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Full Name: Sumeet
Age: 23
Hometown: London, Ontario, Canada
Currently Resides: New York City
Currently listening to: Prince
Current Release: Deeper (2005, Sumeet Music - Produced
by: Amil)
Website: www.sumeetmusic.com
Upon meeting Sumeet, I did not know what to
expect from the south Asian beauty. The first thing I noticed
about Sumeet is that she is what one would call pixie framed.
In other words, she is very tiny! Physically, she is
strikingly attractive and has a graceful way about her. Her
Indian ethnicity adds to her exoticism and she carries herself with
a sort of innocent confidence. You think she's going to be
diva-like and then she speaks and you realize how down to earth she
is in her presence. She has a wonderful sense of humor and is
a very warm person which makes you feel she's just one of the guys.
Sumeet's current release Deeper was
released earlier this year and has had a lot of positive success
especially in Canada. It's a good mix of dancehall, R&B and
soul sounds, but it's her voice that puts her in top ranking with
most of the top female R&B artists of late, and it's really hers.
I hope to see more of Sumeet in the future and I feel that her
success in the U.S. is just a matter of seconds.
You've had success in Canada and now you're hittin' up the U.S.,
how is breaking here been for you?
It’s definitely tougher here. I think the scene is still coming up
in Canada whereas here it’s already well established and everybody
and their mama is trying to break through. There are a lot more
artists here which means a lot more competition for fewer spots.
New York is obviously a very difficult place for an independent artist,
but it’s also where I feel I’ve met the realest people, people who believe
in the music first. 
New York has a pulse, an energy you have to experience to
understand. There’s a drive here that pushes you to work harder, the
artists aren’t hungry, they’re starving, and they’ll snatch the food
off your plate if you’re not paying attention. I love that about New
York. It keeps you focused, keeps you pushing harder and makes each
small step seem so much sweeter and it’s all about those small steps
that get you closer and closer to your goal. I feel I’m definitely
moving in the right direction so I’ll just keep trucking!
Influences?
Wow, where to start! I grew up with all kinds of music which in turn
influence my sound today. I listened to everything from classical
Indian music to hardcore dancehall reggae and if it was on the
radio, it was in my head. My father introduced me to the blues with
artists like Louis Armstrong and John Lee Hooker, which I just ate
up. Soulful artists like Aretha Franklin, Billie Holiday or Nina
Simone to mention a few are all artists I look up to and hope to
learn from. Artists like Donny Hathaway, Jimi Hendrix, Marvin Gaye
and Prince were and are in heavy rotation. To strive for the best I
hope to learn from the masters and study them religiously.
If you could sing with anyone, who would it be?
Prince! I probably wouldn’t be able to sing though; I’d just be
standing there, open-mouthed, in awe of his skills.
How did you get into music and how old were you?
I got into music from a very young age. I was immersed in it; both
my parents are artists so I would be around Music Nights and Poetry
Readings every weekend. I started writing songs when I was very
young, performing them for my dog and all of my imaginary friends
(they were big fans of mine). I made my first demo tape in high
school (hope no one EVER gets their hands on that) and yes, it was
only on cassette back then.
The urban music scene in Toronto was still beginning to form so I
ended up leaving school and moving to California to try my luck out
there. Bad move. I didn’t know anything about the industry and ended
up getting taken more than once. But you learn from your mistakes
and I had plenty to learn from.
I ended up going back to Toronto and then to New York where I met my
current manager. NY is where musically things have finally begun to
happen for me.
How are the audiences here different than
in Canada?
When I perform back home in Canada, it’s a little different because
my music is on the radio and I’m a little more established there.
It’s great because I’ll be performing and see people in the audience
singing along and showing me love.
Here, audiences don’t know me yet so it’s a matter of winning over
the crowd, which is fun because when you do, you know it’s because
of the music they just heard or the show they just saw, not because
they might recognize it from the radio. I feel NY is also more open
to different sounds and ideas because the scope of entertainers here
is so vast. It’s easier to experiment with different sounds and keep
the audience interested and excited for more.
Do you prefer to perform with a live band and if so why?
I love performing with a live band. It’s a completely different
feeling than just having a CD with backing music on it. Every
instrument adds a voice with the reflections of the artist playing
it so there’s something new every time. And it’s real. It’s 4-5
people, putting their energies and talents together and creating
music. And it’s the idea of creating live music on stage, of each
instrument blending with the next and all of us connecting through
the sounds, that makes me love it so much. Every time is a new
experience.
