Diva Dish: Carmen Reece

By now, you should all be familiar with this 22 year old beauty from London, Carmen Reece.  She's been Wonk Pop's Flavor of the Month for September and her first album Love In Stereo just dropped on iTunes last Thursday.  The Indie artist (who's album was produced by the legendary Mark Feist) is not only beautiful, but she's a one of a kind singer-songwriter about to explode on the Pop scene.  With a voice that is unlike any other and songs that blend pop, dance & adult contemporary sounds, this is the birth of a superstar.

To be speaking to Carmen the day her album was released, made me feel like a giddy school girl who just got asked to the prom.  My heart started to race as Mark connected Carmen and I over my cell phone.  I had to remind myself to breath.  Immediately, Carmen's mature demeanor and thoughtful question of "Are you feeling better?" made me feel as though I was talking to an old friend, someone I had known for years.  This woman knows just how important it is to connect with her fans on a personal level, (nearly 28,000 on Facebook & growing) as it is to connect to her own music.  Read on (after the jump) to learn more about this rising pop star.
Carmen Reece - Love In Stereo by Wonky Pop

We’re so excited that your album “Love In Stereo” dropped today on iTunes!

CR: I know! So am I! The response so far has been really, really great.

When did your music career begin? At what age? What instruments do you play?

CR: I started playing the piano and flute at the age of seven, but I’ve had a major interest in music since I was five.  That brought me to the Brit School, which is also where Adele and Amy Winehouse went. I started first recording in the studio at the age of 14 and have been writing music since the age of 11 or 12. It’s always been a natural progression for me from a young age. These last few years have definitely been such great ones, especially working with Mark Feist.  Back in England I really did write a lot with different songwriters and producers but I never found that partnership & understanding creatively with someone until I met Mark.

Tell us about The Divas, your influences.

CR: I think the early Mariah Carey was the biggest influence on me growing up. What I loved about her music was that it really touched people and the songs were really relatable too. I used to sing every night in my room to her songs.  Obviously Whitney Houston and Toni Braxton - I just really latched onto soulful music. Music that really meant something.

How was your experience opening for Kelly Rowland at the Hammersmith Apollo? Who were you singing with and what were some of the songs you performed?

CR: That was crazy! It was very unplanned and it came out of nowhere but it was such a great experience. I got goose bumps up there. I got to meet her very, very briefly before. The audience was so great.

You were there singing with someone else right?

CR: One of my friends from college was supporting her tour and we had written a song in college together, and he had asked me to come on stage and sing that song with him. It went down so well. It has taken me to great places in the past year - I had gotten to open for great people like Flo Rida and Kevin Rudolf.

How did you and Mark Feist find one another?

CR: We met about five years ago when I was signed to a company in London. They sent me out to LA to work with different producers and songwriters. I spent two days with Mark and we had such a great time in the studio. We didn’t forget about one another. Obviously I went back to London and he went back to producing Destiny’s Child and people like that. Then a couple of years ago he reached out to me - he was looking for someone to sing his songs. I had been focusing on my music and who I was as an artist. I had a little studio set up in my home. I really wanted to show him some things so I came out to LA and I was set to do some songs for him, I pulled out some of my own and well, the rest is history.

Before we get to your singles, I gotta ask... How has your music transitioned from Parabeats “U Got Me” til now? I recently saw the video and the sound seems so different than your singles “Right Here” and “Raindrop.”

CR: It’s funny with that. I spent a lot of time writing with different people. I co-wrote the song and some DJ’s in London got ahold of it. It really wasn’t a representation as me as an artist but it had a great response on the radio.

Both of those songs have been released on iTunes and both have been re-mixed by well known DJ’s Dave Aude & Jason Nevins. Perfect motivation for the gym!  That’s when I first fell in love with your music. And your album is officially out TODAY (so exciting!), what

great things can we expect from “Love In Stereo?” Which songs are you most excited about?

CR: It’s a really hard question for me and I get asked that quite a lot. I’m in love with all of them. The whole concept of the album “Love in Stereo” is talking about love coming from all different angles, in a relationship. It makes you wanna move physically and hopefully emotionally too.

I think it’s great that you are reaching out to your fanbase- over 26,000 followers on Facebook and over 700 on Twitter- and you response and reach out to them individually. This is so not like most pop artists today.

CR: Awe well thank you. We feel that our fans are at the core of our success. Right now, I am an indie artist on Mark’s small record company. Of course we’d love to sign a deal with a major label but we want to make sure we are making the right moves.

Will there be a hard copy available of “Love In Stereo?”

CR: Not as of yet - just iTunes for the moment. When we go to the major that will happen.

Can we expect a music video in the near future? Perhaps for “Don’t Ever Leave Me?” This should most definitely be your next single!

CR: I’m glad that you say that. That song is still so fresh. We’re loving it! We’re hopefully going to be doing a video very soon. We’re still going back and forth because we love a lot of the songs - we haven’t completely confirmed which song it will be yet. Mark & I wanted to make the album very relevant for today as well as contemporary. We also wanted to showcase my style as a musician.

Being that you actually write your own music, how do you find the inspiration for your songs?

CR: It’s definitely a mixture of things. It’s your friends, your imagination, your own personal experiences. And sometimes you just don’t know where it comes from. There’s a song on the album called “Bullet Through My Heart” that’s like this. I just sat down at the piano and it just came together. There are things on this album that come from my past relationships as well. (editor’s note: “Bullet Through My Heart” was the reason why Feist fell in love with Carmen’s

music and signed her as an artist.)

You’ve covered a few popular songs on YouTube. How did you pick Usher’s “DJ Got Us Fallin’ In Love” as a song to cover?

CR: I really love Usher as an artist. He’s comeback and he’s been brilliant. Our team discusses what can be relevant and what I can make the best of it. When I sat down at the piano, I felt that song right away and it was a lot of fun to change it up from what it was. It’s a team effort.

Who else would you enjoy working with, either as collaborations or songwriters?

CR: I’ve always been a huge fan of Ne-Yo. Songwriting wise and performance wise, I feel like I can relate to him. He’s lyrics are very relatable. I think another amazing collaboration would be to work with Stevie Wonder. And to do a duet collaboration with Drake.

Maybe you need to do a Stevie Wonder cover for YouTube.

CR: Hey, that’s a great idea! You should come work for the team.

What’s the hardest obstacle you’ve had to overcome in your musical career to date?

CR: I think the toughest thing for me back at home was that I knew what I wanted to do and I knew who I was as an artist, but I couldnt find someone to help me express it. I felt very pigeon-holed back in London and it was a very big learning curve. I got together my own studio and really focused on my music. Then Mark and I found on another, and as cliche as it may be, magic was made.

You might know by now that Wonky Pop is all about flavors. In fact, you are Wonky Pop’s “Flavor of the Month.” If you could be any flavor of popsicle, what would it be?

CR: (Laughs) Raspberry? That’s a good flavor right?

We love you Carmen and that’s why we’ve chosen you as our Flavor of the Month. Wonky Pop believes in the artists we promote and we wish you all the success in the future. Thank you for taking the time to talk with me today.

CR: Thank you so much.