An immediate connection with Lauryn Hill’s MTV Unplugged record was what first cultivated Selah Sue’s passion for music. At the time, thousands of miles away from the United States, ideas were beginning to grow inside Selah Sue’s mind within her home country of Belgium. The singer-songwriter is coming off the debut of her self-titled album that released at the end of August. The record is highly derivative of reggae, hip-hop and soul styles of music, and as an artist Selah Sue takes to heart the power that those forms have had on shaping her music. In a recent visit through Philadelphia, Selah Sue took the time to discuss with Glide the process behind building her debut album in addition to her developing career.
To begin, can you enlighten me on music scene in Belgium?
Well first of all, it’s very separated; the Flemish part from the French part. I live in the Flemish part, everything is close together, there are ten million people living in Belgium. In our part, I think me together with Milow are almost the only artists that crossover; that are as big in the French part as in the Flemish part. In the Flemish part, it’s mostly rock music. Electro as well, which is really cool, the dub step scene is also pretty big.
It seems like you have been involved in music from a young age. In your song “Crazy Vibes” you sing, “I was never really into music, until I was about nine years old.” Was there a lot of initial inspiration and support from your family?
It’s not that I had a very musical family; it was something that I had to learn myself and discover myself through social media and interactions. I live in the times of social media so if you’re in Belgium you are able to listen to music especially from the United States. So I started listening to Erykah Badu and Lauryn Hill, those two were my biggest influences at the time.
Was their music something that friends had introduced you to?
I really just figured it out. I immediately had a real strong taste when I saw the MTV Unplugged with Lauryn Hill. Even though I was still young I knew that this was the thing I really loved. It was the first album I went and bought as well, so it was really special.
Was she popular at the time in Belgium?
No not really. Underground of course, with the Fugees. “Killing Me softly” was a hit back then, but it’s not a big market in Belgium; soul music is just not a big market in Belgium. I think myself with one other artist are almost the only soul artists who are big in Belgium. Milow is an incredible guy, he really forced me to support soul and forced me to write more songs, because I had only had two songs at the time. But his style is very singer-songwriter based, like a style of Jack Johnson.
I understand that you had worked a bit with Jerry “Wonda” Duplessis on this record. What did he bring to the table?
I was strange actually. I was just in the U.S. and we did “Fade Away.” He heard “Ragamuffin” and he was a fan so he sent a message to my management, and I was in New York at the time. So I was open to do co-writing and things alike. And I was like ‘Okay, why not if something comes out.’ But nothing did of course, and at the time it wasn’t my thing. Sometimes it can be that it’s forced and some good things do come out. But if writers are real focused on writing a hit song everything tends to go a bit to the side.
So I went into the studio and he let me hear some beats. First he let me hear a song which already had lyrics and had been sung, thinking that I would take it and sing over it. And I was like ‘Are you crazy, how could somebody just do that?’ But the lyrics and the melody were already on it, and he just wanted to sell the song to me. And it was totally not my thing. But then he let me hear some other things because I was of course curious of what else he did. And then he let me hear the “Fade Away” piece, and I had an instant inspiration with it. So I went into the studio and within one hour was totally finished, sometimes it can go really fast, and it did with “Fade Away.”
So the instrumental side came from him?
Yes, it did.
Were some of the other tracks processed with the same method? Like “Crazy Sufferin’ Style” and “Peace of Mind.”
Yeah, I didn’t really have a way in my head how I wanted to work it. It’s also a coming of age, with some of the songs that I wrote when I was seventeen that are still important. But they’re all written in different ways, because I never thought about it. I think half of them were written on guitar and vocals first, then instrumentals after. And half of it was written from a beat, which I received from my producer Farhot and I sang over it. “This World” came from a band jam. “Fyah Fyah” and “Break” all on guitar. “Peace of Mind” and “Crazy Sufferin’ Style” came from a beat.
I think it’s interesting to see the whole process of building a song. From the idea, to putting it down on paper, to where it becomes musical. Were there any other producers that had significant inputs?
