The Lyrical Lux Podcast

Miss Storm Indie Spotlight

• Season 1 • Episode 39

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Big Thanks to Miss Storm for a DOPE Interview! 🎤🔥

We had an incredible conversation—real talk, real music, and real vibes. Appreciate you pulling up and blessing the platform! 💯

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SPEAKER_01

Like rock the mock belly. I got money in the back. What you got, man? Violet goose with the top like a popcorn. We're the pulling in the booth, fucking stop, man. Keep going, fan, go. We don't stop with that.

SPEAKER_00

All the haters of muse. I do what I do, I do what I do. It don't kind of hit your vice for a proc gang of blood. I know you didn't heard, but fuck what you heard. I got the key P30 D posted up on the curve. That's the word. A lesson will learn. I'm about to be the king in the streets, my position concern.

SPEAKER_02

I come here with a bam, I'm a wild bird, playing black.

SPEAKER_06

What's what? Same that was hard in the tank. We go.

SPEAKER_01

Oh, that just stupid stuff we go high.

SPEAKER_03

Oh that's stupid, still we go high. Oh that's stupid, still because still being stupid.

SPEAKER_02

You is really round. But we all think y'all can go on.

SPEAKER_03

I'm gonna take you up. I'm gonna take you high. I'm feeling so good. I'm going back, celly face.

SPEAKER_02

Back outside, hate straight to the stage. Going celly, haze on spice sunny day. No for the place which you hide like this. Sound chicken lights on this hide like this. Big so wrong hitting fellows like the song. Down the one fit of seven. Air force security is second at the door. BF bracelets selling up the floor. Make the section poppin' so be lazy. What's up, fire blowing caliha? Gotta remind you, which you win the day. I'm hacking out this bitch, baby, no space. Real calipito bit for the kickback. Cali hobby lazy.

SPEAKER_03

It's that real shit, we back outside. I'm gonna take you high. I'm feeling so good today. I'm going back, Cali.

SPEAKER_02

Let's ride. It's that real shit. We back outside, we gon' take you higher. Cause we keep the fire feeling good today. Blowing calibers in the good goddess and body feminine energy. Flying high, we f the days. In the salutation. Every time we blow a suck it in a making radio station, checking meal with the tweets. Cause we still get paper by any knees. Rolled up so deep when they see the seed. Miss story, Miss Stoy, came to kill the scene. All night long, back into it again. Gallie hands in the air, we in every city. Summer vibe, summer dress, looking so pretty. I'ma take your real high, we're rolling. Bango.

SPEAKER_03

It's that real shit, we got outside. I'ma take you high. I'm gonna go with my cannon. I'm gonna take you high. This is that real shit we got outside. I'm gonna take you high. I'm thinking I smell good. I'm going back to the video. Yeah.

SPEAKER_05

Yeah, we're gonna bring one. I'm gonna bring one this one. Oh, and then we're gonna we're gonna get started.

SPEAKER_03

Now we're both in the kitchen. We can't drink in the cool time. I hope you heard what you said. But you a bandit in these three kids on the band. You got the shoes, baby. You say you're nerfy before you train for me.

SPEAKER_08

Not trying to come with time. Come right now. I'm on the grind. I want my feelings right now. I'm on the grind. I'm trying to run it up for this duplicative weapon. So let's face some big figures so I can get you what you want. You bring up bands on the grind. Make up a brand. Make up your mind. Cause they all gonna miss the young women to change the right now.

SPEAKER_03

Baby, you're holding up your people. I don't want to get the phone call you. You can leave me free by your pleasure alone. Don't leave me the break, please. Don't sleep to a process. Baby, please, I don't want to leave. Mama! Oh, really?

SPEAKER_05

So you know, how you doing today? What's up? This is your boy A D, coming from a Pusher Independent podcast. We have here a talented, talented, beautiful artist. She's a Billboard Charting song sing songwriter, a award-winning hip hop, hip hop solo artist, a actress, music publisher, a serial entrepreneur, a mentor, a community leader, and a woman who has built an amazing legacy through music business and service. I want y'all to welcome the one and only Miss Storm to the show.

SPEAKER_06

Thank you so much for having me.

SPEAKER_05

Of course. Of course. Now we're gonna we're gonna talk about uh we saw your little friend there that you had.

SPEAKER_04

Yeah, this is Coco. She's a spoiled brat. That's my two years old. You see her? She's so spoiled. She don't let me do no interviews by myself.

SPEAKER_05

Oh. So we're gonna talk about, yeah, you uh what you got there, a Yorkie?

SPEAKER_06

Yeah, she's a teacup Yorkie. Yeah.

SPEAKER_05

Yeah, yeah. I had a Yorkie, uh, he he passed away a couple years ago. Uh like Nibble. So I'm gonna see somebody with a York like, ah, miss, miss my miss my homeboy.

SPEAKER_04

How old did she live or he lived to be?

SPEAKER_05

He was about, I believe, 15.

SPEAKER_04

Yeah, that's about, yeah. So he lived a long life then. He lived a good long life, yeah. Yeah.

SPEAKER_05

He got blind and he couldn't run up the stairs and start running into stuff.

SPEAKER_04

See, I'm not looking forward to that part. That's the part I'm dreading. I know it hasn't happened, but I'm not looking forward to that part.

SPEAKER_05

So we're gonna talk about uh, you know, I like to uh ask, you know, where did the name Miss Storm come from?

SPEAKER_04

Good question. I've been Miss Storm since I was about 14, 15 years old. It actually came from a group from my hometown. I was in a hip-hop soul group called the X-Men, and I was Miss Storm, the first lady of the X-Men crew. And uh yeah, that's that was my name back then, and I just you know growled into that and it's carried it on up into my career. Every time I reinvented myself, I kept the name. The name state.

