INTERVIEW SPECIAL: ELISHA LA’VERNE

Elisha La’Verne is a British singer/songwriter who was an aspiring artist from a very young age, as she grew older she was constantly involved with music in any shape or form, whether it was studio work or theatre work. In her late teens she worked with a producer named Trevor Davy, who later on introduced Elisha to Maxi Priest’s Dugout Productions. From then onwards, Maxi, his brother Martin and Tony Hearne helped Elisha in creating her debut EP.

Elisha’s music reached the ears of Ken Sato, head of A&R for international acts at Avex Inc. Japan and ultimately led Elisha to ink her major recording contract with them, allowing her to continue making the best music she could as an artist.

With all of that said, it is my pleasure to have been allowed to interview Elisha La’Verne herself, a very talented artist who has consistently delivered amazing album after amazing album, someone who is also said to be adding the finishing touches to her latest studio album, this is very exciting news. So it is my pleasure to introduce the lady herself to people who may not have heard anything from this very talented individual with a feature interview, followed by an insight into Elisha’s music with a music video.

What can people who haven’t heard of your music expect from you as an artist?

My musical tastes are varied; ranging from Soul/Funk/Jazz/Pop/Alternative/Indie and I feel this reflects in my music.

How did the journey into music begin for you?

I was signed to a production company owned by Maxi Priest and had a few releases in the UK and Japan. One of my songs caught the ear of Ken Sato at Avex Records in Japan, which led him to enquire if I would like to sign as an artist to their label. Even though there was interest in the UK, I favoured the contract with Avex as they allowed me to continue to write my own music.

What song of yours do you feel has had the best response from listeners so far?

‘I May Be Single’ was quite a hit in Japan, especially for the females as they found a connection with the meaning of the song. I can also relate to this song, when I was writing it I was single at the time, married to my music, had no time for much else and was very content.

What plans do you have for the future with your music?

I am currently working on my new album, which should be complete early 2010 with a release in Japan and Europe.

What are your thoughts and feelings towards artists of today?

Wow! There are so much different interesting creations today from artists, especially in the UK and I’m loving it. I love that I can go out one day and listen to Neo Soul and Broken Beat, then the next day go out and listen to Funk, Electro Pop and Funky House, Reggae and Dancehall.

Sexy Never Left believes in bringing real talent forward and giving them a chance to shine. Do you think talent gets a fair deal in music today?

I don’t think so! I see so many talented artists coming up that are still finding difficulties with getting recognised. We do have a portion of the charts that involves reality acts and some people are against this and say that this is the reason that real talent cannot shine, but we have to remember some of the reality acts are just up-coming acts that have taken a different road to success and a few are very talented like Lemar and Leona Lewis.

Are there any artists in the industry you would love to work with?

Oh yes! I absolutely love D’angelo and I’m praying for him and waiting patiently for any new releases from him, he would be great to work with. Anthony Hamilton, Chris Martin, Black Eyed Peas and so much more.

If you were offered a recording contract tomorrow with a well known major label, but they stated you had to change who you are as an artist. Would you take it?

One answer. No

What do you feel towards artists who compromise their integrity to sell units?

To me, that is their own decision and I cannot wrong anyone for the paths they take but hope if it’s a bad decision that they learn from it.

What do you believe you bring to music that is different from many other artists?

Hopefully the listeners will hear something fresh for their ears and words they find they can relate to.

Is there anything you’d like to achieve which you haven’t already?

I’d like to have a bigger impact within the UK and US market as an artist and one day I would love to be involved in songwriting and scriptwriting for a musical.

Finally, is there anything else you’d like to say to the people reading this interview?

I hope you enjoyed the insight into where I’m at and check out my new material when it’s released.

I would like to thank Elisha for taking the time to take part in this interview and hope you will check her music out, which you can by clicking here. Elisha is definitely a talent within the UK that deserves a lot more love within music.

You can also check a video from the very talented lady herself below.

