Butterfly Ali announces his R&B-soul-funk-filled debut EP 'Preacher's Kid', out 11th June
PRE-SAVE ‘PREACHER’S KID’ EP HERE
Following on from the huge success of his Sam Barsh-produced single ‘Pray For ‘Em’ late last year, which has seen support from American Songwriter, EARMILK, The Independent, WONDERLAND, WordPlay Magazine, RECORD OF THE DAY, Grit Daily, ATWOOD MAGAZINE, Spindle, YUCK MAGAZINE, The Hidden Hits and much more, fast-rising artist Butterfly Ali returns with news of his debut EP ‘Preacher’s Kid’ alongside the new single ‘Testimony’.
Much like what we have heard from him so far, ‘Preacher’s Kid’ looks to cement him as a bright and uplifting name on the neo-soul scene. Taking his cues from the classic funk and soul sound before filtering it through his own energetic lens, this new five-track collection is set to see him blossom into the fully-fledged superstar he has shown himself to be.
Speaking about the new EP, he said, "I am extremely excited to be releasing my first EP as Butterfly Ali, titled “Preacher’s Kid”. It’s been a long time coming, and a lot of soul searching to find my voice. I had to figure out what was important to me to sing about. I came up with this EP title by truly trying to find a description for who I am & my body of work. The best name I could come up with is exactly the truth of who I am, a preacher’s kid. I was raised in the church, & brought up with so many wonderful morals/lessons of love from my father, who has been a preacher the majority of my life. I felt if I was going to be making a project about my life & who I am, I can’t leave out the people who helped shape me into who I am... my father & mother."
The new single ‘Testimony’ opens up the new collection and makes a bold statement about his influences. Inspired heavily by the gospel sound and his religious background, he wears his flamboyant persona on his sleeve throughout this new cut, inviting us into his world of bold and exciting sonic flavours.
Adding about the new single, "Testimony is quite literally a song about my life‘s testimony. I wanted to write a song telling the devil that no matter how much he’s trying to quiet me and my call to share the love of God with people, I’m going to keep going. I wanted to write the song from the perspective of quieting the naysayers as well, in everyday life. People who tell you that you’re unworthy or you’re incapable of something you desire to achieve. Proving them wrong by doing just that.
“With the music video I wanted the visual to reflect areas of my life that have been tempting & consuming. The field with the apple represents Adam and Eve, and choosing to do something that God instructed us not to do, & the fall of giving in anyway. The hotel room with the whiskey, & The temptress represent the fleshly temptations I war with. And the church scene represents my safe space, my home where I’m comfortable to be my full self, dancing and releasing all fear & worry."
‘Preacher’s Kid’ Tracklist:
Testimony
Pray For’Em
Truth Is
Butterfly Ali
Ain’t Ready For Me
Having already made a name for himself as a renowned actor after appearing in recurring roles for hit TV shows such as Pretty Little Liars, The Rookie and Glee, vocalist and songwriter Titus Makin aka Butterfly Ali has also been making a huge impression on the music scene of late with his previously shared singles ‘5 Minutes, ‘Rose’, ‘Righteous’ and most recently ‘Pray For ‘Em’.
Graduating from the New York Conservatory for Dramatic Arts, Titus relocated to Los Angeles to pursue his acting and musical career on a professional level.
Titus has worked with multiple music and acting industry professionals due to his time on Fox's hit show Glee and tour engagements related to Glee: Live. The frontman has also starred in CW's Star-Crossed and hit shows such as Pretty Little Liars, Grey's Anatomy, Hulu's The Path, among others, and is currently playing the character Jackson West on ABC's The Rookie.
As an artist, Butterfly Ali (Titus) cites Marvin Gaye, Al Green, Pharrell Williams, Cee Lo Green, Bill Withers and Andre 3000 as some of his musical inspirations. His sound has been described as mainstream soul, coupled with funk and pop undertones and has written with and been produced by some of the industry's top producers including New Beat Fund, Jake Scott, Aaron Kellim and David Hodges (Evanescence, Christina Perri, Kelly Clarkson).
Raised in a military household of all jazz, funk, soul and blues music, it is Butterfly Ali's goal to keep the oldies alive and relevant. There's no doubt that he is a rising, multi-skilled artist to watch closely in 2021.
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