SkiP HappEns Podcast
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SkiP HappEns Podcast
From Trinidad to Country: Addis Luv's Musical Journey
You got it we're live. Hello everybody, and welcome back to another edition of Skip Happens. And tonight I've got something really special. I'm already loving this guy. His name is Addis Love. He's a powerhouse vocalist whose journey began in Trinidad and Tobago and is now lighting up country radio with his new single here. Let me give you a little taste of this. Uh-oh, wait, maybe I need to start it over again. I don't know.
Speaker 2:From the top, baby From the top, I don't know what happened here.
Speaker 1:Let me just try this again.
Speaker 3:Well, we'll just let this play and we'll go back to this.
Speaker 1:That's Addis.
Speaker 3:Listen, feels like I've been licking food all night long had a thumping like a kick drum and my money's all gone. Somebody pass me time and all. I got hit by a good time.
Speaker 1:That's what it's called. It's called Hit by a Good Time. From carnival crowds to 50,000 to Lincoln Center. Addis is bringing his heart, soul and world. It's time from carnival crowds to 50,000 to Lincoln Center. Addis is bringing his heart, soul and world-class energy to country music. Check that out. It's time to dive in Addis Love. How are you, my friend?
Speaker 2:Hey, Skip, Thank you very much for having me. First of all, I am too blessed to be stressed and I'm too anointed to be disappointed. God, I love that.
Speaker 1:Too blessed to be stressed. You know that's going to be my Facebook post tonight, so nobody knows that.
Speaker 2:There you go, you can borrow it, but you can give it back next week.
Speaker 3:Yeah, Send it to me in mail. Alright, I'll send you my mailing address, okay, yeah, yeah, I'll send it back to you.
Speaker 1:I'll give you credit for that. And when I post it tonight, too blessed to be stressed.
Speaker 2:And when I posted tonight, too blessed to be stressed and too anointed to be disappointed.
Speaker 1:And too anointed to be disappointed.
Speaker 2:You can use that to speak after.
Speaker 1:I love it. Addis, love man, you're cool. Where are you right now? Where are you? Because I mean we talk about you know, you've been in Trinidad and Tobago and I think I was going to do this a couple of weeks ago and then I tried to reschedule and then you were there and I wasn't here and now we're together.
Speaker 2:But as a matter of fact, I just got back from thailand. I was out there for like two weeks, um, thailand and bali, and you know I got back a couple days ago and you know I say you know what, I gotta get back for the skip happens show. I cannot miss it.
Speaker 3:No it's I'm back, I'm back, I'm back.
Speaker 1:I love it I love it.
Speaker 2:I'm in Orlando right now, home base.
Speaker 1:So you live right in Orlando. You're going to be pretty close to Disney.
Speaker 2:Very close, Very very close Walking distance.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 2:Mickey Land.
Speaker 1:Yeah, mickey Land, that's right, you must love Mickey Land.
Speaker 2:Oh my gosh, I work in the parks too. Sometimes I do shows over there as well too.
Speaker 1:Yeah, that's what I was going to ask you about being there working in the parks. You're entertaining people from all around the world because we all know so many, whether it's Disneyland or Disney World, they take in those parks. That's cool. Yes, they do, they love it. So how did you get involved in? I mean, you work in the parks. That's one thing. It takes a lot. It takes a lot to do that. But now you're. You know I really don't know much about your background, maybe you can enlighten us a little bit. But you know you're putting out a country song. It's a fun country song and hopefully, hopefully, it'll re-cue here in a minute so we can play the whole thing.
Speaker 2:Tell us how did you get involved doing that? I started off skipping in Trinidad and Tobago that's where I was born way back Started doing Calypso music because Trinidad and Tobago is known for Calypso and steel drums. That's where the steel drums come from.
Speaker 1:The steel drums and I don't know if you ever heard calypso music?
Speaker 2:oh, yeah, uh, from harry bella fonte, roman coca-cola. So that's calypso. So I started off with a singing that as a young kid growing up in trinidad, and I entered some of the competitions over there and I won, you know, the junior calypso monarch, the young king, and different, uh, different competitions and I, you know, the Junior Calypso Monarch, the Young King, and different competitions. And I started, you know, getting my stardom from then and started like, performing different shows, doing recordings and all that. And then I left Trinidad and I, you know, come up to the United States and wanted to do some different stuff.
Speaker 2:I started working with some different prominent bands over here doing reggae, calypso, r&b, jazz, top 40, you name it. I was doing it like I was getting calls every day hey, I need a fill for a Latin band, I have a gig for this. Hey, I need a fill for a reggae band. Hey, I need a fill for a Caribbean band. So my genres were so tight and I could have fit in any way, but I have never, never, ever tried um, country music. And one time I was performing in this place in palm beach and, uh, this guy walked up to me and he's like are you really singing or is that, uh, you just like miming? I'm like, yeah, I'm really singing. You see, you are amazing. Would you like to do country music? I'm like, uh, yeah, sure, you know it's. It's something I wanted to do.
Speaker 2:And you know, we got together for a year and we started writing. He started writing stuff and I started recording a whole bunch of music. And, you know, later on, after like a year ago, we started. He's like you know what, we're gonna put this out. We're gonna get together. They formed a company. And here here we are today, you know, doing. We're going to put this out. We're going to get together. They formed a company. And here we are today, you know, doing some country music. Wow.