Elisha La’Verne – Skin

Memory Lane: Floetry

Now, Floetry were an act doing big things within music and it was a shame to hear they had parted ways, especially as it was just before I was due to see them on their UK tour a few years back, hence why it was all cancelled. Needless to say, I still adore the music they put out while active in music as a duo and still hold out hope that there may be something given to us in the future, an EP, an album, anything, any morsel Marsha or Natalie decide to feed fans of their music. I know that it seems unlikely to happen now, especially as both are creating music in their own right. But it would be amazing if something was to come from the two of them, especially as they are so good at what they do.

Floetry have indeed had some amazing songs over the years and I’m sure a few people could list a few of their favourites, too many to mention I bet. So here are a couple of videos from the amazing duo just to remind people how incredible they truly were.

Floetry – Floetic




Floetry – Say Yes

Still Going Strong: Backstreet Boys

It’s no surprise to a few people that I love the Backstreet Boys, always have and always will. They’re one of the only groups I truly make time for and the fact that they’re still going strong today, over seventeen years after forming and over fifteen years since hitting it big is incredible. I really do love these guys.

Here is an interview and performance that the guys recently did here in the UK on morning show, ‘This Morning’, where they talk about most of what they’ve experienced as a group to hosts Phillip and Holly.

Backstreet Boys – Interview (This Morning November 25th 2009)




Backstreet Boys – Bigger (This Morning November 25th 2009)

Continuously Making Moves: Guy Sebastian

Guy Sebastian is an artist I have mentioned a few times on here and considering he is very talented, it cannot be a bad thing. With that said, Guy’s latest album ‘Like It Like That’ is currently out in Australia and showcasing exactly why this is an artist who means business, he has such a soulful voice and deserves to be more well known globally. No doubt there will be bigger and better things to come from this very talented artist.

In the meantime, here is his latest video with Jordin Sparks, a song that is taken from Guy’s latest album.

Guy Sebastian – Art Of Love (feat. Jordin Sparks)

Under The Radar: Raff

It’s hard to understand why this artist is so unknown within music, yet consistently showcases with his music that he certainly has what it takes to create great music. Raff is a Scottish singer/songwriter, who was raised by Italian parents and oozes so much soul he could sing artists who are deemed popular in today’s music under the table. He has such an amazing voice, I specifically like his cover of the well known Oasis song, ‘Don’t Look Back In Anger’ and also the song I’m about to feature with this post, ‘Gambler’. Raff is certainly an artist that should be on the radar within music, a very talented individual indeed.

There really are a lot of artists over here in the UK that seem to be shunned in favour of the more commercial friendly music, which is a shame, artists like Raff have so much to offer.

Here is a song of his that should definitely give you more of an insight into this very talented artist.

Raff – Gambler

Back When They Were Great: Black Eyed Peas

I know a few people will be wondering why I’m posting something on this group; especially as they are so successful and do not need more recognition and I’m certainly not a fan of anything they’ve delivered for the past few years. I just don’t get it, well I know why they’ve done it, I just don’t like it. For me, the Black Eyed Peas were at their very best way before Fergie joined the group, she has a great voice, but as soon as she joined the group they kind of changed their sound and strayed from Hip Hop into many other genres, topping charts and with that success, they seemed to lose their individuality as a group (some will say they still have it, I respect that, this is just my opinion). I became less interested in their work; I couldn’t tolerate much that they put out, especially from their latest album which just isn’t my kind of music at all. I respect that they have a lot of fans now and that’s great, but I will always prefer their earliest work when they truly were Hip Hop, before they changed their style to gain more popularity within the industry.

This has to showcase just how amazing this group truly were before Fergie joined, which resulted in them changing their style, etc. This song is just amazing and made even more fantastic by the fact they have someone as unique on it, in the form of Macy Gray.

Black Eyed Peas – Request Line (feat. Macy Gray)

Under The Radar: Res

For those who do not know of this artist or the work she has delivered within music, you have certainly been missing out. Res is a very talented individual, one who consistently delivers amazing material time and time again, despite not receiving the full credit that she deserves within the industry. Her album ‘How I Do’ from 2001 virtually slipped under the radar, despite it being an amazing album. So I am quite happy that another album is out now, an album which she is giving away completely free on her website.

