We believe R&B is composed of many subgenres that make this genre so influential and riveting. “Feeling Felt” by FKAJazz and Natalie Oliveri is the blueprint of the specific sensational R&B we enjoy listening to. Starting with the production of this record, “Feeling Felt” had a classic rhythmic drum kick fused with different elements that sounded otherworldly. Many instrumentals from the keyboard, along with the elevating sound from the intricate components made this song super atmospheric.
This production created an aura in “Feeling Felt” sounded super mellow and relaxing. The production of the beat helped set the serene setting that you mentally place yourself in during the song. However, nothing compares to the vocals that mesmerize. The vocals in “Feeling Felt” are feathery yet still had a powerful delivery. The vocals created the R&B element to the atmospheric song. The soulful vocals are fused with an intricate quality that not many vocalists have. “Feeling Felt” was a song that can cross blend into different genres. This atmospheric jazz hit is a single that will remain everlasting and memorable. Listening to “Feeling Felt” you become absorbed within this overtone ambiance that escapes you.
Listen to “Feeling Felt” by FKAJazz and Natalie Oliveri here.
Welcome to BuzzMusic FKAJazz! How was it growing up in Texas!? What were the biggest obstacles you had to overcome and what was the biggest lesson you learned from it?
Growing up in Houston was great; which is in many ways very specific to the rest of Texas. Houston is surprisingly the most diverse city in the U.S. So from that perspective it was great to grow up in that environment. I went to music schools my whole life, starting on violin & piano and then eventually the saxophone so I had a great mix of friends from all walks of life. Interestingly enough, the challenge was (at least at the time I was growing up there), the jazz scene seemed to stop after school. There just didn’t seem to be much going on when I was living there and most of my musician's friends either moved to New York or New Orleans after school so it seemed like the thing to do.
Tell us about your song “Feeling Felt”. What was the theme for this song you were aiming for? Feeling Felt describes a moment when 2 people feel a deep sense of empathy for each other in the most authentic way possible. I came across this concept from a girl I dated for a short while who was really into mindfulness. I thought it was a cool concept and would be great to create a song that brought the concept to life, as a way to spread what I think is a great tool for people to adopt in their own relationships.
How would you describe the arrangement in “Feeling Felt” did you experiment with any new elements? At the core, most of the music I produce has a few reoccurring sounds that I use in different ways: Rhodes keyboard, live drums, vocoder & of course saxophone. This song I decided to take a different route and create a drum loop that would convey a sort of constant current versus live drums that might change and move around. I also leaned a little bit more in the electronic realm, using more ambient sounds & synth bass which was reminiscent of my time as an electronic producer (before FKAjazz, lol).
Tell us about your songwriting approach to “Feeling Felt”?
This song was really fun to put together. It was the first full collaboration I did with Natalie Oliveri; “Drag Me Down” which also features Natalie came later. Like most songs I write or co-write, with “Feeling Felt” I created the track, presented it to Natalie in a writing session and then she went to town creating these awesome lyrics that I absolutely loved right from the start. We went back & forth with some ideas to get it to the finish line but the whole process was pretty seamless.
What’s next for you FKAJazz? What are you looking forward to this year? Before I answer that, thanks so much for having me on board. I look forward to seeing comments from the BuzzMusic fans and continuing the convo. Such a great opportunity so thank you! But yeah, 2020 has a lot in store. I’m releasing another album in February actually called “Lineage” which I’m really excited about. My collective, Trew Culture (@trewculturemusic) just went into the studio a week before Christmas and recorded 20 new tracks! It was insane but we just had a lot of ideas flowing! So there’s a lot of music we’ll be rolling out in the coming months. “Lineage,” unlike my last album, is going to be mostly instrumental; an opportunity for me to stretch out as a saxophonist versus the usual stuff I’ve been doing so I’m looking forward to people discovering that side of who I am as an artist. Let’s talk more about that soon.