Speaker 1:They say you know, you're a powerhouse vocalist and that comes from quotes, because I got that off. I was kind of doing a little bit of research. But that's pretty cool just to be called a powerhouse vocalist. Yeah, which man that's's powerful. But uh, you know what was it like growing up in trinidad and tobago and tobago you say tobago, tobago and uh, trinidad, it's trinidad and tobago.
Speaker 2:It's like, uh, yeah, it's, it's, it's. I mean, it's paradise, man, you're in the islands, you know, you know, you, you the, the wind, the, the atmosphere, the people, the warmth of the people, the warmth of the ocean, the food, oh, my goodness, whenever you get a chance to go down to Trinidad and Tobago and we host the most recognized and the first carnival in the world, the best carnival, the mother of carnivals in the world, in Trinidad and Tobago.
Speaker 1:Yeah, and do you go back for that every?
Speaker 2:year. Are you there? They call me every year. I go back for that. Every year I perform in different concerts and then I do the grand finale on the floats on the streets where they go from like 8 o'clock in the morning all the way to like 10 at night, performing on the floats, going all through the town, downtown, port of spain, and you got the plumes, you got the people in costumes behind you just gonna ask about that, with all the the headgear and all that yeah, yeah, it's amazing wow now you still call that home obviously yes, definitely, definitely.
Speaker 2:I call it home, I go back, you know, every time, as a matter of fact, there's a jazz show going down, happening down there next month, and I'm going to go back for that as well. Wow.
Speaker 1:That's cool, was there, you know? Let me, let me ask you, addis, what's been the biggest cultural or creative adjustment since you actually, you know, you're kind of you're living in the United States now as well, so what's that adjustment, or what was the biggest for you?
Speaker 2:I mean the biggest adjustment was really family, missing family and having to acclimate to like the different weathers and stuff. You know, I mean, to me it was kind of hard because for anybody who leaves their natives and their hometown it's going to take a little while for them to acclimate to this new place that they're going to have to call home, you know, away from home. Yeah, so I mean that was a thing really.
Speaker 1:Did you get much of pushback when you said you know, I want to do a country song? And you approached certain people to do that country song and they're like why would you want to do that when you do this?
Speaker 2:Did you get some pushback? Yes, I did. As a matter of fact, when I told my wife I was gonna, you know, I'm gonna do some, I'm gonna switch into country, and she's like, are you sure? But you've never done country before. I'm like, yeah, I mean, you know, I'm a, I'm a tenor, I can, I can, you know, I can switch, I can do that. And she was kind of worried because worried because I'm more of an R&B singer. That's where they get the power voice from, the powerhouse from, and I'm accustomed to doing Motown Top 40, r&b and I hate that you can do it all.
Speaker 2:Yeah, that's where my voice is really comfortable. And she's like are you sure, honey, Are you sure you want to do this?
Speaker 1:I'm like listen, man, everything in my life is a challenge and I'm up for it, but a challenge is good at us right, I mean we all look at challenges. Every day. It's a challenge, but we stand up to it and we make it happen, it makes us better.
Speaker 2:Exactly you know what I told her and she found it was very funny. I said let me tell you something, honey, just in case you don't know, I already won. She's like what do you mean? I said I already won. I said you know what? I was fighting against 50 billion sperms. I was swimming against these sperms.
Speaker 1:They were behind me and I was the one to break through the egg, so I already made it, you did it, I break it down and she smiled and she's like you know what, honey, you're right, you're right, you're right.
Speaker 2:I got to remember that too. That's pretty awesome, but it's true, though, when you think about it. Skip, you made it, you were the one who broke, broke, broke through, I did, you left.
Speaker 1:You left that 50 million sprungs behind you and you came first and you, you, you burst it off, dude, you and I, brother, we made it, we made it we already win it. We see people every day that have made it. So, yes, yes, you know what I mean. You know what's mean you know what.
Speaker 2:People need to be reminded of this, because some there's a lot of of people who thinks that they're nothing, they're nobody. I always tell people there's no, nobody, you are somebody, you know. So the self-esteem is so low and they figure that you know, I'm, you know I'm better off dead and I'm you know things like that. So I try to remind people off dead and I'm you know things like that. So I try to remind people all the time. But listen, you're more than you think you are, you know. So I love that. It's just, it's just, that's just it, it's just it.
Speaker 1:And do you? It looks like you've always had that attitude, which is great. It's great. But you know you're working at these parks and you know you're seeing these families and probably a lot of those families couldn't even afford to go but they're going and they're taking the kids and you're giving them something to look forward to and to smile.
Speaker 3:Yes.
Speaker 1:Wow, dude, I love that, I love that. Let's talk about the song that you got out. Let me see if it'll come up for a second here, because I hit the wrong button in the beginning. But don't tell anybody that is why we call this Skip Happens. I'm just saying because I just get a little crazy, here we go. Let's see, here it is.
Speaker 2:There we go.
Speaker 3:Well, my boxer shorts were hanging from my ceiling fan. Yeah, I got Five different nightclubs. Stand on my right hand Feels like I've been Licking food papers All night long. My head is thumping Like a kick drum and my money's all gone. Somebody pass me Time to know I got hit by the good time Right between the eyes.
Speaker 1:I love that. So there you go. You get a good taste of what that's all about. It's called hit by a good time and I got to tell you I got some driving ahead of me tomorrow Going to head South. I think, if you don't mind, I'm going to take that and I'm going to be playing it on the way down, just because it makes me feel good right there. It's one of those songs that are going to turn up Addis. How does that track reflect where? You're artistically right now, where you're at.