It’s just such a shame that this artist isn’t heard of a lot more; she certainly has what it takes to be huge within the industry. In the meantime, you can download the album and the digital booklet that Res is currently allowing free downloads of by right clicking and saving via the links provided below.

Res – Black.Girls.Rock! (Free Album Download)

Res – Black.Girls.Rock! (Free Digital Booklet Download)

Rising Star: Melanie Fiona

Melanie Fiona is a talent within music who has been doing her own thing for quite some time now, having released her album here earlier in the year, she has been going from strength to strength.

Here is the latest video to come from her famous Subway collection, which shows Melanie in the UK this time showcasing songs from her amazing debut on Abbey Road, etc.

Melanie Fiona – Subway Series (London)

Stepping Back Into The Limelight: Corinne Bailey Rae

Corinne Bailey Rae is stepping back into the limelight with the upcoming release of her eagerly awaited second album, the follow up to her amazing debut which was released back in 2006. It’s hard to believe it’s been over three years since that album was released, it definitely made a name for Corinne within music and rightly so, it was an incredible album. No doubt the upcoming project will be just as good, from what has been heard from it so far, it seems it will be just that. With that said, Corinne’s new album is due out this coming February and is said to be titled, ‘The Sea’. It will definitely be worth checking out.

In the meantime, here is a live performance she recently did on ‘Later... with Jools Holland’ here in the UK.

Corinne Bailey Rae – I’d Do It All Again (Live On Later... With Jools Holland)

Industry Is Sleeping On One Of UK’s Best Talents

Over the past weekend, I have been discussing with a couple of people how truly underrated and underappreciated Beverley Knight is within the British music scene. Not only does she hardly receive any support from TV, but a lot of radio stations seem to snub her music in favour of the more commercial friendly material, a style of music you could never imagine Beverley doing herself. She’s one of those few artists over here who truly stands by what she believes in and always will do, for that she deserves the utmost respect, especially in a time when most artists are compromising their sound in order to make it in the industry. You hear it all of the time, how an artist flips things around and comes back onto the scene different to how they were before, just to make that cash for their record labels.

On the subject of record labels, many Beverley Knight fans know how she was treated with her former major label, hardly promoting her material, etc. She’s an artist who deserves so much more respect and the thing that makes it even more frustrating is, with the right people behind her funding her talent, she could be one of the biggest names within the British music scene, we all know she’s worked damn hard for everything she’s achieved so far. It truly is sickening to know how underrated Beverley is and that she continuously slips completely under the radar in music, when she has so much to offer. A lot of really talented artists are truly being left behind, while the less talented people who flaunt their flesh to get somewhere are handed ridiculous amounts of money to promote their material, create ridiculously expensive videos and are paid stupid amounts of cash to feature on some product that is not in the slightest related to their music. When did music stop being about talent?

Well it seems that is becoming the case, as we hear of talented artists being snubbed on TV and radio in favour of artists whose claim to fame is doing some ridiculous dance or singing out of tune on some mediocre talent search show. We hear it all of the time, especially here in the UK with the success of the X Factor on TV. Now, don’t get me wrong, occasionally you do get some talented artists on these shows who deserve a break, but more often you hear stories of people given record deals just so fat cats in the recording industry can make a quick buck off the back of something that has pulled in the ratings on TV.

No one would blame Beverley at all if she turned her back on the music industry for good, but as fans of her work, we certainly don’t want that. She’s far too good to be left by the wayside, no doubt she will continue to work just as hard as she already is and continue making the best material she possibly can. You can always guarantee that when you hear of Beverley coming back with another album, it’s always going to be amazing. She really is an artist who consistently delivers within music, something that is fast becoming a rarity with many other artists.

Beverley Knight is an artist pretty much on her own terms with her music and for that she deserves a lot more respect, more than she’s receiving right now. TV and radio people who refuse to play her material should be ashamed of themselves for letting one of the UK’s best talents, one who has consistently delivered amazing album after amazing album for well over fifteen years, slip completely under the radar within music for so long. It’s time she received a lot more love and respect within music, infact, I think it’s well beyond time.

