Feature
Onita Boone: Won in a Million
Having come to European mainstream attention last year after prestigiously winning the Dutch/German TV singing contest “The Winner is…” (the prize being a million Euros!), Cologne-based, New York-raised soul singer/songwriter Onita Boone this month launches her career in the UK with the release of her critically-acclaimed debut album “Onita”.
Indeed, primarily produced by internationally-successful German hitmaker Mousse T. (Tom Jones/Roachford/ Bootsy Collins) while also featuring co-production input from Cool Million’s Rob Hardt, “Onita” - many of whose tracks impressively boast real string and horn sections - finds the five-octave-ranged Ms. Boone delivering a dramatic cover of James Brown’s “This Is A Man’s World” alongside vocally-flawless renditions of Oleta Adams’ “Get Here” and Rufus & Chaka Khan’s “Ain’t Nobody” on a 14-track set that also finds her simultaneously exploring a diverse range of soul-rooted styles on a collection of well-crafted, original songs. Whose moods range from the finger-clickin’ modern soul vibe of “I’ll Carry You” and the Sixties-tinged “Sugarfree” to the hypnotic neo-soul of “I Know”; while additionally taking in lite jazz (“Joined”); Seventies-style Philly-soul (“I Don’t Wanna”), bluesy folk-soul “25 To Life”; and punchy, horn-laden funk (“Who’s Crying Now”; “Let The Funk Come Out”) along the way.
Born and raised in the upstate community of Newburgh, New York, Onita (whose name means “strong wind”) initially learnt her craft in church - singing her first solo at age three, writing her first song at eight, and recording her first song at nine! Meanwhile, beginning her career proper by featuring in numerous well-known Broadway and Off-Broadway productions (including “Mama, I Want To Sing”, “Your Arms Too Short to Box with God” and “The Blacker The Berry The Sweeter The Juice”), she would later prestigiously go on to sing background for an illustrious list of global superstars including Whitney Houston, Mariah Carey, George Michael and Patti LaBelle while simultaneously writing for such internationally-acclaimed black music icons as Mary J. Blige, En Vogue and Jamaican reggae legend Dennis Brown.
Nevertheless, recognition as an artist in her own right would not arrive until, having lived in Germany since 1997, Onita would in 2012 enter - and win - aforementioned televised singing competition “The Winner is…”. The ultimate result of which would be her current record-deal with Universal Music, Germany and the ensuing release of her aforementioned debut album… Which in turn pretty much brings us back to where we started!
… Cue an instantly-personable and talkative Ms. Boone on the line to “Blues & Soul” Assistant Editor Pete Lewis for a bright’n’breezy introductory chat.
PETE: Your highly soulful debut album has been praised for its musical diversity…
ONITA: “Well, with me being one of those singers who has a lot of sides to them, because my taste in music is so diverse I hate to be pigeonholed into just one THING. I mean, I love funk, I love soul, I love easy-listening, I love rock - you know, I love it ALL, even COUNTRY! And so the last thing I want is for someone to say ‘Well, you’re this kind of artist so you can’t do that type of MUSIC’... Which is why for my album I basically just wanted to project all my sides without favouring one in particular.”
PETE: “Onita” has also been acclaimed for its “mature” lyrics…
ONITA: “Well, that’s because I think there’s a PLACE for that. I mean I’m not a teenybopper and I don’t kinda speak bubblegum-and-Oreos to people. So because I tend to speak in a more mature language myself, I wanted the album to REFLECT that. Because I do think the mature audience is an audience that’s sort of FORGOTTEN these days - unless you’re talking things like easy-listening or jazz - when the truth is that there ARE enthusiasts over the age of 40 who go just as hard as the kids when it comes to their love of urban music or R&B or funk or soul… So yeah, I did definitely want to sorta represent music that we in that particular age-group could RELATE to.”
PETE: The album’s Supervising Producer (and occasional co-writer) is internationally-successful German producer-cum-DJ Mousse T. of Tom Jones/Roachford/Bootsy Collins fame…
ONITA: “I actually met him through the television show that I did - and won - called “The Winner Is…”. You know, because he was fronting the show as the head jurist it somehow just seemed like a natural sort of progression for us to do a RECORD together. And so, while I had actually written some of the songs a while ago, what I think he brought to the table was fresh ears and a fresh TAKE. Because, with him being a DJ with his finger on the pulse of what people like to listen to today, he’s definitely brought that sort of look and that sort of PERSPECTIVE to it. Plus I do think he’s a bit more diverse than people give him CREDIT for. I mean, he’s a piano player, he loves soul, he’s got an extensive record collection... So yeah, I guess you can say he and I working together was a really cool and natural musical marriage!”
PETE: Can you fill me in on your early musical-theatre background in Broadway/Off-Broadway productions?
ONITA: “Well, the very first audition I went to was “Mama, I Want To Sing” - and I got the part the very same DAY! You know, to my amazement they all stood up and did all this cheering and picked me right then and THERE… So, with that being my first experience, from there it just went on and on and ON! As a matter of fact, the reason I now live in GERMANY is as a result of an Off-Broadway show called “Aretha Queen Of Soul”, in which I played Mahalia JACKSON! You know, my move here did initially come from me being selected to be in the show during its run at the St. Pauli Theatre in Hamburg... So yeah, I’ve basically travelled EVERYWHERE doing Broadway productions - everything from “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” to “Dreamgirls”!”
The album “Onita” is out now through The Winner is…/Universal Music Group
Read more from this fascinating interview with Onita Boone in our spring print issue, in all good retailers now or click below to order from the B&S shop.
Words PETE LEWIS
