L. Young Ushers You to Re-evaluate Your Love
- BUZZ LA
- Jul 9, 2021
- 4 min read
Adult contemporary soul singer-songwriter L. Young is a born and bred Louisville, KY, soul. Currently residing in Los Angeles, his talents have led him to grace the studio and stage with such artists as Stevie Wonder, Coldplay, Seal, David Foster, John Mayer, BabyFace, Aaron Neville, and Toni Braxton just to name a few.
Bringing forth the soothing, heartfelt R&B vibrations of his most recent release, “He’s Not the One,” we feel greeted by a wave of nostalgia as his true reminiscent hues of the genre take us back to the late 90s/early 2000s. L. Young has collaborated with Stripped Down Music and Top Notch Music in order to propel a vision that is so rich in emotion, that we can’t help but to feel each word he strikingly performs.
With a powerful series of notes that are reached through the vessel of his being, these angelic croons douse us in a refreshing offering of wistful tenors. There’s a therapeutic essence that comes hailing from the tantalizing vocal performance that L. Young graciously serves up. With his lyrical motifs casting a brilliant display of the finer sentiments he locks on to, we learn a copious amount about the artist and individual before us.
Excelling his virtuoso in a force field that extensively hones in on the authentic quintessence of his craft, we admire the familiarity and warmth that comes to us as L. Young opens up his sonic embrace to let us into the world he perceives through his creative lens.
Welcome to BuzzMusic, L. Young, and congratulations on such a beautifully performed single. We love how “He’s Not the One,” carries a familiar essence to it as we embark on this journey with you. What was it like working with Stripped Down Music and Top Notch Music in order to bring this vision to life?
Thank you, and thanks for this interview. The process of creating this song was relatively easy. We had another record in mind at first, but after vibing to it for a while we all agreed that it just wasn't the right fit for me. So Anthony Ceazean from Stripped Down suggested He Is Not The One. As soon as I heard it I knew it was "the one." lol. It was pretty much fully written when it got to me. But there were some additional lyric alterations that I had to make to make this song fit what I would actually say. So, after that, we pretty much cut this record right away.
What inspires you to hold onto the nostalgic roots of R&B? For this particular song, was there a certain moment that shaped the creative process?
I don't intentionally try to hold on to anything or be nostalgic, because I believe music is always evolving and I want to evolve with it. I guess what you hear that would "take you back" are those raw elements of me musically that were honed studying the greats of the time when I was coming up. The vocal stylings of Stevie Wonder will always be embedded in my DNA somewhere as a singer, the writing style of those making the top hits of the 90s will come out in my pen in some form even if I'm making a Trap record. it's just something you can't hide or deny.
As one to cast out vivid imagery with the lyrics you perform, what are you hoping your listeners can feel when taking in “He’s Not the One”?"
I want listeners to feel...period. A song can mean different things to different people and I'm ok with that. I just want the performance and the writing to be so well done that it evokes some sort of response from the soul. So to one listener, this song may be sad because she remembers the good guy she let get away. To someone else, it may make them feel warm & fuzzy because the melodies and harmonic structures remind them of music they listened to growing up. To another, this song could be cathartic because it articulates perfectly what he's been trying to tell his secret crush but couldn't and this song becomes his anthem of sorts. That's with any record I make. That's why we call it Soul music.
Throughout your artistic career, what has been your proudest moment to date?
My proudest moment to date was meeting Quincy Jones and him telling me "I could really, really sing, sing." Actually, he kinda chased me down to tell me that. All the legends he has worked with and sat in rooms with and listened to in his life he felt it was imperative that he tell me that. We had a nice long conversation and lots of laughs. From that day on I never let a moment of doubt creep into my mind about what I had to offer this world as a vocalist. He & Berry Gordy on separate occasions told me the same things. I'm good. lol. Ain't nothing a hater can say to me now.
