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Interviews & Features

Michigan State Fair Superstar Revue – 2014 State Fair Superstar Alison Albrecht

For the past six years I’ve been a mentor and producer with the Michigan State Fair Superstar Contest with The Michigan State Fair, LLC. This year the Fair is virtual, and we decided to record a Michigan State Fair Superstar Revue to check in with our past winners to see how the contest affected their careers and lives, and to see what they’ve been up to lately.

In 2014 we launched our Pepsi Michigan State Fair Superstar Competition. 14 year-old Alison Albrecht was our first Michigan State Fair Superstar winner.

She won a prize package valued at $20,000 including studio time at Pearl Sound Studios in Canon, music business coaching with Jill Jack of Dream Big Incorporated, songwriting coaching with Nadir Omowale of EkoBase Media, music publicity and media coaching from Nancy Schoenheide Phares of Rock Steady Wayfinder Coaching, and booking consulting with Cal Stone and Whitney McClellan-Stone of 2 Stones Events – your source for live music.

Her 2015 debut EP, produced by Grammy-winning producer Chuck Alkazian and Nadir Omowale, earned her a Detroit Music Awards People’s Choice Award nomination and was named the Number One Local EP Release of the year by host John Bommarito of Ann Arbor’s 107.1 FM.

In this interview with Nadir and Jill she debuts her latest single, and talks about her adventures at the University of Michigan.

SUPERSTAR REVUE – ALISON ALBRECHT

In 2014 we launched our Pepsi Michigan State Fair Superstar Competition. Alison Albrecht was our Michigan State Fair Presented by Ram Trucks Pepsi Superstar winner. Her 2015 debut EP, produced by Grammy-winning producer Chuck Alkazian, earned her a Detroit Music Award People’s Choice Award nomination and was named the Number One Local EP Release of the year by host John Bommarito of Ann Arbor’s 107.1 FM.With a soulful voice and brilliantly insightful lyrics, singer-songwriter Alison Albrecht is blazing new trails in music. Her unique blend of pop and soul, plus a touch of folk, offers a wide audience appeal that lives not too far from the sound of Sara Barilles or Sheryl Crow. Special thank you to Media Network of Waterford/WTV10 for the editing in all of our Superstar Revue videos! Let's give it up for Alison Albrecht!

Posted by The Michigan State Fair, LLC on Friday, September 4, 2020

 

Michigan State Fair Superstar Revue – Mentor Interview

For the past six years I’ve been a mentor and producer with the Michigan State Fair Superstar Contest with The Michigan State Fair, LLC. This year the Fair is virtual, and we decided to record a Michigan State Fair Superstar Revue to check in with our past winners to see how the contest affected their careers and lives, and to see what they’ve been up to lately.

The Superstar Competition is a fan favorite at the Michigan State Fair Presented by Ram Trucks. Check out our Michigan State Fair Pepsi Superstar Mentor Revue!

Tune in as our mentors talk about the process and history of the Michigan State Fair Superstar Competition in this informative video below!

Special thank you to Media Network of Waterford/WTV10 for the editing all of our Superstar videos!

Simone and Nadir: Life, Love and Music

Simone White is simply one of my favorite human beings on the planet. As we explain in this mini-series (it’s too long to call it an interview), he and I met on tour in the early 1990s and have been fast friends ever since. Even though we’ve always lived across the country or across the world from each other, we have carried on a 30 year musical conversation. Here we have a LONG verbal conversation about our journeys together and apart.

He’s far too humble to talk about himself, so I’ll give his resume… he’s a producer, multi-instrumentalist, teacher and drummer who has supplied the backbeat for Michael Franti and Spearhead, Disposable Heroes of Hiphoprisy, Afro-Mystik, George Clinton, Mark Eitzel, Sakia and more. Since moving to Australia Simone does a lot of remote session work for people like Carl McIntosh of Loose Ends, 05Ric, and a guy named Nadir Omowale. Here we talk about my life and his life in a way that only two old friends can speak. We had fun… and we hope you enjoy it…

Bonus Drinking Game: Take a shot every time Nadir says, “you know”.

