When Mortimer's relationship hit a stormy patch, "Lightning" struck, transforming personal turmoil into a chart-topping hit. It's a glimpse into the soulful artistry of our guest, the Jamaican reggae sensation Mortimer, who joins us to unravel the layers of his music and its profound connection to life's ebbs and flows.
Our conversation peels back the curtain on his writing process, revealing how raw emotion can lead to lyrical brilliance, and provides a window into the world of high-stakes music production. Gearing up for a tour across Europe, we discuss his latest single "Slowly," a track that promises to be a great addition to Mortimer’s catalog as he prepares for his debut album.
Mortimer's rich tone and lyrical transparency reggae make the stories behind the sound relatable, yet poetic. As he balances art and business, he shares that navigating the industry's tides isn't for the faint of heart, but Mortimer does it with a sense of purpose and resilience. We chat about the importance of having a crew that's in harmony with your vision, the power of music to spark change, to the nuanced dance with social media - balancing exposure with authenticity. Tune in for an enriching session that celebrates the heartbeat of a genre and the artist who keeps it pulsing.
Bring home Bob Marley: One Love on Digital now! Celebrate the life and music of an icon who inspired generations through his message of love, peace, and unity. Buy Bob Marley: One Love on Digital today and get over 50 minutes of behind-the-scenes footage and deleted scenes! Available at participating retailers. Rated PG-13. From Paramount Pictures.
Style & Vibes: Website | Newsletter | Youtube | Twitter | Instagram | Facebook
Produced by Breadfruit Media
When Mortimer's relationship hit a stormy patch, "Lightning" struck, transforming personal turmoil into a chart-topping hit. It's a glimpse into the soulful artistry of our guest, the Jamaican reggae sensation Mortimer, who joins us to unravel the layers of his music and its profound connection to life's ebbs and flows.
Our conversation peels back the curtain on his writing process, revealing how raw emotion can lead to lyrical brilliance, and provides a window into the world of high-stakes music production. Gearing up for a tour across Europe, we discuss his latest single "Slowly," a track that promises to be a great addition to Mortimer’s catalog as he prepares for his debut album.
Mortimer's rich tone and lyrical transparency reggae make the stories behind the sound relatable, yet poetic. As he balances art and business, he shares that navigating the industry's tides isn't for the faint of heart, but Mortimer does it with a sense of purpose and resilience. We chat about the importance of having a crew that's in harmony with your vision, the power of music to spark change, to the nuanced dance with social media - balancing exposure with authenticity. Tune in for an enriching session that celebrates the heartbeat of a genre and the artist who keeps it pulsing.
Bring home Bob Marley: One Love on Digital now! Celebrate the life and music of an icon who inspired generations through his message of love, peace, and unity. Buy Bob Marley: One Love on Digital today and get over 50 minutes of behind-the-scenes footage and deleted scenes! Available at participating retailers. Rated PG-13. From Paramount Pictures.
Style & Vibes: Website | Newsletter | Youtube | Twitter | Instagram | Facebook
Produced by Breadfruit Media
Hello everyone and welcome to another edition of the Style and Vibes podcast with yours truly Makayla. If you are new here, welcome to the family. If you are returning, welcome back family. Today I have a very special musical guest. I love his voice. It is one of my favorite voices that have come out of Jamaica in the last 10 years. If you don't know that now you will know and make sure you go and stream his music. But it is Jamaican reggae artist known as Mortimer. How are you, sir?
Speaker 2:I am fine, thank you. Thanks for having me on your show, thanks for the love and support Absolutely.
Speaker 1:So I discovered your music. I discovered Lightning first, and then I came and kind of listened to the EP. But I know you recently dropped a single and you are getting ready to go on tour and release an album. Please tell me about that process and when we can expect it.
Speaker 2:We have been working on it for the past since, like before the pandemic Through the pandemic After that.
Speaker 1:So tell me about the single slowly. Like well, I don't really think we really talked about Lightning, which is one of my favorites from you, so let's talk about that one first. How did that song come about, and is that the one people kind of really know you for, or is?
Speaker 2:it.
Speaker 2:Yeah yeah, that was a lot of you know, a lot of vibe, some great things, but that song didn't even come from like the most lovely witty place ever. You know, the Dorado kind of vibe where, you know, we were at each other's throat and it was like feeling like, you know, one of those times when you say you're done, you're not going to do this anymore. You know, I feel like I'm a bit of communicator to my pen. You know, it was more like writing a letter, more than just like a song. I don't know if I can put into words face the truth Exactly, but this is all through this.
Speaker 2:Yeah, and at the time I didn't even know that you would have been such a song. You know I'm more people gravitate to that way and the first time I made it I hear it she didn't even like it. Like she didn't even like it, so that's how my first she's like okay.
