LVNDIE - The Future of Orlando RnB
I've had the pleasure of working with this incredibly talented 30 yr. old Rnb singer. I never personally met him before the session, just known of him through his Five-Tie City crew and listened to some of his music. In these situations, you never know what you're going to get when the artist shows up. This has gone bad more times than I care to admit. Studio booked, engineer paid, track mixed and ready to go, now it's up to working and communicating with an artist you’ve never even met in person. Pleasantly surprised, he was on-time, extremely prepared, and a very humble and down to earth artist and person in general. He showed up by himself, no crew or entourage, and was ready to work despite being under the weather that day.
After a brief discussion sharing ideas, a confident voice says, “All right, I'm good, let's go.” Track plays and a low sounding mumbling of a harmony idea begins. Heads start to bob, taking in the early beginnings of what he already has in his head. The next pass through is when the lyrics begin to take shape. One more take for good measure, and now you sit and listen back to what recently, was just an idea in the air. That idea, now a finished product, is even better than you envisioned it could be. This is the epitome of creativity, talent, and humbleness working together with a common goal. No ego just pure focus on completing the task at hand. As a producer, there's nothing more you can ask for.
This is a prime example as to why LVNDIE (pronounced Landy) is the future of Rnb out of Orlando. Coming from a musical background, his grandfather, Landy Nova, is famous for combining Salsa and Doo Wop and playing with some of the greatest acts of that genre in the early 70’s. “I believe your musical influence is created when you’re a child,” LVNDIE told me. He realized he could sing listening to the early pop bands like NSync and Backstreet Boys, but it wasn’t until he heard bands like Linkin Park and Simple Plan did it start to resonate that the darker, more introspective style was what he would inevitably create. If Bieber was one side of the commercial pop scale, he definitely skews toward The Weeknd side of darker pop.
The best example of this, is his newest single “Someone Else”. A hard-pulsating track with a gritty and dark 80’s style synth that is the canvas for him to camouflage his feelings of depression and insecurity while being in a relationship and experiencing temptation on a new level as an artist with an increasing female fan base.
In addition to finding and perfecting his sound, LVNDIE has been on a performing streak over the past few years. All starting with his first performance at none other than the Fusion Showcase. “This is my most memorable live show to date,” he tells me, clearly sensing the excitement still in his voice. “Not only was it my first show ever, but I had been writing and recording for two years leading up to this, leading up to the right moment to step on stage.” The success of that first performance lead to a tour with comedian and Instagram star Salice Rose, performing at events such as Supr Fest, Culture Fest, Harlem Fest, and multiple memorable broadcasts with ‘In The Kitchen with H-Dot' which is a great online performance platform.
The odds of succeeding in the music business are too slim to even talk about. There’s no exact recipe but it does have common ingredients. Work ethic, drive, humbleness, a clear sense of self awareness, and oh yeah, talent. From my personal experience with LVNDIE, he possesses all of these. It should be our job as a community of creatives to support and promote such characteristics, so if I may. Thank you.
BY: ScottyJewlz