“I grew up listening to soul music so much that I thirst for the passion behind it. Being from here can be stressful at times because it seems to be difficult to be successful as a musician. I believe that is truly what keeps me going strong. Failure isn’t an option. I’m a soulful singer but I’m uniquely made to where you can’t really compare me to anyone.”
We know amazing talent when we see/hear it. And so it is with Mississippi’s own Neo-Soul artist Taurean la’Del. Talent like his just doesn’t come around very often. He has an original and unique, yet prodigious sound that is unrivaled. One listen to his music and you’ll be hooked, we promise!
It is clear that Mr. la’Del was strongly influenced by his upbringing. It’s even more clear that he is just an amazing soul altogether. We were excited to speak with him – it is artists like Taurean la’Del that energize the entertainment industry. He will go far – we guarantee it. And most importantly, he will do good things with the talent with which he’s clearly been blessed.
The Heat caught up with Taurean la’Del recently and here’s what he had to say:
THE HEAT: Who are some of your musical influences?
TAUREN LA’DEL: Some of my influences in entertainment were artists such as Smokie Norful, Michael Jackson, Kim Burrell, Whitney Houston, and American Idol winners Ruben Studdard and Fantasia Barrino. In my household growing up, we really didn’t listen to much secular music. Matter of fact, a lot of times I had to sneak around to find music other than Gospel. My mother was fine with me listening to Michael Jackson. I probably had every album by him. Those American Idol winners were some of the elite winners in the first couple of seasons of the show. I can remember sitting back with my mom and we had about 3 different phones pressing buttons trying to vote for Ruben and Fantasia. It excited me so much because I knew that I could do the exact same thing. They were regular people just like me.
THE HEAT: What about personal influences? Were there any people who stood out to you and made a difference in who you are?
TAUREAN LA’DEL: As far as my personal influences, I grew up watching my Aunt Shirley and Sheila singing in church choirs and quartet groups. I actually started to take piano lessons under my aunt to better the craft that I had already picked up. Those ladies were such Powerhouse singers that one day I knew that I would be able to wow people vocally. My mother played a huge part in my musical life as well. She always threw me in front of family to make me entertain them. There wasn’t a day that went by that if she wanted me to sing I would.
THE HEAT: Who are some of your favorite artists?
TAUREAN LA’DEL: It is really hard to just point out my favorite artists. I love all types of music from Blues, Country, Rock, Soul, Smooth R&B, Neo Soul, Classical, and of course, Gospel. A couple of artists whom I adore would for sure be Musiq Soulchild and Jill Scott. I choose these artists because of the genre of music I produce. Not only are they some of the spearheads in their preferred genre, but most of the time they’re not really recognized for the work that they do. These two artists are two of the best Neo-Soul and Smooth R&B vocalists in the world.
Click HERE for Part 2 of “(MUSIC MONDAY) The special soul known as Taurean la’Del”