KEVIPOD Interviews Dionne Bromfield...
We recently caught up with up-and-coming UK singer Dionne Bromfield who is currently readying the release of her second studio album "Good For The Soul" for July 4th, 2011 - The 15-year-old soul singer first broke into the UK music scene in 2009 with her debut album "Introducing Dionne Bromfield", which was basically an album of well known and not so well known soul classics. The set spawned the single "Mamma Said" - cover of The Shirelles' 1961 hit - that managed to crack the Top 50 on the UK Singles Chart and gave Dionne the opportunity to perform on BBC 1's hit show "Strictly Come Dancing".
Now in 2011, Dionne is back with new music and a new album (this time a collection of her OWN songs), that as usual will count with the support of her godmother, friend and mentor Amy Winehouse who signed Dionne to her record label Lioness Records. The new single from "Good For The Soul" is the groovy/catchy and amazing "Foolin'" which features Lil Wayne protégé and fellow Young Money Millionaire Lil Twist. I'm absolutely loving this song! From the cool jazzy production, the lyrics to Dionne's flawless soulful singing, "Foolin'" is hot stuff. I have no doubt this will become her biggest hit yet! And if she carries on like this Dionne's gonna be massive in the coming years. Read our interview Dionne below and find links to pre-order her new album and watch new "Foolin'" music video.
1. Hi Dionne, it's been two years since you released your very first album
"Introducing Dionne Bromfield" in the UK, what did you learn from that experience?
It was a real learning experience for me, I didn’t really have any idea about the music industry beforehand. Amy had told me my voice was good but it was only when I released the album and had all the great feedback from fans that I thought maybe she’s right. It taught me a lot about my voice and my abilities and made me eager to do more.
2. Why did you decide releasing a covers album then?
I wanted people to get an idea of who I was, and what my voice was about. I was still really young at the time and I didn't want to get ahead of myself. I felt more positive after releasing the album, people knew what I was about, and it gave me the confidence to work more on my own songs. There was never any doubt in my mind that my next album would be my own stuff.
3. I personally loved the single "Mamma Said". I remember watching your performance on "Strictly Come Dancing". How cool was performing with your godmother and mentor Amy Winehouse?
It was one of the best moments of my life! Amy is so supportive of my career and me and I'm a huge fan of her music and voice so being able to stand on a stage next to her was just incredible.
4. So you are now readying the release of your second album, "Good for the Soul", tell us a bit about the recording process and what can we expect from this new album.
It took 18 months for me to record the album and I got to go over to LA to work on some of the songs. I co-wrote 11 out of the 13 songs myself which was a real learning experience for me. It is a real reflection of myself and my own experiences. It’s so different to other stuff in the charts now, in a good way! I liked combining an old and modern sound and I'm really proud of the album.
5. Is it true you worked with Beyonce/Rihanna collaborator Toby Gadd on your new album?
Yeah, it is! I was so excited when I heard I would be working with him, I couldn’t quite believe it. He has produced some amazing music. Sadly, none of his songs made it onto the album, but I’m hoping it will get to go on the deluxe version if there is one.
6. The first single from "Good for the Soul" is "Foolin' (featuring Lil' Wayne's
protegé Lil' Twist). For those who haven't heard it yet, how would you describe
the song? It's groovy/feel-good! Isn't it?
Foolin’ is a song about a girl who gets taken for a ride by a guy. It’s a really fun song I think a lot of listeners will relate too.
7. Tell us about the videoclip. We see three different Dionnes! I bet you had fun.
Shooting the video was so much fun. I had to play 3 different characters of myself so it was a long day but I loved every second of it! I got to show a different side of myself in this video – a more glam, grown up side. I think the song still represents me as a 15 year old girl though.
8. Also, watching the music video I see Lil' Twist is missing. What happened?
It was such a shame but there were massive scheduling problems so when he could make it, I couldn't and vice versa. We just couldn't get around it.
9. Going back to the "Good for the Soul" album, do you have any favourites in it?
I love all the songs, I worked so hard on every single one of them and they all mean a lot to me but one of my personal favourites is ‘Too Soon to Call it Love’. It’s a really powerful ballad I wrote about what love really is. There used to be a boy I liked and everyone used to ask me if I loved him, and I was like how can you love someone until you’ve been through the good and bad times with them, I wanted to sing about that.
10. Is there any possibility we see a duet with Amy Winehouse in a future? If not for your album, maybe for hers?
I have no idea! It would be such an amazing thing, but right now, I'm concentrating on my new album, but who knows what the future might hold!
11. Best of luck with everything Dionne, anything else you want to share with our readers?
Just a massive thank you for the support people! I really hope you love the new record!
Dionne’s new single ‘Foolin’ feat Lil Twist is out 27th June, with her new album ‘Good For The Soul’ following on 4th July. YOU CAN win tickets to see Dionne perform live at the Jazz Cafe in London in July! All you need to do is pre-order the album at HMV.
Watch below Dionne’s amazing new video for Foolin’, (which has amounted just under 1 million views in just over two weeks!)