Speaker 2:Well, you know that track, I mean, people go crazy for it. You know it's like a nowadays thing that happens. Well, I shouldn't say nowadays, but it's something that happens to most people. You know, you go out, you want to have a good time. You get home you can't remember what happened last night. You see, you know who drove me home, what happened, who was that girl, or you are in different scenarios.
Speaker 2:You wake up with a stranger in your bed and you're like, wow, last night I probably got hit by a good time last night, you know. So there's so many different scenarios, but it kind of resonates to a lot of people like you know, yeah, yeah, you know what. I remember I got hit by a good time one time in my life, or two times in my life, you know. So the song is like a real story Must have been a good time. Yeah, that's all I'm saying.
Speaker 1:Yeah, what's you know? You've Lincoln Center to Carnival, which is, you know, the big event, in front of 50,000 people. What's your mindset before you walk out on stage and you got 50,000 people in front of you, what's your mindset like?
Speaker 2:You know what it brings such a sense of joy and happiness. And I wouldn't say that I'm nervous. I'm probably nervous to get out there and perform, but not nervous to the fact that, oh my God, it's 50,000 people. What am I going to do, you know? It's just, it's a different kind of, it's a high that I can't explain, you know.
Speaker 1:Is it like an oh wow moment? It's got to be an oh wow moment.
Speaker 2:It's like a oh oh, oh, oh, wow, moment, yeah, yeah. Look at me, look at me. Look at me. I'm the little kid from the block who they said can't you know? Yeah, and what are you doing? Why are you making all?
Speaker 2:that noise and everything goes back. It just flies back to me. Every time like I go to perform and I see all these people that I'm performing to, it always comes back to me that I hear that voice all the time in my head saying what do you think you're doing? You can't sing. Stop making noise, stop doing these things. And these things used to happen to me when I was younger Some of my siblings, my family, my friends. You're always singing, you're always making noise, shut the hell up. And stuff like that. So when I go in from these crowds I just smile to myself and say, wow, look at that kid from the block who they taught can't and won't.
Speaker 1:And now I will you know, and you can feel it. You can feel it when you have 50,000 people, and the reason I'm saying that is I know this is about you, it's not about me, but I did a show I was with being with the radio station, and then we walk out and we do what they call the Presents. It was a Laney Wilson show and we walked out onto stage and I looked out and there was just there were 57,000 people there at this one event, I'm not kidding At least 55,000. And when you look out that's why I asked you this when you look out and all you can see are heads and you can walk on heads as far as you can see, our heads, and you can walk on heads as far as you can see. Yes, it's just an oh wow moment where you don't know what to say at first you just look and go holy crap, yes.
Speaker 2:And then after that it just electrifies yes, oh, you feel like adrenaline that's going straight through your veins. You're like, oh, I'm ready to go, you know yeah, so, yeah.
Speaker 1:So is this the first attempt to country Hit by Good Time?
Speaker 2:It's the first attempt. Actually, it's the second single that we released.
Speaker 3:Okay, it's another one.
Speaker 2:Yeah, yeah, but the first attempt to country music.
Speaker 1:I got you.
Speaker 2:Yes, it is yeah.
Speaker 1:I got you Very cool. Now, I mean mean, obviously you've been doing this for a while and you're doing a great job at it. You're a hell of a performer, entertainer. People are loving you um, but you know, do you think you're going to do more of this? The country side of things, of course of course.
Speaker 2:Of course we have skip. We have over 40 songs already recorded, so we are like choosing the album. You know, we, we decided we're not going to release the album. We're going to release all the singles every every year, every every three months or so, whatever we we a couple of weeks or whatever. We release a single. As a matter of fact, we have another one coming out in a couple of weeks. It's called Born to Roam. You're going to love this one, skip when you hear this one. So we decided to release all the singles and then, when we do, then we bring out the album.
Speaker 1:All right, but you said you got like 40 singles but you're not going to put all 40 on it.
Speaker 2:No, we got like 40 songs to choose from.
Speaker 1:Oh, I got you. You're going to pick, pick and choose maybe 16 or 17 for the album.
Speaker 2:Yes, and we were like you know what, according to how things are going, let's do this one, let's do that one, like the one that's coming out next, is called Born to Rome. It's more patriotic to you know, talking about. You know I've traveled all over the world and you know there's no place like home. You know I was born to Rome, but the USA is my home, you know.
Speaker 1:Oh my God, I don't want to let it out of the box. No, no. That's a good start, though. I like that You're going to love it.
Speaker 2:You're going to love it.
Speaker 1:And do you have a name?
Speaker 2:Do you have a name for the album yet? We're kind of tossing and turning with different stuff, but we let you know when it comes out.
Speaker 1:When you perform for brands like you got universal studios, you have disney, uh, do those gigs differ from your own shows?
Speaker 2:they're more or less because, um, sometimes they they put me with different, like different people doing different stuff, like they would have a. They'll have me work with a like a latin band and I would do some like some latin music with them, and then they call me and say, okay, we wouldn't, because they know, they know of my talent, so they can switch me around and put me in different places and they'll have me work with like a reggae band doing like um different stuff, like above mali tribute and stuff like that, and I'll be doing that to a different, you know different, crowd, a different side of the park or you know stuff like that. So it's not yet have I been called to do a country, you know a country um segment, because you know they never at that time they never knew that I was doing country music. So this is like new to them now. So you never know. I mean know there's, there's always concert series over there, so you know you never know what could happen.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I, you know. I mean, I don't mean this in a bad way at all, but I'd be if I was to come up to you. I would never think that, okay, this is the dude that's singing country.
