aaamusic | On 24, Jan 2011

AAAmusic chats with David Hanna!

AAAmusic: Hi David, how are you?

David Hanna: Hello there.. am feeling brilliant as always!

What made you decide that you wanted to write and perform songs?

DH: From birth. I was always attracted to sounds and music.  My parents, who both sang a lot & loved music. But what really got me writing & performing is rather funny (get this)..so Tony Braxton bust on to the scene of music I mean beauty, talent & the right spirit busting from the TV tube.  I felt as if she was singing to me personally.  So I am sitting there like I got to meet this pie & the only way to do so was to sing my way to her.  Of course that turned out to be impossible for many reasons the biggest one of them all I lived in the Bahamas & she lived abroad (the United States).  That’s a whole lotta water standing in our way & I wasn’t in the industry so myself & her running into each other is so rare that it never came to be..lol!!! But eventfully I ended up gaining a lot a fans from young to old that loved my voice.  I ran with that upwards to this day.

AAAmusic: You are described as soul-inspired r’n’b pop; what do you think this means and do you think it’s an accurate description of your sound?

DH: The music that is coming from me is truly from deep within my heart & soul, all of it is a true reflection of how I feel about the situations that comes with life experiences as we live to die & live on again in another space & time. To be described by everyone who has experienced me David Hanna as soul-inspired r’n’b pop truly means that my message is well received which for me is the biggest accomplishment thus far.

AAAmusic: What inspires your songwriting?

DH: Life.  Life inspires my song writing & the way its written most of it is personal.  Also sometimes I get inspired by looking out into the world and try to find the angle that would best reflect the story I’m trying to tell.

AAAmusic: How did you get together with Sheppard Boy Records?

DH: Well ya see, I met Reggie aka R-sharp as I call him, at a toastmasters event.  I was invited there by a mutual friend.  At the time, I was part of a four part harmony group called 4 Minutes 2 Twelve (Shout out to C4 Dam-Dam and Tore).  Somehow we ended up performing a few songs at that event.

To make a really long story short, unfortunately, I began moving in a different direction than the group and somehow reconnected with Reggie along the way.  We had a few discussions and came to find out that we both shared the same views on where we both wanted 242 (Bahamian) Music to go.  He liked a lot my concepts, the work I was putting in getting an album done, the track building and style of writing. He also had a hard drive full of monster tracks (including a beat which became Do to Me ) just sitting there doing nothing with them (Wait until yall hear his debut Amish Girl). So we started making records!

So in 2008 we went all wide-eyed and innocent to New York in search of a record deal. Needless to say, nothing got formalized.   After a night of hard drinking at a record party for Maino, we decided the next morning that we were going to do it ourselves. That same morning and mind you still drunk, we were throwing around names for our company and we (jokingly) insisted that the company be called Sheppard Boy which just so happens to be Reg’s last name.  Somehow though, Reggie didn’t get the memo that we were just joking…….

AAAmusic: Are you excited about the release of ‘Do To Me’?

DH: Very excited. I mean picture having a conversation about something that you want so badly years before and to actually  to see it happen when in the way that it was planned.   Right there is breath-taking for me.. So yeah I am amped & ready..

AAAmusic: What can fans expect from ‘The War Outside?’

DH: New Island Soul. Period.

This album is going to be an amazing record.  My goal is to go back to the days of the great album. In essence, no fillers. Bing!  Every song is story that is connected to the whole album in general.  The album is a story.   There is going to a lil something for everyone on this album.  I guarantee you won’t be disappointed.  It’s going to be something a lil of what you heard before and a whole lot things that haven’t been done before.

AAAmusic: Any plans for a tour this year?

DH: We have a few shows planned for early March 2011 on your side.  Check my Facebook page or www.sheppardboyrecords.com for info on further dates.

AAAmusic: What are you listening to right now?

DH: There are a few of them am on right now..Jay Z, Kanye West, Nikki Manaj, Drake, Jay Cole, Beetles, Craig David, Temptations, Sam Cook, Ojays, Chi-lights, Brian Mcknight, Neyo, Usher, Maxwell, Mozart, Black Eyed Peas, Rick Ross…

AAAmusic: If you could make one wish for yourself this year, what would it be and why?

DH: To accomplish all my goals I set out to do like every year & enjoy life a lot more to the fullest ..That’s all I wish for right there..

Author: Josie Payne