Really that was it actually; them together with Patrice. The songs were ready and I have a real strong opinion about how I want it to sound. But my best working together with was with Farhot, he made the beats. And Patrice he was also a producer, he is an artist himself, and he found the musicians to play in the record, because I didn’t know hardly anyone at the time.
Had you recorded the album in the United States?
No, everything was recorded in Germany. The whole record was recorded there.
And are the musicians who were on the record touring with you as well?
No. When I recorded the album, before that I was still playing solo. So after the album was recorded, I had to search for a band to play it live with me.
Especially when a lot may be programmed, drum patterns and other instrumental parts, it’s important to be able to capture those elements?
Yeah, it took a while. You don’t have a lot of really good hip-hop drummers in Belgium; it was a search. I changed drummers like three times or something. Even to have a band that speaks your language, that’s real cool, and it brings you closer, and now we’re all real good friends.
Have you found that your music performing live changed much?
Yes, of course. That’s actually been hard, because you record your record and then you play it live for a year and it’s getting better and better live. But you still stick with the fucking songs you recorded on the album. So it’s ten times better live than on the album.
Do you find that different elements are brought out when playing the songs live?
From the album? Yes, things that are necessary. For example, I don’t want a lot of vocals on tape because if you play live, you need to fill that out. But sometimes samples or kicks make it better live. That’s the thing I had to make a decision about because I have a lot of vocals on my album, and I’m a solo artist. I didn’t want to have all those vocals on tape, because it’s not always necessary.
Did you have an idea in your mind about how you wanted to layer the vocals on the record? I found that when listening, there were many subtleties and harmonies that were layered to fill it out in addition to developing a rhythm to the vocals.
Yes, that’s something I wanted to do one hundred percent, totally myself. My melodies, vocals and my lyrics, that’s something I have to do and control myself. And the label knows that already. We had to fight a lot, but it’s so clear that everything with the art has to be the way that I see it.
Was there any co-writing, lyrically?
No not yet, not on the first album. It’s hard, English is not my native language. But I’m really open to it if it’s the right words and things I want to say, then I’m open to get some help.
And that led me to think of something else. Sometimes the label may have an idea for what they want the artist to be, and that may or may not agree with the intended direction for what the artist actually wants. But at the end of it all, the artist needs to have themselves engrained in the music. It’s also important to be conscious of that from a business standpoint, in maintaining a degree of control there.
It’s true. Prince said the same thing to me actually. He said make sure you always have a little credit on what you write. I asked him for advice and that’s one of the things he said to me.
Yeah, when you consider branding in music, you correlate artists, bands and musicians to brands. And you need to maintain how you want to define your brand. The music will help develop that brand and build it, but it’s important to consider how it is both received and perceived. Making sure that it’s what you want it to be.
Especially for myself, I need to sing the songs every day and they need to represent me. I can’t imagine doing something that’s not yours. But I’m really tired of most songs, I wrote most of them when I was seventeen or eighteen, and I’m now twenty three. So it’s also a lot like ‘Fuck do I still want to do this?’ But then I think, at that time it was really honest and I really thought it was good at the time. Like, “Mommy” I was seventeen when I wrote that song.
And music is really a snap shop in time. Your ideas on day one may be much different from day five, year seven. It changes. The way you write is going to change after working with other musicians and absorbing different types of music, especially when traveling and playing in different countries. Have you felt that audiences receive your music differently from place to place when playing live?
Yes, very much actually. I feel it more in Europe than I feel it here. In Europe, it changes with every country. Here, in the U.S., it’s the same good feeling here up until now. For example, when I play in Belgium people are really reserved like I am as well when I go and watch a show. I can be really serious about watching something and think it’s really good. I love it too when people are silent and a bit more shy. In the Netherlands they’re crazy. In Poland they’re completely nuts. And in the U.S. it’s been interesting; everything’s been good up to this point.
