Lettrice Lawrence

Thanks to Lettrice Lawrence  for a DOPE Interview! 🎤🔥
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Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:00

Yeah, it's really pretty. See the water?

SPEAKER_01 0:03

Yeah, how how's the weather out there?

SPEAKER_00 0:06

It's really it's like maybe like maybe like 60 something, 70, and it's but it's breezy. And it just rained this morning. We have very weird weather.

SPEAKER_03 0:17

Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_00 0:18

Our weather's strange.

SPEAKER_01 0:21

Yeah, uh, but y'all lucky though. Y'all got that good weather though. We don't need the east coast.

SPEAKER_00 0:26

Yeah, people move here for that. Matter of fact, let me come over here because I think it's more the sun is more natural over here in this area. I'm gonna come over here. It's it's it's really pretty right here.

SPEAKER_03 0:40

You can see right in this right over here, and I can now have a clear shot of the water too over here.

SPEAKER_01 0:53

Yeah, I think it's I'm honored and and blessed because I've been following you for a while, so to have this opportunity is uh is an honor to me because I noticed you're doing a lot of good things out there on on the on the west coast and all that. So like just want to commend you for that. Hope I don't I don't screw this interview up, but hey.

SPEAKER_00 1:17

You wear many hats. You you got it together.

SPEAKER_01 1:21

I appreciate it.

SPEAKER_00 1:23

I was like, I look at this, I'm like, God, that man is busy. Lord.

SPEAKER_01 1:27

Yeah, I'm trying, I'm trying to, you know, stay busy, keep it keep keep you out of trouble. So, you know, so I I love music. I love the indie indie artists. I believe that people need to hear y'all's story. And just like, you know, get in tune with what y'all are doing because, you know, we listen to the music, but we don't always hear the back end, back end of the story.

SPEAKER_00 1:48

So No, I mean, nobody would believe all those deals that's been offered to me. I even had Universal Music call me up at home and offer me a deal when I was in my 30s. And so, I mean, I've had some really good opportunities, but they've been bad deals.

SPEAKER_03 2:08

Right.

SPEAKER_00 2:08

And I I was like, okay, do I do I become desperate and do this so I could be popular or do it and be broke, or do I do it and be middle class and kind of have it my own way instead of somebody working me like a slave and making me miserable.

SPEAKER_03 2:27

Yeah, I agree.

SPEAKER_00 2:30

You know, we'd have to talk about that because I think I'm in, you know, it's a whole lot I gotta tell you that about this, even with a subsidiary company, a small subsidiary company that I'm with now, it it's a lot. It's all about what you want, though.

SPEAKER_03 2:46

Right.

SPEAKER_00 2:47

It's about what you want out of it. But, you know, it it is quite tricky. It's quite tricky.

SPEAKER_01 2:53

I agree.

SPEAKER_00 2:54

But I mean, I, you know, my I had parents that loved me. My dad had a good lawyer, and then my husband would step right in where he was, you know, and and took over. And, you know, it's I've been through a lot, seen a lot of foul things, had a lot of men hit on me and go there and, you know, get out of line, and just just a whole lot of things.

unknown 3:17

Right.

SPEAKER_00 3:17

But the but most of all the contracts were just horrible. So, you know, some people think that people don't hit it big like Witney because they're a failure. That's not always the case. Sometimes sickness steps in, sometimes the the uh contracts are horrible. There's a lot of things involved that people don't know about. A lot of backhand things that people don't know about.

SPEAKER_01 3:42

Yeah. So what I'm about to I'm about to start off with right now is I'm gonna give everybody a rundown of who I'm talking to today. And then we're gonna we're gonna dive into talking about contracts and stuff, because I believe a lot of indie artists need to, because you're out there, you've been in the game for a long time and you're doing a lot of things. So people need to hear what you're doing. So I'm gonna I'm gonna start off. So, yo, what's up? What's going on, world? This is your boy, you tapping in with, A D. We're gonna bring you, we bring you the dope host, dope music, and the dope interviews. Today I got a powerhouse in the building. I'm talking about a professional worldwide recording artist, Grammy Considered, award-winning vocalist, actress, humilitarian, a woman who has graced lesendic stages from opera to orchestras, from film to global platforms. She's been featured on Corinne's Best Defense training on Netflix, performing at the iconic Hollywood Bowl, and worked alongside legends like Wonton Marcellus. I want to give it up for a friend, a humble, humble artist, a Miss Latrice.

