Artist Alarm: Mina Leon

     Hybridnettes and hybrids, how's it going? Did everyone enjoy their holidays and have a Happy New Year? Well I hope so...because now that we all know that the world isn't coming to an end (yet...O_o), its time to get crackin' on those NYE resolutions! It's a new year, which means new aspirations, inspirations, income tax refunds...and new content on TheEmCDLEffect.com! (Damn right I was gonna promote my site on here, why not? ^_^?).

     Anyway, for the 1st Artist Alarm (and the 1st *gasp* female Artist Alarm) of the new year, I tip my imaginary fedora to the highly talented songstress Ms. Mina Leon. Ms. Mina has just released her debut LP, "Running Red Lights" (available on Bandcamp and iTunes), and let me tell you....after listening to it, I could have sworn my ears had an orgasm (you know, when you get those 'chills'? Yeah...that.). Mina has a beautiful, soulful voice; place that voice on top of ol' school boom-bap production as well as her fierce hip hop cadence to any track she attacks, and you got yourself a stew going babeh! (Sorry, been watching Arrested Development O_O).

     I met Mina via Twitter, thru a random retweet of her music on my timeline. I decided to do a little recon on her website, www.minaleon.com, and was exponentially pleased by what I heard. So, with a new album out to showcase her voice and songwriting skills, I thought it'd be quite wise to do an Artist Alarm on her....don't you agree?

     Mina seriously states that she is 'from the future', although Washington D.C. circa 1980 is when she landed when coming thru the space-time continuum, and it's where she's claimed her livelihood ever since....but how did she get into music, you ask? "I've been fascinated with sound for as long as I can remember", she says, "almost like I would find ways to make music with [the] environment in my head". She states that while she was sitting in the backseat of her parents' car while it was raining, she would "[make] up songs to the rhythm of the windshield wipers". Yep, told you she wasn't from this time....

     Although artists have many inspirations as far as other musicians inspiring them, Mina has only one in mind: Ella Fitzgerald. Watching a live performance of her on PBS as a child solidified Mina's reasoning for becoming a vocalist, not just a 'singer'. "Everything she says, her mannerisms, the way she uses her voice, [has] inspired me", she says of Ella's performance.

Other than the great Ella, Mina mentions that her iPod is a 'clusterfudge' of music, ranging from Hip Hop, Soul and R&B to Country, Folk, Ambient, and Big Band. Other artists she's a fan of include such mainstream acts such as Imogen Heap, Lady Antebellum, Lauryn Hill, and the Red Hot Chili Peppers, to indie acts such as Tese Fever (future Artist Alarm *hint hint*), The Real Jay Mills, and Reesa Renee. The one known as Mina has analyzed our time's music very well....

     So, without further adieu, check out her single from her debut LP, 'New Day' (available for free download on her Bandcamp page), peep the "Running Red Lights" promo video, and do yourself a favor and cop the album while your at it, by clicking on the album artwork; trust me, you will not be disappointed (and I mean that because I rarely disappoint....keyword: RARELY). Enjoy!

Comments

[Tese Fever]

Awesome write-up Dirk! Thanks for the shout out too guys, I appreciate that. Mina's gonna take over the world one day. Soon. :)