Throughout his career, Angry has worked with such musicians as Sting, Lauryn Hill, Joss Stone and The Roots.
On the song selection process for the album, Angry said, “I wanted the whole album to feel like the soundtrack to a movie. I guess you could say this album is the soundtrack of my life right now. Each song composed by myself was inspired by a mood I creating. I pray people all over the world are inspired by the album. Musical harmony creates social harmony and music is my weapon to heal the world.”
Angry continued, “I would like for my fans to experience the music and spread the word around the world about the album. It is my belief that musical harmony Inspires social harmony. I want this album to heal the world and feed the soul. This album was created with love and it is with love that I present to the world my first album Ray Angry One.”
He listed the tune “Number One Love” as his personal favorite recording on the new album. “I wrote it as a dedication to my parents who passed away about eight years ago. My parents both had a vision about this album years ago and I wish they were here to experience the joy of having it released for the world to experience. My second favorite song is ‘Bjork City’ and that’s because I am a huge Bjork fan and my dream is to record an album with her one day,” he explained.
Angry has had the good fortune to work with The Roots. “It has been life-changing working with The Roots because I am able to use all of my training from Howard University, where I received a Bachelor and Master Degree majoring in both Classical and Jazz piano. I love working with The Roots. It’s always fun and exciting plus I get to work with all my heroes,” he said.
On his musical inspirations, he said, “It is inspired by the things I experience or the people I meet and living in New York gives one a lot of material for writing songs. Good and bad experiences equally inspire me to write music and normally the ideas come to me really quickly.”
Regarding his plans for the future, Angry said, “I am planning on creating a new type of experience when I start performing. I don’t want to say what I plan on doing yet but it will be fun an exciting. I plan on studying to become a film composer as well as make more albums as a recording artist. I also plan on collaborating with artists from all types of genres. I believe music is a language and want to able to speak to everyone via the I create.”
Digital transformation of the music business
Regarding the impact of technology on the music industry, Angry said, “Technology changes everything but to me, it has leveled the playing field in every way. I think for an independent artist such as myself with no major label backing me it’s been an interesting journey so far and streaming is the new wave and makes it easier to get your music around the world. Hopefully, the streaming services with work in my favor but only time will tell.”
On his use of technology in his daily routine as a musician, Angry said, “I create most or all my music using technology. For example, using Sibelius for composing is a lifesaver when you don’t have a lot of time to spare and a lot of music to write. I also love creating music using programs like Abelton, Reason and or Logic Pro X. I use these programs daily when I’m composing music.”
For aspiring musicians, his advice is as follows: “Always remember it called the ‘Music Business’ and each artist should learn both the music and the business. It is also important to trust yourself and never let a ‘no’ stop you from achieving your dreams and always push yourself to the next level.”
Ray Angry’s One is available on iTunes.
To learn more about Ray Angry and his music, check out his official website.
