Renee Holiday is a soul singer. As an up-and-coming R&B artist in Seattle, she released two EPs (Scatterbrain and Molting) under the name Shaprece. She also released the more progressive C.O.A.L.S., which showed her power as a vocalist. As Shaprece, she was frequently featured as a guest on tracks by Seattle hip-hop artists. In working with producer Roger Greenawalt (Iggy Pop, Rufus Wainwright), she has developed an R&B sound which is less experimental than her previous work and focuses more on snapshots of Holiday’s life. After a hiatus and an epiphany, she changed her name and recently released a single entitled “Ain’t Got No Love.” By phone, she recently discussed her new sound, her hiatus, and her rebirth as Renee Holiday.
How is the new single different than what recorded in the past?
In the past my sound always had these grand, lush vocal moments that often times lead the production in a lofty way. It was all very pretty but, the songs at times felt incomplete. Now I would say that the lyrics and overall production is a bit more developed which in turn, helps tell a more cohesive story.
In what way do you think it’s more complete?
My past bodies of work were more experimental, especially when it came to things like sound design and production. It was all very ornate vocally and lyrically and the lyrics tended to be poetic, but in a cryptic way. It feels like the music that is being produced now has more of an overall solid song structure. Lyrically, it’s direct and cheeky versus mysterious and cryptic. My producer (Roger Greenwalt) and I have been heavily influenced by global history and seminal figures in history so, we have been finding ways to relate past eras/events with current events and things happening in my personal life. If I could say anything else about the music beyond that I would say, the songs are feeling like vignettes. Very theatrical, and the type of songs that take you on a journey.
What inspired the change to the name Renee Holiday?
Changing my name was always a thought in the back of my mind but it wasn’t until right before I met Roger that it started to make its way to the forefront. I took a bit of a break from performing and I used the time off to reflect on my career, and manifest what I wanted moving forward as an artist. I guess you could say there was a shedding of layers (a molting if you will), happening. It truly did feel like I was experiencing a rebirth, and with that sentiment on my heart, it felt right to move forward with a name change. Renee is my actual middle name and funny enough, I didn’t even realize that it meant rebirth until last year. That was such a confirmation for me! I thought, hell yeah…let’s celebrate a rebirth!
You mentioned the hiatus that you took from performing. How did that help you musically and personally?
It helped me reconnect with myself and gave me the opportunity to reconnect with my passions again, as well. It allowed room for creative ideas to marinate in stillness, without the pressures of producing shows and content. This in turn has given me the confidence to speak with clarity on the experiences I’ve gone through as an artist, a woman, a lover, a daughter, etc. I was able to silence the noise for a bit, and make sense of this crazy thing called life that we’re all trying to navigate and understand. I thank myself all of the time for being bold enough to just stop everything for a while, and enjoy being still.
Is that where the rebirth came from?
In a nutshell, yes and then of course realizing the meaning of my middle name. I took that discovery more as confirmation that I’m headed in the right direction. Additionally, there have been more than a few personal experiences in this industry and in life that have forced me to grow and strengthen my voice. This forced growth that I am so grateful for, has given me a more mature perspective on my purpose, and has helped bring clarity to some of my long term goals.
You mentioned goals. What’s next on the horizon for you?
I don’t want to speak too in depth on things that have yet to come to fruition but I can say for sure that my musical journey will serve as a gateway toward activism in some form or fashion. I’m already extremely passionate about global, political, and social issues and with that awareness, it would be against my nature to sit silently when there are so many people that need an extra voice uplifting them.
What would you be doing if you weren’t making music?
Music is my strongest form of communication and the craft that I have spent the most time perfecting. It’s my ministry. I wrote my first decent song around the age of 7, which I actually still remember. I guess I never really stopped after that day so I can honestly say that I don’t think about what I would be doing if I wasn’t making music because this is what I’ve chosen to give my energy and focus to. That said, and as I mentioned earlier, this path has and will continue to open doors and allow me to expand in different facets as a creative, and a person who hopes to inspire others to pursuit their passions as well.
How did that go – writing your first song at age 7?
I’ve always been a writer. Poetry to start, and those poems eventually found a melody. I’m not sure I that I could express that process at that young of an age but something just clicked in me. I said to myself, “What if I just sing the poems that I’m writing?” I started doing that, and used that method of songwriting for years. Early on I showed my family the songs that I was writing and not too long after I started, they noticed that I was serious about singing, and good at it too. That was all of the validation that I needed. I ran with it, and still have my running shoes on now.
Photo Credit: Tayo Kuku
