Draft Journalism

Earlier this year, 20 year old Stacey Dube hit the music scene hard with her debut single “Give Me Love”. To have not heard about Stacey Dube you’ve had to be living in a cave this past year. She was snapped up by Interscope Records in 2008 for her song-writing skills, going on to write successful songs for Nicole Scherzinger and Madonna. Jimmy Iovine signed her after her amazing vocal talent had finally been showcased. Dube’s first single “Give Me Love” was released to widespread critical acclaim with it being labeled as one of the “best songs of 2012”. 

After taking a record-breaking 30 weeks to reach to top spot on the Billboard Hot 100, Dube’s success is showing no signs of slowing down with her second single “Take Me Home” has quickly entered the Top 10 and is poised to hit the top. With both her debut and sophomore single, along with her smash collaboration with Drake, Dube has become one of the only artists in Billboard chart history to simultaneously have 3 singles in the Top 10 of the Hot 100. Her debut album “Discovery” is due to smash the Billboard 200 this month, predicted to sell in excess of 320,000 in its first week.

BASS: Correct me if I’m wrong, I’d love to say you’re success has been fast and overwhelming but I’d be lying, right?

STACEY DUBE: You’re right about the first part of that statement [giggles]… It’s been a long haul but it’s all been worth it. I’ve had time to adjust to the success but it is still massively overwhelming because I’m not used to all the focus being on me.

How have you had time to adjust to the success?

Give or take I’ve had 6 months. Promotion and press coverage has gradually increased and not just … happened all at once. Also I’ve had the chance to deal with success here in America first. I think it’s hard to jump from normal girl to global sensation all at once. As with many other things, you need time to adjust to things like this.

Is there a difference between hearing “Give Me Love” on the radio for the first time, to now?

To be honest I actually get to enjoy hearing my music on the radio now than before. I remember when I first heard Give Me Love on the radio and the feeling was really one of relief as we had been working so hard to make the song a success and it had finally happened. But it also motivated me to make every other song I put out a success. Each time one song is successful I don’t think “this is it”, I think about how I can better myself both critically and commercially.

How would you describe your debut album in one sentence?

The album really showcases the passion I have for music, the love I have for different musical genres, what I have learned about myself in the last 3 years and how much I have developed as both a singer-songwriter.

You’ve previously described “Discovery” as an anthology of different genres

Yeah, well first of all “Discovery” is an R&B album that incorporates elements of different genres. I guess I could say that it really is an R&B-Fusion album. The album as a whole combines elements of jazz, electro-pop, soul, rock, opera, and dancehall. I really do love different genres of music and I don’t want to tie myself to one genre this early in my career. I wanted to display my versatility with my album and focus on different genres with each album thereafter.
 

Any favorites?

Well, I love all the songs on the album, they’re all my babies [laughs] but… there is a song on the album called “In the Zone” that I wrote and produced with The Weeknd and it’s an R&B song that features elements of PBR&B (R-Neg-B and Hipster R&B). I have quite a deep personal connection with it. It’s really about what promiscuous sex and illegal drugs can do to you and how they can affect the state of our mind. I’ve seen many people go down that route and I wrote it putting my shoes in those who I was once close to.
 

Did you make a conscious decision to stay away from the current dance-pop phase that is predominant in the charts right now?

Not really, because there are two tracks that incorporate electro-pop on the album because I love pop music and maybe at one point in my career will explore it deeper. I can say that I made a conscious decision to make the album flow as a whole. I didn’t want the songs on the album to be great but completely clash in terms of sound and context. Each song is about something different but flows as the album progresses.

So it doesn’t make sense to base you’re first two singles on what the album will sound like?

Exactly.

Why did you decide to put out those two singles first, as opposed to some of your more favoured songs on the album?

Because they aren’t the best of what the album has to offer. I guess you could say that Give Me Love is the marijuana to the cocaine of the album [laughs] … They’re both the teaser, the gateway drug to some of the other songs on the album. They’re quite opposite to each other which is another reason why they shouldn’t be based on what the rest of the album will sound like because no two songs are the same. I chose Give Me Love because it was quite safe and a good way to start of the era. I chose Take Me Home because it wasn’t what my critics thought I was going to return with. Many people were expecting a Give Me Love Part 2 which wasn’t going to happen.

Aside from the Weeknd, you also worked with Miguel, RedOne, Frank Ocean, and Stargate as well as others was it a conscious decision to work with them?

To be quite honest, yes. I really do feel like I created magic with all the producers I work with. I had an idea of who I wanted to work with while writing the album alone. Being on a major label really helped me form connections with writers and producers. I am forever grateful to Interscope for letting me do what I wanted to creatively and sonically. They really did have a lot of faith in me right from beginning.

How is it different writing for yourself now then writing for different artists?

It isn’t really different. All I’ve ever wanted to do is create great music regardless of whether it is going to be recorded by me or Madonna for example. I actually find it more nerve-wracking writing for other artists because for me especially being rejected is not easy thing. Even though I’ve been signed as a recording artist I still want to continue writing for other artists because I really do love collaborative efforts.

Did any artists/albums in particular influence the album?

I was really influenced by Lauryn Hill. Her first album I would cite as one of the best R&B albums ever written. The album as a whole has a consistant theme and each song has a deep meaning that I can relate to. Kendrick’s new album “Good Kid, Mad City” really inspired me in terms of its consistent theme and the way its flows. I think it’s great it’s being brought back to music and hope that I can help playing a part in that. I was quite inspired by Lana Del Ray, Gwen Stefani, and Beyonce. In terms of their fashion and their music.

If there’s anything you want to be known for, what is it?

My passion for music. Because at the end of the day I’ll still continue to make music whether I’m at number 1 or 100. Commercial success is amazing but it isn’t what motivates me to do what I do.

Stacey Dube’s debut album “Discovery” will be available in stores everywhere from 4^th December 2012.