Catch up with pop R&B artist Murcier (aka Thurmond Bowens, Jr.), listen to his new single "The Good Life" and look for much more to come from him in 2017.
What got you interested in music?
Murcier: I have loved music and been singing since I was about two years old and I aways knew that I would go down this journey of pursuing music. I got distracted a few times but I always found my way back to music. It always called me. I guess, when something is in you, you've got no choice but to pursue it. So I've been doing this, like I said, I've been singing since I was two but I've been pursuring it professionally for about two or three years now, grinding on it.
Do you remember the first song you wrote?
Oh yeah, I do actually [laughs]. What did I call it though? I know the title was really stupid, it was something about 'love'. It was a song about some high school girl that I was crushing on and she wouldn't pay me no mind 'cause I didn't sing that much in high school - but if I'd sang this song for her I probably would've been alright - but it was called "I Love You". That was a long time ago.
Where does your artist name, Murcier, come from?
Well it comes from my mom's maiden name, her last name was Murcier. She's the one who taught me how to sing so I thought it would be a neat tribute to her and to honor her for bringing this craft into my life and just showing that I appreciate her for doing that.
Which musicians have you been influenced by?
I'm constantly being influenced by people, it changes all the time, but part of my core influences are Stevie Wonder, because I love him musically, I think he's so talented musically; John Legend, I love him lyrically, I think he's a great writer and musician; I love Sade Adu because she's just so different and I think she's somebody who's herself. I also love Usher, I love Justin Timberlake: people who can entertain. Those are probably my main squeezes right there.
What would you say is the best album of 2016?
I just heard Childish Gambino's album, I really loved that album. But I did also love Solange's album, A Seat At The Table. Those two were at the top, for me.
How would you describe your sound to someone who had never heard your music?
I really love music so I try to put all of my influences into one sound, which is kind of hard but, if I had to tell you, it would be pop and R&B. But I try to show my musicality in bridges and lyrically, at least. I always want music to be digestable so that anybody can listen to it and take something away from it.
What were your inspirations behind your single "The Good Life"?
Have you ever heard of law of attraction? I'm sure you have, everybody knows it. I was really inspired by that and everybody wants a good life and if this is what life is telling you right now, you want to attract a good life, then art imitates life, life imitates art, so just write about it and sing a song about having a good life and that was what the main inspiration was. I wanted to speak on what I was feeling about having a good life and just prospering [laughs]. Don't mean to sound tricky, but that's probably the best way to put it.
Do you have plans to release an EP or album with that?
I definitely do have plans. Right now I have ten songs, I'm still not sure when I'm going to be releasing them, but they are definitely something that you're going to enjoy - I believe people are going to enjoy - and I'm planning on certainly releasing it next year, that's for sure.
Is there one song out of those 10 that you're most excited to get out there?
Hmm. Probably two. One is "Your Love" and "Candidate". I like "Candidate" a lot because a lot of times you're looking for things in certain people and they're not really adding up; you want this kind of girl but that girl's not usually checking for you, it's always the unlikely girl that's really what's best for you. That's basically what the song's about, it's really a story.
What do you hope listeners are able to take away from your music?
I hope they're able to learn some life lessons, some things that I've learned in my life, some things that I've learned from other people in my life. My mom told me a lot of times, "experience is not the best teacher, it's only a teacher," so if you can learn from somebody else, do that; you don't have to touch fire to know that it's hot. That's what I hope that people learn from my music and, hopefully, this album.