Speaker 3:I'm just saying.
Speaker 1:I would expect you know some Caribbean carnival music what have you, Especially when you hear me talk right, but no, you're doing really well. I love it. I love it, dude, I've got the Syracuse accent. You obviously have the Caribbean accent. That's what I call it, you know, trying to think of man. How often do you get back home?
Speaker 2:You know pretty often, pretty often, Now that I'm back from Thailand, I'll probably be home for a little while, until maybe next month. Early next month I'll go down to Trinidad and I'll do the jazz show and come back and I'll be home base for a little bit.
Speaker 1:Okay, so I mean, when you talk about home base, you're talking about Orlando.
Speaker 2:That's your home base now, yeah. And how hot was it today. You know what? It was kind of cool today. It was kind of like in the 80s. You know it was a nice breeze yeah it was kind of like island life over here.
Speaker 1:I have to ask I love that, so you fit right in. That's cool. That's cool. I would love that People think I'm nuts. But you know, at my age I'm tired of snow, I'm tired of cold temperatures, I'm tired of, you know, everything that goes along with that.
Speaker 3:But however, this is my home, so it is what it is, but yeah, do you?
Speaker 1:um, you know, if you were to give one piece of advice to another artist trying to break into the country scene from outside the united states, what would you tell them? Because you had to do it you know what skip?
Speaker 2:I'll tell them that, um, the sky's the limit. You know you. You have so many opportunities built into you. You know you just have to tap into them. And and and and. You know, let them out, because a lot of people believe that you know, I have to be from nashville, I have to be from united states, so I have to be from. You know different places to be this or to be that. You know you. You already there. You just have to tap in and and and and make it happen because it's it's within you you know.
Speaker 2:So I would tell anybody who's coming up from any, any, any part of the world, any genre, anything like that.
Speaker 1:It's, it's already there, just tap into it and and bring it up do you have one favorite, though, although you're doing country now, but is there one that, if you could do any over the other? Is there any one that you would pick? Favorite artists? Well, favorite artists, music genre or anything, yeah, yeah.
Speaker 2:Well, you know what R&B, R&B, r&b, that's, that's my, that's my thing, I love it. And followed by gospel music. You know, it's just, I just have the, the tone, the voice for it. You know, you do, that's like some of my faves. You know what's the oh go ahead?
Speaker 3:No, I was going to ask it.
Speaker 2:You go first.
Speaker 1:No, you go first.
Speaker 2:Well, you know, I was going to say now that I tried country, you know, and I realized that it comes so easy Because everybody's asking me. So you sure you've never done country before. I'm like this is my first time. But you know, I've just studied it and say you know what I can do this? This is not as hard as they think it is.
Speaker 1:you know, tell me something crazy about the life of Addis Love. Tell me what's your day like, what I mean? Something that's nuts.
Speaker 2:You know what? Right now I am doing this interview with you. Right now. Yes, you will not believe me, but I'm telling you, I swear to God, swear to God. I am sitting in my car, I can see that. Right and I'm sitting in the parking lot of a movie theater Now. Addis Love loves movies, so as soon as I'm done, there's this movie that I got to see and I'm going to watch that movie.
Speaker 3:So you're going to go into the theater.
Speaker 1:Look at you.
Speaker 2:I'm going to go into the theater. So I told my wife she's like where are you going? I thought you had a Zoom. I said a zoom. I said you know what? I gotta see this movie, honey. But you know what, if it means I gotta sit in my car, talk to skip and as soon as I'm done I'm just gonna get out and go to the movie theater because it starts at 9 9 15.
Speaker 1:Oh, is that? So you're giving me like I'm looking at my watch right now at us?
Speaker 2:no, no, no, no, you do, you do your thing Do your thing.
Speaker 1:I think that's awesome though.
Speaker 2:I love movies. That's one of my faves too, and I would love for one day that one of my songs be featured in a movie or I get a part of something that's part of me too.
Speaker 1:I could see that happening, because who you are and what you do, both with Disney and Universal or all that, come on. We see a lot of those movies and they have that music. Exactly, I'm trying to think my son watches all the Disney movies. You hear that music. I could see you doing that. It'd be a nice little cash cow for you.
Speaker 2:Yes, I could see me too doing that Exactly.
Speaker 1:Well, you get the talent and it's worth a lot, you know.
Speaker 2:We have endless, you know, we have endless talents and we, as human beings we have. We don't know what we got until we tap in and we realize that you know what? Oh my God, I didn't even realize that I can do this. And when you really study yourself, there's no can't you know there's, just figure it out, it's there, it's already there, it's already instilled in you.
Speaker 1:I hope people are listening to this, because what you're saying means so much.
Speaker 3:I figured it out.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I think you've got it figured out. Man, I think you do, I think you've got it down.
Speaker 2:Yes.
Speaker 1:Yeah, so you're at the parks and you're doing this. How often do you do that? Is it every week, every month?
Speaker 2:Actually, month, um, actually. So if I want to make a trip to disney, when can I see you? Well, you know what, sometimes they move me around a lot. You know the movie, you know, sometimes I'll be in a magic kingdom, I'll be in a animal kingdom, um, uh, disney springs, um, you know. So it's different. Yeah, yeah, yeah, different places. I've been ep, epcot, so it depends, but I don't have a set schedule where I'm there every Monday or every Wednesday. Ah, okay, I got you, I got you how many?