SPEAKER_00 4:55

Hi, how are you?

SPEAKER_01 4:57

Yeah, I'm sorry.

SPEAKER_00 4:57

So good to be here with you, Adrian.

SPEAKER_01 5:00

I appreciate it. You know, we've been we've been we've been uh we've been knowing each other for a minute. And I said since I got a platform to to interview, let me let me bring up, let me bring the goat on. You know what I'm saying? Because I had a couple goats on here, so you know I'm doing good now. So we're gonna start from the beginning. Who is Latrice Lawrence before the awards and before the spotlight?

SPEAKER_00 5:24

Well, I'm gonna tell you, I started singing when I was four years old, and I started playing the piano when I was six, and I grew up in the church. I grew up in the church and singing gospel and so forth, and I just, you know, I've been singing all my life, and I just I love music, and I've been creating my whole life. And, you know, it's just wonderful. It's it's a wonderful experience. I enjoy performing for people and you know, letting God use me, whether it's gospel, whether it's RB. I really enjoy myself. And, you know, I'm grateful for everything that God has given me and the people in my path. Right now I'm with a label that's called Enthrome Records with Andre Pittman. And I have been working with uh Nichelle Bell, I know who you're very familiar with, for a long time. She's done promotions for me. She's, you know, really good with suggestions and so forth. And so I have some really unique people in my life and circle that helped me, you know, with through with my career. And I have been singing opera for, you know, I've been getting training for 37 years. I just finished doing a show with the Afro-American Um Chamber Music Society, and you know, it was really wonderful, and I enjoyed myself, and Janice White is the curator, and Vince Wilmack is the director. So I've been singing with them for four years, and we do wonderful pieces. Uh, have you ever heard of Chevalier?

SPEAKER_01 7:17

Uh, a little bit.

SPEAKER_00 7:18

Yeah, violinist, composer. Well, the great thing about it was we got to do a piece, an opera called Ernestine, and it was quite wonderful. It was really wonderful. So I was I really was excited about it. And it's in French, by the way.

SPEAKER_03 7:37

Nice.

SPEAKER_00 7:37

But you know, but the thing that's so great is that the Afro-American Chamber Society Orchestra, they are, you know, a black black orchestra. They have sprinkles in between different races, but it's a black orchestra. The conductor is African-American as well, the curator is African-American. And of course, Chevier, he was African-American. So the wonderful thing was I felt honored to be a part of a black opera and be the lead of a black opera. I played Ernestine the Painter, and the opera was called Ernestine the Painter, and Christopher Craig was also the lead. He was uh Klamingueus, and there was a couple of other people, Rohan and a wonderful young lady named Talia. They played um parts in it as well. And so it was wonderful. And so I get to do that, but the great part is I'm with a label that doesn't put me in a box. And a lot of times when you get with labels, they're like, you're strictly gonna do RB, you're strictly gonna do Neo Soul, you're strictly gonna do country, you're strictly gonna do gospel, or you're strictly going to do classical or whatever genre it is. The blessing is that I do RB, jazz, pop, blues, and gospel, but I'm also a classical artist. So with this label, you know, it's not a huge label. I didn't, I did, I didn't sign on to get the the big bonus paid.

unknown 9:17

Right.

SPEAKER_00 9:17

Because there's a lot of tricks behind that. I'll explain that in a minute.

SPEAKER_03 9:21

All right.

SPEAKER_00 9:22

But I I own my music, I own the masters, and that's the thing. And sometimes when you get with larger labels, they own your masters, they own you, and you don't have control of your music at all.

SPEAKER_03 9:41

Right.

