach, Mike Davis, formerly of Indiana University (first an assistant under Bob Knight and then as the school’s head coach from 2000 to 2006) and then University of Alabama at Birmingham from 2006 to 2012 and then Texas Southern University from 2012 to 2018 before taking over at Detroit, poise isn’t a problem. For the 24-year-old Davis, the sky is the limit.

Davis, who was the first freshman to be named to the First Team All-Horizon League team since Gordon Hayward, has broken scoring records, shooting records and has put the University of Detroit, a school formerly coached by Dick Vitale, back on the map in a major way. Here, below, we caught up with the star collegiate player to ask him about his roots, his style, LeBron James and which NBA player he patterns his game after.

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Q&AJake UittiHoops Hype
NBA Star Victor Oladipo Talks New Album ‘Tunde,’ Musical Roots and The Importance of Afrobeats
NBA Star Victor Oladipo Talks New Album ‘Tunde,’ Musical Roots and The Importance of Afrobeats

On Friday (February 17), two-time NBA All-Star Victor Oladipo released his latest album, a seven-track record called Tunde. The Afrobeat-centric release comes on the heels of several single releases, “Symphony” and “Exercise,” for the All-NBA guard in the past few months.

Oladipo, who has released two previous albums, Songs for You in 2017 and V.O. in 2018, also appeared on The Masked Singer in 2019. For the athlete-musician, making music and celebrating the culture is not some fly-by-night hobby. It’s a passion, through and through. As much so as basketball for him—perhaps even more.

The artist, who grew up singing in church and in school choirs in the Washington, D.C.-area, used to use his prowess to flirt with girls as a student. On his bucket list, he says, is singing the National Anthem. He even once sang a bit before an NBA Slam Dunk Contest he participated in. Indeed, singing is in his blood.

Below, American Songwriter caught up with Oladipo to talk about his musical roots, the genesis of his albums, his love for Afrobeats (a genre featured heavily last week at the NBA All-Star game), and what he loves most about being a singer.

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Q&AJake UittiAmerican Songwriter Magazine
Victor Oladipo on music, Damian Lillard collab, teaching younger teammates about Tupac and more
Victor Oladipo on music, Damian Lillard collab, teaching younger teammates about Tupac and more

Two-time NBA All-Star Victor Oladipo says it’s on his “bucket list” to perform the National Anthem at a game. Indeed, for Oladipo, who has now released three records, including his latest, Tunde, on Friday (February 17), music is in his blood. He grew up singing, doing so both in school choirs and in church. In fact, he says, his family would often ask him to quiet down around the house, he was making so much “noise.”

In 2017, the All-NBA player released his debut album, Songs for You. A year later, he released the LP, V.O. And in 2019, he performed on the second season of the popular singing competition television show, The Masked Singer, as the character, Thingamajig, placing fifth. Starting in 2022, Oladipo began releasing new singles ahead of Tunde, starting with the romantic song, “Symphony,” last fall.

A lover of Afrobeat music, Oladipo, whose family is Nigerian, worked with the producer Harmony “H-Money” Samuels (Ariana Grande, Jennifer Hudson) on his latest release. His most recent single is the song, “Exercise,” which also features Oladipo’s amorous side. Here below, we caught up with the athlete-musician to talk with him about the relationship between the NBA and music, who in the league he’d like to collaborate with and what he loves most about the art form.

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Q&AJake UittiHoops Hype
Black Belt Eagle Scout on how the Ernie Ball Music Man St. Vincent model, Fender Princeton Reverbs and nature all inform her powerful, emotive guitar sound
Black Belt Eagle Scout on how the Ernie Ball Music Man St. Vincent model, Fender Princeton Reverbs and nature all inform her powerful, emotive guitar sound

Katherine Paul is the singer and songwriter behind the Pacific Northwest-based Black Belt Eagle Scout. In her emotive, nuanced, and typically guitar-based songs, Paul touches on her homeland, her family and her Indigenous ancestors, interspersed with narratives from her own unique vantage point.

Black Belt Eagle Scout is signed to Saddle Creek Records, and has enjoyed quite the run of success of late, from an acclaimed KEXP in-studio performance a few years ago to, more recently, garnering a song placement in the popular television series, Reservation Dogs. Paul's latest accomplishment is Black Belt Eagle Scout's stellar new LP, The Land, The Water, The Sky, which is set for release on February 10. 

Here, Guitar World catches up with Paul to talk about the new album, her first foray into playing guitar, how she taught herself by watching old grunge VHS tapes and what she loves most about the instrument.

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Q&AJake UittiGuitar World
Basketball Legend Craig Hodges on Phil Jackson, Kyrie Irving, and Life After the NBA
Basketball Legend Craig Hodges on Phil Jackson, Kyrie Irving, and Life After the NBA

Today, it’s widely acknowledged that the National Basketball Association (the NBA) is the most star-studded sports league in America, if not the world. From Julius “Dr. J” Erving to Magic Johnson and Larry Bird to Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant, LeBron James, and Stephen Curry, the league is a veritable hotbed for big names.