If you would like to check out Beverley’s amazing latest album, you can purchase it from here.

Exciting Talent: Melanie Fiona

In a time when most R&B that is surfacing within music bores many people to tears, it truly is nice to see such a talented artist delivering amazing material. Melanie Fiona’s amazing debut album, ‘The Bridge’, which was out earlier this year here in the UK and recently within the USA is definitely worth checking out, if you haven’t already. Melanie is such a talented artist; it’s nice to finally see her receive some love within music with her amazing debut.

Here is Melanie's latest music video for you to enjoy and if you get the chance to check her debut album out, I would recommend doing so, such a great album.

Melanie Fiona – Bang Bang

INTERVIEW SPECIAL: NICOLE JANE

Nicole Jane are a group consisting of brothers, Jace; Alife and Dieu Carriera who came from a musical background. While growing up, they listened to Soul/Latin/Pop music, which developed their hunger to perform and make music in the future. Singing in their local church developed their skills at a young age and helped in strengthening their vocals.

Since officially forming in 2006, Nicole Jane have gone from strength to strength and have won an award for Official UK Unsigned Contest, a nationwide talent competition that attracts musicians from across the UK, where one act will be crown best unsigned act across the UK. No doubt this was the start of something special within music and since then, Nicole Jane have gone from strength to strength, proving that they have what it takes to be huge within music. They deserve to be, these guys have truly worked hard for every second of their success.

With that said, I have recently interviewed them as part of my ‘Interview Special’ series that has seen me feature interviews with the likes of Syleena Johnson; Natalie Brown; Amy Serrata; Mamas Gun and many others. Nicole Jane are the latest addition to what has been a successful feature. Here is the interview with the guys themselves.

What can people who haven’t heard of you expect from your music?

Soul, groove, energy and sexiness

How did you get into music?

We’re from and African Latin background and music is a huge part of African and Latin culture, so it’s always been around us since we were knee high, we started singing in church - in our spare time we got together and made instruments out of anything that was lying around and formed our own band.

What plans do you have for the future with your music?

We have huge plans, but we also know that patience is key and we want to progress gradually, our next step is to create a buzz with our next release out on the 23rd November so we can get re-acquainted with the Brit’s, which we’ve neglected whilst concentrating on Europe.

What approach do you take when writing material?

We’re inspired by everyday situations that either we experience or witness, we write melodies and lyrics from scratch and then build the music around that as opposed to writing to a backing track, which a lot of people tend to do nowadays.

What song of yours do you feel has had the best response from listeners so far?

Our latest track ‘Is It Me’ which is available from the 23rd of November on all major download stores and can be pre-ordered now by texting nicolejane to 78789 (do excuse our plugging lol), is going down a storm EVERYWHERE at the moment. ‘From The Heart’ is synonymous with Nicole Jane and ‘One Last Try’ is a cult favourite that is really aimed at the ladies, but men LOVE it equally. So, I guess most tracks we present are well received because it’s always evident that we put our heart in all that we do and people always respond to anything that touches their soul. We believe anything that stems from the soul goes back to the soul.

If you had the opportunity to tour with anyone of your choice, who would you like that to be?

Dead? Michael Jackson; The Temptations and Elvis. Alive? Beyonce; Usher; Black Eyed Peas and Kings Of Leon.

What are your thoughts and feelings towards artists of today?

For a while the artistry in music was missing, but it’s slowly creeping back in with the likes of Lady Gaga and Kanye West, in terms of Britain, the calibre of artists that make it globally is at a low ebb; but improving.

Sexy Never Left believes in bringing real talent forward and giving them a chance to shine. Do you think talent gets a fair deal in music today?