Speaker 1:There must be. A whole slew of performers, though, like yourself, that go through Disney. I mean, it's such a big operation, but everybody's talented. You wouldn't be there if you weren't talented.
Speaker 2:Yes, talented, you wouldn't be there if you weren't talented.
Speaker 3:yes, and that's why you don't have like one day gotcha same day makes sense, you know, I mean, there's so many different artists, dancers you know performance, performance, you know performance.
Speaker 1:Yeah, so it's, it's, it's crazy so, uh, the album that we were talking about a few minutes ago, uh, you? Got 40 different tracks to pick from and you'll. Whatever comes to that will be on the album, annie, did you? Maybe you already said it and I apologize if I missed it.
Speaker 2:Oh, that's fine.
Speaker 1:But is there a release date on that? Do you have a goal? Do you have a date set that you want it done by a certain time?
Speaker 2:You know what? We're just taking things stride by stride. It's just like we're trying everything you know. Skip how everything has changed now with social media oh, we know that you know, and hey, attention is the biggest currency right now.
Speaker 2:You should, as you know, you gotta have those likes, you gotta have those, you know those, those um streams and all that. So we just trying some doing something different, going a different route with it. You know, everybody comes out with an album and hit the album, bam, and you know, you hear the albums out, and then some songs get like bypass and like, oh, I didn't hear this one, oh, maybe I should try this one, you know, so people don't really get a chance to listen to the album because they have all these songs in front of them and they, you know, but when you get when you, when you release a single and then another single and then another single, they ain't got nothing to do but listen, they have to listen that's a great idea.
Speaker 1:I love that.
Speaker 2:Like you mentioned before, yeah, and then everything is out now, the debut album, you know. Yeah, bam, bam, bam bam.
Speaker 1:Have you ever been to the Northeast?
Speaker 2:To the Northeast.
Speaker 1:You know, for example, this podcast. I'm based in Syracuse, I run the country station here in town and all that. Syracuse, New York. I don't know, have you ever been this far north?
Speaker 2:I don't think I've ever been to Syracuse, but you know what You'd be cold. Syrac circus was one of my um. It was once it. It was on the radio tour that I was going to do, but there was grassroots I think grassroots had it there one time maybe yeah, they're leaving it for because I did the the um, the south, so when they, when they, when they change it around, I'm going to do like a different part. No, they're probably going to add up there.
Speaker 2:Yeah, no, exactly they're getting ready to give me some more dates to do a different leg.
Speaker 1:That'll be cool, I'll have to keep my eyes and ears open.
Speaker 2:You never know, man hey request it.
Speaker 1:I will. Well, I know Nancy, I know the whole gang.
Speaker 2:I need to have Alice Love in Syracuse, I would love that man.
Speaker 1:I'd love that you requested it. I'll be there, man, I promise you know one thing with me and one thing with what I do. We do very well as a radio station, but me as the program director and the afternoon guy, I firmly believe very highly in the independent artist and what you're doing. And you know you're pretty much doing this out of your own pocket. You're making it work. You have somebody doing some of the media for you, for example grassroots, who, by the way, are the best. I'm just saying that they are the best.
Speaker 1:They are musicians and they are radio people, so they know how to do it. They know I mean. There's other companies too.
Speaker 2:And I have friends that work for the other companies, but still they are one of the best.
Speaker 1:So, yes, you're, you're right, you're right and you're, you're in good hands with them. Um, if you could collaborate with any I'm sure a lot of people ask you this question. I don't like asking the same question and others do, but I'm going to for this one If you could collaborate with anybody, anybody, country, r&b, hip-hop, anything is there anybody that you would say you know what? I want to do this with you, or I wish you know what I love?
Speaker 2:the voice of Jelly Roll. He's got an amazing spiritual very much you know big voice, you know yep, yep. And then we have um, um, um, chris tapleton yep, he's got that voice soul, soul, soul, and you hear it, yes, you hear it, you hear it you hear it with a new song he has out with Miranda right now.
Speaker 1:Yes, you can hear the soul.
Speaker 2:You can hear the soul. Yeah, so these are guys. I mean, if you look at some of the stuff I've done on YouTube and all that we did over some what we call mashup Instead of mashups, we call them mashup because they came from Nashville.
Speaker 3:Okay, and I did over.
Speaker 2:I did over. Tennessee whiskey had a slow style.
Speaker 1:Amazing. Definitely I get off tonight and yeah, I got.
Speaker 2:I did over a whole lot, a lot of different stuff, some mashups, amazing, and the Tennessee whiskey was one of my favorite songs. I had the ability to just relax and just do it my way and just let it flow.
Speaker 1:Is there any other way than your way? Is what I'm saying, I guess. Is there you doing it your way?
Speaker 2:Do it my way. Like Sinatra said my way, Exactly when I was growing up, when I was in recording studios in Trinidad and different places. Some people would want you to.
Speaker 2:I have this song but I want you to sing it this way. I want you to do this and I want you to do that, I want you to do that. And then when I'm done, I'm like, okay, you know what this song's sound like me. He said I don't get it, but you sang it. I said, yeah, but you know, it's just a song with no soul. And he couldn't get it. And I told him I said listen, there's no part of me in this song because you want me to sing it like a bud, do this, do that, sing that, sing it this way, do that? You know, sing it.