SPEAKER_00 9:41

And I had been in a situation where my music was held, and it was some problems, and I had to get a lawyer. And I really said to myself, I don't ever want to go through that again because it was a very emotional experience for me. And I separated from friends that I had grown up with. Now, the wonderful thing was I was able to restore my friendship and continue my friendship with one of the people who was with the companies I was with. And we're still friends to this day, and we work together because we love each other. But the other part of the company, I don't speak to them to this day. So you have to be very careful who you align yourself with and who you get involved with. I've been blessed because I've had some producers that are amazing, and I still have relationships with them, and I still work with them. I work with Walter Thompson, he's amazing. He's worked with Janet Jackson and been with J Records, and he's amazing, and we're about to come out with a song soon. We'll be dropping a song next month, as a matter of fact, a new single. And then I work, I've worked with Smooth Soul, which is our production company, and we work with other artists. We do background vocals for their album, they arrange it for them, even if they want that, even write for them if they want that, because we do songwriting. But we create tracks and we create music together. And so we've worked together and we've been doing that together for 16 years. And, you know, Brandon Ford and Devin Shaw, they're like family. We're like this, we're very close. And they do a lot of my music with me. I write a lot of my own music and play the piano on a lot of it, but they do that too. And so we just like we just piggyback off of each other. It's a blessing to have people like this in my life. I've been fortunate to have three good producers that I love dearly, and I just thank God for them. And so, you know, the wonderful thing is that we get to work with other artists. We've worked with we've worked with Mari Nobre, and we've we've worked with her, and she's an artist now. She's a Spanish artist, if she's Italian, but she's a Spanish artist, and she's with No Brazil, and we worked on that album, and we've worked with Lisa Gomez Taylor. She's an Afro-Spanish artist, and we've worked on her album. So we've worked with several people. And in this business, I've got a chance to work with Winton Marcellus, I've worked with Barbara Streisand, I've worked with uh members of Earth With Fire. I've just been blessed. I remember the boys, I worked with them back in the day. And so I've gotten a chance to be really blessed to work with some powerhouse people. And I used to write with Beach Studios. I write these Caucasian cats, and they were amazing. And so I did some ghost song writing for years for them. And I've I've done quite a bit, and I am with a group called the Episcopal Corral Society. And I'm sorry about that. And so I I worked with them and we go and we travel around the country. So I went to the Netherlands with them, and I went to sing, and we sang at this big cathedral, and we sung all over. We sung for refugees and met the mayor and of of uh down there. And it was just amazing. It was totally amazing. And then we went to Greece in 2024 to sing. And I mean, you could see the big the pillars of the first church where Paul built, and you you could see all these wonderful places that were historic. I mean, actually at the hotel and look out and see it. It was just phenomenal. And we went to three different islands and um it was totally amazing. But the amazing part is you get to sing and you get to travel abroad and see beautiful places. You know, that's the thing that I love about it. So I'm going to be going to Malta in Europe in uh December. So I'm looking forward to that. I'm looking forward to that. So, you know, you know, it's it's just exciting, you know, and I've been working on an album for two years, quietly, you know, and it has Afrobeats, RB, old school RB, love music, and it has inspirational music as well. So I think everybody's gonna love it. It's gonna be great.

SPEAKER_01 14:50

Yeah, because I listened to some of your music and I was like, you know, I I like the versatility that you you display because a lot of people can't do that. And, you know, where does that come from, the versatility and just just listening to all your accomplishments and things that you've done? What keeps you humble in the game and not to lose yourself?

