We’ve been giving Wembi’s latest track Ring That Bell a lot of airplay on Phoenix FM recently – and we caught up with the artist to talk about his love of music and his inspirations.
Tell us a little bit about your yourself?
Sure! My name is Wembi and I am an American singer/songwriter/producer from California. As a kid, I spent a few years travelling in Europe and Africa, thanks to my parents, and learned a few languages in the process including French.
I have been writing and performing original works for many years and have just released my third self-produced album, “Perspective”.
When did you first start to develop a passion for music?
As long as I can remember, I have always had music as part of my life. My parents had lots of records in the house that I had access to and my brothers always had the radio on, listening to the top hits of the time. So I got exposed early on, to many different genres of music.
I then taught myself how to play piano in my teens just for fun but it’s during my college years that I earnestly started writing original songs. On a whim, I entered an original song contest on campus which had many talented artists participating and to my surprise, my song took second place in the event. That moment was important to me because it showed me that people could relate to what I was writing about. It definitely was a confidence booster.
Which artists did you listen to while growing up?
Michael Jackson, Prince, Billy Ocean, Phil Collins, Tina Turner, Sade, Luther Vandross, Lionel Richie, The Commodores, Bon Jovi, Chicago, Toto, Bob Marley and many more.
How would you describe your music to someone who hasn’t heard you before?
It’s honest, authentic and empowering. It kind of has at times, the vibe of a John Legend, Elton John, Luther Vandross or Adele. At other times, some songs might remind you of the Dave Matthews Band or John Mayer.
What music have you recorded and released to date?
To date, I have recorded over 30 original songs and released 3 self-produced albums – “Footprints in the Sand”, “Second Chances” and my latest one, “Perspective”. All songs are available on Spotify, iTunes and all other major music platforms. You can also hear them and see some of my videos on my official website: wembimusic.com
Which artists do you enjoy listening to at the moment – and do they influence your work?
There are a few artists I enjoy listening to like John Legend, Dave Matthews Band, Adele, DJ Khaled, Emili Sandé, Gary Clark Jr and Ayanna Winter-Johnson.
I recently went to a Michael Bublé live concert and really enjoyed both his songs, his stage performance and the big band that plays with him. It was really impressive!
Who would your dream collaboration be with?
There are quite a few people I’d enjoy collaborating with. John Legend, Dave Matthews Band, Sting, Jean-Jacques Goldman or Adele would be at the top of my list.
What are your plans for the future?
In the immediate future I will continue to promote songs off my latest release “Perspective” at various venues; go to wembimusic.com to see where and when I will come to a place near you.
I definitely would like to put a big tour together but being an indie artist – it takes a lot of resources to make that happen but I am working hard to have a chance to bring the music to as many people who enjoy it as possible.
Finally, I am also collaborating with a couple of artists on upcoming releases so stay tuned on that as well. The future looks bright!
Ring That Bell is out now – and you can find out more about Wembi on Spotify and iTunes/Apple Music.
