Brooklyn-born and raised singer Angelle bears a slight resemblance to legendary songstress Aretha Franklin. So much so, that she dreams of playing the diva in a biopic. Call her a Junior Aretha. It would actually be an appropriate moniker. Franklin was known for upholding the R&B tradition in U.S. pop music. Angelle, with her honey-tinged vocals, is bound to be one of the singers who will be credited for bringing back true R&B to the Millennial generation. Read on to find out more about her! Kreyolicious: So, you were born in Brooklyn! Take me back to your childhood, and to the musical memories you will forever associate with your upbringing.
Angelle: I grew up in a very dramatic household. My parents were both funny Haitian people (characters). My mom was the strict one, and as for my father, he was sweet. My dad was my number one supporter. He always believed in me and was my rock when was I down. Growing up, my dad knew my obsession with the late great Whitney Houston, and at times, he was frustrated because I was a pure imitation. From the way Whitney sang, moved and entertained…that was all me. He yelled at me one time and said, “Who are you? Why the f** you want to be somebody else?” It took me a year to understand the reason why my father said that to me. A year later, I found my voice and nothing has stopped me since. But besides that, both of my uncles received commercial success in the Haitian genre music. My first uncle was T-Alex had music group in Haiti called Delta Force Compas which was primarily groovy music. My second uncle was Wilkens Laguerre who was a gospel singer. He was not the traditional gospel singer because he didn’t conform to what people think; he performed the truth and added some twist into it.
What especially drew you to singing and songwriting?
My insecurities did. I was picked on a lot up growing up. I remember there were nights where I used to go to the bathroom and I would cut myself because I wanted a sense of relief. My father was sick throughout my childhood and teen years. He was legally blind, a dialysis patient. He had kidney failure, and his foot was amputated. Seeing my dad go through all of that and going through my own battles, pushed me closer to music. I started with poetry, then I started writing music, sometimes six to fifteen songs a day.
I always think it’s not a coincidence that we get named what we get named. Your name is Angelle…Angel…do you ever feel the need to live up to its meaning?
My real name is Angie and my whole name means “the Angel of War”, which defines me to a certain extent. Angie is who I am, but Angelle is the other side of me.
Kreyolicious: When do you feel the most beautiful? When I am on stage or when I am giving back to others. What was it like putting together your first EP?
It was a disaster because I just didn’t understand the process, and on everything [you] must be strategic. I learned the way, but I am not content.
Kreyolicious: Let’s talk about your song “Netflix and Chill”. What inspired it?
It was a freestyle song. I actually wrote the chorus on my way to Platinum Studios. When I got to the booth, I laid the whole track. At first me and the engineer Chris both looked at each [other] with a “What the Heck” face, but everything turned out amazing. Even in the last the part of the song I forced my engineer to jump in to add his voice to make it sound sexier.
Kreyolicious: What should we expect from you next? I just released my new single called “Avec Moi”, featuring Philmoore Rich. I am currently working on the “Avec Moi” music video. I am currently working with a live band and planning my next performance, which will be all live and with no performance track. CLICK HERE to learn even more about Angelle and her music!