As an up & coming singer hailing from Cleveland, Ohio’s Morris Black housing projects, TruSoul Davis discovered his affinity for music at a young age, singing in local choirs in his youth.

TruSoul Davis discovers his voice

In his later years, he began to take music more seriously, honing in on his gifts and finding his voice. TruSoul Davis went on to release multiple singles leading up to his first major release “The Tru Experience” to widespread local & international (UK) acclaim.

After a short promotional tour that included various radio station visits & shows such as “The FreeThinkers Tour”, “Indie Acoustic Soul Live” & “Song Wars 5” to name a few, TruSoul looks to make an impact in the R&B scene by “Bringing real R&B back”, as he says.

Unheard Voices had a chance to ask TruSoul Davis some questions on his journey.

Get to know the soul singer below and see why he’s Unheard Voices featured artist of the month.

Unheard Voices: When did you fall in love with music?
TruSoul Davis: At a very young age, probably about 5 years old. I can remember back when my mother used to bring home records from her job at the local record shop and let me just “dive” deep into her collection from artists like Michael Jackson, Stevie Wonder, Al Green, etc.

Unheard Voices: How would you describe your style of music?
TruSoul Davis: Simply a touch of 90’s RnB with today’s twist.

Unheard Voices: What is the meaning behind your name?
TruSoul Davis: My name came from me and a friend of mine listening to music. I started to sing the song we were listening to with a lil bit more sauce then my friend was like ” man you sang that with some true soul ” so I just dropped the “e” and put it together.

Unheard Voices: What does your work aim to say?
Trusoul Davis: With my music, I sing songs to the hearts of women and the minds of men showing the up’s and downs of love and life, good and bad, and just trying to keep ” love” in music because we need it.

Unheard Voices: What or who have the greatest musical influences on you and your music?
TruSoul Davis: There are just too many to name. I can name a few to keep it brief; artists like Luther Vandross, Donny Hathaway, Johnny Gill, Dave Hollister, Michael Jackson just to name some ALL PLAY A GREAT PART IN MY MUSIC.

Unheard Voices: What has been the biggest challenge you have encountered during your journey with music?
TruSoul Davis: The biggest challenge I have encountered is being my own worst critic, and just trusting the process.

Unheard Voices: Where do you see yourself musically in five years?
TruSoul Davis: I can’t say but what I will say is “where ever hard work and consistency gets me”

Unheard Voices: What is next in the works for TruSoul Davis?
TruSoul Davis: Dropping a video to my latest single “Wildflower” ft my homie Big Trip. Shout out my shooter Logan Kyngston also some big shows coming this summer.

Unheard Voices: What do you like to do in your free time (outside of music)?
TruSoul Davis: Outside of music I love spending time with loved ones, working out, and doing something proactive for those around me friends and strangers alike.

Unheard Voices: In closing, I would like for you to leave the Unheard Voices readers words of encouragement and inspiration, especially for those pursuing a career in music and entertainment.
TruSoul Davis: Some words of encouragement for those grinding just like me “keep ya head down stay focused stay sharp rock with the people that rock with you just like that and TRUST THE PROCESS stay consistent and results will come”.

Check out him on Reverbnation.

Nine4 is the quintessential music artist of today’s era. The Norwalk, CT native dubs himself “the male Mary J. Blige”, and solidifies that mantra as an R&B vocalist who infuses rap and hip-hop, creating a unique blend of music that spans across multiple genres.

His love for music started as a youth, influenced immensely by Lil Wayne, whom he considers to be the rap hero of his generation and who, along with Drake, inspired much of his music and writing from the early years until today.

On his own terms

Nine4 does things on his terms, his way; a true eccentric. Sometimes, he has his songs written before hitting the booth or sometimes he goes full throttle, recording at the top of his head within an hour. But be wary when entering his domain. Nine4 is serious about his craft and is particular about who he lets in. He will let nothing stand in his way, remaining steadfast on his goal of making good music.

Boy Meets World

His individuality is evident in his music. While inspired by hip-hop legends, Nine4 makes no secret that he has a deep fascination with the 90s television show “Boy Meets World”. Many of his songs are heavily inspired by the show’s episodes and the life lessons that he had learned from watching the series as a young boy.

According to Nine4, if he had to choose the realest song that he has ever written so far that has been released, it would be a tie between “Boy Meets World 1” and “Boy Meets World 2”, both of which were obviously inspired by the show.

When asked about his fascination with the show several years after it had gone off air, Nine4 reveals how “Boy Meets World” was an integral part of his growing up years, teaching him about relationships, whether it was girlfriend and boyfriend, friendships, or family.

