25 EQUALS 25: DEBRA DEBS

Another day, another talent here on DC and this time we are taking you to the land of royalty and bad weather...

On the sixth day to Christmas, DC brings to you...

Name: Debra Bilikha aka Debra Debs

Age: Old enough!

Location: London, UK

Label: Unsigned

Contact: Look for me on Facebook: Debra Debs or www.myspace.com/missfollowme.

DC: Hello Debra, thanks for talking to DC. Describe to us your sound.
Debra: My sound is a fusion of Jazz, Soul, RnB and Hip Hop. I initially started wanting to be a Neo Soul artist but as I write and as I get inspired, I was writing Pop songs or Hip Hop songs and I did not want to pigeon hole myself.

DC: What themes are recurrent in your music?
Debra: Erm, at the moment it’s the standard love experiences, whether good or bad as well as social issues. I also do a bit of poetry in the sense that I would choose a topic like politics or music and relate it to my experiences.

DC: Which artists would you say influence your music?
Debra: A whole range; anything from Whitney Houston, Dolly Parton, George Michael because I grew up listening to them. Jazz artists like Louis Armstrong, Ella Fitzgerald and in terms of influencing my music writing, I would say Musiq Soulchild, D’Angelo, Lauryn Hill, Jill Scott and Erykah Badu as well as a whole host of others too.

DC: If you were to choose a well known track to cover, which will you choose and why?
Debra: Erm, I would choose 2 tracks, “Lyzel in e flat” by Jill Scott because of the peotic way in which she wrote the song. It is a simple but yet effective track. The vocal and cord arrangements are great too. The next song I would choose would be “Doo Wop” by Lauryn Hill and this is because of the creativity, aggressive yet poetic manner in which she talks about reality. It is also a very upbeat and groovy track.

DC: Apart from music, what else are you passionate about?
Debra: I am passionate about my day job which centres on mobile payment. It gives people who haven’t got access to financial services the opportunity to have electronic bank accounts. This to me is good thing as it benefits many people in the developing countries.

DC: Which artists would you love to work with?
Debra: I would love to collaborate with Lauryn Hill, Jill Scott and then D’Angelo!

DC: Do you think it is important for musicians to write their own songs?
Debra: Yes I think it is in order to stand out from the crowd and be seen as a credible artist. It is kind of a reflection of what is inside the artist and people will understand their music better.

DC: What do you hope for in 2010?
Debra: I hope to have finished recording my EP demo and I also hope to write a lot more, work with other artists and gig a lot more too.

DC: How do you plan on spending Christmas?
Debra: Oh yeah, I will be in Cameroon for Christmas and I will be spending it with my grandmother and family in the village. I want to go back to my roots, my origins as I feel I have been too urbanised!



So there you go, another hot talent from Cameroon!
Stay tuned to DC for info on that hot EP demo she is planning on releasing next year.

Stay sweet
Dulce
xxx