For an artist just 19 years of age, R&B up-and-comer Reece sounds like he’s packing decades of experience, hurt, and emotion into his songs. Reece has released three singles in the past year, his latest, “Don’t Go” via TuneCore, and he shows no sign of slowing down. Based in Woodbridge, VA, his soulful cuts have garnered the attention of blogs like Pigeons & Planes, KickKickSnare and HillyDilly.
If you’re unfamiliar, it’s time to change that! Find him on iTunes and Spotify. We got the chance to ask the young indie a few questions about his influences and writing – check it out:
Indie R&B has made an awesome resurgence in recent years. Who do you cite as some of your strongest influences, both in the modern and classic eras?
Reece: The majority of my influences are from newer artists such as Lana Del Rey, Frank Ocean, Yuna, and Adele. However, my biggest overall influence is Imogen Heap!
How long have you been making music? ‘Ghost’ is a pretty heavy relationship track – how has your songwriting evolved in recent years?
I’ve been making music for around three years – since I was 16.
I think that as I get older and experience more in life, it directly affects my songwriting because I have more to write about. I also try to push myself with my writing to expand outside of my comfort zone!
As a Woodbridge, VA-native, you’re a good ways out of DC. Do you feel connected to the local scene there?
Woodbridge is only about 30-minutes outside of DC, this whole area is lumped together as ‘the DMV’ (DC, Maryland, Virginia). There are a plethora of different music scenes in the DMV, but I actually feel more connected with the music scene in Richmond, (not technically considered part of the DMV), which is about an hour and a half away from me.
What are your goals in the next year as a young indie artist? How do you plan to ride the momentum of your three recent singles?
My main goal for the next coming year is to have a project done, whether that be an album or an EP. I would like to continue to grow and expand as an artist reach as many people as I can with my music!
What kind of roles have services like TuneCore played in your development as an artist?
With the help of TuneCore, my music has been distributed to many important online stores, which has helped me reach out to new people and gain new listeners!