Nine4 has recently migrated to Atlanta, consider the Black entertainment mecca, to pursue his music career. He’s certainly all in.

We had the opportunity to ask Nine4 a few questions. Get to know the musician below:

Nine4 Interview

Unheard Voices: When did you fall in love with music?

Nine4: I first fell in love with music when I was very young. It’s been for as long as I can remember, maybe 4 years old. I remember a long time my mom bought me a Fisher Price drum set, I was 4 or 5 then but even then I believe that my love for music started before then. Straight out of the womb even. Must be my true calling.

Unheard Voices: What is the meaning behind your name?

Nine 4:  The meaning & purpose behind my artist name ” Nine4 ” is to partially explain who I am. 94′ is the year I was born, & when you flip it to 49 that represents the hood I’m from in Norwalk Connecticut. The 49th side of things .

Unheard Voices:  What does your work aim to say?

Nine 4: Most of the work that I put out speaks to the lovers. Whether you in love or just move with love. But then of course I still tend to be a product of my environment, so you’ll still hear some lines in some songs where I might say some hood n–ga sh-t lol.

Unheard Voices: Does your work comment on current social or political issues?

Nine4: As much as I love to ruffle feathers when it comes to anything political, I try to keep that kinda stuff out of my music & interviews. I have a lot of trust issues with this country/government. So until I’m able to sit down in a room with some big wigs who knows what’s REALLY going on behind closed doors. I’ma just stay away from public conversations bout it .

Unheard Voices: What or who have the greatest musical influences on you and your music?

Nine4: I actually have a crazy diverse music selection that has me influenced by many moguls, groups, & artist like : Quincy Jones, Diddy, James Brown, Whitney Houston, Jazmine Sullivan, Michael Jackson, Freddie Jackson, Brian McKnight, 112, THE WHOLE DUNGEON FAMILY, Jagged Edge, Drake, Kanye West, Lil Wayne, Fred Hammond, Kirk Franklin, Jekalyn Carr, Prince, Chris Brown …. just to name a few. Last but never the least, I’m truly inspired by my musically inclined friends: 9X, OE, Limitless . Shout out to my childhood friend JXGGY, who is now & for the last 7 years been my main producer.

Unheard Voices: How has your music journey been since moving to Atlanta to pursue your career?

Nine4: I’m not gunna lie, moving to ATL may have made it a little bit harder to pursue my music . Now this city has definitely influenced me in many ways from art, to just being consistent. But it seems like when you stay home ( wherever you from ). The people there support you more when you right there & they see you grinding every day for what you love, other than seeing it on social media . Because being new somewhere & nobody knows you, there is a long discouraging road ahead where you gotta work hard day & night to make your name ring bells. It sucks, but I respect it & I love my city ! 203 !

Unheard Voices:  What is the biggest challenge you encountered during your journey with music?

Nine4: I would say the hardest part or my biggest challenge would be, staying focused, & becoming more disciplined. If you don’t stay focused or don’t have discipline, there is no structure. In other words, without the two, it’s hard to see if you really want what you say you want. It’s not easy, but it’s rewarding.

Unheard Voices: Where do you see yourself in five years?

Nine4: I’m in a place where I feel good about everything that life is right now. So in the next 5 years, I see myself wealthier than my wildest dreams could imagine, & accepting my 2nd Grammy.

Unheard Voices: Do you have any upcoming shows?

Nine4: We got a show coming up too. I think it’s September or November, but we in Miami with it ! Me & Christianne, another upcoming artist I’ve had the pleasure to make a lot music with . In Miami, we are going to an event where we will be judged by label A&R’s from labels like, Def Jam, Roc Nation, 808 Mafia & a few others. We actually got first place out of 14 contenders for the online competition to even see if we’d even make it to go to Miami. So that was cool.

Unheard Voices: In closing, I would like for you to leave the Unheard Voices readers words of encouragement and inspiration, especially for those pursuing a career in music and entertainment.

Nine4: I just want everyone who is out there trying to do the music thing to always remember this. You will not be seen in this huge crowd of striving upcoming artists or overall succeed in anything you want to do without these 3 things: Remaining focused, having discipline, and staying consistent.

Follow Nine4 on Instagram

Check out more of his music

Singer A-Natural, a singer, songwriter, and producer hailing from New Jersey, is determined to spread his message of love, strength, and creativity throughout the world.

Who is Singer A-Natural?

The word natural has various meanings. In the noun sense, it means a person with an innate gift or talent.

In the musical realm, it means denoting a natural note when a previous sign or the key signature would otherwise demand a sharp or a flat; essentially it is bringing a note back to its original key. If you dig deeper, natural is equivalent to authentic.

