REPORTING LIVE FROM THE ATLANTA SCHOOL OF HARDKNOCKS x Arzlee

Interview Series

Part 2.

From Northampton, England, to Lagos, Nigeria, and now to Atlanta, USA. The interview series is back showcasing grassroot talents and their community state. This time reporting live from the birthplace of Trap music, we meet two underground artists from Atlanta, both of them with plans to join the next generation of sound from out the ATL. The following voices have been tape recorded and transcribed into writing for your reading pleasure.

Name: ARZLEE

Base: Atlanta

Age: 25

# The Scene { The time is 6:31pm in Atlanta. From the room on the 5th floor of a residential hotel in Notting Hill, in London, I’m reaching 3000 nautical miles through facetime, to interview Atlanta based artist Arzlee. We talk about our shared love of music, and about his personal and creative raise through the underground music scene. His voice is accented. Soft spoken, piercing my phone speakers with a speech resonance delicate like the peaches grown in Georgia. We begin the interview. }

Q: Can you remember your first musical memory?

I spent a lot of time with my Grandmother in Mississippi. I went down there every summer. There wasn't a lot to do, but one thing i remember, on TV they would show music videos through out the day, this was prevalent in the early-2000s. Sometimes they'll show a bit of sitcom in between, but then you'd get repeats of 106 & Park at 9am on BET. Then back to music videos the rest of the day. I remember at age 5, i'd sit and watch music videos all day. I used to try and recreate scenes, and learn the dance [He laughs]. Scream, by Micheal Jackson, was my favorite music video.

Q: What have you been listening to lately?

Just think - - Anita Baker, Smokey Robinson, Earth, Wind & Fire, Heatwave . . . Its a lot of smooth and soulful, latenight-music. I'm an R&B kid by nature.

Q: When did you officially start making music?

The album that did it for me was Frank Ocean’s Channel Orange. Before that I played with the idea of doing poetry and maybe writing songs. But when that album dropped, I was like, I need to figure out what my voice is in this space. The album just blew my mind. It wasn't until I got to college/university I recorded my first track.

Q: What's been the biggest challenge ever since?

At college I felt out of place. There wasn't a lot of space for me to nurture the music. I recorded my first project the summer after freshman year. The first single drew a fanbase, got me into some rooms with some people, but that early success got to me. From then on, i started feeling like everything had to be perfect. I've been in a state of “analysis-paralysis”. - Thats what some of my friends call its [Laughs]. I'ts when you're just constantly over analyzing every step you make. This has been the biggest challenge.

Q: What motivates you inspite of this?

[Brief pause]. Every step of the way something would spark-up! that reminds me - - I'm good at this. Someone would message me randomly, saying they heard my song and they where effected by it. Or hear my song in a uber, and offer me a show to come and showcase. Also I appreciate what I do a lot more. Before the pandemic I performed but never really enjoyed it. I used to be anxious to get on stage. But then the pandemic happened. Not being able to perform at all for over a year and a half, was even worse than the stage fright. During that time I grew a different appreciation and love for music and performing.

Q: What can the city of Atlanta offer a young artists that no other city in the world has?

It feels very accessible here. Everyone does music. Everyone knows someone who did something with someone, and then went on to win an award. Once you meet one person in music it would branch out to five more people that you didn't know made music. The biggest thing you'll find in Atlanta is community. Although we are a city, the music community is very close knit. We've watched each other grow, and we are starting to see the payoff, a lot of us are on the brink of making some noise out here.

Q: How would your sound evolve overtime?

I wrote about random topics and stories but never from a personal place. Whereas, the music I have coming out soon, are almost like diary entries. It's personal.

Q: When did this transformation happen?

Again, the pandemic honestly! [Laughs]. I really think it was a transformative period, for better or worse. It was the one time everyone around the world stopped. Especially, in America. We were all forced to sit, to even look at life and death in a new way. To question the important things. Music was my way of communicating those moments into a tangible place. Once its written on paper, I have control of it, whatever it is. This is where a lot of my latest music was birthed from.

Q: Where do you see the music in 5 years time?

Every one wants a hit-song. I want hits too. But there's something to be said for that B-side track. The fan favorite track that only a couple people get. The one you hope your favorite artist performs on tour instead of the Hits. I want a lots of those [He laughs]. Also, In five years I see myself not at a day job. I want to be able to support my self with music.

Q: What is your definition of success?

My definition of success is freedom.

The end.

A GREASEDELBOW INTERVIEW.