Upcoming music artist Tuu Ra recently came out with the song, ‘Extraordinary’ which is a creative tribute to all the women out there in the world. The song is one of his most romantic, and thematically subtle musical ventures that captures the essence, enigma, and individuality of women infusing the strains of Afropop and R&B.
Daily Music Roll: You take your lyrics very seriously. How do you conceive the ideas for your songs?
Tuu Ra: It all depends, but as of late my songs are birthed from free-styling. When I flow, what sounds good I keep, organize, and add some structure/written lines. I often pull ideas from my life experiences.
Daily Music Roll: Your music is defined across various genres. How do you keep up the identity of your soundscape with so many styles?
Tuu Ra: Well, that is the identity of my soundscape, “versatile”. Remember I’m an artist. There are no rules or laws that say I should stick to one genre. If anything I’m a true artist because my creative expression is limitless.
Daily Music Roll: Passion can be felt in your music. Your latest single, “Extraordinary,” is pure soul fuel! What inspired you to create the piece?
Tuu Ra: It was my birthday month, March, and I wanted to release new music as it would also be my first project for the year. It was also women’s appreciation month so when I came across the instrumental I was moved to flow with this theme creating one of my most favorite romantic pieces to date dedicated to “extraordinary” women.
Daily Music Roll: You promote love, self-love and self-motivation through your music. Do you feel that music has the ability to stir social, cultural, and political norms?
Tuu Ra: Absolutely. Music is energy. Sound triggers movement and words trigger images in the mind. For those who are receptive, this alone can influence behavior. Which is why I believe an artist should be mindful of the messages that their music portrays. This is nothing new.
Daily Music Roll: You’ve been creating music from a very young age & produced an array of genres. How do you overcome labels and boxes from societal pressures?
Tuu Ra: I’ve naturally had the ability to cloak myself & live in a creative world of my own which enables me to consistently express my personal individuality as an artist. I continue to strengthen this ability to cloak & isolate from time to time to not get swept away by the hype & develop my own trends. As an artist I believe it’s very important to protect oneself from the opinions of others to an extent. For if one starts to make decisions based on these subjective suggestions of others then they will have a hard time freely expressing themselves as a unique artist, which is what “artist” do.
Daily Music Roll: How have your Caribbean roots played a part in your music career seeing that you’ve made a smooth transition from doing HipHop/Rap to Afro-pop/AfroDancehall ?
Tuu Ra: My family is Jamaican and Haitian so in the home and at family gatherings the island patois, reggae/dancehall, & Konpa music is abundant.
I’ve been making dancehall music just as long as I have been doing hip hop. Initially hiphop was more of the primary focus so that’s what I released to the public. When afrobeats came on the scene a couple of years ago I was moved by it due to its similarities to Caribbean music. I joined the movement when I released my first AfroDancehall record in 2019. Since then I have decided to make this genre and its similars my primary focus as it’s closest to my roots where I feel “more at home”.
Daily Music Roll: You have collaborated with some international artists. Do you think some people underestimate the African market?
Tuu Ra: Yes, I do believe at one point people underestimated the African music industry, but this is rapidly changing as the Afrobeats-Afropop/Afrodancehall is becoming a part of the mainstream music industry. We are seeing many successful American & UK artist collaborating with up-and-coming rising stars from the continent. This for me is very exciting for the black culture because this is what we should’ve been doing from a very long time ago. We are not separate, we are one people. I have much respect for Burna Boy as he has made it his duty to consistently push this message out to his audience.
Daily Music Roll: What’s been your experience with the healing arts? How has it shaped you to become the person you are today?
Tuu Ra: I have practiced Qi Gong and Tai chi and it’s sub sciences over 10 plus years now. I’ve personally experienced an overall improvement in my health, especially in my vitality, creativity, & ability to accomplish my goals.
I’ve also learned and experienced how the life force energy is not limited to our physical health but is well responsible for our social life, such as career, finances, & relationships etc.
Daily Music Roll: What do you hope people take away from your artistry? What do you hope they learn about you?
Tuu Ra: I trust that my listeners & audience will take from my craft inspiration which is infused with subtle wisdom of energy & healing. I strategically make effort to incorporate metaphysical correlations to the themes that I use in my art in a very abstract & gentle manner. By doing this my audiences will see that my approach to music is very spiritual.
Daily Music Roll: What is next for you?
Tuu Ra: My goal moving forward is to release my next album and focus more on the visual side of the music as this is where my talent is strongest. I have a knack for fashion and unique foresight for collaborations as seen in my most recent visual projects. I’m very excited to expand on this and see where it takes me on my journey.
Daily Music Roll: What are your words of advice for upcoming music artists?
Tuu Ra: Learn the music business! In this day in time talent isn’t enough. Record labels as we know it does not function as they did a decade ago & prior. A lot of us will have no choice but to go the independent route. Going the independent route will require the artist or someone on the team to understand the music business. This is will be where the artist makes a decision, is this a hobby? or is this my career? Careers bring opportunities and income.
