33 million YouTube views is one more reason to become familiar with up-and-coming reggae artist Cris Cab.
Cab, an American singer-songwriter known for his international hit “Liar Liar” featuring Pharrell Williams, released his debut album titled “Where I Belong” on Sept. 2 in the U.S. The album has already gained popularity in Europe and is set to have the same success here.
I had the pleasure of speaking with this Cab and discuss his passion for singing and songwriting. With Pharrell Williams and Wyclef Jean being his major influences, Cab explains how listening to reggae, vacationing in the Bahamas and growing up in the 90s helped mold his album. Here’s what he had to say.
Where are you originally from?
“I was born and raised here in Miami. My parents are originally from Cuba, and came here to Miami when they were younger. I spend a lot of time in the Bahamas so by the time I was 8 or 9, I was spending a lot of time listening to reggae music. It was really the first music I heard and it kind of just stuck with me. I remember hearing Bob Marley for the first time at that age, and hearing ‘Jamming’ and just being blown away by the energy and positive vibes that reggae carried.
“So ever since then, it’s just become an instinct for me to dive deeper into that culture and also deeper into the fusion of what I do, which is a little of everything. I grew up listening to hip-hop and soul and classic rock, so I take a lot of inspiration from people like the Rolling Stones and singers like Marvin Gaye as well. So I just take all the stuff I grew up listening to and blend it all together.”
How did you get started in music? How did you figure out you were talented?
“I guess it really just all developed really naturally. When I was 9 or 10, I saw a friend of mine play guitar in elementary school, and for some reason it clicked. That’s what I wanted to do, so I eventually convinced my parents to get me a guitar. From there, I just kept on playing for hours and hours. I didn’t even realize it. I just started playing more and more, and I got more engulfed in the music, and writing and creating my own songs and teaching myself how to play. It really just became everything I did.”
How would you define your musical style?
“My musical style is definitely a fusion. It’s just a mixture of so many genres; I grew up in an era where the Internet was created and that was really popping at the time so people were listening to so many different genres. They weren’t contained or defined by a radio station or certain program to get their music.”
How did you end up meeting and working with Pharrell Williams?
“Working with Pharrell is great. I met him when I was about 15-years-old through a family friend of ours here in Miami, and they were nice enough to introduce me to him. So he took me over to his studio, and I played some recordings for him that I made in my bedroom, and at first he gave me advice. He was like ‘You have raw talent. Really focus on your storytelling. Really focus on your chord changes. Focus on your language. If you do these three things and you find that music is 100 percent your life, then you know that music is really for you.’
“I was really inspired from that. That was a major turning point for me. So after that, I got into a real studio. I began to really engulf myself in working and creating new music, and about a year later we linked back up, and he really noticed that I took his advice to heart. We began to work together again and he took me under his wing and I would head over there after school and really just turn up with him, and he would teach me so much about working. But the most important thing he’s ever taught me was just that there no substitute for hard work; you have to work hard to put yourself in the position you want to be.”
Who else besides Pharrell inspires you in the music industry?
“I’ve also been blessed and fortunate enough to work with Wyclef Jean. He’s another great mentor of mine. He’s someone that I’ve learned so much from and spent years recording and working with. He’s another person that’s had a great long career, such a genius as well as a talented guy and very humble, so that’s something that I picked up from the both of these guys.”
How long was the whole process of creating your album?
“It’s been about two years working on the album so far. All along that time I’ve put out EPs and I’ve also put out mixtapes just still engaging that social fan base I created. So that was really the challenging part: still engaging the fan base with new music but not giving away my best stuff. And I put out some great music during that time, but we were really saving all the best ones for the album and the full body of work.
“It wasn’t until about a year ago that that I sat down and looked at all the music I had. I had about 40 songs to choose from. I felt like I had a story to tell and felt like I had a full body of work and a project.
How would you describe your album?
“It talks about discovering yourself and really finding your own path in life, finding where you want to be, and finding the harsh reality of life and just growing. That’s what the album speaks about. No matter how old you are, you’re still kind of finding your way.”
Do you plan on venturing into other genres besides reggae in the future?
“Definitely. I’m always producing music and I’m always creating music. So definitely something I intend to do is to work with other artist as well and possibly produce hip-hop artists and soul artists.
Do you have any advice for aspiring young artists?
“My advice would be, just to go for it. Believe in yourself, believe in your music, find your style, find your sound, take advice, take good advice and take bad advice. The only thing you can really do is believe in yourself. And you have to do it because you love it, and that’s all that counts.”
