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Above: Artist Ren
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It seems like there has been no better time to be a budding
musician, rapper, singer, or song writer in Milwaukee than now.
The success of R&B singer and Milwaukee native Eric Benet
seems to have ushered in a new era of musical talent that could
very well end up on the national stage. Milwaukee would soon see
the likes of Lee Hawkins, Tank and, most recently, Ren expand to
a national audience with stardom a heartbeat away. But for each
success, there are many who are still out there aspiring.
We've seen the show American Idol. The show takes unknowns and
thrusts them into stardom in a reality game show format. The
show is good solid entertainment; however, the real world is no
game—and finding stardom often takes a lot longer then a
six-month season and a lot of hard work.
I sat down for an interview with Ren, a Milwaukee native riding
a wave of national success. Like many of music's success
stories, Ren's roots are in the church. He has been singing
since he was 3-years-old. As a small child, he could sing with
adult fervor. “I was at my grandma's house and ‘Reasons' by
Earth, Wind & Fire came on the radio,” Ren recalls. “And
I sang it from front to back. Everybody was like, whoa! is that
coming from him?”
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Ren has been burning up the airwaves with his sensual
ballads all summer. From listening to his cd, I anticipated
being a bit uneasy meeting this balladeer. After all, his vocal
smoothness and lyrical charm is the embodiment of what makes a
women melt in your arms. A guy can't help but be a little
jealous of a ladies man. To my benefit Ren is as casual and down
to earth as the city that he calls home. That put me at ease,
yet that star quality and air of coolness was still there just
under the surface.
He talked about the long hard process toward success, especially
being from Milwaukee where are not a lot of outlets to be
creative artistically.
“Basically I found my self doing a lot of things outside of
Milwaukee, like in Chicago, New York, and DC,” he explained.
Ren traveled around doing “gigs” with different bands. He
started in a local band called Dazzle, playing gigs around the
country. Then came the spot as a back up singer for Tina Moore,
another Milwaukee artist who hit it nationaly. The big break was
that Moore needed a back up singer for African World Fest. Ren
heard about it from a friend and auditioned for Moore over the
phone. Now if you can put out over the phone, you got yourself a
voice.
Businesswise, he started with a local company, Power Source but
soon changed management. Tony Ferguson of In-Sport Inc. out of
Chicago was the right guy at the right time in the right place.
He put Ren to work recording his first cd, a ten song effort
with nine of the songs written by the singer.
The creative process starts with the writing and the melody says
Ren; it is very important to him that he knows where he's going
with the lyrics. “I write from what I'm feeling or
experiencing at the time,” he said. “That keeps it real …
when you come from your heart it just sounds real.”
Yes, Ren is a true balladeer. His silky smooth soulful voice
glides through melodies with ease. There are only three ballads
on his debut album, which speaks volumes for his diversity. Ren
rides the range from dance tracks, funky forays and mid-tempo
melodies to smooth ballads. Whether he is breathing through
“Breathe Again,” the perfect top-down wind in your hair,
sun-on-your eyes choice; or a mellow melody that oozes a
D'Angelo vibe in “Close your Eyes.” Hmmm-mmm. Light a
candle, call your baby and rock with Ren!
The funky art man says believe it—the brotha can sing. And
being on a smaller label he finds he has more creative control
and freedom to express himself.
Unlike American Idol flashes, Ren's success so far has been a
long hard climb. At this point in late September, Kelly
Clarkson, winner of that show, is number one on the Billboard
singles charts, having been hand fed success with a golden
corporate spoon. (No I'm not hating on old girl. She can sing;
it just helps to be a product—you get financed by the big
boys). Ren, in contrast, has put in close to three years of hard
work from the time of signing with In-Sport up to now. He is
looking for longevity, which is not easy to come by in this day
and age. He say's being true to himself and his craft will help
him achieve those goals.
One of my favorite authors Maya Angelou said, “Never be afraid
to cut another path in life.” Whatever works. Word.
Ren, I wish you much luck and a long career. Hopefully the
public will reward a talented and good-natured brotha the true
status of American Idol.
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