Speaker 1:We're so unimpressed, all right.
Speaker 1:Wow, okay, well, I mean, well, the people that are excited to hear it when it and what one of, I think, because it is a vulnerable drug. It's not, like you said, it's not super lovey-dovey, but it's. It's a tender moment of sharing, like you know, relationship woes. But I think also my favorite, one of my favorite parts of that particular song is, I think it's right after the bridge where the sound goes from one speaker to the other and it kind of like transitions and I was just like I've never heard this done before, like ever, and it's such a.
Speaker 1:It was such a nice tender moment to end the song and I think, as, as as Jamaican artists, we, we, like me, my artist, um means that the artist but not go past the second verse, right, it was one of those songs where you have to finish because it just continues to build right up until the end. So I think the, the production of it, that's a song in my mind. You cannot not play the whole thing and you perform it and you and the production of it. You have to play it right through, from beginning to end, because there are moments in between the song that you can't just like mix it, I mean you can, but to get the full essence of the song, you have to play it from beginning to end. The idea was that because that was, I love that.
Speaker 2:I don't even remember, to be honest, but possibly winter. But what we did was like pan the vocals, like a vocal panning in the mixing stage, where you would put some vocals to the rice or some to the la bica and it like it goes no-transcript.
Speaker 1:Yes, and if you're listening to it out loud you have to listen like closely to hear it, but when you have in your headphones and you hear it it just very, very poignant Big up winter, big up winter. I love that.
Speaker 2:Yeah, yeah, yeah, definitely I'm super to the unknown. Superman is our engineer and has been respected him. I'm my most comfortable with all of this. His name is from Japan, but you know he loves Jamaica, and for years. No, I would work with him Big up to school. Originally we used to work with a virtual box. He's the engineer first. Then it became super, you know, just by natural transition. You know, big up to the board, to them as well, and to Tandra she's a female engineer with. So we're for big up the people who, behind all the mechanics it's not just me or it's not just sound Take a whole team and I've been for the whole five to work. I'd love to take us for being on me.
Speaker 1:Big up the team and the inspiration because you know, you know, I definitely know it definitely takes a team and and the the admiration that you have for the people that work for you is also very telling of you as an artist. So I really want you to tell me about you know you're about to go on tour in Europe. Is this going to be your first time in Europe, specifically? No, it's going to be my third. Okay, okay. So, you mean you're you reach over Europe, but you're not reaching it yet.
Speaker 2:That's what you're telling me.
Speaker 1:Oh no, you have to switch that up, man, all right. So tell me about, about going about to go on tour and release a new project. So let me know what. Do you have a release date? Is it going to be while you're on tour or when you're, when you come back?
Speaker 2:We're going to drop another single. We just drop slowly. You had asked about slowly.
Speaker 1:Yes, yes, I think slowly kind of gives me a lightning vibe, but a little bit different. So tell me about slowly the thing. And you did an animation video versus like a a what, what, what, what, what? Why was that?
Speaker 2:Um, I just, I felt like I could get expressed a lot more through the animation video, like project consider an algorithm kind of thing. I want you to be your magical experience. You know so, yeah, it was more like that. And you know, over the years, because so much food has been put on so much weight since lightning, you know what I mean and I felt like, should I use it? If I can't make it super sexy, then I'm just not going to do it. You know what I mean. Like yeah, and I don't feel like I am. Please, you are least sexy, ready for a song like that. I just, I just can't let you stay for the chorus. Hopefully, you know what I mean.
Speaker 3:Get serious about working out and telling Tikka no to some of the plates sometime. And you know some of the meals and I've got the discipline going, then you know, perhaps, maybe I will do a one. You know, oil down video Maybe.
Speaker 1:You know she can hear this again on time. No, you know.
Speaker 2:Huh.
Speaker 1:She can hear the interview again on time, you know. So you don't have a date yet for the release.
Speaker 3:For the release of the album. Yeah Well, we we're looking at May. There's no date date yet. You know what I mean, Because you don't know how these things go. Sometimes you're planning to finish by next week, but maybe there's a mix that you had to revise and send back and then get another one, and then you know there's a bunch of things to consider why we haven't yet come to a date. So I feel like as soon as we're finished with all the mixes, all the masters properly, then we can say, all right, then we're going to release on the 12th of this month, or you know what I mean, Whatever. But we do have another single coming out while I'm on tour in a in probably like a couple of weeks. You know what I mean. I'm about to shoot the video for it this week coming. As a matter of fact, you know what I mean. That one is called Not a Day Goes by. That's off the album as well.
Speaker 1:So what are you most excited for when people hear this full length album?
Speaker 3:from you. What am I most excited for? When people hear the album.