Persistence is key, the cream always rises to the top, we need to change the now common perception that the only way to get into the industry is through talent shows like The X Factor, we have a lot of respect for acts such as N-Dubz who’ve been working the old fashion way for years and look where they are now. Besides, the fanbase is much more loyal that way; if u ever fell they’ll always be there to go back to because they were there from the beginning when you weren’t on MTV. So, no! Talent doesn’t always get a fair deal, but you need the struggle to add depth and strength to your craft.

Did you ever want to do anything else when you were younger?

Jace wanted to be a footballer, while Alfie wanted to pursue acting and Dieu has always been into music and a bit later he was into fashion.

Are there any artists in the industry today you would love to work with?

Kanye West; Jay-Z; Kings Of Leon; Leona Lewis; Lil Wayne; N-Dubz and James Morrison.

What do you believe you bring to music that is different from many other artists?

History will tell you that.

How do you feel your music is being accepted?

We’re constantly, genuinely, always overwhelmed with how our music is received and the wide range of people who love what we do, so without sounding cocky we know we can do serious damage and be a hit globally when we finally get out there.

Is there anything you’d like to achieve which you haven’t already?

Like most musicians, we’d like the number one albums, singles and Grammys. But our biggest goal would be to have a sold out world tour, it’s a bit far off but we’ll get there.

Finally, is there anything else you’d like to say to the people reading this interview?

If you haven’t already, join Nicole Jane on Myspace, Facebook, Twitter, Bebo or our mailing list and witness the beginning of something special.

Stay Safe, Stay sexy and most of all Stay Beautiful

I would like to thank Nicole Jane for taking part in this interview, exclusive to Sexy Never Left. No doubt this is a group that will go far within the industry and they definitely have something to offer. If you would like to find out more on this amazing group or listen to some of their music, you can do so by clicking here.

So Underrated: Fried

Fried (pronounced ‘freed’) are incredibly talented and yet seemed to slip completely under the radar within music, despite having one of the hottest albums of the year with the incredible, ‘Things Change’. The album was originally self titled, but due to poor sales they were dropped from their previous label and subsequently signed with a new label, they reworked their debut album, adding new songs to the tracklist. But the album slipped under the radar and went unrecognised within the industry, which was a shame considering it really was one of the best albums released within that year.

The lead vocalist Jonte Short has such an amazingly soulful voice and provides such strength to each song on the album, it’s very hard not to sing along. It just baffles me how such an amazing album can virtually go unrecognised.

Here are a couple of Fried’s songs for you to check out and if you haven’t yet heard the album, I would definitely recommend doing so, such a fantastic album.

Fried – Sugar Water Days



Fried – Things Change

The Future Is Bright For Mateo

I have been following this guys music for quite some time and he always seems to deliver great material, not surprising really considering how talented he truly is. He has definitely been making a name for himself over the past few years, luring in fans with live performances and his own material. There has to a lot more to come from this very talented individual, he has the potential to be huge within music.

Here is his official video for his latest song, which is taken from ‘Get To Know Me: Live At Swing House EP’, which is currently available on USA iTunes, etc for purchase.

Mateo – Get To Know Me

Janelle Monae Reveals All On Her Upcoming Album

This news is very exciting, especially as I have been a fan of this artist for what seems like forever and we finally have something new being released. It seems like such a long time since her last project, which wet people’s appetite for much more. Janelle Monáe is one of the most creative people within the music industry today, it’d be a shame to see her art watered down, but we know she will never allow that to happen even though she is signed to the commercial machine that is, Bad Boy. Janelle will always stay true to her art, you can always tell that by looking at her and that is one of the reasons why so many people respect her, she always brings something new and different to music, always delivering something well worth checking out, each and every time.

Here is the video, courtesy of SoulCulture, in which Janelle reveals some information on what to expect with the upcoming project, ‘The Ark Android’, followed by a live performance she recently did in London. This is definitely something to keep your eyes open for; no doubt the new project will be well worth checking out.

