There is so much value in honest conversation and it’s truly impactful when it occurs in music. Newly signed to the house that Russell Simmons built, Def Jam artist Aliah Sheffield’s approach to R&B is not only fresh and invigorating but its honesty is reminiscent of everything great about the genre’s core sound throughout 60s, 70s, and 90s, while still addressing the world we currently live in. It’s nostalgic, but new, yet the Blackness of it all still feeds soul. We are honored to support such an incredible talent.
Let’s start with your single “Boo Boo The Fool.” What inspired you to flip a classic saying?
I’m actually always saying it, or my mother is always saying it. There was a conversation I was having with someone, and I said, “So and so must think I’m Boo Boo the Fool if they think I’m going to keep falling for this. It was literally based on a conversation I was having.
That has to be one of the most Black-esque title ever for a song.
I thought about that (laughing). It is very Black. If you get it, you get it. If you don’t, you don’t.
The song has a soulful and organic feel. Should we anticipate more music with this approach when your EP drops?
I think you should. Even if you hear me talk about “Earth is Ghetto,” a lot of the songs are just me having conversations in different melodies. I usually call it me complaining in different key signatures. They kind of sound as if I were talking to somebody about the problems that were going on. Since I talk in that way, it’s probably going to come out like that.
You went viral with “Earth is Ghetto” in 2020 on TikTok. Did you expect it would become a big moment?
I did not. That was actually me just walking down the street… I was living in Mexico at the time; I was just walking down the street. I was at the corner store at the time, and I was getting something to eat. There were bars on the window. You couldn’t go into the store. This was me just writing something as if I were talking, so I wasn’t expecting it to go anywhere because at the time, I didn’t really have a YouTube following.
How are you coping with everything that comes with all the attention and success?
By writing more… Anytime I have a problem, I just write about it. It just helps me cope, and it also gives me more songs and topics to write about. Writing is my coping mechanism.
What has been the best part of your success story?
I’m actually getting to work on my own music. Before the pandemic, I was working at a piano bar, and I was singing covers for a living. Since the pandemic, I have been able to fully focus on my own writing and present my own songs to an audience. I would not have been able to do that before.
“These Songs Are For Anyone Sick of Earth” is an intriguing title for a music project. What was the inspiration?
A lot of times, I’m fed up and so is everybody else. It’s been a rough couple of years (laughing). I thought that title was very fitting. At the time when I was uploading my YouTube videos, all the titles were like, “This Song is for Anyone Feeling Like This…” or “This Song is for Anyone Feeling Like That…” And that was for my EP, too.
Who are some of the artists that inspired you or influenced your artistry?
They are Nina Simone, Johnnie Hathaway, Kendrick Lamar, Tracy Chapman… Recently, I have been inspired by a lot of SZA’s writing. Lauryn Hill… Just a lot of people who really put thought into what they are saying and approach a lot of life’s issues in a very thoughtful way, lyric-wise.
Being a new artist as far as the industry is concerned, how do you feel about the current state of R&B/Soul music?
I feel R&B is currently thriving. You just have to know where to look. There are plenty of outlets showcasing great R&B acts. I think maybe the mainstream doesn’t pay attention to them as much. I really think R&B has grown and expanded so much that people miss out on things because they are expecting it to always sound the way that it did in the 90s, or the 70s and 80s.
Way back in the 1900s (laughing)…
Yeah (laughing) the 1900s… Somebody said that to me, I was like Jesus—the 1900s (laughing).
Do you plan to explore other aspects of the entertainment industry like television and film?
Yes, I do. I have always wanted to do some acting. It seems like a really interesting part of the business to get into. I definitely want to do that in the future.
As the visual coming out to promote your project, are you looking forward to having creative input?
I really appreciate having input from others when it comes to visuals because I can’t always express myself visually, even though I do paint very visual pictures with my lyrics. It is always good to have an outside eye to help bring my art to a screen.
Be’n Original
