September 1, 2004

Being my first entry, I'm a little unsure of how I should do this. I don't want to bore you guys with details, but I also don't want to be too vague. So, I'll begin my story with where it all started and do a real fast 'catch-up' to now! OK, here we go… Back in November of '03, I was at a small comedy club in downtown Detroit. My girl, Mia, invited me to a poetry reading she organized. I went with my guitar and my mom and sang two songs. I met a guy, who's now my manager, who was 'talking a good talk.' Over the past few years, my mom and I have been approached by more than a few people who know how to talk the talk, so I've become a bit skeptical. My feeling toward this guy was no different. I did not completely believe everything he was saying. Surprisingly, things turned out pretty well. I was in the studio the very next day working on my first demo! Go figure? Since then, we've been working on "the deal." "The deal" = a major recording/distribution agreement between myself and a major label. It's taking some work, but everyone is confident that I'll have one in no time (fingers crossed). Let's go back to February '04. We (me, my mom and my manager) flew to New York to audition for some labels. It was cloudy, freezing and raining and…did I mention freezing? Looking back on it, the day was pretty funny. I was walking around New York with my huge guitar case wearing cute but not-so-comfy shoes! I felt miserable then, but now I can laugh about it. The people at the record labels were really cool. They listened to some songs from my demo and asked me to play and sing something live. No problem. Everyone was impressed with my material, ("What Happened?", "Uncomfortable" and "Still Got Love") but to sum it all up, I left New York with great feedback, but no deal sigh). I felt a little deterred after those auditions. As much as I try not to let things get to me, sometimes they do. I thought to myself, here are two pretty big labels that weren't ready to jump at the bit. Will the rest feel the same way? The good thing is that my friends and family are amazing! They believe so much in me! So, they gave encouraging words and were sure everything would work out for the best. The only thing to do was go back in the studio, crank out some hits and define…‘Suai’. About June, I was assigned the task of writing an 'up-tempo' joint. Now, I'm not strictly a balladeer, but my last few creations had been very slow to mid-tempo. I can't control it, I write whatever comes out! So, this would be a challenge. After scrapping a few ideas and jumping from piano to guitar and back again, I came up with a little ditty we've all come to know as "Forever & a Day." I took it to the studio and it was strong in my mind. But the producer (Bubby Wells) heard something else. Instead of recording it how I'd originally arranged it, he flipped it a little bit. He took the music from my bridge and had me play it as the music for the verses, instead. I have to say, it turned out nicely. I helped him build the track by laying some keys for padding and a string pattern. Okay, this entry is getting a bit long. I'll fill you guys in more at a later date. I'm off to rehearse, or write or play with my new kitten, Pretty Tony. Peace & Love,
-Suai

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