SPEAKER_00 15:11

Well, what keeps me humble is knowing that there's several people in the world that can sing. And, you know, some people are full of themselves and they think, oh my God, I'm just static. And the thing is, I tell everybody, you know, come off the clouds. I've met some people and had some friends in the industry. Me and John Sandleton were really good friends. I met him when he was at USC. I was at Mount St. Mary's, and we had a long-lasting relationship, and he tried to help me. He wanted to help me with my music and everything. But unfortunately, I got sick. I got diagnosed with a muscular, rare muscular illness when I was 21. And it was like lupus and MS combined. And so I was bedridden, and I had Tyrese Gibson's agent. He wanted to sign me as an actress and a singer, and Warner Brothers was after me and Sony, and it was very depressing. And I mean, and John was trying to help me, but when he found out that I was bedridden, it, you know, I he I couldn't do anything. And so literally, I was out the game and bedridden pretty much off and on, from the time I was 21 to my late 30s. And so my late 30s, I went in remission and I started out doing events for KGLH, and they would spin my music on occasion. And then I don't know, I just went on this whirlwind, just started performing with, you know, I did this uh phenomenal, phenomenal show with the with called, you know, it was like uh gospel greatness, the renaissance. And that was during the COVID season, and it was amazing because I got to do some things with some wonderful praise and worship leaders, one being Dietrich Hadden, Patrick, Pastor Dietrich Haddon. And I was on the stage with Marquise Williams and some other, you know, wonderful artists, you know, really, really great artists, but they were wonderful praise and worship artists that are popular today. And so, you know, we got a chance to do that during COVID, and it was amazing. And so, you know, I'm thankful for my mom and dad because they were both ministers. So they kept me humble and prayer warriors, you know, and they, you know, were my spiritual leaders as well. And then they're now in heaven, but I thank God for them because they had me in various schools that were wonderful, that offered exposure to classical, and I had lessons very early, singing and playing the piano. And I was able to dive in different genres because I had an older brother that loved not only classical, but he loved rock. He loved the Beatles, he loved Aerol Smith, he loved um Janice Joplin, you know, Jimi Hendrix, and he loved opera, and he loved Philharmonic, and he he exposed me to all those things. And he he's 14 years older than me. And so I have four brothers. And so they all listen to Otis with Goodies and you know, wonderful RB and Gladys Knight. So I got a real background in Gladys Knight, and Tina Turner, and you know, Jennifer Holiday. These are people that I love. Karen Clark Shared, Whitney Houston, Mariah Carey. I'm more stylized, though, towards Phyllis Hyman in my lower register, my chess register. I love Phyllis Hyman. I've performed her music at my shows. I performed at the Stuck Potato, Kathleen O'Brien Creel. Right now we're trying to get to Blue Note. That's that's my next venture I want to do. Okay. Blue Note. And, you know, and I also like Angela Beaufield.

SPEAKER_03 19:14

Oh, yeah.

SPEAKER_00 19:14

Because she had, you know, she had Spanish background, so she spoke fluently in Spanish, and that was her ethnicity. And then she had a rich RB, a disco, and you know, and and you know, soulful. And so I sung also I did I did a tribute show for her and did it did a lot of my music as well. But I have to say, my favorite two people, Minnie Riperton. I do the little whistling thing. I don't do it all the time, but I do it on occasion. I love Minnie Ripperton and I love I love Line Teen Price. Line Teen Price is someone who I respect. She's very elegant, very, very poised, and just her, her she speaks in all these languages fluently and it's so amazing. I speak in six different languages, but I don't talk about it very often because people are always like, let me hear you, let me hear you.

SPEAKER_01 20:15

No, I ain't gonna do that.