The Next Room: Forward Ever, Backward Never Interview with Nadir Omowale

Jane Asher is a natural connector, who got her start in media through Michigan radio in 1980. She soon traveled west and has worked at legendary radio stations such as KTYD Santa Barbara, KGB, KSON and K-BEST 95 in San Diego. She also received the prestigious Marconi Award for her work on 98.1 KIFM. Her natural curiosity led her to expand her business by including marketing and social media. When anyone asks her what she does for a living she responds; “I connect inspired people with one another, especially those with a desire to help others.”

Jane invited her friend Nadir Omowale on the show to talk about the release of his new single “Run” a song about stamina and perseverance. Lyrically the protagonist is running for his life, but metaphorically, “Run” is in many ways, a symbolic story of daily struggle for every Black person on the planet. From the slave catcher’s hounds, from the Klansman’s noose, from oppression, from discrimination, from the police, we’re constantly running. And failure isn’t an option. “If I let them catch me, I’m as good as dead.”

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Ideas Adrift Song Premier: Nadir Omowale – “Run”

As I’ve said before, if you want to know what’s happening in and around Detroit music, you really need to follow journalist, Jeff Milo. He’s that Everywhere-All-The-Time kind of cat who seems to know about every new band and every great show. And it isn’t hard to follow him. He writes for the Detroit Free Press and the Metro Times, he’s on he radio on WDET’s Culture Shift, he has a really interesting podcast at the Detroit Library, AND he has his own blog called Ideas Adrift.

Here’s what Jeff had to say about Nadir’s single, “Run”:

Channeling the visceral energies of Gaye’s “Inner City Blues” and the Isley Brother’s “Fight the Power,” but transfusing the impassioned (and even flat out angered) mixture of ire and empathy, of fatigue and ferocity, of resolve in the face of fear—Omowale has produced a powerful anthem for our current moment—drawing upon unhealed trauma and tragedy from more than two decades into the past.

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SoulTracks.com First Listen: Nadir Stirs Our Emotions with “Run”

SoulTracks.com is the leading online resource dedicated to classic and modern Soul Music.  From its inception in 2003, SoulTracks has been designed to provide useful information and updates on the greatest Classic Soul artists and to introduce readers to the next generation of Soul Music singers. Currently the most popular soul music website in America, SoulTracks includes artist biographies, music news and reviews, and First Listens to some of the newest music available.

SoulTracks Senior Writer Howard Dukes penned a piece about “Run” on the date of its release:

A racially based travesty inspired guitarist and funkmaster Nadir to pen “Run.” The song addresses Black America’s 500-year trek to outpace white supremacy while also honoring African American perseverance.

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Dream Big with Jill Jack – The Importance of Listening with Nadir Omowale

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Jill Jack is a 43 time Detroit Music Award winner who has traveled the world sharing her life experiences through song. What Jill has enjoyed the most over her 30 year music career was meeting people. Jill found that in sharing her trials and tribulations, her dreams and aspirations she connected with people of all walks of life. Her fans would reach out to her and ask for advise on how to pursue their dreams. Jill decided 3 years ago to create Dream Big Incorporated – a place where Jill could share her gift of believing in, supporting and guiding individuals of all walks of life pursue their biggest dreams! Dream Big with Jill Jack! A radio show that will inspire, educate, and encourage listeners to be and do what their hearts are nudging them to do.

Jill invited Nadir on her radio show where they talk about the importance of listening, being aware, and of actually putting the appointment in your calendar so your phone beeps at the right time.

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A Little Too Quiet: Nadir Omowale on the Ferndale Public Library Podcast

An AMAZING public library! That’s just one of the perks my family enjoys living here in Ferndale, Michigan, right across the street from Detroit. They are a forward thinking bunch over there on 9 Mile Road. Forward thinking enough to have funk music in the courtyard in the summer, and forward thinking enough to have a podcast! This was a fun and informative conversation. Check it out!

We’re chatting with singer/songwriter/producer Nadir Omowale, an award-winning musician and the leader of a formidable funk-rock ensemble. Nadir Omowale gave a memorable performance at one of our Summer Concert Series showcases, and it was with his advice and encouragement that we wound up substantially enhancing our gear game at the library, particularly when it comes to sound systems for live events. We spoke with Omowale about his love of music, but especially about the influence of not only icons like Prince, but his mother, who was a dedicated volunteer to community causes, including serving on her local library board.

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© Nadir Omowale