Speaker 2:You know, and I can't even relax and do like put some of my vibe, my feelings, my mood, my you know my experience, my everything into that song. So when I go into the studio and they give me the song, they tell me just feel it, just do what you feel, Sing what you feel. And that's what we like it. We take it. If we don't like it, we tell you, change it. You know, like that and that it makes everything comes out so beautiful yeah, I don't know why you'd want to do it any other way.
Speaker 1:This is you. This is addis love. It's not the guy behind the board telling you to do it, or your producer telling you to do it a different way. Yeah, then you're doing what he wants. You've got to be at his love.
Speaker 1:I'm correct by saying that, yes, yes, wow see, this is the stuff that you're telling me here tonight, and skip happens is, uh, it's no, I mean, we laugh about it because skip happens, but um, it's so true. And I hope that there's musicians that that watch this and listen to this and hear your advice. You know, as a musician and recording, that you know what makes it so good is you are you be yourself. Either you're going to make it or you're not. But give it a shot.
Speaker 2:Yep.
Speaker 1:Love it.
Speaker 2:Love it, yep.
Speaker 1:What do you do for fun?
Speaker 2:Well, as I said, the movies, the movies are my favorite. You know, if I'm not hanging out with my kid or you know, just doing some, going to the movies and just chilling, just sitting back and listening to some music, you know, stuff like that, just taking it easy.
Speaker 1:Yeah, what is there? Obviously, we know Orlando for Disney and all the Disney parks and all that and Universal, but what else is there to do in Orlando? You have the water parks, right? You?
Speaker 2:have huge. There's an ice bar over here.
Speaker 1:Ice bar. I've heard of an ice bar. I've heard of an ice bar. I've never been to one.
Speaker 2:You got it. Listen, man you. It can be 100 degrees outside in Orlando, okay, when? You get to this ice bar. Before you walk in, they give you a jacket. I'm talking about a jacket that you wear for minus in winter.
Speaker 2:It's got to feel good. You tell yourself I don't need this jacket. Yes, you do. You got to put that jacket on, get into the ice bar. When you go into the ice bar, it automatically feels like you are in the Arctic. It's like it just hits you like bam. You have to experience this. Skip, I'm experience this. No, I read about this.
Speaker 1:I've never seen it. I read about it.
Speaker 2:When you get there, you think like you're in the North pole. You're like what the hell just happened? It just hits you, bam. You walk in, you set up, you know, you see that coming out of your mouth, you go, you go to the bar. Now the bar is made of ice. Wow, the cups that they give you is made of ice.
Speaker 1:So do you have like gloves on?
Speaker 2:You get the gloves too, okay, okay. So you get the glove, you get the jacket, so it goes over you. It kind of keeps you. You feel, no, don't get me wrong your nose, your ears, everything you feel like I want to fall out. But you know the the jacket and the gloves and it kind of keeps you sane right, and it's a long coat, so it's kind of like go down by it sounds so cool but anyways, you get to the bar, the bar, the bar top is ice, like real ice I'm talking about.
Speaker 2:You can chip it off with it, with ice pick. Then they hand you this glass that's made of ice. What do you drink? What do you want to drink? You get your drink, you put it in your, your glass of ice that's made of ice, yeah and then it, you know it's. It's like beastly cold now because it's in this jar of ice. You know you sip your drink, you have fun, the dj is playing some music, you're hanging out, you're doing your thing. You know you can take pictures.
Speaker 2:There's ice sculptures and all that oh my god, it's so good when you listen, man, when you get out of there, it's, it's almost like you were in a different dimension and you came from one world to the next. That's the experience that I had. I'm like what the hell is this? This is like amazing you.
Speaker 1:You know I did and Edis, I did read about that but obviously never have experienced it but it sounds pretty cool. You know, like I said, we always think about Orlando. You know Disney, universal and Epcot or whatever, but I don't mean it in a bad way, of course it's. It's a lot of fun Been there, done that, but to hear something different, you know, you see the water parks, but this is kind of cool.
Speaker 2:It's cool, yeah, and they've got so many different things you know over here, because there's gator land. I mean you go in there and there's hundreds of thousands of gators. There's albino. I never knew they had an albino gator.
Speaker 1:Like an all-white alligator.
Speaker 2:All-white alligator there's like I mean, you know people, as you say, people think of Orlando oh. Orlando. I've done it already. They've got the rides, they've got. Yeah, that's it. What else can you do? Right, but there's so many hidden stuff, so many hidden things to do over here.
Speaker 1:Have you ever lived anywhere else besides Orlando and, of course, your home, home, but still.
Speaker 2:Well, when I moved out from Trinidad, I went straight to LA. I lived in LA for a little bit Okay.
Speaker 2:In Orange County and I was working out there. I had a couple gigs like working different bands and then I got the opportunity to come to Florida. I really wanted to come to Florida and then a guy reached out to me and asked me if I wanted to come over here and work. And I took the opportunity and I never left. I never left Florida. So I was in downtown Miami. I was there for we're talking about back in 1995.
Speaker 2:That's how long I've been out here and I worked down in Miami. I do the chain up after Miami, come up to Fort Lauderdale, boca Raton, and I keep going up, up up until I get to Orlando. So I keep heading north.
Speaker 3:You're not north enough though. Yeah, I'm not north enough.
Speaker 1:You got a little ways to go before you hit upstate.
