Style & Vibes Podcast Ep 26: Chris Martin Talks Life

Reggae singer Christopher Martin has had the ladies screaming and fellas respect for years. Since his win on Digicel Rising Stars singing competition program, his voice and music topics have matured with his fans as he dabbles in both the Reggae love songs and Dancehall categories. We talk about how he’s grown as a reggae artist, his latest album And Then and his amazing sense of style.

Also introducing Mikelah’s new playlist curation on Pandora Stories! In the first playlist, she’s sharing her story, growing up as a Jamaican-American girl while sharing songs that are significant to her upbringing.

Stylin’ on: Tropical Isle Living Headwrap

Vibin’ to: Pandora Stories – Growing up Jamaican (must have Pandora Premium account to listen)

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Also introducing Mikelah’s new playlist curation on Pandora Stories! In the first playlist, she’s sharing her story, growing up as a Jamaican-American girl while sharing songs that are significant to her upbringing.

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Interview transcription

Mikelah: So what actually brings you to New York? Why are you here? What’s going on?

Chris: I’m here doing some groundwork for my album that’s coming up.

Mikelah: So tell me more about the album. When is it releasing? What are you excited about?

Chris: I’m excited that it’s coming out! I mean that’s what’s really peaking my excitement. It comes out in May. 15 tracks, you know, name of the title is “And Then”, it’s my second album. I’m excited–proper excited actually.

Mikelah: Really!? You know, you’ve had so many singles like over the years. I wasn’t aware of which album this was, but I think you’ve been so consistent over the last few years that I didn’t even realize this is only your second album. So what do you think has changed from the first to the second in terms of growth?

Chris: Well, you know I’m always growing with every passing year whether or not there are albums being released or there are just singles being released. I grow every year whether it relates to my recording or it relates to my performances, you know, my writing– I’m evolving every year–you understand? Between “Big Deal” which was the last album and “Now and Then” I’ve grown tremendously, my live shows are bigger and super nicer. I’ve gelled more with my band since “Big deal.” The recording process has become relatively I would say “Easier for me”–It’s definitely not as difficult as it was before. Writing songs, I don’t have a lot of mental blocks like I used to–The words flow. I’ve grown tremendously

You cannot try to put yourself in misery just to make other people happy. I don’t believe in that.

Mikelah: So you have a lot of creative energy. Tell me about some of those early days in terms of the challenges that you did kind of have to kind of overcome. You spoke a little bit about mental right in blocks and just being in the studio, you know…

Chris: I feel like I was searching for perfection like I always wanted to find the perfect lines and perfect words and I feel like that’s what caused the blocks sometimes, you know? Because I feel like it wasn’t perfect to me. Now I’ve just allowed the music to just pass through my body like how I breathe, you know? It’s as easy as breathing. So it doesn’t really pose a challenge for me anymore, you know? I’m like I’m one now with my phone because I don’t really write like my pens. I just go in my note and I just write. It’s awesome right now man–It’s so easy. Sometimes I don’t even write. I just go into the studio, play the instrument aloud and we just go around there and vibe; that’s how much I’m enjoying myself right now.

Mikelah: So I think that that’s really showing in terms of just the music that you recently started putting out. I just heard “Search All You Want”, “Dragon and Magnum”, like those to me kind of at the spectrums of your style. So you have a little bit of a Dancehall influence and then you have that true lovers rock sound like how have you been able to kind of balance both and give the fans really a little bit of both kind of like taking it to that next level?

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Chris: That’s my lane, that’s me, that’s Christopher Martin from Jump Street, you know what I mean? I’m that person who can do Dancehall and can do lover’s rock, reggae, roots–doesn’t matter– you understand? That’s who people see me as–I can be either lane but that’s my lane right there where you can have the most hardcore type of event and Christopher Martin can fit in it, as well as you can have the most subtle or stush or they would love to call it “hoity-toity” kind of even and Christopher Martin can perform there as well–You understand? It doesn’t matter the arena, the type of songs that I do affords me the opportunity to be able to be as versatile as possible–You understand? And I feel like that is why I treat music the way I do. It doesn’t matter which way the pendulum is swinging in music, I don’t jump with what’s hot or what’s not. I just know that the people have grown to love and respect me for what I’ve been doing and what I’ve done and we just keep it.

