“The sunlight shines faithful every day for you.” I took this line from Fatty Koo’s “Chills” and I apply it to this article, The Songstress, the incomparable Nedelka Prescod, a talent to be reckoned with, a faith that like our own can be shaken but never broken. I bring to you triumph and the definition of strength wrapped up in a voice reminiscent of the greats, Patti Labelle, Etta James, Billy Holiday, Whitney Houston, and to be more current Jazmine Sullivan. Have you ever had your soul infiltrated and pierced right at the most vulnerable spot? Yeah, it’s that serious, she’s that serious, and I am more than proud to introduce Nedelka to you faithful rock star advocates. Do not be fooled by the overflow of carbon copy “vocalist” that you hear on the radio today. I dare not take away from what they do, but in the Disco Jones circle of friends, there is a hidden oasis of underground talent that would easily put the carbon copies back on the shelf of record label machines. As a rock star nation, it is only right that we call for real music, real entertainment, for real, let’s bring back the live bands and the singer/musician who can tantalize and titillate our senses through song. After all, soul music is for the soul right? Rhythm and blues is supposed to tell the tall tales of the current happenings in our lives. With that said, raise the curtains; focus the spotlight, the songstress Nedelka has arrived. The Disco Jones Experience certifies her as platinum plus Notty Roxstaw as she helps us understand and define what it takes to be a songstress.
Talking to the songstress…
What is the difference between soul music and Rhythm & Blues?
Nedelka: “Soul music tells us where it comes from versus R&B which tells us how it should be done. My understanding of soul music is that it is an authentic expression unique to the soul it resonates from and can't actually be classified other than by the fact that it touches that which it is called.”
Define your type of music
Nedelka: “Indefinable, yet personal to the one who receives it.”
Who has helped in shaping and creating that which is Nedelka?
Nedelka: “My Daddy, my high school music teacher, Anna Ext, Ella Fitzgerald, Sarah Vaughan, Nancy Wilson, Rachelle Ferrell, Kim Burrell, Ledisi, Thelonious Monk, Miles Davis and Bobby McFerrin.”
As a woman in the music industry, do you find it difficult to compete in a male dominated world?
Nedelka: “No. I'm not in a competition, male or female, If God is infinite, then what's for me is for me and what's for you is for you.”
What has kept Nedelka as a songstress in her own class, rather than be associated with regular artist?
Nedelka: “The very fact that it came through me, just as much as their art is separated from mine.”
Can you predict the longevity in your career?
Nedelka: “I actually wouldn't call it a career but a lifestyle... more music... more practice time... more writing... more focused teaching time... more focused quality time alone with The Divine Source of all creation, being freed up to allow the highest expression and clarity of the most soul touching music to come through me that I've ever felt.”
Who are your top 3 artists that are currently out? Why?
Nedelka: “J. Moss, Ledisi, Chrisette Michele... their standard of vocal expression is inspiring and their albums are complete.”
When you come up with your songs what are the ingredients you use to make a hit?
Nedelka: “Interesting question... I don't write to make a hit... I tend to write through situations, needed to talk to someone, but only trusted God and a journal. I experienced something that made me think, and then there are times when entire songs are just divinely giving... Again, it is often triggered by an experience or a revelation.”
What does it take to be a songstress?
Nedelka: “I just had to look up the definition for "songstress". Another interesting question because I never used that kind of language towards myself. My Dad introduced me to music and I hung with him through his music lessons and gigs... He was my junior high school music teacher, but that doesn't make someone a "songstress"... if I think about it, the time I felt something I sang or wrote was in response to life. Maybe a "songstress" is someone that has experienced life in a way that made her express from a place she previously couldn't until a new doorway was opened into her soul... She was freed up because she had to let go of what was holding her back... pain. "Songstress" always sounded grown to me. That's what I would call Sarah Vaughan or Ella Fitzgerald.”
As an independent woman in entertainment, how important is it for the community to support artists who are not considered mainstream?
Nedelka: “Whether a person considers themselves mainstream or underground you can't be heard unless someone is listening. I had a conversation with a friend of mine this morning and he told me he believed the role of an artist is to bring beauty into the world. I choose to add that the artist also brings healing. More and more I believe that God's got it all covered... so another way to look at this thing is that we are providing a service to the community. It's a cooperative relationship; biblically noted that those who tended to the spiritual needs of the community were cared for through the responsible applications of the funds raised through the tithing of the community. just like every other person I want to experience the abundance of God's grace and mercy but I am also mindful of the responsibility I have to the community not just because I want them to buy my product but because my purpose in life is to serve in the edification of the community. Of course I am deeply grateful when the community responds back with financial and other support.”
Blown away…
I am touched, moved in ways that the ocean itself couldn’t fathom. So much soul, so much passion, so much love for her artistry. Where has such a passion been all these years? Why have we allowed ourselves to fall victim to bubble gum raps and whisper singers? How do we move forward people, knowing that there is a pool of talent that has not yet been recognized? I raise these questions to say: WAKE UP, I say this with the same intensity Lawrence Fishburne did in my all time favorite Spike Lee joint ‘School Dayz”. Nedelka Prescod, or excuse me, NEDELKA as she goes by is seemingly one of the lost arks of artist that the world has yet to experience. Her words are moving, her music is inspiring, and this interview was my honor. As she exits this stage and enters on to a new one, I close the curtain and I am grateful for the opportunity to experience a Songstress Defined.
“Be the new…”
-The Disco Jones Experience
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