Speaker 1:Yeah, what are you looking forward to? For people to hearing something like from you? New on this.
Speaker 3:Yeah, yeah, I'm looking forward to it. Inspiring, you know, a togetherness. You know, some company for the lonely sense of relatability. You know sharing some love, you know. So I'm most excited about people feeling the emotions that I put into the project in the first place. You know what I mean. I'm definitely looking forward to that. This album is very moody. You see me One of the more moody sides of things, yeah.
Speaker 1:And we touched upon coming to the States.
Speaker 3:but I'm actually pretty serious have you considered coming stateside to kind of, yeah, I would love to as a matter of fact, you know, and we have gotten like quite a few invites to the States and things, but just the economics of it all sometimes like to go and do like two shows here and then like two shows over there and two shows over there. You know what I mean. So it's we're kind of trying to look at setting up like a whole run, you know I mean, where it just makes a little bit more sense economically.
Speaker 1:Yeah, the logistics gotta work.
Speaker 3:Yeah, but I definitely would like to, you know, come that side. It's a great dream of any artist, you know, I mean the great yourself, definitely, to get your music heard. That side is difficult, but it's one of the things that we aspire to, you know. I mean to break in through in all parts of the world, you know in the US, the UK, Asia, everywhere.
Speaker 1:Africa. Africa, everywhere, everywhere on this earth, if we can be in every, at every doorstep, on, in every heart, you know then thanks as an artist, what have been like some of the challenges you would say in terms of there's, the art of making music and the business what? What do you think has been the most challenging for you as an artist over the years?
Speaker 3:I think most challenging thing for me has been aligning myself with people I can trust, people who are also in alignment with where my headspace is at and my vision for the music that I'd like to be heard and the way I'd like my music to sound, you know. But I feel like I feel like I've managed to surround myself with a really great team. No, you know what I mean Winter musically, he gets me musically and I get him musically. We work on a lot of the stuff together. That's a blessing in and of itself.
Speaker 3:So that was one of the challenges, because before I was like, you know, when you're working with people or whatever, it's just not quite the fit. You know people send you stuff and it's just like, yeah, but I don't think there's ever a time when winter sent me something, when I'm like you know, I mean like we just get each other musically. So that's one of the things I've managed to overcome over the years and be able to surround myself with people who I can trust with my career, you know I mean and my vision and yeah, we've been just going at it together and it's been a joyous ride so far. Yes, we both have some time to time and we have differences in opinion from time to time or whatever, but ultimately the goal is the same, you know, I mean throughout. You know the amount of the personality. So, yeah, we've been able to achieve that for sure.
Speaker 1:What would you say has been one of your highlights to date?
Speaker 3:Lightning, you know, I mean lightning. Definitely the people seem to love it, you know. So we give thanks for that, you know, give us all the support and the love.
Speaker 1:Is that one of your favorite, pardon? What's your favorite in your catalog?
Speaker 3:My favorite Ah, you know what I think? My favorite song from my EP is Misery.
Speaker 1:OK, OK.
Speaker 3:I think that's my tune still, you know. Yeah, it's a misery. I love fight the fight too, but misery, you know I, yeah, that tune is special to me. I love fighting in it, don't get me wrong, you know, but yeah.
Speaker 1:Why, why, why, why misery.
Speaker 3:I don't speak a lot about what goes on in the society. A lot I don't. I don't speak a lot about it because one I tend to not get myself to politically involved, but there are matters that are urgent. The freedom of the people is a matter that's urgent. Equality amongst mankind is a matter that's urgent. And when I look around me and I see none of these things are happening, and I see lies being told and I see people still in bondage, you know, I mean even without the chains, necessarily it concerns me.
Speaker 3:And it's one of those songs that speaks about the current state of society or what I've observed around me. You know, I mean. So it's one of my favorite songs because I felt like I had the opportunity to step out of my, my comfort zone to speak about these things, you know, I mean. So that's definitely has a special thing for me. And and and I applied from that to the drums Jeez, please, you see me squidly played drums and on that tune, a reginem squidly, he like awesome, awesome minister, he like awesome, awesome musician, you see me. And so the drums on that was like yo Slap in, you see me. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, I like it.
Speaker 3:Next thing, and then the pit of the pump, pump, pump, pump, pump like the pianos. That's so crazy thing. Money, you see me.
Speaker 1:That's it. That's always exciting and I think it's always fun to understand, like what artists love to perform in their catalog. I think one of the the challenges and opportunities that has presented itself for a lot of artists is social media. How do you balance using social media without letting it kind of get to you, even just from a usage standpoint, and how you want to post your messages and how you want to present yourself to the world? I think it has a number of positive impacts, but it also has a lot of negative impacts as well. How do you, as a person and an artist, manage utilizing social media in the right way?
