Meet The Performers: B.cloy - Najeri Rawlins
As Fusion’s first I Love R&B show of the year approaches I had the pleasure of speaking with all of our performers to give our readers some insight on what to expect on the day of the show as well as to get to know the artists a little bit better. I had the pleasure of speaking with B. Cloy to discuss his journey and how he prepares for performances.
B.Cloy born and raised in Tallahassee FL – grew up with quite the musical influence in his life. Both his mom and grandma were heavily active in the church which later resulted in him singing in the choir and finding his voice. Throughout the years he continued to nurture his talent and practice his songwriting skills. In 2016 after moving to Orlando FL for college he decided to pursue music professionally and recorded and released two of his first singles “One Night” and “Crash and Burn”. Since then he’s built a following for himself and has been able to perform in front of many crowds within the Orlando area! Going into his first show of the year he explains - “I’m excited to feel the energy from the crowd and really connect with them!”
Make sure you grab your tickets for the event! So you can check out B. Cloy live! Showtime will be from 7pm - 11:00pm at The Abbey Downtown Orlando. It’ll be the perfect environment to bring a loved one, enjoy some drinks, and vibe along to the amazing performers joining us that night.
Get to know more about B. Cloy below:
Q: Tell me a little bit about yourself (where you live, your age, etc.)
- “I’m 24, I live in Tallahassee but I did go to school at UCF. That's pretty much where I got my following in Orlando.”
Q: What have you been up to so far this year?
- “So far this year I’ve been collaborating a lot, getting into new genres (specifically dance). I just dropped a song with a close friend and I’ve also been working on an EP that I plan to release this Fall or Winter.”
Q: When did your musical journey begin? And when did you know you wanted to take it seriously/build a career?
- “Well I started singing in the choir at 8 years old at my church but I didn’t realize I wanted to do music until my senior year of High school. I applied to UCF and got in! As soon as I got there in the summer of my freshman year I was walking in the student union and happened to see this guy that had his own home studio. Late that fall I reached out to him to record and early 2017 I released my first two singles.”
Q: How did you know you wanted to take that next step in actually putting yourself out there and commit to making music?
- “The initiative to just say this is what I’m gonna do and actually record came from being consistent. Since a young age I’ve always been involved in something whether it was sports, school plays, etc. So when it comes to me, if I'm doing something I want to be the best at it so even if someone already has a head start I’m gonna catch up with you and I’m gonna pass you. “
Q: Any specific sounds or artists you look up to for musical inspiration?
- “I think innately I’m heavily influenced by older soul music - The O'Jays, The Temptations, Teddy Pendergrass. More recently John Legend, Emeli Sandé. Alternative artists in the UK, dance and house music.”
Q: What do you look forward to the most when it comes to performances?
- “I look forward to connecting with the crowd and having them connect to the message and my craft. I like to explain a lot of details about the songs I’m performing and feed off of the crowd and hope that I touch at least 2 or 3 people.”
Q: How do you prepare the day of a show?
- “Well first of course I have to shower, the steam in there you know helps my vocal cords. Then I get a 1.5 liter bottle of Eternal water and one whole lemon. And cut the top off of the lemon and just suck the lemon and drink the water. I’m sure other artists in Orlando have seen me do this when I’ve been performing and they always ask me “What's with the lemon?” And I’m just like 1. It clears up any mucus you have in your throat and 2. Idk…. It just turned into kind of a pre-show ritual at this point. Haha.”
Q: If you could describe your sound in one sentence to a new listener, what would you say?
- “I would describe my sound as very intimate and can be emotional. I feel like if I’m singing about pain, happiness, or love people can feel that in my voice.”