Speaker 2:New.
Speaker 1:York. I know, though, you got a little ways to go before you hit upstate New York, have you? Have you, because you know everything you do and so talented and the entertainment value. Have you performed on the cruise ships at all?
Speaker 2:um, yes and no, because, um, there's a I I went on with a promoter one time but she had like a special show on the cruise. Um, as a matter of fact, last last, uh, maybe a couple of months ago my wife and I we went on a cruise, but I didn't go to perform and we were just hanging out and they had this thing called um the cruise, a factor, or something like that.
Speaker 2:Okay, and just for you know kicks and giggles. You know, my wife, why don't you just go out and do a song? I'm like but honey, we on vacation. And then why, why do you want? She said just do it for me, please. You know when your wife gives you that wink, wink, yeah, I know you cannot say no exactly so I'm like, all right, you know what, let me just go do a song.
Speaker 2:And I went on there and I did like a little frank sinatra song, did it my way, and they were so surprised like oh my god, you know who are you man. You like you did this, so, like you're custom doing this, I'm like, well, really, you know. I'm saying they say you know what, we're having a um, a competition tomorrow, but and you're already in the finals, I'm like what? So they had the, the cruise factor, whatever they call it. And I'm I'm like, I'm telling, I'm like, listen, I can't do this. These are people who you know they're doing it probably for the first time.
Speaker 2:I'm doing this all my life right like's, like no, just go, just go and just go with it, have fun with it, go with it, have fun with it. So I went on and obviously I came first and they, you know, they gave me a statue of the ship and you know bragging rights and all that stuff.
Speaker 1:No, but I get you, I get you.
Speaker 2:But I never really like performed for a cruise line.
Speaker 1:Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. So in five years, where are we going to see Addis Love?
Speaker 2:In five years, addis Love is going to be the talk of the town, I mean.
Speaker 3:I love that idea.
Speaker 2:Hey, addis Love is going to be hitting boots all over, or they're going to be hearing Addis Love. Wherever you go, the music is going to take you by surprise. It's an addis love party. Yeah, yeah, that's love, it's gonna be sharing love.
Speaker 1:Yep, sharing love. I love that, addis. So if somebody wants to jump on and, uh, you know you got the new single as we were talking about that, uh, where can they get the new single? Uh, and we're gonna keep an eye out for the rest of the music, uh, let's, where can we get that? First of all, all all the different socials all the different socials.
Speaker 2:You can check out my website. I just lovecom. I'm on all social media. I just love music. I mean basically all platforms.
Speaker 1:I love it, I love it, I love it, so we can get it there. Now, who does your socials? Are you doing it or do you have the team do it?
Speaker 2:The team is doing it right now, but I'm answering. I'm actually answering my stuff myself. So if you send a message hey, I just love it, I enjoy your music, I love it I will answer you. It's not a bud.
Speaker 1:It's not like anybody else doing it so you're going to say that is a very important connection where you respond if they like you.
Speaker 3:I think they're expecting to hear back If you don't write back or whatever they're going to be like well, screw him. He didn't even care what I said and I want to hear from them.
Speaker 2:I want to know what's going on, what you think, what you like. You know what you don't like. It doesn't matter. Even if you don't like something, I still want to hear from you. And how do you handle negativity if you do get some?
Speaker 2:Well you know, a box of crayons doesn't just have blue or red or pink or white, and everybody's not going to like red, everybody's not going to like red, or everybody's not going to like blue or pink. So expect people not to not everybody to like the same thing. And I listen and I tell people like one time a guy told me he said hey, I like the music, but I don't think your voice is fit for that song. And I responded, responded, I said hey, thank you very much and I really appreciate your honesty. You know and that goes a long way that you're being honest and and but let me know, you know, you know what you think about I should do or what you think, um, I would sound better with. And you know you. You give people the air and you know just to hear what they say.
Speaker 1:It doesn't mean that you have to take everything you get, but at least you listen to what people have to say and give them that time, by the time we get done talking we're going to have a whole book here on Ed's love quotes because I'm just loving the way you're thinking. We look back over the last couple of weeks and you know life has been difficult, there's been challenges and we stand up to the challenges but still, you know you've got that positive attitude. You know it doesn't matter what you believe in, what you don't believe in, it matters that you've got a positive attitude.
Speaker 2:Yes, that's the most important thing. Throughout my life. It's been. You know it's. I don't have a choice, kim. I'm not even supposed to be here.
Speaker 1:Well, you made it remember.
Speaker 2:Yeah, but you know it goes deeper than that. I know my positivity is it would never, that light would never out, it never died because it go you know, let me give you a little story right very quickly, okay, when, when my my grandmother, um, she was from a little island down in the west indies called um saint vincent. I don't know if you know that I have no, I've heard of it.
Speaker 2:Yes, absolutely right, yeah and back in the day, when she was um coming to trinidad, you know they didn't have planes and all that yet. So she took, she was going to take a boat to get over there. And this is before she had my mother, right, we're talking way back then. It was before I was born. And one day she, you know, she woke up late and she, she hustled and she took her luggage and all that and she, you know, got to the docks. When she got there the boat already left and she sat on the docks and she cried. I was like, oh my God, this was the last boat and the next one is not going to come until maybe a couple of months. And you know, she went back home. And then they came over the radio, that boat that left for Trinidad it never got there.
Speaker 1:Oh my.