SPEAKER_00 20:16

I mean, French is my favorite. French and uh German and Italian. But I say that I still am a student. I'm still learning, you know, still honing my gift, always remaining close to God and always keeping myself in check because humility is to me is is the key to success. Because when you're humble, you don't mind sharing a stage, you don't mind learning from the the greats, you don't mind starting over, even if you have to start over in areas. It keeps you it keeps you close to God and it keeps you rooted on the ground. So that's what I love about you know about that. And so I just I constantly tell people if you get in this business, don't get in this business thinking you're going to be rich because it's not gonna happen. Get in this business doing it because you love it and be able to afford the outfits, be able to afford the the the uh the outfits, be able to afford the makeup, be able to afford the you know, everything. Because labels, when they do all that for you, there's catch 22s. I'm not talking bad about labels, but if you want to be with a big label, you're gonna have to jump to the rhythm of what they want you to do. Right. And if they're gonna supply the money and they're gonna do the advertising and all that, you're gonna have to do a lot. And a lot of times, A lot of artists don't understand that they end up paying for employers, studio time, even though it's their studio. They end up paying for studio time to pay the engineers. They end up paying for promotions. They end up paying for the wardrobes, the makeup, all of it. Even the tours when you go on the trips, all of it. And paying the musicians and the singers. And that's what people don't consider. And so I tell people, consider all that and see what percentage you're going to own of your music and how much of the money you're going to get. Because after they get through doing all that, it's not a lot left. Sometimes 5%, 15%. So I tell people to consider all that because all these things are very important when you talk about a deal. So lots of people are going with subsidiary mom and pop labels or subsidiary labels that are smaller and doing it that way and keeping ownership of their music and making a deal where it's not so reflective of a 360 deal. It's more or less, you know, you're a free agent, but you have a contract for a single for a couple for some months, you know, and then you know, you have a certain amount of months, and then it runs out. Those types of things. Lots of people do that because they feel like it's less of a risk doing it that way. And then the music still is their music, and they're able to own a lot of things. And instead of being beholding and then having to have like fantastic albums or be shelved, I've known people who have gone through that, people like Puff Johnson back in the 96, who was amazing. And she came out and was on the same label with Maxwell and Kenny Lattimore. And they excelled in the business. It's a lot different for women. It's harder for women in the business. And Puff Johnson sang for Disney, and she did all these different things, and she had an album. I don't know if you remember, the single was called Forevermore. It was beautiful. They shelved that woman's album and she got all this money up front. And it was a really bad situation because she got comfortable, got a beach home, got all this stuff, and it just didn't go right. And then she tried again with Epic, and they did the same thing to her. So I don't think a lot of artists know that you could get with labels and they'll shelf you, and they won't put your stuff out and they'll change their mind and flip the script. That happens. So you have to know where you're going and where you're signing. Believe me, I wanted the whole Whitney Houston, Mariah Carey type of fairy tale career. But they've been, if you look at them, they've been through hell.

SPEAKER_03 25:02

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 25:03

Both of them. And, you know, Mariah was married to Tommy Matola and was with Sony, and she had to break free from them because they, you know, they did it wrong. But thank God she had the money to pay it out, pay them off so she could get out of the deal. Some people don't have that option.

SPEAKER_03 25:22

Right.

SPEAKER_00 25:22

So these are some of the things that I've learned along the way. And, you know, and I had the unfortunate experience of getting sick in the middle of being offered big deals. So I had to be careful what I signed. Even the jazz labeled Jadar Records approached me. And as I told you earlier, Universal Music Group called me at home and offered me a deal. And I'm like, the percentages were wrong. Everything was wrong when I let the lawyers look at it. And I had to back away from it. And so the one thing I would say with Enthrone is that he never pressured me to eat celery sticks and carrots like some of these other labels. I had an anorexia almost, trying to say tiny. Right. Because they were saying that a size eight was too big. You know, and this I went through a lot with a lot of these different people. And so I never was told I couldn't sing what I wanted to sing, and I had to be in a box. He kind of let me do my thing. There still was some with control, but you're gonna have that when you get with any label, whether it's subsidiary or big, a large company. But I have to say that I haven't had anything stolen from me, no music stolen from me, and I haven't been treated like complete dirt because you can be completely like treated, like serious dirt out there in the big world with the big steppers. So it's a lot of horror stories I have heard, and a lot of things that I have been through and have had friends that have gone through things. So I'm grateful for my journey. And, you know, some people, you know, they would have gotten mad getting an illness like that and being debilitated like that. They could have been pissed off. And I was at first. I kept asking my parents, you know, why? Why is this happening to me when all these opportunities are coming my way? But now that I look at it, I'm grateful for the things that I've gone through. I'm grateful for the hurdles. I'm grateful for the struggle.

SPEAKER_03 27:42

Right.

SPEAKER_00 27:43

The illness humbled me in a way where I know that I'm God and I I have to behave. Even sometimes when I don't want to, I have to behave and I have to answer to him for things. So I have to say that God has protected me throughout this journey. And I know at first everybody was like, oh, it's so unfortunate. You got sick and you couldn't yet say no to these deals. And some of them said no to you because they didn't want to take the risk. But I think all of it is a part of our individual journey, whatever God lays out for us, you know. So I'm really grateful for the things that I've learned. And, you know, I think I've matured vocally and spiritually, you know, as a human. And I think that when you get in a deal, a lot of these 19-year-olds don't know what they're doing. They have fiery tempers, they haven't matured. And, you know, it's not good to get out there if you haven't matured. Because you have to be mature and you have to have thick skin.

SPEAKER_03 28:47

Right.