Mikelah: I’ve seen you perform and what I love about your performances, you’re very engaging with the audience. You kind of talked about how your stage show has gotten better. At the time that I had saw you, it might have been around 2008, and even before then, you were performing at the Hammerstein Ballroom and I think even then it was I think you were relatively newer to the audience in New York, but you have a way of just really capturing the crowd. So even back then, when I first saw you perform to, you know, even now, like you have– and sometimes I feel like it’s a little underrated! Do you feel underrated as a stage show performer in the sense that you’re so solid and you have a great ability to kind of capture the audience that I don’t think you get enough credit for?

Chris: No man, I don’t feel underrated. I mean, because they know what’s up–You know what I mean? They know what’s up you know, they know we’re going to deliver and I appreciate that. There’s no pressure for me to be like “Oh, people expect me to do this and I have to do well.” you know? I just go out there and I just be myself. People expect that. If they weren’t expecting it from me now, and then like, “Oh, I’m surprised he did so well and I’m surprised!” then now, that would be an issue.

Mikelah: I agree but definitely want to big you up on the performances because every time I’ve seen you, it’s been amazing, even in like, small settings. Do you prefer smaller settings or do you prefer like big stage shows?

I feel like I can experiment with whatever and whichever kind of music so whichever kind of vibe catches me, I’m willing to work on it. “

Chris: I prefer any setting as long as I perform. I love when I get a chance to perform. If I get the chance to perform in front of like, stadium-sized crowds, I feel like I have a wider reach so I feel like that’s the aim and that’s the goal. Like if I was supposed to go to Europe, it should be a choice for me to say, “Alright, I want to do an intimate kind of setting.” but I want to go to places and so much people want to see me is like a stadium always have to be booked.

Mikelah: Yep, I hear you.

Chris: So if we choose to do like a scale-down performance, like listen, tonight we’re going to do a scale-down. It’s going to be an intimate vibe, you know, like 500 to 1000 people or 200 to 500 it doesn’t matter. But when it relates to the capacity, we’re talking about stadiums would have about 30 to 50 to 60,000 people I feel like every musician wants to reach that level in music.

Mikelah: So in terms of your musical sound is there anything that you haven’t tried or you would like to do that you haven’t done yet?

Chris: Um yeah, you know I feel like I’m going to do some vibe with like afro beat kind of vibe, you know? I might dabble in some EDM. I’m crazy when it comes to music — I don’t feel like I can be caged, I’m not a cage person. I’m very, very hands on and I feel like I can dabble in whatever based on how versatile I feel like I am and I believe in myself that much. I feel like I can experiment with whatever and whichever kind of music so whichever kind of vibe catches me, I’m willing to work on it. The only thing that stays consistent and stays constant are my messages —You know what I mean? I won’t Sing about certain things that I don’t feel is in keeping with Christopher Martin’s brand. We keep it clean and commercial, at the end of the day wholesome music. So even if it borderlines, you still can listen to it. Everybody in the family can listen to it same way.

I don’t know about anybody else but I love criticism–constructive criticism.

Mikelah: In terms of your personal life, you’re pretty low key in terms of balancing your personal life and your musical life and how much you share in this day of social media and oversharing. How do you balance, you know, sharing with your friends but keeping something for yourself?

Chris: I don’t really share my personal life that much, you know. Unlike special days like birthdays are Christmas or some special occasions, I might tweet about things personal like I might post my kids or you know what I mean? Significant other or family members or my friends–you know I might show them– but unlike a regular basis, I just keep what is close to me close to me–You understand? Everything that is music related or that warrants out there in the world to be circulated, I will do that but, you know, things that mean a lot to me I tend to keep it close to me and that tends to be off social media.

Mikelah: Well said. In terms of your personality as a person and an artist, do you think–if there are any–Do you think that there are any misconceptions about you or you kind of just put it out there for the people to decide?

Chris: Well the common misconception is that people feel like I’m unapproachable or in Jamaica they call it “Hype” or whatever–based on how they view me on social media like oh I dress or move or how I act or see me in parties and I don’t smile as much–I don’t know but, you know, until they like people who get a chance to be around me they’re like, “I never knew like you were this cool or maybe they sum it up based on, you know, my success or whatever. A common misconception that I’ve heard people say is that I’m hype or I’m unapproachable or I’m not a nice guy–I don’t know– but sometimes I’ve heard. It’s not been as prevalent as it was before, you know? I feel like they’re understanding me more which I’m happy about at the end of the day still, you know, if everybody like you, you’re doing something wrong Everybody can’t like you. You’re going to have people just know that Chris is cool and he’s an awesome guy and then you’re going to have those people who just want to believe what they want to believe and I’m not going to go out of my way to prove them otherwise. You have to let people do their thing and at the end of the day if they come around, they come around but you cannot try to put yourself in misery just to make other people happy. I don’t believe in that.