SPEAKER_05

Hey, hey, hey, I always keep that name. So I know that you you do Southern Soul. Tell me how Southern Soul has evolved from, you know, back in the day to what it is now.

SPEAKER_04

Ooh, God, that is a great question. It has evolved from when I first got wind of Southern Soul when I was a young girl, when my grandparents were listening to it and stuff, it was more quartet, more gospel influenced. It really wasn't a lot of line dances, popping fans, and all of that. Now, baby, the modern day Southern Soul is a party. It's a riot. You be tired, it's exercise, you know. We still drinking the moonshine. They was drinking moonshine back then with the two because we still drinking the shine. Now we just adding twirls and fans. So it it's it's evolved in a major way. It's so beautiful to be a part of it in the beginning, part of this transition that is, you know, I've been doing Southern Soul for about six years now. It's not where I started, but it's what I've been doing successfully for the last six years. And it's it's been amazing. It's been an amazing journey. Yeah.

SPEAKER_05

Well, that's that's good. So we we're gonna start off, you know, talking about uh you growing up in uh Warren, Ohio. What first made you fall in love with music?

SPEAKER_04

Music has always been my favorite form of communication. I sing when I'm cooking, I sing when I'm cleaning, I sing when I'm in trouble. I sing all the time. It's my favorite way to communicate, but it's also very therapeutic for me. Music has been my outlet, you know. I come from Scare Roll, I come from the projects. We ain't really have much growing up, and music has always been my been there for me. It's like always been my release, you know.

SPEAKER_05

So with with with that being so let's talk about like the adversities and stuff that I guess got you into doing what you love.

SPEAKER_04

So the thing about Miss Storm is I talk about all my trials and tribulations in my music. It's kind of like what makes me who I am, is just being real. And I've been through a lot. Miss Storm is a survivor. You know, I like I said, I grew up really rough in a small town that I'm from. You know, the small town is where the big stuff goes down, if you don't know. So, you know, I grew up in a very small town where it was a lot of, you know, killing, a lot of drug, a lot of poverty. So the odds were against me from the beginning. And I just crawled my way out of each hoe, every situation. I prayed and manifested my way out of every situation, and I've made songs about everything I've been through, literally. It's how I've it's been I've been my own therapist. Music has been my counselor in a sense.

SPEAKER_05

Yeah, uh, because um I I noticed like even with me, you know, I'm a I'm a drummer, so like, you know, it's good that like you can let off some steam. Or because a lot of people don't don't understand with musicians that they think that, you know, we're superman and superwoman where you can't say no or you you just can't you just gotta do everything and and if you can't do it, then it's like, oh well I can't believe you can't do this.

SPEAKER_04

I can't believe it. I trust me, I know.

SPEAKER_05

And so I I I look at like, you know, things that that like artists go through where you are here, you're you're independent, you're trying to push your own music, uh you're going through the pros and cons of people might, you know, feel it, some people might not. How how do you deal with like the diversity of like with that and also the the the the pros of people hearing your music and enjoying it?

SPEAKER_04

Well, so let me start here. From the age of 16 up until about my 23rd, 24th birthday, I was homeless. And what I mean by homeless is I was literally taking the Greyhound bus to city to city, state to state, meeting the movers and shakers, going to the studios, going to meet the engineers, the producers, the musicians, the artists, and just introducing myself. Like, hi, my name's Miss Storm. I'm a writer. Can I write something for you? Hi, my name is Storm. I'm a singer. Can I sing back? Are you looking for a Soprano? Like, I literally been out here grinding in the mud for almost 20 years, you know, before I even got like my platinum plaque, or before I started working with major, major artists and started getting respect from my peers in the industry. I had a lot of paying dudes. I'm still paying dudes, you know. And I believe that being a creative, that you should always be a student because this is a forever-changing business. And, you know, it's just good to always be a vessel that's learning, always learning. That's my thing. I'm I believe in being a student of life. So it's just about being optimistic, staying positive, and chasing your dream. If this is what you think about every day, you gotta, it's nothing, you know, nothing's gonna stop you from thinking about it. You might as well go and pursue it. That's how I, that's how I operate.

SPEAKER_05

I like that. I feel the same way.

SPEAKER_04

Absolutely.

SPEAKER_05

Do you take moments to just sit back and just think about like the accomplishments? Because I know you have uh 10 10K streamers on YouTube. You've done a you've done a lot of worked with a lot of uh heavy hitters. Your your music is on everything. Shout out to my guy 107.3 jams, DJ Knight.

SPEAKER_06

Shout out to DJ Knight.

SPEAKER_05

And so we we we we be going back and forth in in in our own little personal chat, and we like, yo, like this, this song is fire. Like, and I'll be like, yo, play it again. And so we we so we be pushing it, but I I wanna like, and I and I ask a lot of artists this, like, do you ever sit back and just like through everything you've been through, just just have a moment to breathe and just think about the accomplishments.

SPEAKER_04

You know what's so funny? I again, I'm a psychology major as well. So I think about the psychological, my psychological way of reasoning for not doing that. When you come from nothing, and I do mean nothing, like, you know, peanut butter and jelly sandwiches for lunch, dinner, no no cakes for birthdays, I mean nothing. The last thing you want to do is ever go back to nothing. So I don't have the time. The way my psychology the way my psych the way I'm set up up here from what I've been through and the trials and trauma I've endured as a young, young child and into adolescence, I'm always going. I so to answer your question, no, because it's it takes it takes moments like these where I'm on these interviews, when I'm getting an interview on a magazine, or one of my family members will be like, baby, breathe. Look at what you've done. Look at and I'll be like, oh yeah, that's great. Okay, what's next? Today is today. Tomorrow yesterday was yesterday. We will today, today, yesterday was yesterday. We gotta think about today and tomorrow. That's how I always so you know. I do, I do encourage my students and people that listen to me to definitely take a moment and breathe and you know appreciate celebrate your small wins, celebrate all your wins. I absolutely do. But the way that I'm wired, I'm an overly ambitious person, so no. Not really.