SPEAKER_00 28:48

I had somebody tell me one time, an investor, he's like, you're not all that. He was like, You're not all that, you're not that marketable. You may be a little cute, but you're not all that. There's other people who look better than you. And I'm like, well, holy hell. And then he tells me to get on the stage and hit that whistling note. That's what you better do. And I'm like, oh no, he didn't. I was hot as fish grease. And believe me, I was younger, so it translated in the performance. And so I've had to learn no matter what goes wrong, no matter if the musicians are messing up, no matter if the vendor, the person who is giving the event, the promoter, or the actual venue is making you angry, you have to get up and sing. Right. And you have to give people your best. I've learned that. It's not fair for people to pay their money and you don't give them their best, your best. So I've learned to get thicker skin because, you know, people can say anything to you. They can tell you you're ugly right before you go on stage. You have to go right on the stage. You have to go right on the stage and act like it wasn't said to you, you know. So I'm just really grateful for the lessons. And I'm still learning. I'm still learning, still open to learning. And I just I'm so grateful and honored that you asked me on the show. I have so such respect for you, Adrian. You know, it's a pleasure.

SPEAKER_01 30:19

No, I appreciate I appreciate it because uh these artists need to hear what you're talking about. Even myself, I have a label. I tell them, like, don't put music out on Facebook, don't put music out, let's just copyright it. I mean, I know you want people to hear your music, and you know, people if I hear it, like, oh yeah, I heard this music, and then you're like, uh, is that my song? But you ain't copyrighted.

SPEAKER_00 30:39

Hello, hello. You will be listening I remember I was in a studio that Ice Cube was recording at back in the day. And you're gonna laugh. I was in my 20s. It was called Fat Rat Studio. And there was somebody else that was in there. I'm not gonna say who they were. No, but they were disc jockey and they heard a beat that I was using called feeling kind of be uh feeling kind of blue, and it had a snippet, a sample from the Mexicans. And do you know he grabbed that sample and he grabbed my idea and used it for his radio show? And I was mad, I called, I I texted him, I sent him a message and told him, you know, you you kind of took my idea, which I think is foul, you know, because we were all in different studios, you know, you know, divisions of the studios. So I was like, that's not cute to do something like that. He's like, well, just think of it this way. I have it on my my morning show and my afternoon show, so that's gonna make you look good. And I have the things I want to tell that man. But I just bit my tongue. I I bit my tongue, but you know, that's the kind of stuff you got to deal with. People can hear your music playing in in a big studio format and other divisions of a studio in the same complex and jack you for your music.

SPEAKER_03 32:04

Right.

SPEAKER_00 32:04

So you need to copyright it before you even record it in a lot of in a lot of senses, and then tweak it when you finish it. But you need to at least start the process of copywriting it because people will steal your ideas and it's not fun when you go through that. I've been through that a couple of times, but I learned after that. So I haven't had that problem anymore. But but you gotta definitely be careful who you're getting your music to to listen to, if it's not all the way copyright, all that.

SPEAKER_01 32:37

Yeah. So I think I am. I don't get it. If I said if I get music, I ask Monty Break, hey, before I put it in rotation, is it copyright? He's like, yeah, I'm like, all right, okay. And we put it in rotation, and then we go from there. But I want to go back to because you you you have achieved a lot. And how did it feel like, you know, to be Grammy considerate and you've won multiple awards, you had Hall of Fame recognitions. What moment made you stop and say, This is real?

SPEAKER_00 33:10

You know, I thought about everything that I had gone through and the surgeries and the tears and the pain, because like there's several artists that have dealt with things like that. Like, you know, T Bise from TLC, she has sickle sick, and that's very painful. What I have has been very painful, and it's been very stressful. And to be in to be in remission after going through that so many years and finally going into remission is a complete blessing. And I I'm grateful for that. And I when I submitted all of my help and they liked it, I was just like, oh, they like it. You know, I I went back to being a little girl, like, oh, they like it. Are you kidding me?

SPEAKER_01 34:05

Right.