Janelle Monáe Reveals Name Of New Album




Janelle Monae – Smile (Live At Cargo, London)

Under The Radar: Vula

Vula is such an underrated talent within music, yet she is someone who consistently delivers amazing song after amazing song, showing just how really special she is within music, whether it’s providing backing vocals to more well known artists within the industry or doing her own thing, she is someone who consistently delivers in everything that she does. Obviously the people who have followed her music closely since she featured on a few Basement Jaxx hits numerous years ago, waiting for an album from this very talented lady. Hopefully something will be coming from this very talented artist, but no doubt we will enjoy the numerous songs she has blessed us with in the meantime.

Until then, here is an interview Leonn & Carlton did with the very talented lady herself a while back.

Leonn & Carlton Unplanned – Vula Rehearsals & Interview

Always Showcasing Her Talent: Mary J. Blige

Mary J. Blige is an artist who consistently showcases why she is rated one of the best artists within R&B music, showing why she has had lasted so long within the industry since bursting onto the scene numerous years ago. With that said, Mary is continuing to make moves within music and her upcoming album is sounding very interesting, from what has been heard so far.

Over the years, Mary has been responsible for delivering some of the best hits within R&B music and still continues to do so with the upcoming release of her new album, ‘Stronger’, which is rumoured to have been pushed back. No doubt it will be worth the wait, as the latest song to surface from the album shows just why fans are so excited for the latest project to come from one of music brightest stars.

Mary J. Blige – I Am

In Love & War, There’s Amerie

Amerie is back with a new album which has been released this week here in the UK and a very good album it is too, although I have already picked my favourites out from the project, as you tend to do when you get a new album. The song I’m about to feature on the site is definitely my favourite on the project and showcases why Amerie deserves a lot more love and appreciation from people in music, not only is she incredibly talented, but she also remains in the shadows of some other R&B artists who in my opinion aren’t as consistent as this artist. The potential is there for Amerie to be a huge recording artist, but unfortunately her previous record label, etc haven’t handled her talent correctly when it comes to promoting her music, which is a shame.

As mentioned above, here is one of my favourites from the album for you to check out.

Amerie – The Flowers

INTERVIEW SPECIAL: RACHEL HUGGINS

Rachel Huggins is a British singer, songwriter and musician who has consistently worked hard to achieve her dreams of becoming a well known artist within music, independently releasing her first album, ‘21st Century Love Story’, earlier this year. The album itself boasts a variety of songs and features one song where she duets with Kevin Mark Trail, who collaborated in writing the song too. So you are definitely in for a treat when hearing this project. Rachel is now said to be working on her next album, which is rumoured to feature many more collaborations with other UK talent.

Rachel has achieved many things since starting out in music, one of them having one of her songs recorded by Leona Lewis, who we all know from winning The X Factor, back in 2006. Rachel also works in education, fusing both her passion for music and education together and directing a Gospel choir in a local secondary school. Not one to sit back and wait for her dreams, she has also started her very own musical night called Hidden Treasure, which was nominated for its very own award. Rachel also is a member of the Lifted Voices Choir.

Rachel Huggins is an artist who should be a lot more well know within music, especially as she is so talented. If you ever get the chance to hear her album, ‘21st Century Love Story’, I would certainly recommend doing so. She deserves so much more love and recognition within the industry for the talent she truly is. Hopefully, you will be able to gain a little more insight into this very talented artist with the interview Rachel has kindly taken part in below, closely followed by a link to hear some of her amazing work.

What can people who haven’t heard of you expect from your music?

Something soulful and inspirational.

How did you get into music?

Music has always been something that I’ve been good at so although it was never necessarily a chosen career path, I did well at it at school, went on to study it further at college and university and now regularly perform and try to get involved in as many projects as time will allow. For example, teaching school gospel choirs, doing backing vocals for bands whilst managing my own projects.

What plans do you have for the future with your music?

I plan to take my music to the next level, I released my debut album, ‘21st Century Love Story’ independently summer 2009, which has opened up many opportunities for me to progress further with my musical ideas, so am currently working on a new album and hoping for it to be more successful than its predecessor.

What approach do you take when writing material?