SPEAKER_05

All right. Uh so uh so I guess my my thing is like when people just come in coming to you in the street and just hey, like I like that song, or I or hey, I heard your music on the on the radio, do you still feel the same way, or do you be like, hey, I'm I'm just or are you like flatlining across and like, hey, I know it's okay, you know, I'm on a radio, all that's cool. I'm still got I still got more moves to make.

SPEAKER_04

Oh, most definitely. I'm still got more moves to make, but that is what means the most to me. Like seeing the plaques and hearing it on the radio is awesome. But actually being somewhere and the the like people come up to me and be like, man, that song, like, man, that's my jam. Like, that's what makes it all work wild for me, you know? And a lot of times, ironically, because of the the mixed genres of music that I dabble in, I've had people come to me and ask me to pray with them. I've had people come to me and just be like, you know, when is the next march? When can I join? You know, you know, when can we get down to start, you know, aligning and everything. So I mean, it's just I have all people from different walks of life come to me with different things, and they all mean so much to me because it's like they're listening. You know, as a creative, when we're creating, we're like, this gonna go fast. They ain't hearing what I'm saying. But when you get the fans or the listeners that really hear what I'm saying, and I'll be like, you heard what I'm saying?

SPEAKER_06

I'll be like what it'd be a shot. It'd be a shot.

SPEAKER_05

Yeah. And and and I and I like I say, I I I like how you you move out there in the in the game. A lot of people are, you know, trying to do it like, you know, the other way. You you you're a beautiful woman, uh you're you're you're in the in the southern soul game where you're you're just doing it how you feel. I I see the energy in your post. I feel the energy in your music, you know, you you look you support, and and a lot of people don't even when you give them stuff to even post for themselves, they don't post it. So people don't know.

SPEAKER_04

Let me let me piggyback on that.

SPEAKER_06

All right.

SPEAKER_04

Ego is something that I don't condone. I I again, it probably comes from having nothing, coming from nothing. You know, everything means so much to me. And I'm an empath, so I feel everything. You know, if I if you're taking out an hour of your time, AD, to talk about little old Miss Storm from the projects of the Highland Holmes and Warren, Ohio, to talk about my accomplishments, that means something. So why wouldn't I reshare that? Why wouldn't I be proud about that and cross-promote what you got going on with what I got going on? That's what it's about. It takes the team. It's unity over here. I believe in unity, you know, in every aspect, you know. So I hear that a lot though. Like, I'm surprised you reposted it. Like, why wouldn't I?

SPEAKER_05

Yeah, because a lot of sometimes I have shows and sometimes people might you they, you know, either they A, they don't repost their own show that they're even doing. And I tell people all the time, this is something that people can learn about you. Cause as as when I first started, one thing I learned was when you interview an artist, we stereotyp stereotype them because of their music. Oh yeah. And we take Oh well because they put out some music and it's you know them. Like they're they're idiots, they're stupid, they you know. But then when you sit down and have these interviews, they're normal people just like you. That's trying to they're out here grinding, trying to make moves and and all that. And and so I learned a lot when doing these interviews that you know everybody has their story, you know. You don't you don't usually hear it until you talk to these, talk to artists. But a lot of people they go through regular stuff like everybody else. They're out here trying to make moves.

SPEAKER_04

We go through more, we go through more because we have a call and we have a gift, and we're fighting our own ego, and we're fighting, you know, the world's uh opinions of us and still trying to be heard and cut through the noise. It's we go through more than the average person. Let me be clear.

SPEAKER_05

Yeah, I I agree.

SPEAKER_04

Um smile through it all. We smile through it all, take pictures, interview through it all, make music through it all.

SPEAKER_05

Yep, people don't see the the the the part when you go home and you you you gotta deal with life. Life smacks you in the face at that point. Uh so we're gonna talk about you know the church and how the church played an important role in your musical journey. Uh, how does singing in the church help shape your voice and artistry?

SPEAKER_04

Oh my God, everything. Everything about me is is is from the Lord. No, seriously, I've been singing since I was a little girl and I got my start in the gospel realm. As you probably know, I did tour briefly with Kirk Franklin and the family. That wasn't a phenomenal experience. It was short lived, but God doesn't make any mistakes. You know, a lot of my career, you know, started from that point. But I've been singing in the church since I was like six years old with all my heart and soul, you know. Because my grandmama told me that I need to go sing. But once I started singing and I started to get the reaction from the congregation and feel the energy and hear the hoops and hollers from the congregation. And I'm like, wow, is that coming from something I'm doing up here? Like just, you know, singing. And that's from that early age is when I knew from even to this day, I still get the same reaction 90% of the time when I open my mouth. And that's when I knew it was an anointing on me and that it was a calling that I had to see through, no matter how dark and tough it might have gotten. You know, that's when I knew, you know, I knew early.

SPEAKER_05

So, so with you being in the church, I my question is, how did the church perceive you when you went on the secular side and started doing southern so?

SPEAKER_04

I don't really know how to answer that question. Nobody never asked me that before. To be honest with you, they know my heart. I've been Sister Howard since I was a little girl. They know my entire family is from the church. My family is all pastors and prophetess. That's what I've, that's who we are. You know, we have a street named after us in my city because of our church. All my uncles are pastors and all of my aunts are prophetess. Like literally. Like, so when I say something that, regardless of what I do, it's in me, it's who I am. So I don't think that they've ever turned their back on me. However, I have gotten the calls. Like I got a song. I got I got a song called um Lights Camera Action when I'm in a video with a guy and we kind of, it's a sexual sensual song. Oh my goodness. When that video dropped, baby, I had like 130 phone calls, like 20 miss messages. Like now, you know uh, you, you, you, you, you, you know, don't let the Jazzebel spirit of the industry get on you.