SPEAKER_00 34:06

So when I found out that they really liked it and I was being considered, I thought to myself, oh my God, just being considered is such an honor because they didn't have to pick me. It was thousands of millions of people sending stuff in. So I look back at it now and I'm like, oh my God, that's so amazing. And then I have to shout out and thank Rob and Carmona for that. And I also have to thank Septimius the Great because they helped me with that. I didn't do that by myself. You have to thank people when they look out for you.

SPEAKER_03 34:40

Of course.

SPEAKER_00 34:41

And it looked out for me in that area. And so I'm thankful for that. I have gotten enthroned record awards, and there's been wonderful people that's been up for consideration for these awards. The Honeycomb, there's been people like what's his name? HB Barnum. And now, for example, Verdine White from Earth Twin and Fire, he's being honored. So to be in a room like that and perform for people on that caliber and level of expertise is Janie Bradford. You know, you know, she's done things for the Rolling Stones, songs for the Rolling Stones. To be in the same room and honored like that and get awards on that level with them, it's with legends, free to pain, people like that. I have to say that's an honor. Right. You know, to be able to rub elbows with people like Michael Collier and just, you know, and Norwood Young, and it's it's just been a blessing. I have to say that I have some friends in my circle that are musicians that are absolutely phenomenal. Sherry Payne, so many wonderful people that, you know, some of the members of the former Supremes, I look up to these people. They are just like uh legends in the business.

SPEAKER_03 36:14

Right.

SPEAKER_00 36:15

And they've been in this industry since the 50s and 60s. And, you know, I've worked with people like Nat King Cole and have been with, you know, all kinds of prolific artists. So I really thank God for that because that is amazing. And then the honors I've had from the city, from the the mayor, you know, the city of Los Angeles for my humanitarian work and for singing in the community. KJL H giving me basically an honor from the city. I it just to me blew me away. I mean, you know, I knew I wanted to be a singer when I was five.

SPEAKER_03 36:54

Right.

SPEAKER_00 36:54

And I had big dreams. But the person who told me to manifest it was the incomparable Lena Horn. And I met her when I was 10. And I was at a school that was very serious about blackness and about empowering young children. And so we'd have our roots and our the whole cast of Roots speaking to the kids, and Jesse Jackson, River Jesse Jackson came and spoke to us. But the thing that stood out the most to me was when I went to see Lena Horn at the you know, at the the the Wilter, the what is it, the Wiltshire E Bell Theater. She was there and she had a a contract and uh some things opened up for her, and she it was called Sophisticated Lady, and she came out in this beautiful blue dress. It was amazing, of course, handmade. And she came out and sang stormy weather and all of her hits, and then I got to go backstage and meet her. And she asked me what I want to do when I grew up. And I said, I want to sing gospel, I want to sing soul music, I want to sing classical, I want to sing country, I want to sing love songs. But she's like, Oh my god, you want to do all that? But the one thing she said was, you can be anything you want to be. You know, she said, you can be anything you dream to be, anything you want to be. And I kept that in my spirit, in my heart for years after I met her. She was so beautiful and powerful. And she started understanding what she had to do for the movement and how important that was because of the prejudice that was involved and how she had to go through kitchens and couldn't go through the lobbies and couldn't sit down in the audiences because they didn't want black people to do that. We didn't want them in anywhere in public around other white people. So she was not only a legend, she was filled with history. And so that encouraged me. That encouraged me. And so I, when I get an award, I never take it for granted because I didn't have to get it. So every award I've gotten from Central Stars, from Enthrone, from being even looked at by the Grammys, to me, I take it and I put it in my heart and I store it there because it it means the world to me, because it doesn't have to, it didn't have to happen. And of course, I'm still, I still want to be a household name. I don't want to be like Michael Jackson, not be able to go out of my house. But I'm still working to be, you know, on a level that's just fierce. That's why I say you keep you keep building and you keep honing. And it doesn't stop. It continues. And, you know, and you can you continue to be humble and have humility and be kind and be grateful because people don't have to come and buy tickets to hear you or buy your music. So I agree. Yeah. So that's that's where I'm at with it. You know, I try to do that every day. I try to remind myself of that, just to be a better person. And, you know, and I I've been fortunate enough. I've been on the Michael Collier show like 12 times. I was like, he reminded me of it one day when I talked to him. He said, Girl, do you know you're gonna child child? So I think it's wonderful, you know, to be able to say that he is my friend, you know, and he supports my music and he and he thinks it's astounding that I do classical and other and other, you know, genres, you know. But I'm very grateful for meeting you and you know, meeting people like Nads, you know, because you guys bring so many different things to the table. And I learned different things from everybody. Right, you know, and so I'm just grateful. And, you know, and Rory Darvell, a T he had a station called Attention to Detail with Boston Man Cuddy, who's married to Tammy Mack from KJLH. He played my music a lot too. So I have to give him a shout out, too, because he played my music as well. And they're, you know, CJ Money Management Radio, they play my music, and so many different other people play my music. Gary, Fuston, so many different people. And I just want to publicly for giving me the opportunity to be heard, for being kind to me, and for giving me that, you know, giving me that space, you know, to to to grow, because you didn't have to do it. So for for you to play my music and treat me with such respect, right? I I just appreciate it. I appreciate it from my whole heart. I mean, D D Cohen from Memphis Matters, so many people I can name. Janice, Babis, so many different people I can name that have just been fantastic to me. Right. And I just, you know, DJ Lady Funk, you know, I just so many people that have just given me the open the door, DJ Chester Bully to play my music and care about my music enough to share it with others. I think it's incredible. And I just pray for more. I pray for more. I pray for more um local radio stations and popular radio stations to play my music more. And I just look forward to the rest of my career. I'm gonna sing until the wheels roll off.