I don’t have a set formula for writing songs; they come in many different ways. Sometimes I could have a little tune in my head or a riff which I develop, or I could be practicing at the Piano, make a mistake by playing the wrong combination of chords which actually sound nice together and then work on it to develop a song, or I could be listening to a new album and write to the back of a song which already exists and then rewrite music to accompany it.

What song of yours do you feel has had the best response from listeners so far?

I think the song that has had the best response from my current album is ‘Heart or Mind?’ Musically it’s a nice jazz styled piece and lyrically deals with the common scenario of decision making and trying to decide whether it would be better to go with your heart or with your mind.

If you had the opportunity to tour with anyone of your choice, who would you like that to be?

Jill Scott! She has continued to impress me with every album, always moving forward and progressing. I would love to work with her producers.

What are your thoughts and feelings towards artists of today?

Depends really, everyone is trying to make it. I feel that if you have a passion for what you do and believe in yourself, you can achieve. I do think that the work ethic has been blown out of the window a little though. By that I mean with the explosion of reality TV show music competitions, some people put all the hopes and dreams into making it that way, instead of the hard graft of developing as an artist, gigging, writing and trying to get noticed the traditional route. I do believe that the technological revolution has hindered this though.

Sexy Never Left believes in bringing real talent forward and giving them a chance to shine. Do you think talent gets a fair deal in music today?

Yes and No. I do believe that if given the opportunity, talent has a real chance to shine. However, unfortunately some genres of music will never develop properly because of a lack of understanding of the market and audience. Representation is really important and if you’re not marketed and promoted in the right way to the right people, it will never happen.

Did you ever want to do anything else when you were younger?

Yes, I wanted to be an athlete, an actor, a lawyer - the list goes on.

Are there any artists in the industry today you would love to work with?

Yes! I would love to write a song for Mariah Carey, get her singing a good old soul song. I would love to have D’angelo write some music for me and produce the track, he’s way too talented. I’d love Raphael Saadiq to play in my band and be the MD. I’d love to duet with Jill Scott and Boyz II Men.

What do you believe you bring to music that is different from many other artists?

I would like to think that I can contribute to a higher level of consciousness. Musically I like to experiment with different styles and instrumentation and create fusions.

How do you feel your music is being accepted?

Really well, so far, so good, I’ve had lots of positive feedback and take any constructive criticism on board.

Is there anything you’d like to achieve which you haven’t already?

I would like to be a full time musician. That would be the best job for me, making money doing what I love.

Finally, is there anything else you’d like to say to the people reading this interview?

Thank you for reading to the end.

I would like to thank Rachel for taking the time to take part in this interview, I really appreciate it and I’m sure other music fans do as well. If you would like to find out more on this artist, you can do so by visiting her Myspace page, also Rachel has kindly directed me to a site where you can listen to her music and you can do just that by clicking here. There just has to be more wonderful things to come from this truly amazing talent within music.

Rising Star: Guy Sebastian

Guy Sebastian is a name mentioned on here a lot, mainly down to the fact that he is amazingly talented and boasts so much quality material from over the years, since he won Australian Idol. Now don’t let the fact that he was a part of a talent search put you off, we have had some amazing artists come from those kind of shows and Guy Sebastian is definitely one of those rare breeds of talent, you know, the one you come across only once in a while. He has such amazing strength and soul to his voice, so much so he breezed through many Soul classics on his amazing album, ‘The Memphis Album’, which has been out for a while now and should have definitely been recognised in many more countries. But have no fear; Guy is back and really showcasing how great he is with his latest album, ‘Like It Like That’, which is out now for people who like artists with a little substance about them.

This is one artist that needs more attention outside his homeland, Australia. If his talent his handled and promoted right, he could be just as big as worldwide. You can find out more about Guy and his music by clicking here.

In the meantime, here is a recent interview and acoustic performance that he did in Australia.