SPEAKER_06

Oh man.

SPEAKER_04

And I'm like, shit, God of my I'm a woman still. I can't talk about being a woman and you know, but you know, the the the the the gospel, the Christian and gospel world is the most judgmental people. They judge you more than the secular people do, you know, and so it's something that you just get accustomed to and be like, you know, bless they heart. Bless they heart.

SPEAKER_05

Hey, I I agree. Um, I played, I played, I'm a drummer at the church at the church. And I I played, I played for rock bands, R B, and and sometimes church people like even I've had rock rock artists like, how do you go from what made you play rock music when you go to church? I said pretty much it's the same thing.

SPEAKER_04

It just you know the same thing as music. We're ministers of music, not ministers of a genre of music, we're ministers of music, you know? Who knows what psalms was? Who knows? We can't know what genre Psalms was.

SPEAKER_05

Yep, I agree. You've been you've been known as an incredible song songwriter. So, what used it comes first for you? The melody, the beat, or the lyrics?

SPEAKER_04

The melody.

SPEAKER_05

Okay. So could you explain why?

SPEAKER_04

Well, it just depends. So it's not a cookie-cutter situation with me when it comes to writing for myself or for other artists, especially other artists, because majority of the time when I'm writing for other artists, they'll tell me, like, this is what's going on. We want to be in this box. This is what's, you know, especially for major artists, because a lot of major artists don't have creative control. So they have to do with what's going on or, you know, trends and all of that stuff. So, you know, when those situations happen, I typically pair up with a producer or a team of producers or a band, whichever one is, you know, they have a budget for, and we just come off with melodies. It's just melodies are easy because the hook is the most important part of the song. The hook is a melody, chorus, just like in church, you know, it's a chorus. So I always start there and then build from the chorus out into the verses. I I make the main conversation first, the melody, the main conversation, and then I bring into this the side conversations. That's how I operate for most other artists. Now, when it comes to myself, like Crossroad Bando, it definitely started off the same with Crossroad Bando. It was a melody. I was in the kitchen cooking and I was thinking about I was letting the music play in my studio and I was in the kitchen cooking, listening to it. And I was just, you know, like I was just thinking about my younger, you know, young adult years and all the crazy, crazy, crazy stuff that I've done. My God, you wouldn't believe me if I told you. Um but I was thinking about it, chuckling to myself, and I just started writing. It just was just a conversation I was just having, and it just, I started with the verse on that one and then got to the hook with that one. So no cookie cutter situation. It varies every time.

SPEAKER_05

Okay. So what makes a good songwriter in today's industry?

SPEAKER_04

Oh, so I'm gonna be all the way black and white, frank with you. I don't think there are a lot of great songwriters right now in this industry. However, the ones that I do have a respect for their penmanship, like Tierra Whack, like Rhapsody, like Money Lone, I think what makes them great is that they pull from a higher place than themselves.

SPEAKER_06

Right.

SPEAKER_04

I don't think that if you listen to Money Long songs, these are ballads that are, these are like Whitney Houston time, what was her name? I think her name was Diane or whatever, but the the writers then in that era really took time and put painted a picture. They used imagery. It was, you know, visionaries in the room, you know. Now, mass majority of the commercial music is just ABC, it's like catchy, it's trendy, it's not, it's microwave, it's not, you know, thoroughly thought out and and drawn. I think as a songwriter, our job is to paint a picture. So if you're in a room and if you're listening to my song, I need my song to be able to change the whole atmosphere. Like you should be at the crossroad with me when you listen to the crossroad band. Or you should be able to see, I'm in the kitchen cooking, you see him in the kitchen cooking. You know, you got an idea of what's going on. I'm bringing you into my world. And I think is one of the major gifts of a songwriter. You know, is it's changing the atmosphere.

SPEAKER_05

All right, I like that. Uh your your writing is connected with major labels, including Universal, Deaf Jam, Motown, and Bad Boys. What was, were there a moment when you realized, wow, my songwriting is opening up major doors?

SPEAKER_04

Yes, yes, okay, yes. Yes, because not because of the songs though, because another to be black and white, frank with you, just to be honest with you, because we're gonna be candid, right? Right. The songs that I've won awards for for other artists to meet are meter, mediocre. They're not songs that I would cut on myself, and I was ultimately shocked that they the world gravitated the way that they did. The stuff that I'm sitting on and the stuff that hasn't been placed is so much more powerful and so much more necessary and so much doper to me than what's been placed. However, so am I impressed with that part? No. But I am, I will I what has me look back and say, damn, this really happened is the execs I've worked with. They were like, man, Storm did this in 15 minutes. Like, this girl is bad. Like, just to get that type of homage and respect from them when they work with the Teddy Rileys and the and the greats, you know, that is the part that I'll be like, wow, they respect my pen. But y'all didn't take the good songs.

SPEAKER_05

They took what they wanted. I got it.

SPEAKER_04

Y'all took what you wanted, but I didn't think they was great songs. But you know, nonetheless, I ain't gonna discredit my work. You know, artist art, you know, artist subjective, you know. So, you know, but to answer your question, yeah, when I when I'm in the room and I feel, you know, respected for what I do, that does make me be like, wow, you know, I'm here in this room. I never thought I'd be in this room, you know.

SPEAKER_05

So I see that you've worked with alongside some some heavy hitters, Lil Wayne, Lil' Kim, Trina, Jay Holiday, W W. Y Clef. Y Clef John, Nick Cannon, Primal, Day 26, Slone Thug, and Harmony, Benny the Butcher, Boochie Collins. Which one, which one lesson you learned from collaborating with artists at that level at this level?