Speaker 3:Um, you know what the whole social media bug hasn't with me. Yet, to be honest, you know, and I should state that as one of my challenges, I do find it a challenge to keep up with this new era of you know, as we may talk like Misa Oldman, but it's not really something, misa Oldman, you know, but I think, I think I'm very much in favor, or in more favor, of the old way, the older way, which has become not so popular these days, you know. I mean, obviously, the earth has evolved in its own way, technology has evolved in its own way. You know, music and as a result to music and music, business, you know, has evolved. I don't know if it's progress or regress, you know, um, a lot of people see it as progress. You know, because of these things and the internet and whatever, the world has become much smaller and knowledge is now, you know, knowledge and different perspectives is more reachable, you know, I mean more easily reachable than before, more accessible, you know, I mean. So on that side I guess there's a plus.
Speaker 3:But, like for me, and music and social media, that's all I use social media for, really and truly to just promote music, you know. And even that I don't think I'm even doing too well with, because it involves me getting in front of a camera videoing myself singing something or like posting this. I'm trying to get comfortable with it, but it's not my favorite aspect. You know what I mean. So I've said that's one of the challenges, but you know, to ride with the times you have to kind of just kind of overcome some of the fears that you have. You know the limitations that you put on yourself. You see me.
Speaker 3:So, yeah, some of those things I'm working towards, but I definitely feel like it has a place. I definitely feel like a lot of people have used it to become more visible, to sell their business or sell themselves or whatever in the ways that matter. You know what I mean. So I definitely feel like it's a good space, as long as it's not abused. You know, just like anything else in life, you know, a lot of things are good, but they are also bad if abused as well. You see me. So, yeah, everything good is bad, but not everything bad is good or everything good can be bad. You know what I mean.
Speaker 1:Yeah, very true, very true. All right, we're going to have some fun. Mortimer, you are touching the road. What are you playing to get excited?
Speaker 3:We're not playing on the road, let's see. No, no, probably some Post Malone, some Migas. Post Malone, migas, maybe Aurora, you know. I mean, I know that's like a mix of vibes, but you know, I mean probably some little Sims, you know, yeah, I'd say that Definitely Post Malone, for sure you know.
Speaker 1:What should go to outfit? We are weird, we are styluid Yo general.
Speaker 3:Um, my order, some things, just that. Are there some nice things, you know I mean, that I'm excited about we can't wait for put on them. Fit there. You know I mean, but I'm a simple brother. You know I don't really go to extravagant, though these days have been tempted to probably switch it up a bit. You know, I mean I like the whole mask wearing idea. You know I'm into the idea of like some Jumbo earrings, you know, like just some crazy thing. You know I mean I don't have like a problem within myself expressing myself fashion wise, like to you know, me yeah, yeah.
Speaker 3:So I'd like to get more into you know some crazy expressions, yeah.
Speaker 1:I love it. I like the experiment, definitely put on some mud shirts too.
Speaker 3:We're not that for sure.
Speaker 1:The big question is clocks are crepes?
Speaker 3:Yeah, man, well, clocks and sneakers, you see me, I love it.
Speaker 1:I love it.
Speaker 3:I have a favorite boots that I might very well carry upon to him. I have, like a brown uppers boots that I got a couple of years ago and I've just not been able to get my freaking self out of it. Yeah Well it's my favorite and you know the boots are most done in a way. I love it so much I want to get another one, but it itself just, it's just nice.
Speaker 1:It's more to the step of what you've already been through, so that's why just change the bottom of it.
Speaker 3:Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Speaker 1:Take it to a shoemaker and they can change the bottom for you.
Speaker 3:Yeah.
Speaker 1:Well, thank you so much, Mortimer. Thank you, I appreciate it. I know we're all over for time, but I was having such a great conversation with you. You can't come back anytime. I'll have you back anytime. Maybe when, when the album drops, will have you back again. And you tell me about having me on tour, but you know I'm a big supporter of your music, so I'm looking forward to the album dropping. Wishing you all the best on tour and thanks again.
Speaker 3:Thank you so much. It's nice to meet family too. Absolutely Thanks for the link.
Speaker 1:But that will take that up on next time.
Speaker 3:Yeah, definitely Teague supposed to be coming up soon.
Speaker 1:So, okay, yes.
Speaker 3:One of the time. Yes, I'm going to eat something?
Speaker 1:Yes, so I'm going to eat something.
Speaker 4:Thanks, Thanks for watching. We'll see you in the next episode of the style and vibes podcast If you like what you hear, and I know you do share it with your friends and family. If you want more, make sure you visit styling vibescom and follow us on our social channels, twitter and Instagram at styling vibes. Until next time, my peeps.