Guy Sebastian – Nova100 Interview (with Ryan, Monty & Wippa)



Guy Sebastian – Like It Like That (Acoustic)

Under The Radar: Michelle Williams

Michelle Williams is a very talented artist and so underrated when it comes to her solo material, especially as her Gospel albums are what music is about. It has always baffled me why this artist hardly gets any promotion for her work, especially as she has such an amazing and soulful voice. I was very sad to see her latest album, ‘Unexpected’, hardly receive much love and support. It’s down to her record label to promote her, of course. Sometimes I often feel that Michelle is in the shadows, behind the more successful members of Destiny’s Child, it really would be nice to see such a talented artist like Michelle receive more support from the people who signed her, instead of letting her talent go to waste. If you want to show your support, you can do so by following the lady herself on Twitter.

I get the feeling though that Michelle is just as frustrated about this subject as us fans are, hopefully we will be hearing a lot more from this very talented lady in the near future.

But until then, here is a remix of one of her songs that she has allowed Sexy Never Left (and many other sites) to feature.

Michelle Williams – Sick Of It (Remix)

Finally Shining In Her Own Right: Chrisette Michele

After delivering an amazing debut album a couple of years back, Chrisette hit us with another great album earlier this year and definitely one of the best of the year so far, along with a few others. It’s just a shame that her debut didn’t receive the same response that this album has, back then she pretty much slipped under the radar for many people and it wasn’t until she released this album that she claimed her rightful place at the top of the charts. There was never a doubt that this artist truly was capable of better things and she’s proving that now.

Here is her latest video for you to check out.

Chrisette Michele – Fragile (feat. Wale)

Rising Star: Melanie Fiona

I previously posted the first instalment of this series on the site, which you can view by clicking here. Now it seems there is another video to showcase just how amazingly talented this artist is and with her debut album now already out in the USA too, no doubt more people are switching onto how good this artist is and how much she has to offer music.

You can see just how talented this artist is by viewing the second instalment of the Subway Series in her home country of Canada which Melanie took part in to showcase her debut album, ‘The Bridge’, which is out now in the USA and has been out in the UK since earlier this year.

Melanie Fiona – Subway Series (Canada)

Setting A Standard: Daniel Merriweather & Tawiah

Daniel Merriweather really is having his chance to shine at present within music, having released one of the best albums this year with his debut, ‘Love & War’. Now it seems time for another single, it only seems like five minutes since his first single from this project was out, time is flying by this year. The next single just happens to be one of the best songs from his debut, which features none other than Adele, who is another artist who has had the opportunity to shine within the charts over the past year or so. It’s nice to see this song getting a release, but it’s also nice that Daniel took British artist and future star Tawiah along with him recently to the GMTV studios to perform this song, as I’m sure I have previously mentioned that Tawiah is a name worth keeping your attention focused on. She is said to be currently working on her own studio album, which is very exciting news, especially as she delivered such an amazing EP which gave everyone a taster of what was to come.

So with all of that said, here is the recent performance of Daniel’s latest single on GMTV, you can also view the music video for the single by clicking here.

Daniel Merriweather – Water & A Flame (Live On GMTV) (feat. Tawiah)

On Their Way Up Again: Backstreet Boys

I have been a Backstreet Boys fan since 1995 and always make time for this group, not only are they amazingly talented, but they also never seem to age, especially Brian – who is looking very good just lately.

With that said, their latest album ‘This Is Us’ is currently out to purchase right now and is well worth checking out, if you get the opportunity. You can always guarantee on a great album from the Backstreet Boys, who are currently in the UK on their latest tour and recently appeared on Xtra Factor, much to the delight of the twins on there who are big fans of the guys.

In the meantime, here is their latest music video for their new single. Hopefully the guys can get some well deserved promotion over here in the UK. Seeing them on Xtra Factor was great. But it was the first time we’d seen anything on the guys in absolutely ages, they should be featured on the main show too.

Backstreet Boys – Bigger

SEXY NEVER LEFT IS BACK!

As promised, Sexy Never Left is back up and running, with posts coming up on music to check out, etc.

Just to let people know who visit the site, I needed to take some time away from the site, as it is so time consuming sometimes and you really don't think of anything else, other than what you will be featuring on here.

Anyway, the site is now back, so be sure to check out some pretty amazing features coming up, with a few exclusive interviews dropped in for good measure.