SPEAKER_04

So let me let me also be clear about that. I haven't necessarily worked with all of those artists. I've toured. I've toured with all of those artists. I've typically been, again, remember I was telling you I was moving from city to city, introducing myself, did be like, okay, throw this, you know, this girl is hungry, throw her on the stage. So they would throw me on the tours, and I would be like the opening act when they were going on city to city, I would just be with them doing the opening acts. But I have worked with some of them too. Um but um when I what was the question? I just want to make sure that was clear.

SPEAKER_05

So what have you learned from? I guess, so I guess I would say either collaborating or opening up for the artists at that at this at the level that you would that you have done.

SPEAKER_04

What I've taken away from working with every single one of them is one thing that's the common denominator. They all have a team. It's not just them. Regardless if it's just them on the stage, Jim, them with the microphone, them in the limelight, they have a team. And that's the one thing that's always kept me, I felt like, not to where they were because I was by myself all the time. All the time. It's just me and my suitcase. Me and my little stuff a bag, like, hey, it's me, this is what I do, this is what I bring to the table. Give me a shot, you know. And, you know, and they did every time, every single time. And it opened up a lot of doors. But to answer your question, every single person, I was work, I was on tour with Lil Wayne when he was a teenager. I was a teenager, he was a teenager. We he, you know, Toya still had the afro. You remember that? Okay, this was before he blew up big. And then, even then, I promise you, he was probably Lil Wayne was probably the most humblest young man I've ever worked with to this date. I mean, he opened the doors, yes, ma'am, no, ma'am, just respect level on uh on it made me feel so comfortable being around him and his team. And they loved on each other. Like, you know, we all seen the kisses and all that. But they truly loved on each other. And I knew then that when I got to that point, I wanted a team that was tight and it's like that. And we love on each other and we a family because that's what kept them going and relevant all these years. Teamwork.

SPEAKER_05

So uh do the parents writing differently depends on who you're you're writing for?

SPEAKER_04

Say that again.

SPEAKER_05

Do you approach writing differently depending on who you're writing for?

SPEAKER_04

Oh, yeah, definitely. It's definitely not a cookie-cutter situation. I mean, sometimes I stay with an artist for a week just to get a feel for their life and what they're going through. Sometimes I have them on the phone with me while I'm recording, like, okay, what you want, you know. It every when I tell you every situation is different. Not one is the same.

SPEAKER_05

All right. So you in 2010, you launched Eric, Eric, Ear Candy 2. So tell everybody what inspired your decision to launch the production company. And yeah, so tell us what your decision was.

SPEAKER_04

Good question. So, what struck that nerve there was again going from city to city, meeting so many different nonprofit organizations that were doing stuff in the metro cities and stuff for the youth and stuff like that. And I came across a girl in Columbus, Ohio by the name of April Diller. We call her AD. Shout out to my homegirl AD Ear Candy and the Sage. Hello. I met her, and that's how I got the opportunity actually to work with Boosie Collins, is through her. She was the manager of a company, a small nonprofit company in Columbus, Ohio called Stars, S-T-A-R-Z, I believe, Stars Entertainment. And this girl was so phenomenal to me. She was like Missy Elliott before Missy Elliott to me. She was a producer, a rapper, a singer, you know, a manager. She was patient with the students and stuff. And I said, man, like I want to work with you. And me and her started Ear Candy together in 2010. We left Ohio, moved to Georgia, and after that, music just started getting placed. I mean, people just started. It was just destiny. It was destiny how we met. It was destiny for us to connect. I had a set of skills that she didn't have, and she had a set of skills that I didn't have. I don't touch no keys. I don't produce at all. But she is like a studio rat. She don't like to be in the limelight. She don't like to do all the conversation. I do all that. So it was like when we put our powers together. It was just, yeah, it's been magic ever since.

SPEAKER_05

That's been fascinating to work with like that.

SPEAKER_04

Absolutely. Absolutely. Yes, yes. And um, yes, we started Ear Candy. It started off as a writing team. We first started off as a writing team because I was already getting placements. She was already getting placements with, you know, artists on rosters on the labels and stuff. So we put our ideas together. We opened up the Ear Candy Productions writing team. And then we met a guy by the name of Charlie Mack out of Vegas. And he was like, he hipped us to sync licensing and told us, first we put music in his library and his catalog, and we was making like every week a new song was getting placed somewhere. And I was like, you know what? After I found out how lucrative that side was, I said, I think we need to add this into our repertoire. So now we became the writing camp and then a sync license company. And then we started meeting artists who didn't understand publishing, who was writing, was, you know, getting music out there, getting spins, and they didn't have their publishing, they didn't own it publishing. So then we became a publishing company and started doing consulting and teaching other people how to get all the money on the back end for their music. So it just evolved like a snowball into what it is today.

SPEAKER_05

All right. So was she saying that? Like, what advice would you give to indie artists out here that's starting out, that's trying to get their name out here? And I know as being an indie artist, you pretty much putting your own money into your own.

SPEAKER_06

Oh, yeah. Oh.

SPEAKER_05

And sometimes you might get discouraged as well, too. So, like, what advice would you would you give somebody that came to you and said, hey, I want to I want to get started in the music game?