SPEAKER_01 43:06

Keep on doing it.

SPEAKER_00 43:07

You know that's what I plan to do. I I tell somebody, I plan on singing until my last breath.

unknown 43:15

Right.

SPEAKER_00 43:15

That that's real because God gave me the gift, and I and I want to be his vessel. I really do.

SPEAKER_01 43:21

So it's important. I like that. So as we we about to close out, where can your your fans find you at? Where can they find your music? And do you have any projects or are you doing any touring that's coming up too, so they can know, keep keep keep yourself abreast of what you're doing?

SPEAKER_00 43:38

In the summer, I'm gonna be doing some concerts and I'm definitely gonna share it. You can find me on Facebook, Latrice Lawrence, Instagram Latrice L, TikTok Latrice Lawrence, and you can go to www.latricelawrence.com and you can buy my music there. And you can see all the things I'm doing. And you can see videos. I'm on YouTube. So definitely subscribe, you guys, because I have all kind of different, you know, videos from different venues I've done and everything. And yeah, you get my music there. My song is coming out next month, my single with uh Walter Thompson.

SPEAKER_03 44:22

Okay.

SPEAKER_00 44:23

And it's gonna be incredible. And my album will probably be out early next year.

SPEAKER_01 44:29

Okay.

SPEAKER_00 44:30

It's gonna be really amazing. You know, and I'm I'm it's gonna be really great. And um I am looking forward to it too, because it it it's been a serious birthing situation with that. It takes a lot of focus when you do an album, and you gotta get it right. You know, you could post some together if you want to, but it's better to get it right and get it mastered right. That's what I've learned. You know, you know, rushing, you you can make several mistakes. So I've definitely learned to take my time. So we've been working on it for two years, and I'm looking forward to letting everyone, the world hear it. Looking forward to it.

SPEAKER_01 45:09

All right, I appreciate it, and I really enjoy this interview that we we've took took time to do. Me too. I want y'all to listen. This is right here, is what excellence sounds like talent, discipline, purpose, and grace all in one. Shout out to Latrice Lawrence for pulling up and blessing the platform. Make sure y'all tap into her music on all streaming platforms, follow her journey, stay locked in because she's just getting started. This is your boy AD from Indy Hart Push Your Independent Radio Show, where we bring the dope music and the dope interviews. And we out.

SPEAKER_00 45:45

God bless you. Thank you.

SPEAKER_01 45:47

I appreciate you.

SPEAKER_00 45:48

All right, you have a good day. Okay.

SPEAKER_01 45:51

You too.

SPEAKER_03 45:52

Thank you.

SPEAKER_00 45:52

All right. God bless you.

SPEAKER_03 45:54

Bless you too.