Do you feel being an R&B artist and also being Indian has helped
or hindered your career?
A bit of both. It’s helped in the sense that other Indians support
me and show their love but it’s been difficult in a lot of ways too.
People would either never take me seriously or they would ask me to
sing Indian riffs and hooks for them. Just because I’m Indian
doesn’t mean I have to sing in an Indian language or be an Indian
R&B singer! I am an R&B singer that just happens to be Indian.
I grew up with the same influences, listening to the same radio
stations and artists as everyone else.
It was frustrating at first but eventually I linked up with my
current manager and we put together a team of people we work with
who always saw music first and paid no mind to ethnicity. Now
we just let the music speak for itself.
If you could collaborate with any song writer/producer who would
it be and why?
It would be Prince, hands down. He’s such a talented man, from
creativity to melodies to harmonies and riffs, he is incomparable to
any artist out right now. He can, and has, played every instrument
on some of his albums by himself. He can map out each song in his
head before anything is recorded, down to every last instrument and
every one of his many harmonies. He’s a musical prodigy, not to
mention a performance legend; just to watch him while he’s working
would be a dream come true.
Do you ever consider other genres of music to get into and if so
what other singing style would you like to try?
I’m open to all forms of music. I grew up listening to so many
different styles, from reggae to hip-hop, soul to classical Indian,
that I’m just a music lover. Good music is good music irregardless
of genre so I’m down to sing any style, as long as the end result is
good music.
How did you get hooked up with Elephant Man?
One of our production teams, Brukkout entertainment, is a duo based
out of Brooklyn and Port More, Jamaica. They
produced my first single, “Agony”, along with 5 other tracks on the
album. They’ve also produced track with many heavyweights in the Reggae
scene like Elephant Man, I Wayne, Vybes Kartel and so on.
Now I had been a big fan of Ele’s from back in the day so when we
finished with “Agony” we asked Brukkout to reach out to him to see
what he thought. He was feeling the track so he jumped on it,
recorded his vocals out in Jamaica and sent them to us. And just
like that we were good to go! I really thank Brukkout for making it
happen and believing in me and the music.
What's your favorite tune to perform off of Deeper?
Well, if I can only pick one I’d have to say “Rush”. On the album
it’s a lush mid-tempo song with a classic R&B style Rhodes over a
beat-box infused rhythm. But when we perform it, we really rock it
out, making it sound like a completely different song. It’s exciting
to me when we switch it up so it’s not the same and to be able to
hear it a different way. The song itself has always been beautiful
to me, form the way it’s arranged to the simple truths of it’s
lyrics, so when we flip it up and play it it’s a lot of fun to
perform. My second pick would be “Ghost”.
What does the future hold for Sumeet?
Well, in the immediate future, I’m in the midst of signing a two album
deal in the UK where “Agony”, my first single, will be released commercially
in the next two months. “Deeper” is also getting ready to be launched
in Japan as of November 11, which is very exciting for me. We’re currently
working on new songs (always working on new stuff!) and working to  promote
the album, which by the way, can be checked out a www.sumeetmusic.com
and is also available on sites like itunes, amazon.com or cdbaby.com
among others.
For the long run, once I’ve become somewhat established, I hope to
set up a label and be able to help other artists that are struggling
to make it in this crazy industry the way I am now. I’d love to be
in a position where I could help someone follow their passions, I
know how they feel – and I’ve been really lucky to have met people
that have helped me along the way. So besides putting out more
albums, each one better than the last, I hope, I’d love to set up a
label, and write songs for other artists in the future.
Marvin Gaye or James Brown?
Good question! Of course I’m a fan of the funk and could never deny
the Godfather but Marvin was my first crush and my first
introduction to what soul music was. One of my father’s friends left
his “What’s Going On” album at my house when I was very young, and I
fell in love with it. I didn’t quite understand what he was singing
about until many years later but the ache in his voice and the
sweetness with which he just floated effortlessly over the notes
really touched me. I guess I’m a little biased but I’d have to say
Marvin Gaye with James Brown very close behind.
Prince if you're listening, you should give
this sister a call. I think there will be some exciting
things to come from this artist and I think she will lend a
uniqueness to the genre that has become redundant.
For
more information on Sumeet check out her website at www.sumeetmusic.com
!
**Unspecified
Photos by Meaghan
Montagano
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