SPEAKER_04

Again, I can give you a general, you know, bit of information, but it's not a cookie-cutter situation because as a creative, most creatives are all at different levels. No creative is at the same place in their career. So if this was, if I was talking to an artist that literally was starting from nothing, had no PRO, didn't know what any of the, you know, sound exchange or any of the ISRC coding or any of that stuff was, then I would tell them to sit down with me, we'll have a consultation, and I would walk them through what every single thing meant and why it's important for them to have it. From setting up their copyrights with the library of registration from their PRO to all of the different entities that get them paid. I would explain it to them and see if they wanted to keep on going because after you get past the creative part and you get to that part, a lot of people get discouraged. Like I have probably about 24 artists on retainer that have me on retainer just to do that stuff for them because they don't want to do it. It's not even that they just don't want to do it, it's a lot of work. It's a lot of work, you know. So, you know, it depends on where they're at in their career. But for for but just a general statement to all artists that's listening and that wants to get into this thing and they're not where they want to be, remember why you started. Let that be the motivation, let that be the fuel. If you started because this is something that brings you joy, if you started because this is therapeutic for you, like it is for me, if you started because you just want to be rich and take care of your family, whatever it is that your is your why, let that constantly be at the forefront of your mind so that you can keep pushing. Because this shit get hard. It's not easy, it's not easy. I I've I've been homeless, I've cried, I've lost friends, I've lost family. You know, I've lost more than most people a lot. And I'm still here, still smiling, still doing the music thing, still ain't got a million followers, but I love what I do. It's it's who I am, you know. And yeah, you gotta make sure that that's who you are. Because if it's a you know, if you're looking for a fast situation, nine, nine out of ten artists has been doing music five to ten years before you ever heard of them.

SPEAKER_06

True.

SPEAKER_04

So, you know, you know, just have your why. Have your why.

SPEAKER_05

So you you have your music, I guess, licensed with Netflix. I'm gonna get the information right, so y'all don't want to be out here giving right.

SPEAKER_06

Yes, that is correct. That is absolutely correct.

SPEAKER_05

B T Tube, Bounce TV, subway, and Planet Fitness.

SPEAKER_04

And so many more.

SPEAKER_05

All right. How do you feel hearing your work reach audiences around the world?

SPEAKER_04

Tired of hearing it shit.

SPEAKER_05

No, you're not.

SPEAKER_04

Let me not say that, God. Don't take my blessings, Lord, because that's how I eat, okay? That's how I eat. Yeah. I've been doing this for a long time. Like I've I have had music in films, video games, commercials, retail stores, answering services since 2010. This is 2026. That's 16 years. I've been hearing my that's 16 years. I've been hearing old songs that I've evolved from, like some of the ones you was playing when you clicked on. I've evolved, I've evolved, I've rebranded, you know, I've shed. And a lot of those songs aren't, you know, they're not my best work anymore. So I have to still hear them. I still have to hear them, but I was like, damn it, that song. And I'm like, that ain't mixed right at all. If we knew that, you know, it was different. We were working on the window then. You remember the window? You know, a lot of songs that are placed were a new window. But it's been a blessing, man. When I tell you sync licensing has saved my life, like, ah, God, I can't even give God enough praise for that. And I don't talk about it a lot, mainly because I don't want to be bombarded with a lot of people trying to tell, you know, ask me to help them do it because it's about relationships. People can get on this, on this, let me just say this. People get on this Instagram and they get on this Facebook and they get on this TikTok and they doing classes and seminars and they holding uh uh uh uh courses and they they charging y'all these courses. Man, listen to me. Don't get into them damn course.

SPEAKER_06

Yeah, I agree.

SPEAKER_04

I'm telling you, this is about relationships, and it takes, I have relationships with BET, I have relationships with Marble and all this, and it took lots of years of you know consistency and knowing your shit because I had one situation that one and done, I had an artist that I put her music in my catalog. I trusted that she had all of her stuff right. She did not. We had to take the music out of a major film that pushed the film back, and lots of money was lost. I don't deal with everybody when it comes to that because if I put my name on it, this is ruining a relationship that I've built over the last 10 years. You understand what I'm saying? So that's why I don't talk about it a lot, but it's not just cut and dry, like, oh, send me a song, I'm gonna go ahead and place it in there. I mean, there are some circumstances when, you know, one of these instructors or some one of these, I call them social media teachers or whatever, have relationships with music supervisors and they can kind of slide it in there. But majority of the time, that's not the case. There is a brief, there's particular stuff that they're looking for, and it has to be what they're looking for, and all the back end stuff has to be complete. A's from like top to bottom, T's cross, I's dotted. Because a lot of people's names and reputations and businesses are on the line when you're dealing with sync licenses, you know. So yeah, I hope I answered that question.

SPEAKER_05

All right, yes, you did. And when this when this interview goes out on pod on a podcasting platform, I hope everybody who lets me.

SPEAKER_04

They're gonna be so mad at me. They're gonna be so mad at me.

SPEAKER_05

They need to help. You know, even when we doing music reviews and stuff, I tell people all the time, like, if you want to hear your music, be on there. Because you have no excuse. I mean, we we all we uh the the ones who's really seriously doing it, we posting and we like, hey, there's a review. Okay this time. We gotta get back and replay your song because you walk back here, hey, somebody told me my songs play, like, you know, but it is what it is.

SPEAKER_04

I know I've missed it a few times because I be doing shows. I actually supposed to be at a show right now, but I don't know if I'm gonna make it there tonight. But time your show start. I don't know. 10 o'clock. It's it's more or less a panel to a panel type situation. So I might do one song just to, you know, kind of like to let the artist, other artists hear my song, but you know, I don't know. It's one of them situations.

SPEAKER_05

Well I appreciate I appreciate you you taking out your your time to absolutely. Absolutely. We talking about this. Yeah, of course. We're gonna do that. We have I have also, after doing research, uh, found that you are also the founder of the Eminem Foundation Moving Mountains.

unknown

Yeah.

SPEAKER_05

What inspires you to create it?

SPEAKER_04

Oh man, again, my childhood, not having a lot of mentors, you know, where I was from growing up and just being And scare row and coming from a place of poverty where there wasn't a lot of hope. There wasn't a lot of people to show me, like, you know, it's opportunities out here to lift me up and then encourage me. So growing up that way, when I got older myself and I'm making moves and making a name for myself, I'm like, you know what? I want to be the one to pour back into my community and not just my community, but other communities because all of the urban, all of the urban communities have children with amazing gifts with no one to push them and lift them up. And that's, you know, I believe is a part of my calling ultimately.

