interview with WILLIAM SCOTT

1. Tell me about your musical influences, who inspire you to do what you do? Honestly, I have been influenced by every sound or melody I have ever heard. But I do have three main influences. Prince inspired me to be an independent and versatile artist. Donny Hathaway inspired me to move people in the way that he moved me. And Jimi Hendrix taught me how to channel the outrage that you can feel as a black child growing up in America and that blackness + talent + originality and drive can = ROCKSTAR!

2. How do you classify your music? I call my music freesoul music. I feel that one of the most important things in life is being able to define yourself for yourself. This definition allows me to be exactly what I am as a musician, a music lover.

3. If you had to choose 3 female artists to do a song with who would they be? Well, that’s a hard one. Hmm, Chaka Khan, Erykah Badu, and Michelle N’degeocello. If I had to pick 3.

4. What has been your biggest challenge with producing your first album? The biggest problem that I’ve faced is trying to work with people who can’t see the sun for the sky. What I mean by that is that this industry conditions people to be so hungry for success that they can not work together to accomplish a common goal. It teaches us (like we’ve always been taught) that competition is the only way. When in actuality, all of our gifts are golden and deserve a prize all their own.

5. How do you measure success? I measure success by seeing or hearing how my music and art have positively affected people. I will have really succeeded when I can live off of that positivity.

6. When you get on stage, what makes you give it your all? I give it my all because I like to move people emotionally to the point of change. Music can calm the most vicious beast and that possibility drives me.

7. Tell me about your most embarrassing moment. My most embarrassing moment was when I was 9 years old, I had gotten hit by a car while trying to get to an ice cream truck. Having to tell people how I got hit by the car was worse than anything I’ve gone through in my adult life.

Be sure to hear William Scott LIVE on OCTOBER 14th. He is most definitely one to watch!