But one name many NBA fans—especially those now under, say, 30-years-old—who may not be as widely known is Craig Hodges. The former sharp-shooter won three three-point competitions during consecutive NBA All-Star games. He was also a teammate of Jordan’s and helped the team win the 1991 NBA championship.

Hodges, though, was not resigned to his contract after it expired in 1991. That might seem odd given his prowess as a shooter. But the answer is simple. It’s because he was an outspoken person who argued for big social change. He famously tried to get Jordan and Magic to boycott Game One of the 1991 Finals in the wake of Rodney King’s brutal beating by L.A. police. He tried to get Jordan to leave Nike and start his own Black-owned shoe company. And in 1991 when the Bulls went to the White House, Hodges gave a letter of grievances to then-President George Bush Sr. All of this is documented in his recent memoir, Long Shot.

Below, we caught up with the 62-year-old Hodges to ask the Chicago-native about his time in the league, what comes to mind when he thinks of these actions, and what he hopes the future may bring. All of this is made especially poignant given the recent death of Tyre Nichols, who was recently and sadly brutally killed at the hands of Memphis police.

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Q&AJake UittiUnder The Radar
Sharon Van Etten: "I loved the Jaguar – it added all these undertones that enhanced the darkness I was trying to express. That definitely changed the way I play guitar"
Sharon Van Etten: "I loved the Jaguar – it added all these undertones that enhanced the darkness I was trying to express. That definitely changed the way I play guitar"

At the moment, Los Angeles-based singer-songwriter Sharon Van Etten is between two important musical points in her life. Van Etten released her latest album, We’ve Been Going About This All Wrong, last May. 2022, though, also marked a significant anniversary – 10 years since the release of her life-changing LP, Tramp. So, she wonders, how to celebrate? 

Here, we caught up with Van Etten as she navigates some upcoming writing sessions – both solo and with her band – and, of course, enjoys her time as the mother of a young, music-loving son who recently began his own six-string journey with one of his mother's hand-me-down guitars. 

The New Jersey native has released six full-length albums to date, with We’ve Been Going About This All Wrong in particular taking her sound in new and fascinating directions. In conversation with Guitar World, Van Etten discusses her songwriting style, early guitar heroes, and her fondest early guitar memories. 

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Q&AJake UittiGuitar World
Nick Elam on the Elam Ending: "I believe in it that much that I’ve never had to be phony about it"
Nick Elam on the Elam Ending: "I believe in it that much that I’ve never had to be phony about it"

Anyone who has watched an NBA basketball game knows the script for the final minutes. It goes like this: the margin is either too wide for a team to try and make a comeback or the game is so close that there is either a chance at a last-second buzzer-beating shot or the team that is losing has to attempt to repeatedly foul the leading team in the hopes they miss their foul shots and the losing squad can attempt a miraculous comeback. In the end, the result is often a lot of foul shots signifying nothing—they merely draw out the inevitable. It’s common, thus, that the final, say, 45-seconds of an NBA game can last 20 minutes with all the breaks for free-throws.

But Nick Elam had an idea to change all that. Ever since 2007, Elam has been working to flip the game-ending script with his “Elam Ending.” With this concept, the final quarter of a basketball game is not timed (or at least a large chunk of it is played without a clock). Instead, there is a “target score” added to the leading team’s total. And to win the game, either team has to hit that final target score, rather than hold off its opponent from coming back as the seconds tick away.

In this interview, we caught up with Elam to ask him about the origins of his idea, which has been used in various leagues around the world, including most recently in the NBA All-Star game since 2020. We also asked what his plans are for the concept moving forward, how he goes about promoting it to new leagues and more.

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Q&AJake UittiHoops Hype
Kerry Washington on Anita Hill, Michelle Obama, and Her New Podcast
Kerry Washington on Anita Hill, Michelle Obama, and Her New Podcast

Kerry Washington, at times, resembles nobility more than she does entertainer. She’s regal, composed, confident. She glows. As such, Washington has enjoyed a marquee career with major roles in television and film, from her breakout on Scandal to directing an episode of Issa Rae’s Insecure to playing a character on The Simpsons. Washington also famously hit the silver screen in movies like Django Unchained, Ray and more.

Now, Washington is a podcaster. She hosts her own, Street You Grew Up On, and has recently partnered with Audible for a new scripted Audible Original series called, The Prophecy, which is set to drop on July 28. The eight-part series is written by Randy McKinnon and is produced by Audible, QCode, and Washington’s Simpson Street. The series, dubbed a “supernatural thriller” set against a backdrop of “natural disaster,” stars Washington as Dr. Virginia Edwards, Laurence Fishburne as Agent Thomas, as well as a handful of other skilled actors.

We caught up with Washington to ask her about her new undertaking, as well as topics ranging from her 2016 film, Confirmation, to how she keeps her sanity in this tumultuous political time.

