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Marla Lewis might not be a name that everyone immediately recognizes, but she has spent years building a remarkable career that has earned her a loyal global fan base, countless streams, and even a Grammy Award for Best Children’s CD. Today, Music-News had the chance to talk with Marla about her new single “Kill The Lights,” a smooth, feel-good jazz track that captures the magic of walking through New York City in winter with a warm smile on your face.




Tell us about Marla Lewis?
Born in New Jersey, wrote my first song at the tender age of 12 called “Hopeless Love” (LOL). From the time I could talk, music has always been my closest friend. I sang and played guitar in clubs, got disenchanted, went back to school for my Masters, and became an English as a Second Language teacher in a Harlem elementary school for 23 years. That’s when I started writing songs for kids, to help them learn English. I released two children’s albums, WE ALL LAUGH IN THE SAME LANGUAGE and I LOVE TO TALK TO PLANTS. One tune from PLANTS, called “Leap of Faith,” appears on a Grammy-winning Children’s CD called ALL ABOUT BULLIES... BIG AND SMALL, with my incredible friend and producer, Bob Stander.

Who are some of your musical influences? What else inspires you?
Ella Fitzgerald, the Beatles, Michael Franks, Phoebe Snow, Carole King, to name a few. My mom aspired to be a jazz singer, so we had lots of Big Band music playing in the house. Besides music, the rhythm of conversation inspires me.

Congrats on the release of “Kill the Lights”! We love it. What’s the story behind the song?
Thanks so much! Bob (my producer) said to me, “We need another R&B flavored song with a catchy chorus.” So, I played around with a new idea about love on the rebound. I wrote the lyrics first, a very rough draft, and put music to it - that’s how songs usually evolve for me. I was really “in the zone” when I was working on this one, fiddling around with it until it felt complete. The song went through many incarnations before I got the “actors in a play” metaphor right. I don’t think it’s autobiographical – unless it’s about an affair that I’ve totally forgotten about!

Who is one artist you’d love to tour with?
Nora Jones! Oh, yes!

What’s your favorite thing to do when you’re not doing music?
Walking the dogs, hanging out with friends, watching a great TV series.

What's the 2022 plans for your musical journey?
I want to continue live streaming - it’s fun! My show is called “Marla in La La Land.” You can tune in every Wednesday evening at 7:30 PM Eastern. I already have enough songs for my next smooth jazz album, and I’m calling it, “Livin’ the Dream.” The songs are very socially conscious – I can’t write in a bubble any longer, with what’s going on in the world. I hope to record and release that album in 2022. And perhaps, I’ll muster the courage to do live shows!

How can our readers find you online?
Lots of places! First, my website: www.marlalewis.com
My Facebook group: MarlaTheMuse
My YouTube channels: Smooth Jazz I Children’s

Twitch I LinkedIn I Twitter I Instagram I Spotify I Apple Music
 

Clinton Brand III – better known as CBIII – is a California-based rapper. His new single, titled “I Won’t Quit,” is a motivational and relatable message for everyone “going through it.”

The track, with a beat by Tunna Beats, has a Blurry Face vibe. It starts with a violin and the soft “ahh”s of featured singer Alex Brinkley. When the beat drops, piano, bass and drums enter along with CBIII’s lyrical meditations on “overthinking, contemplating, and debating” why he “won’t quit.”

Sad but I should be filled with joy.
Played with my heart just like it was a toy.
But the truth is I’m tired of venting.
This constant feeling is relentless.
Nobody wants to listen and everyone is a critic.
Hate my life but I won’t give up, I can’t give in.

 

As the final line makes clear, the song is a study in contradictory mindsets. There’s the fear of failure – what if I’m not good enough? – and then the contrast of relentlessness as stated in the title.

The lyrics of the song’s final quattrain are especially strong. Beginning with an example of CBIII’s wordplay (phenomenal and astronomical anomaly), the final message is one of inspiration: I’m tired of this, so I’m going to make it better.

Phenomenal and astronomical anomaly – that’s what I would like to be
I don’t want to eat, I don’t want to sleep
Tired of this life, the way that I’ve been living
It’s time to make a change – for the greater good.

 

This struggle with nagging self-doubt and overthinking makes “I Won’t Quit” very relatable. In the end, CBIII wants listeners to be inspired, to not give in when they find themselves in similar circumstances.

Brand’s inspiration for “I Won’t Quit” was intensely personal. Following the death of his parents at a young age, he was raised by his grandmother and then was placed in foster care. A recent visit found his grandmother’s memory fading; this was painful, considering that she had once been his biggest supporter.

This episode left him feeling abandoned, in a dark place.

He says, “I wrote the song ‘I Won’t Quit’ because at that time I was suicidal. I didn’t have nobody else to turn to because my grandma didn’t really care anymore.”

The vulnerability expressed in the lyrics made CBIII unsure if he wanted to release the song at all. He says, “I actually sat on the song for like five months before even thinking about releasing it because it’s so close to home that I wasn’t even sure if I was going to have the courage to share it.”

Now that the song is out, its vulnerability is its strength. Brand’s struggle is real, and the general contours – missing family support, doubting yourself, knowing you need to persevere – will be familiar to many.

In addition to his personal desire to live up his dream of greatness, Brand has another reason not to give up: his younger brother, who is currently in foster care. Knowing his brother looks up to him, he wants to remind him that giving in to doubt is the easy way out.

Brand says, “I want to encourage him, to show him that if you set your mind to it, bro, there’s nothing you can’t do.”

In the end, CBIII wants listeners to learn from his pain, to ask themselves, “What if I don’t give up?”

Stream “I Won’t Quit” now, wherever you listen to music.

Instagram | YouTube | TikTok | Spotify | Apple Music

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