photographer J.D BARNES
creative direction, interview & styling by PACO LAMPECINADO
videography by DAVID SIMMONS
fashion editor VERA ULISKO
hair by YOLLANDA STEPHENS
grooming by CHAINELLE MOLINA
fashion assistants MARIAH NEPTUNE & HELENA LICAJ

How was it growing up in New-Orléans?

It was cool. It’s a melting pot for creativity, for sure. A soulful place, you just can’t help but to feel that. It stays within you, you know, and you take that around the world. I think that’s what makes people from New Orleans so unique in every way. New Orleans is also hard because of its social system and the way the economy works, but it forces people to find another outlet for joy and I think that’s why people from New Orleans are so creative, be that in music, performing arts, culinary arts or visual arts. It’s a melting pot for creativity and because of such pressure it breeds nothing but diamonds. Yeah, growing in New Orleans was cool!

New Orleans is a melting pot for creativity and because of such pressure it breeds nothing but diamonds.

Your love and closeness to your mother is evident, how was it being raised by a single mother?

It was cool, you know… My mom was strict, she got the old school vibe, so a lot of things other kids would get away with wasn’t happening in our house (chuckles). I am the only child, so I was all she had to worry about. She was strict but also a very creative, imaginative, joyful woman and she just poured that energy into me, regardless of what was going on, regardless if she was struggling to make ends meet. She always shielded me from all that.

Anything you care to share about your father?

I’ve had several father figures. My grandfather was a huge father figure to me, I grew up calling him “daddy” because my mom called him daddy and I thought that was his name (laughs). When I got a little older and realized his name was “Luke” (laughs) I remember being like ’no, that’s my name’ (laughs)! So, I found out that I’m named after my grandfather, which is cool… but yeah, I didn’t grew up with a father, but I had father figures. When there was something my mom didn’t quite understand, you know, trying to raise a child into a young man, I had a lot of great men to look up to, to help keep me in line. Mr. Guy Charleville one of my favorite teachers, Mr. James Carey from  church, who used to mentor children from different parts of the city, and once a year take us to this place called “Kids Across America” in St. Louis where kids who may be dealing with some things at home just needed an outlet. Mr. James Carey was one of those people who was helping kids to see the world differently, he was doing that for kids in New Orleans, he did that for me!

How was it being raised as the only child and how did it shape the man and artist you are today?

I feel like I’m still growing so it’s been pretty cool (laughs). And yes, you know being by myself had naturally forced me to creatively find alternatives to siblings. Music was my second best friend, my mother being my first. I was a wild child, I guess I still am. I would also say that growing up in solitude helps me now in life to be alone and not be afraid to be alone. Alone with my own thoughts, to check my energy and my mind-set. It helped me to walk to my own tune, you know, be myself, and I’m grateful for that.

When and how did your love affair with music start?

Well, my mom inspired that love for sure. We always had a piano in the house, which she played for me, and she had a beautiful collection of music. Vinyls, a whole closet full of vinyls, I remember this! And then Katrina happened and all that got wiped away. Donny Hathaway changed my life, Marvin Gaye changed my life, we used to listen to country, there was so much music in the house.

My moms also gave me jazz, blues, funk, gospel, rock, soul, took me to church to really see what music did to people, with chords and chord changes, how it moved. As an only child you know, you spend a lot of time by yourself, you spend a lot of time analyzing a lot of things, and in church that’s what I did: I analyzed. I use to just watch people be moved by music, by the spirit that’s in music, or what music does to their spirits, and all that influenced me tremendously! You know, to see someone be so moved to break down and cry, thru chords, just some chords, or even some words, or even just the conviction in someone’s voice regardless of the skill, the pain, the honesty. That fueled my pursuit to want to create my own art, my own music to move people.

“Whisper’s In the Dark” to me is a classic, please tell us about the inspirations and process behind the album/ep?

Spike Lee’s film “Mo Better Blues” inspired that album, it’s one of my favorite’s movies. My mom loved Denzel and Spike Lee’s films, so that was a consistent thing we had in the house. It was such a big part of my life, I couldn’t help but use it an inspiration because I really related to it and I wanted to do something I liked, something that was for me and not to think about a label or radio or whatever, but just do something I personally liked! And that’s the beauty of the project, just doing me, being true.

I am a student of the art and if there’s an instrument in front of me and I think I can play it, I’m going to try it.