Speaker 2:God. Lost at sea, lost at sea, lost at sea, so she would have been on that boat.
Speaker 1:So I oh my god.
Speaker 2:So you see what I'm talking about yeah, I know exactly my mother wouldn't have been born I wouldn't be talking to you? You wouldn't have been talking to me. Yeah, so tell me if I don't have a purpose here you.
Speaker 1:You do 100% More than most even know.
Speaker 2:Let me go a little further now. So here's my mother-in-law, pregnant with me, and she worked at this place where in Trinidad, a garment factory where they make stuff she was a seamstress and her lunch break right outside, and there's this little market and this guy that sells spices and all that. His name was Addis. So Addis used to sell all these spices and Addis was a blind man. So my mother, you know she would probably I don't know she'd wear a special perfume or whatever. So she'd come by and Addis is like oh, catherine, that's my mother's name, oh Catherine, how are you? And she said I'm fine, addis, how are you doing? I said, hey, I'm here. So he said to her congratulations, by the way. And she's like what do you mean? She said what. She said you're pregnant. And she looked at him with like, like surprise that. But how would you know? You're blind. And she said you know, I may be blind, but it doesn't mean I can't see. He's telling her that. And then he went on further saying by the way, you're having a boy, aren't you? And then she's more surprised and she said to her you know what? Take care of that boy. He's going to be special, more than surprised and she said to her you know what, take care of that boy, he's going to be special.
Speaker 2:So she went back to work and she's like baffled, like what the hell just happened, right? And that time she was searching for names and all that and she was like you know what? I'm just gonna call roger addis. You know, addis, I'm gonna give. I put addis as his middle name. So when we were doing this record and we're doing this thing and I told him, I said you know what? I don't want to use my government name, right? I want to use my middle name, addis, and I want to be called Addis. And I'm just fulfilled and full of love. I want to be called Addis Love. And we're going to go with Addis Love L-U-V. And that's how Addis Love was born. Dude, I love that Wow.
Speaker 2:With a lot of meaning behind it, a lot of meaning behind it. So it means a lot to me, you know.
Speaker 1:Wow, yeah, that's an oh wow.
Speaker 2:That's my story and I'm sticking with it.
Speaker 1:I got that phrase down.
Speaker 2:All right.
Speaker 1:Skip happens baby.
Speaker 2:Skip happens baby.
Speaker 1:Addis Love. Yeah, if you're watching this whether it's live now or you watch the replay of it looking for the music, you can go to Addis Love. Is it AddisLovecom? And if you drop him a message I'm sure he's going to respond to you. If you're making a trip to some of the theme parks, make sure you take a look. You never know he could be working he could be working.
Speaker 2:could be working you could be working Could be working.
Speaker 1:I love it. Addis, I want to say thank you. I know you got to get into the movie.
Speaker 3:I got time I got time.
Speaker 1:Still, I want to say thank you for doing this, thank you for touching base. It's such an honor to talk with you.
Speaker 2:Thank you very much. I hope to see you soon in person.
Speaker 1:Yeah, no, I do. I go to Nashville every year for the Country Radio Seminar. I don't know if anybody's talked to you about that.
Speaker 2:Yes, they told me about it.
Speaker 1:They told me about it, we're looking forward to go over there. That's a really good event and if you're going to do anything country, you definitely should be at that Country Radio Seminar. Yes, it's cool, and you know, you get to meet everybody, even people like me. Yeah, there you go. It's crazy, man, I'll buy you one, I'll buy you one. I don't know if you drink or not, but I'd buy you one.
Speaker 2:You know when you're in Nashville, you got to have a Bushwhacker.
Speaker 1:You ever heard of the.
Speaker 2:Bushwhackers.
Speaker 1:All right, I'll remember that I'll buy one too. We'll go both ways. There you go, addis love. It's been an honor having you on Skip Happens tonight. What an amazing chat with Addis. It's his story, here's energy. He's got the new single Hit by a Good Time. Check it out, proving country music is alive and evolving Right there as you can see. This is so cool. You can stream or request the song. I'll watch for his debut album. And don't forget to subscribe to Skip Happens on YouTube or your favorite podcast app Until next time. I want you to keep it country. Thanks for watching Add us love. Stay right there. We're going to say goodnight because I do want to talk to you for a second. Oh, what just happened that night? Because I do want to talk to you first. Oh, what just happened. That was kind of weird. My camera's doing funny things.
Speaker 2:You got the flowers in your fingers.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I know, no, watch, Dude, watch, hang on, I'll point up it goes up. Watch this, I'll go down. It goes down.
Speaker 2:Okay.
Speaker 1:I don't know if I do this.
Speaker 2:That doesn't happen with me, man. See now, if I do this. No, that doesn't happen with me, man Skip.
Speaker 1:See now, if I go like this oh, so you got that. I don't know what it is, but I have it.
Speaker 2:Stabilizer thing there. Yeah, okay.
Speaker 1:Yeah, yeah, yeah, it's a gimbal.
Speaker 2:Next time we do an interview, I'll be ready for you, Skip.
Speaker 1:Yeah, you better be, you better be.
Speaker 2:I'm going to be ready for you next time.
Speaker 1:Oh, my God, and I hope there is a next time at his love. I really this is an honor speaking with you and hopefully it all went well. I want you to stay right there. We're going to say good night to everybody. Thank you for watching, don't forget to check out at us, don't forget to check out. Skip happens and until next time, keep it country, my friends, and thanks for watching.
