Directlyrics

Introducing Marian Mereba...'Gimme The Light' Acoustic Performance + Exclusive Q&A!

With the SOUL she has in her, and her unique tone (and rapping skills!), no wonder why Marian Mereba captivates her audience every time she performs live.

Born in Montgomery, Alabama, Marian Mereba has her heart divided in three. One piece is in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, the land of her father, and where she discovered the most amazing traditional music, Philadelphia, the hometown of her heroes The Roots and Jill Scott, and Atlanta, where Marian has laid roots and where she’s launched her music career. It hasn't been an easy road for Marian, but after working hard, she's gone from performing at cafés to getting signed to a label, Atlanta-based Red Kotton.

You can definitely hear influences by Sade, Amy Winehouse or Lauryn Hill in Marian’s music, but just because she's trying to give soul music her own spin, she doesn't want to be put in the 'neo-soul' category. Better call it 'weirdly folk’ as she says. Marian writes her own songs, she likes to share very intimate, personal experiences in a very unique way in the lyrics, and she totally gets it right. Watching her perform it’s like a religious experience. Your life will change after it. That’s what happened to us when we watched a video of Marian Mereba performing the song ‘Gimme The Light’ in an intimate setting. The amount of 'slayage' she can do with a just a guitar is indescribable.

Marian independently released last year an EP called 'Room for Living', but this year with the help of Red Kotton, Marian's able to give the world her full-length debut. 'Radio Flyer' will be released on July 29th, but the lead single 'September' is available on iTunes right NOW! We've bought, and you must too. Quality music has no price.

DIRECTLYRICS recently sat down with Marian Mereba to discuss her forthcoming release 'Radio Flyer’, her captivating sound, and her musical inspirations!

Exclusive Q&A

1. Hi Marian! We just watched a video on YouTube where you do an acoustic performance of 'Gimme the Light'. It was so captivating! Your voice transmits so much emotion. How would you describe your sound?

Hey! Thank you! I would describe my sound as the crossroad between folk, soul, and hip hop. I think "Gimme the Light" is a good starting point in terms of that fusion. It's something like if Joni Mitchell and Andre 3000 had a love child.

2. Your father is from Ethiopia, and you have soaked up a lot of ‘azmari’ (Ethiopian traditional music) as well as ‘Ethiopian acoustic soul’ in your life. Have you incorporated these styles (or do you plan to) in your music?

I love Ethiopian music because it gives me a nostalgic feeling tied to my family and my culture. I haven't tied too many of the elements into my music yet, but I hope to collaborate with some of my favorite Habesha artists in the future and delve into that realm of music more!

3. You are phenomenal singer, but you can also rap. In a good way, you are giving us Lauryn Hill vibes. Is she a reference? How comfortable do you feel rapping, and do you think it helps transmits your lyrics better in any way?

Thank you. Lauryn was a special role model for me growing up. Her lyrics were so real and helped me understand the type of woman I wanted to be. She was strong yet vulnerable, intelligent yet uncertain, all at the same time. So yes, she is a reference, among others. I feel super comfortable rapping, it's become a more aggressive space that I can go into to get my points across. I'm an introvert for the most part, but anyone who knows me knows I've got a slick tongue and an attitude on the low. Rapping is my newest escape for those qualities.

4. Your full-length debut album ‘Radio Flyer’ is coming out July 29th. What can people expect from this album? What sets it apart from your ‘The Room for Living' EP?

Yes, the Radio Flyer LP is an evolution from the Room for Living EP sonically and thematically. Room for Living was more experimental, I made most of it on my guitar, on my own, in my apartment in East Atlanta. I opened up to new sounds and new parts of my story on the Radio Flyer LP. Plus it's more jammin' production wise.

5. The first single from the album is ‘September’. You release that on June 3rd on iTunes. What is the song about? And, what is your special connection with it that you chose it as first single from the rest of songs?

"September" is definitely one of my favorites from the album. It came from a situation I was in with a dude who had a... lapse of judgment... while we were together. Instead of walking away from the relationship scarred, I felt really empowered. I knew he was going to regret it, and I was going to be cool. It was the first time that I felt that way. And the bass line to "September" came to my head straight away. From start to finish the song basically wrote itself and helped me restore my Queendom.

6. What is the most amazing advice you have received in your life?

Wow, I've been blessed to receive so much wisdom throughout my life. My father is one of the wisest, smartest people I know. When he says things, people listen. He's always told me the path to my personal fortune is only for me to tread. That always helps to remind me that everyone's journey is different and you've got to respect the process.

7. If you could perform a live duet with any singer you admire in a venue filled with thousands of people, who would choose, why, and what song would you love to perform?

Stevie Wonder because his music raised me, and we would definitely be singing "Pastime Paradise." BUT if we are talking dead or alive, Bob Marley and I would do a killer rendition of "Is This Love" because it sums up true love with perfection.

Connect with Marian Mereba: Facebook / Twitter / YouTube