Mikelah: You definitely sound firm in who you are and especially in this business I think that that’s very important because that means that nobody can push you around, nobody can’t say nothing about you, you know, I think that that’s very admirable and inspiring.

Chris: Thank you love I appreciate it.

Mikelah: So when it comes to style we know that you have a lot of style so talk to me about, you know, how do you get dressed or if you have to work with a stylist or what are you inspired by when it comes to fashion?

Chris: You know, I just feel like–and this is me being fun you know– I just feel like I’m good looking.

Mikelah: Say it again Chris! Say it again!

Chris: Yeah man I feel like I’m a good looking young man, at the end of the day, clothes fit my body well so you know I mean my physique is above average so we give thanks for that as well. So we see the trends and we set the trend sometimes and we just know alright then, this is what’s popping, these colors are in, this kind of vibe is rocking and classy–classy never go out of style–You understand? So anytime we’re going whichever event, we try to make sure that we look the part and we dress the part–You understand? So that’s why I mess with my hair so much but the clothes thing easy! I don’t need a stylist–I’m my own stylist.

Mikelah: So in terms of there’s a lot of great designers especially coming from Jamaica but even you know here there are a lot of great stores to shop like where do you shop and how do you pick out clothes and if I were to go shopping with you what would you pick out and where would we go?

Chris: I love shoes. First and foremost a shoes I do first. Yeah so you know I like designers. So the first thing we would have to go find some Fendi first and foremost and then now the Lu(s) are kind of uncomfortable but they serve their purpose. I’m not really a Gucci person I’m more of a Louis Vuitton kind of person you know? So you know those kind of stress. And then now we have to get some nice suits, you know what I mean? Giorgio Armani do some nice suits. As long as they don’t have their brand plastered all over the clothes, I don’t like that–You know what I mean? I like it subtle. Who knows that’s what you have on, they know that’s what you have on but it doesn’t have to be advertised on it–I don’t like that. So if we go shopping, you would have to come to my house and we sit in front of a computer because majority of the time–online.

Mikelah: Online, yay! Yeah, I think a lot of people are doing that now especially.

Chris: I don’t really have time to stop at the mall and walk from store to store–Can’t manage it.

Mikelah: Yeah, I personally don’t like going into the store I do most of my shopping online as well so I totally understand–I totally understand. So the album comes out in May, I like that you’re kind of doing your rounds early because that definitely gives us enough time to kind of look out for it and you’re kind of just here being in the market we don’t always get that especially you know with a lot of artists that are based in Jamaica so thank you so much for the time and tell us when it’s coming out again and what singles we should look forward to and what we should be looking out for.

Chris: Well the first single of the album is called “Life” so definitely look out for that and for the video as well. There are so many awesome tracks on the album. There are no features just 15 songs straight Christopher Martin, sugar reggae–yeah definitely but “Life” is the first single and there’s another one on there I really, really love called “Can I tell somebody”–I love that song so much–but there will be favorites on there for everyone! It’s like I feel good about this body of work I just can’t wait for May it come out and it goes on the various outlets and various sites and people just send me what they think about it because I love feedback.

I don’t know about anybody else but I love criticism–constructive criticism. I love when someone tells me “I love this but you could’ve done this.” or they are just giving you praises for what you’ve done, you know, so I welcome criticism and I will come comments and suggestions so, you know, that’s what I’m looking forward to for May. Other than performing and going out there on the tours and you know what I mean? Doing what I have to do to make sure that it reaches as far as it can reach, I’m all about hearing from my fans and my supporters what they think, what they want me to do next, where they want me to go and where they want me to perform– that’s what life is for me, musically.

Mikelah: Well. I look forward to seeing you perform some songs off this new album. Thank you so much for your time and definitely look forward to the album dropping. So you enjoy the rest of the evening and thanks!

Chris: Thank you so very much my love!