I know…  I know….. it’s been a minute….

I really never intended for Thought Process to be a journal, but since I have been so terrible with Tweets, FB updates, (this blog) etc.. and since these are Thoughts still in Process I think I will make an exception.  🙂

(BTW: I am typing this on my way to perform @ the Capital Jazz Festival in DC.….. This is becoming quite the ride and I don’t wanna get off any time soon.)

It all started with an email from Terry Bello (big ups to Terry) telling us about the competition. I remember hearing about it last year, and a good friend of ours, Abby Dobson winning.  With the release of the album, we are trying to put iron in as many fires as possible, so I added a video without too much expectation.  When we made it into the finals, we realized this could actually happen and went into extra promo mode.  We have an amazing base of fans and friends …family really…. who always support (as evidenced by the SoulTracks Awards New Artist of the Year and Jazz and Soul Top Track of the Year “Composure“) so we reached out and…..  Well Thanks ya’ll!!  🙂

So here is something you may not know about me…. I do not pack my bags until the ticket is booked…… soooooo when people were telling us we were ahead in the polls, I kept it business as usual.  Even after they closed, I still didn’t post anything because we hadn’t heard the official word.   After a few days of sweating it out the email arrived and it was on. (Gone plays loudly in the background)

(fast forward through a shopping, packing, prepping, stressing, rehearsing montage… and ……resume playback)

Until I landed in Aruba I don’t think I got the scope of it all.  There were posters on literally every lamp post promoting the show.  There were also billboards in every hotel lobby, and at every function, with my face alongside Mary J Blige, Toni Braxton, Raheem and Joe to name a few.

I was recognized for the first time by a staff member at the hotel and it was then that I realized…….. my current lifestyle of being incognegro might be in jeopardy, should I walk down this path. 🙂

(fast forward through check in, jumping on the bed, chillin’ poolside, drinks with umbrellas, steel drums….. and…… resume playback)

First stop was an interview with Moshay Laren Philadelphia radio personality (WRNB 107.9) .

Moshay was so cool that she let us roll with her as she went to other locations – alongside director Mike Jones (who is truly Morris Day incarnate).  It was the perfect way to see more of the island, learn some facts and of course…. crack mad jokes.

Next stop was the press conference. I walked in as Toni Braxton was leaving :(, but I got to meet Joe Thomas, and Raheem Devaughn gave me some advice on traveling overseas(very cool cat).  I was on a panel with Mark Adkins, producer of the Soul Beach Music Festival, and comedian Chris Spencer.   I answered some questions and had a photo opp…… Nah…. I just wanted to sound hollywood… we took some flix :).

That night there was an island wide black out, but of course we made it out to Club Havanna later that night to get it in!!!

In our next webisode…. the interview along with footage from the show, the show, the show!!!