SPEAKER_05

Okay. Your music blends hip-hop, soul, emotion, real life experiences. In your own words, how would you describe yourself?

SPEAKER_04

Miss Storm makes music for people who fall down and get back up. Miss Storm makes survival music. Miss Storm reminds her listeners that you can be gritty and still graceful. Grit and grace, baby. Grit and grace.

SPEAKER_05

Right. All right. So we're gonna do some uh we're gonna ask you a couple of you know little fun facts so your fans and supporters can get to know you a little better. So these are so these some rapid fire questions. So favorite studio snack.

SPEAKER_04

Favorite studio snack. Yeah Welch's gummies.

SPEAKER_05

You you're a big kid, I see. Say saying I don't know.

SPEAKER_04

Don't ever lose that. Don't ever lose that.

SPEAKER_05

Shower patch got myself. Okay, shout out to the to the to the gummies. Uh coffee or tea.

SPEAKER_06

All right, morning and night. Night. My favorite city he performed in. Okay. I love the golf.

SPEAKER_05

All right, ain't nothing wrong with that. I I didn't take a trip there myself.

SPEAKER_06

Oh, you're gonna be a good one.

SPEAKER_05

Dream. I know. I need to get a good idea D and V sometime. Um here here's some of y'all, y'all, y'all, y'all do y'all thing down where y'all at, so I'm gonna have to put that on my list. That's why.

SPEAKER_06

Yeah.

SPEAKER_05

Dream collaboration.

SPEAKER_04

Oh, it's gonna be a tough one. It's gonna be between me and T Pain or me and Molly Music.

SPEAKER_05

Oh, I like I I like either either one of them.

SPEAKER_04

Man, Molly Music to me is I love Molly Music. T Pain is too. T Pain too, but Molly Music, my God. My God.

SPEAKER_06

All right. Favorite album of all time. Beyonce's which one is it?

SPEAKER_04

Yeah, just her debut, her debut, Beyonce's debut solo project.

SPEAKER_06

Okay.

SPEAKER_04

Okay, speechless. Is it called speechless though? Dangerous little love movie.

SPEAKER_05

The one with the blue cover.

SPEAKER_04

I think it was Yeah, it had a blue cover, and I think she got like a silver thing. Oh, yes. That album my favorite.

SPEAKER_05

Yeah. Yeah, she had some good hits off that one right there.

SPEAKER_04

Oh my god.

SPEAKER_05

Favorite movie.

SPEAKER_04

Vanilla Sky.

SPEAKER_05

Okay. Favorite quote.

SPEAKER_04

Love everyone who looks like you hard, no matter what. And that is my quote.

SPEAKER_05

Love it. One thing fans don't know about you.

SPEAKER_06

Crazy as hell. No, no, no, no.

SPEAKER_04

Let me let me let me word that a little better. One thing fans don't know about me is that I pray a lot.

SPEAKER_06

Okay.

SPEAKER_04

Because I sin and I believe in repenting. And I pray for myself and others a lot. When I'm quiet, most of the time I'm in prayer. I pray a lot.

SPEAKER_05

Yeah. All right, cool. Keep me in your prayers as well. Absolutely.

SPEAKER_04

Three words that describe you. Unique, bold, ambitious.

SPEAKER_05

All right. I love it. Explain. Well, I want you to talk about that though. Like what made you say that though?

SPEAKER_04

Those three words?

SPEAKER_05

Yes.

SPEAKER_04

Because I'm unique, bold, and ambitious. No, no.

SPEAKER_06

I've been hearing.

SPEAKER_04

I I've been hearing what's going on in the world in the music game for years. And I've been working with a lot of people in the music game for years. And these are three words that I've been described from other people to myself, and I'm starting to believe them.

SPEAKER_05

Gotcha. You're doing good work out here. So like I like I I I say, like just even though you don't want to take your moment, but take your moment to just just reflect on what you're doing out here. Because you're doing things that a lot of people wish they could be doing, or they wish they could be in reading, like reading your bio. They wish they could be in these places where they're doing what you're doing. And they're trying to figure out how can I do it. And you're doing it. So once you, you know, when you get a moment, you know, just just just take that moment just to reflect on everything. All your comfortable. Because you you're not you're not just out here like like you know, some of these artists out here, you got music out, you're doing things, you, you know, you got extensive bio and all that. So just just take those moments when you have some free time just to just to be like, hey, you doing it.

SPEAKER_04

I appreciate that. You hear that, Bunny? I'm doing it. You hear that? Bunny said, I don't give a damn. Look at Bunny. Bunny, like, look, I'm ready for you to get over here and rub my belly.

SPEAKER_05

Oh, yeah, yeah. That's how my mom was. She she used to rub him, and and then next thing I knew.

SPEAKER_04

Rub and rub my little baby, yeah.

SPEAKER_05

Oh my god, oh, oh, yeah.

SPEAKER_04

But no, I I truly understand what you're saying, and I appreciate your encouragement and support, brother. That means more than you know. And I I I definitely am, you know, I feel like um I just I just gotta keep going. You know, I'm not saying I celebrating, but I just can't stop now.

SPEAKER_05

Gotcha. I understand that. Uh so what's what's next for you?

SPEAKER_04

Oh, Lord. Well, right now I'm working on a book about my life. Um, I think I'm calling it stages, and it's gonna basically talk about all the stages of my life, right?

SPEAKER_06

Okay.