You play the harmonica and piano, I find this rather RAD! Which other instruments are you fluent in and do you plan to play instruments more frequently at your live shows?

Well, saxophone is my second instrument, second to my voice, and to be fair I am not completely fluent in other instruments that I’ve picked up, but I feel them and am not afraid to try and express myself through them. I learned a long time ago that it’s okay to mess up. I mean that’s how you get to the greatness, no fear! Right? Just jump out there! If you look at the history of the greatest musicians, not trying to equate myself to them, it’s simply an observation, none of them were classically trained really. They picked up an instrument, randomly, and just let the spirit move them in to finding how to play. I am a student of the art and if there’s an instrument in front of me and I think I can play it, I’m going to try it.

What inspires you?

Life! In totality, all the way around! Up and down, thru and thru: life! The full spectrum, not just my own, but all life forms, you know, the trees, the birds, the people, the animals, the insects, the water, the sky, the clouds, I mean everything! I’m moved by life, I’m moved by God! Life is an endless inspirational ocean.

What makes you angry?

Hate! Deliberate belligerent rapid ignorance. It takes so much effort to hate… And it doesn’t take nothing to love, I mean its such an uplifting feeling. I am so grateful that I was with my mom growing up, that I didn’t lose my child-like joy, it’s still in me, that child, that kid that could play with anybody, wanted to share with everybody, wanted to be around everyone, experience everything – it’s still there! I nurture it within me and I feel like people need to really own it and take it seriously. To watch someone waste their life away being hateful is tragic. You’ve been giving a gift to love! I feel sorry for those people, because they can’t really see art, you know, they can’t really see God, and that’s sad.

You are very vocal on your social media platforms when it comes to social and political issues, what are your thoughts on where we are as a society right now?

I think there are two sides, you know, there’s the progressive, loved-filled, open, non-selfish side of humanity right now and then there’s the primitive, highly selfish, self absorbed, hateful, judgmental side. I think the change into the positive is really shaking the world, but the negatives are not going to make it easy for us to create the world we suppose to have: a loving world, a world that cares about the earth, a world that cares about every man, woman and child, every animal, a world that cares about maintaining a fluid joy, a joy that’s for everyone. Yeah man, it’s a battle right now.

What could help to empower people to affect positive change in the world?

If you can’t feel what’s happening in the world you need to check yourself, you need to jump outside of yourself and look at someone else’s life, aside from your own. We all need to help each other by any means necessary, you know. Project positive energy out to the world, in whatever you do in your life. I mean just simple thing of walking outside and saying hello to strangers and breaking the ice with people and, you know, using your platform, your social media to enlighten people. Any little thing helps and matters, whether it’s sharing something, putting something up for discussion, or even just for other people to see it so they can have their own interpretation. I think it takes people to just open themselves up, you know, to project positive energy, be a big enough light of self love and then go from there.

What do you stand for as an artist?

I stand for pure love, that’s it. I think love is all, truly. And I think with love comes understanding, comes graciousness, comes empathy.

You’ve been doing a lot of acting for the past few years. Please tell us about your experience and how did it expand your vision on what is possible for you creatively?

It’s been great, it told me more about story telling, how to express myself, not just musically but physically. It just opened another part of my brain creatively and fueled me musically. Playing different characters helps me to understand people. When I create music I use the things that I’ve been taught, that I’ve learned while I’ve been pursuing this art form.

I’ve always thought that you would be great playing Marvin Gaye or Luther Vandross, can we make that happen?

(Laughs) I guess time will tell! I’m here and open to telling anyone’s story if it’s right for me and if someone feels that I am ready to do so. I’m looking forward to just telling stories. I’m enjoying this and I want to keep doing this. This is my life, this is my career, and this is one of the things I want to leave this world with.

What kind of roles would you love to play in the future?

I want do some romances and things that have a lot of drama… Real stories, true stories… I’m just open to do whatever is going to move the culture forward and whatever is going to challenge me, challenge my ability to feel and to be present.

There’s been whispers of an upcoming, most anticipated album; anything you can share with us about the vibes and content we could expect?

Yeah, I’ve been working on some projects that I’ll be releasing very soon. I’m just exploring my creative musical juices since diving into a new art form and taking the time to develop who I am as a human being. I’ve been pouring that into the music that I’ve been creating over the past four or five years, so yeah…Expect to be loved.

 

The digital issue IN BLOOM featuring Luke James on a cover is available for purchase on ISSUEE.com or for free download on SHOPYFY.