And in the world of art, nothing brings the audience greater pleasure than experiencing the power of  authenticity from the curator. Our featured artist, A-Natural, embodies that and more.

One of the first questions I ask artists is when did they fall in love with music?

For Singer A-Natural, music captivated his soul at an early age growing up in a household with a gospel/jazz artist mother and artist/producer father who often took him to studio sessions.

“I literally grew up in the studio or on the road with them for different shows. I think my earliest musical memory was sitting in a stroller on the side of a festival stage while my mom and her band played a show in New York City”, said A-Natural.

In the studio is where A-natural would become a recording pundit, learning the best ways to piece together a song from vocals and instruments to mixing and engineering. Later on, he strengthened his own voice by training in classical, jazz, and gospel fields throughout high school and college.

A-Natural Was First A Gospel Artist

A-Natural first dabbed into his gospel roots, writing his first song at five years old called “Jesus Loves the Clown in Me”. He recorded the song with his dad on an old tape recorder while his father played guitar and he sang the lyrics.

Realizing there was a future for him in music, A-natural would go on to release several gospel projects of his own, and even produced many more for other upcoming artists locally and abroad.

This work garnered the attention of various entities such as Shawn Stockman from Boyz II Men, Teddy Riley of BlackStreet, record labels such as Epic, Atlantic, and Def Jam, and even major artists such as Mack Wilds, B. Slade (formerly known as Tonex), and many more including placements on TV and in film.

Searching for this foothold in his music, A-natural has covered many different areas of sound and life.

His transition to R&B

A-Natural transitioned into the R&B world releasing his first R&B project two years ago entitled The Chronicles of an Over-Ambitious Fat-Boy, and then last year released a follow-up EP entitled #COAOAFB2 which garnered two wins at this year’s Independent Music Awards for Best Urban EP and Best R&B Song for my single “Thirst”.

Hoping to bring even more into his creative fold, A-natural is currently at work on the third installment of the Chronicles series due later this year featuring some of the industry’s biggest producers; a life-long dream of A-natural’s finally come true.

Recently, A-natural’s heart has been consumed with reaching listeners and other creatives who may have felt that they were overlooked by an industry based in commercialism and copycats.

Considerably, A-Natural understands the importance of having work that truly defines the meaning of artistry.

“My mother always taught me that I am accountable for every word I write. Because I understand this concept and ultimately the call God has on my life, I know that my music is supposed to uplift, encourage, and provoke thought. I also know that I’m not your typical R&B artist, but that’s a good thing. I’m here to let those who are not typical become the norm. I’m here to let them know that they can still achieve their dreams even if they’re not what others are used to seeing.”, A-Natural said.

With inspirations from W.E.B. DuBois, Marcus Garvey, Langston Hughes, and Nikki Giovanni, and even more modern names like Tyler Perry, Jay-Z, and Nick Cannon, it’s no wonder A-Natural’s music comments on the social climate of today.

“I make it a point to always address what’s going on in the world in a way that is not only impactful, but attractive. We all know there’s so much going on in the world these days, and just like the Marvin Gaye songs we all love from back in the day, I believe there’s always a time to speak up about issues that affect us whether it’s about police brutality (“Speak for Me”), individuality (“Blonde Hair”), marriage equality (“Strange Love”), or even celebrating activism (“Go-Getter”).”

A-natural’s biggest challenge

A-Natural says the biggest challenge he’s encountered during his musical journey is simply beating the odds despite the circumstances.

“I spent about 7 years living in a studio with no bed, no shower, and no kitchen. I slept on a couch, and pretty much had my entire life controlled while I worked tirelessly recording, producing, writing, and developing other artists. Some people think living in a recording studio would be a dream, but for me it wound up feeling like a prison. Once I left, it took me a while to love that part of my musical life again. But I did, and now I look back and I’m grateful for that experience. It made me a much better musician and also a stronger individual.”

In a world where there are plethora of people chasing the dream of music, the advice he gives for upcoming artists is to know who you are and embrace it.

“Whether in music, or in your regular life, it’s important to know who you are and embrace it. Only when you know who you are can you even entertain what anyone else thinks of you, and that point, it doesn’t really even matter. Love God, love yourself, and love your neighbor.”

When asked where does he see himself in the next five years, A-Natural said while doing music full-time is an aspiration, he wants to create platforms for upcoming artists to be able to achieve their goals, and share his knowledge and wealth with them. Most importantly, continue to send the message of love, strength, and creativity throughout the world.

Check out A-Natural’s music below and see why he’s Unheard Voices featured artist:

Connect with A-Natural
Visit his website