Get To Know: Teisha Marie

I’m especially honored to introduce this next artist in the Get to Know series, because I honestly feel that you will fall in love with her sound as well as and her charm. Teisha Marie’s free-flowing, melodic sound is captivating as much as it is a fresh face to an otherwise humdrum music scene. With her latest project set for release next spring, Teisha offers what I feel has been missing from music here as of late- heart. I hope that we can bring her to Memphis, so that others can see what I adore about her. Please Get to Know: Teisha Marie.

The EP that I fell in love with was Addicted to Life.Can you tell the readers a bit about how that album came about?
There’s really no official way to say how I started about creating this album. I just sort came about it in a weird way. I had a project for my production class back in college where I had to write and produce a song. So I had to go and find a singer that would be able to orchestrate the way I wanted the song to be. I don’t know if that started it, but after doing a few shows, the songs just started coming. I wanted to get others to sing the songs, but it just wasn’t happening like that. So finally I was like so I guess I will have to do it then, huh? So I recorded some stuff and let some people hear it, they liked it and I was like okay I will put a little project together. The EP released August 2007 and was later followed with the Addicted to Life LP. And now I’m working on my second album and it’s really been a journey. I’m very excited about it.

So tell us about the new project?
The new project is going to be titled Girl from Nowhere and I’ve been working on it this summer coming up with great things. Getting my production hands back on this project and I’m also doing a few songs on it and working with some great people from France, Germany, and Japan. So …so far so good. Now don’t hold me to this but I’m shooting for a release date of Spring 2011. I’m really, really excited about this project. The subject matters are things that people can really relate to and really branching out because a lot of times people try to hide who they are. This album is about embracing and accepting who you are and loving yourself. And I think people should do that more in life.

Being both an artist and a producer can be challenging at times, do you ever see yourself maybe shifting towards one more so than the other in the near future?
I don’t really know. I can’t see splitting myself up like that. I don’t produce everything that I put out. I definitely collaborate with a lot of people. Some times what will happen is that I will have a song in mind but what I might come up with for it might not necessarily be feeling so I might collaborate with someone to come up with more ideas. Other times I might have a vision of what I want and it might not be translating through me like I would like it to, so I might turn the idea over to someone else exactly as I’m envisioning it and we might co-produce on it. But I don’t think that I can split myself up and pick one over the other. I really enjoy the singing part because that really connects me with people and I enjoy the producing because it allows me to create. I also love songwriting aspect too because it's therapeutic.

I usually ask this question of artists, but I’m going to switch it up a bit with you. As an artist, your music is most likely categorized into a specific genre. My question to you is if you could choose any type of genre that best categorizes your music, what would it be and why?

I would say that I’m inspirational honesty. I mean if I had to put myself in a box. I just try to put out honest and inspirational music. You know one day you might feel like being in a suit, the next day jeans and sneakers, the next you want to be all cute with your little flirty dress and earrings. It’s however you want to come across and that’s how my music is to me. It’s whatever comes across to me, however it comes to me. Change allows different sides to be shown. So in order to fully express who I am, the genres are non-applicable but honesty is the common thread between them. I’m not worried, per se, as to how I’m perceived. If that makes sense?

It does and I can appreciate that as a listener, because we look to be able to relate to the artist. To be able to not have this “cookie cutter” type album, but see an artist actually create the type of music they want to create.
Back in the 70’s everyone was their own and free to be their own person. Then right around the 90’s we were expected to be like the person who came before us whether it was crappy or not, it was expected- no originality. And here we are today and we’re kind of just stuck.

Can we expect touring once the new project is released?
Of course, I’m going to go where I can go. Where ever and whoever will have me I will be there. I’ve done some shows in Atlanta, New York, Philly as well as parts of the Boston area. I would like to get more so out to the Midwest, the west coast of course, and also do some touring out of the country.

I’m going to hold you to that because I would love to see a talent like you here in Memphis. I believe you will be perceived well.
Well thank you. I’ve never been to Memphis. Actually never been to Tennessee for that matter so that’s cool.
I want everyone to know where they can find you.
Well you can catch me on my website, (http://www.teishamarie.com/), twitter (http://twitter.com/teishamarie), facebook (http://www.facebook.com/teishamarie) and most definitely reach me at CDBaby, iTunes, Rhapsody, and anywhere online where you can buy music, I’m there.

Photo courtesy of Jefry Andres Wright