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Q&AJake UittiInterview Magazine
Trixie Mattel: “I’m a product, right? If they want a singing, guitar playing, joke-telling Barbie doll, they have to get me. Or they have to get Dolly Parton”
Trixie Mattel: “I’m a product, right? If they want a singing, guitar playing, joke-telling Barbie doll, they have to get me. Or they have to get Dolly Parton”

Trixie Mattel is everywhere. The drag star, musician, writer and entrepreneur has graced myriad stages, television screens, YouTube videos and more as she’s gone on her journey of selling her talents and her products to her adoring fans.

Mattel releases her latest musical work today, a double album called The Blonde & Pink Albums, each of which include seven songs. To support the release, Mattel has dropped a number of music videos for songs such as Hello Hello, and recently performed on the late night show, Jimmy Kimmel Live!

We caught up with Mattel (born Brian Michael Firkus) to talk about her humble beginnings growing up in a trailer in the “middle of nowhere,” how she found guitar, her stint on RuPaul’s Drag Race, how she became a songwriter with the six-string, and what she thinks about when connecting to her vast audience.

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Q&AJake UittiGuitar World
Foals' Jimmy Smith talks overcoming nerves to develop his "naïve" style – and why ditching pedals helped him embrace a positive guitar attitude
Foals' Jimmy Smith talks overcoming nerves to develop his "naïve" style – and why ditching pedals helped him embrace a positive guitar attitude

When Foals first began, the Oxford, England-born band likely had no idea how their music would evolve over the next two decades. Today, they're known for their intricate sounds over bright, danceable music, making them a beloved name since their inception in 2005.

But over the years, the band have been forced to evolve, losing one of their original singers and shaping and reshaping themselves, maneuvering between math rock, traditional rock and even funk and disco.

Now, the band are releasing their latest LP, Life Is Yours, and with it comes a fresh sound, but one that continues to encompass many earlier elements. But on this new album, the band – particularly guitarist Jimmy Smith – sought to find cleaner, less “distracted” tones and aesthetics. Gone were mountains of pedals and in their place are a clearer sense of melody and instrumentation.

We caught up with Smith to ask him about his journey with his six-string, how he approached the group’s new album and how his own playing has evolved over the years.

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Q&AJake UittiGuitar World
The Writer’s Block: Parisalexa on Writing for Normani, Herself and Others
The Writer’s Block: Parisalexa on Writing for Normani, Herself and Others

For anyone who has tried, it’s difficult to write a song.

And it can be even more difficult to write songs for other people. Not only do you have to craft lyrics (or music) that work, but you often have to interview an artist or channel them, or… who knows what. It can all be so challenging.

But one artist who has mastered the craft is the Los Angeles-based R&B artist Parisalexa.

Paris, who has been featured on the NBC competition show Songland, also recently wrote the verse for artist Normani on the newly released track “Don’t They,” a remix by Josh Levi that featured Normani.

Here, we catch up with Paris to ask her about her process when it comes to writing for others, how she worked with Normani and how she keeps her solo career distinguished from her collaborative one.

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Q&AJake UittiAmerican Songwriter Magazine
25 Years After His Death, Jeff Buckley’s Mother, Mary Guibert, Talks About His Passing and Her Work With Road Recovery
25 Years After His Death, Jeff Buckley’s Mother, Mary Guibert, Talks About His Passing and Her Work With Road Recovery

When the singer/songwriter Jeff Buckley died mysteriously in Memphis, Tennessee, nearly 25 years ago on May 29, 1997, a giant hole formed in the hearts of music fans. Gone was the 30-year-old’s immaculate singing voice and his charm in the world of music.

But more significantly than that, it left a hole in the heart of his mother, Mary Guibert. However, Guibert wasn’t going to let the sadness of losing her son overtake her. She decided to be proactive.

The fruit of that determination is the non-profit organization Road Recovery, which Guibert co-founded with industry professionals and Buckley’s associates, Gene Bowen and Jack Bookbinder. Road Recovery works to help bring to light issues with addiction and young people in the music world with the hope of preventing unnecessary deaths like Buckley’s.

We caught up with Guibert to talk about her son and the work she’s done in the wake of his passing. These were not easy questions, nor were they easy answers. But we’re thankful for Guibert’s work and her responses in this interview.

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Q&AJake UittiAmerican Songwriter Magazine
The Black Keys’ Dan Auerbach Talks Akron, Ohio, School Buses, and the Band’s New LP ‘Dropout Boogie’
The Black Keys’ Dan Auerbach Talks Akron, Ohio, School Buses, and the Band’s New LP ‘Dropout Boogie’

The blues-rock group The Black Keys is one of the biggest bands in the world. But the project originated from humble beginnings in small Akron, Ohio, some 20 years ago.

Today, The Black Keys, which is comprised of frontman Dan Auerbach and drummer Patrick Carney, have more awards and accolades than can fit in the trunk of a pink Cadillac. But the band’s story, as you can see here below, first begins on a school bus.

Below, American Songwriter caught up with Auerbach to ask him about his early days falling in love with music, how he and Carney got together, and the genesis of the band’s new rollicking 10-song LP, Dropout Boogie, which is out Friday (May 13).

Auerbach also tells us about one of the group’s trophies coming to them with another band’s name on it—thanks MTV!

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Q&AJake UittiAmerican Songwriter Magazine