SPEAKER_04

And I'm also in the process of getting a tour bus studio for Moving Mountains Foundation so that I can get on the road with Moving Mountains Foundation and go to city to city like I used to as a young girl, trying to pursue my dream to help others pursue their dream. So I'm really just trying to transition over into full mentorship mode. I want to give back. I want to use all these contacts that I've accumulated over 20 years that's in my phone that like, hit me up if you need something. Okay, now here I need something. You know, I want you to help this little brother over here. And, you know, I want to give back. I want to give back before I leave here. That's like ultimately what I'm positioning myself to do while still simultaneously releasing an album because I still don't have an album out. I only have singles out. And that's because I'm sort of a perfectionist. So I'm like, oh, they ready, oh, they ready, oh, they this, oh, this ain't, you know, but I am gonna release an album and it's gonna be an amazing body of work that I hope my fans and listeners appreciate. But ultimately, I'm trying to, you know, ship gears into building my staff, my team, my tribe to help others. You know, that's what it's all about with me.

SPEAKER_05

All right. And um, I also want when you when you when you drop, because it's once it was one single you had, I think you sent my sent my man Monday. Yeah, I I need that.

SPEAKER_06

Oh, you ain't got that.

SPEAKER_05

No, I ain't got that. I ain't got I ain't get that one.

SPEAKER_04

Oh, we gotta get you that.

SPEAKER_05

All right. So a couple couple things before we before we we close out. One is, you know, tell everybody where they can find you at. How can people stream your music? How can artists connect with Ear Candy Production? And how can people support the MM Foundation?

SPEAKER_04

Yes, thank you so much. So you can follow me everywhere on social media at the number one M-I-S-S-S-T-O-R-M. That's one miss storm on all platforms. And you can email Ear Candy Productions if you want to do a consultation, if you want resources about publishing, songwriting, anything that I dabble in, you can reach out to me at E-A-R-K-A-N-D-I Productions with an S. That's Earcandy Productions at gmail.com. And if you want to contribute to anything I'm doing with the Moving Mountains Foundation, please reach out to me at the Moving Mountains Foundation at gmail.com as well.

SPEAKER_05

All right. Okay. So, Ms. Storm, we thank you so much for spending this hour with us. Uh, your story proves that success isn't just about talent, it's about faith, hard work, ownership, purpose, giving back and never forgetting where you came from. I want to congratulate you, congratulate you on everything you've accomplished, and I'm excited to see where your journey continues to take you. To everybody, keep listening. Be sure to stream Ms. Storm's music, follow her on all social platforms, make sure to support Eric D Productions, support the Eminem Foundation, and also continue to support independent music right here on Push Your Indcast and Luxury, Lyrical Lux FM. This is your boy AD, and this has been another edition of Indie Spotlight. Until next time, keep supporting the indie artists.

SPEAKER_04

I had to put my two cents in there.

SPEAKER_05

All right. I appreciate you. I thank you for taking your time out to to interview with me. It means it means a lot to me.

SPEAKER_04

Likewise. Thank you for having me. And don't be a stranger. Don't hesitate to reach out. And where are you at? Where are you located?

SPEAKER_05

DMV. DC.

SPEAKER_04

So much love in the DMV, man. I gotta get out there with y'all.

SPEAKER_05

Yeah, I need you to come out here so we can we can get a we can get some uh show set up or something.

SPEAKER_04

So how how is the Southern Soul scene out there in the DMV?

SPEAKER_05

Uh so we we got a lot of them do a lot of pretty much trail rides and anything like that. Well, so it's a lot of they do a lot of Southern Soul here, but the thing is they do a lot of cover cover things as well. Oh, okay, got yeah, so pretty much they do that a little bit of that too.

SPEAKER_04

If you're familiar with any of the promoters out there that's throwing the the Southern Soul things and stuff, please connect me with them because I have this is like my fourth radio interview in the last three months in the DMV. I get so much love. I'm in a publication out there. I think it's the fleet DJs that got me in rotation out there, the DMV DJs. Yeah, so I'm loving that. I gotta get out there while I'm getting the buzz out there. It's time.

SPEAKER_05

Yeah, we gotta get you out here. So uh we we need to we need to talk to you manager. And I need to find a spot that I can get you out here and then get one of one of one of the people, one of the uh artists out here in DMV that can open it up and then you do it, you do your show.

SPEAKER_04

I already got one. I got two clients that's DMV. You know who Rock, you know who Hakeem Romance is?

SPEAKER_05

I heard the name.

SPEAKER_04

Yeah, he's an RB, RB brother out there, but he's doing his thing out there. He's one of my clients. I'm actually, he's he's one of my ear candy clients. And uh he always be like, you gotta get out here. So he would definitely be a great opener for me, yeah.

SPEAKER_05

Okay. And he got a couple. If you can. Yeah, if you can, uh point point in my way. So uh so me and him can.

SPEAKER_04

Sure will. I sure will. All right. Will you be safe out there? Is it hot out there?

SPEAKER_05

Oh, yeah, it's it's hot as hell out here. Uh I where you where you at?

SPEAKER_04

It's like 110.

SPEAKER_05

You at where you in? Uh uh, Louisiana or Texas?

SPEAKER_04

I'm in Atlanta. I'm in Georgia.

SPEAKER_05

Oh, you in Atlanta?

SPEAKER_04

Yeah.

SPEAKER_05

Oh, yeah.

SPEAKER_04

It got up to 110 this week. Like, that's crazy. That's record-breaking. How that's unreal.

SPEAKER_05

Oh, yeah, yeah. So you you just chilling, huh? Oh my God.

SPEAKER_04

That's why I'm like, I'm supposed to be on this panel tonight going to this show, but baby, it's it's it's what, 10 o'clock? What time is it?

SPEAKER_05

Yeah, it's like it's nine o'clock.

SPEAKER_04

Yeah, and it's still 90 degrees.

unknown

Yeah.

SPEAKER_04

Mm-hmm.

SPEAKER_05

Well, all right. Well, we're gonna let you go ahead and do your thing, and uh, I appreciate, you know. And we're gonna we're gonna be in contact. Sing your music to me.

SPEAKER_06

All right. Okay. All right, bye bye. Bye bye.

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AD Nova

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Chuck Cobb

Co-host

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