Regina Madre Spills Her Heart in a Soulful Single, "Never Be the Same"

The resilient singer-songwriter and soulful artist Regina Madre brings listeners deep into her personal life with a jazzy and bluesy powerhouse single entitled "Never Be the Same."

When one thinks of the musical stylings of Regina Madre, one's bound to think of the passion, soul, power, and relentlessness that she delivers through each of her releases. Never losing faith in her talent, vision, or spirituality, Rebecca King Crews (Regina Madre) is more than a fighter, as she continues to inspire listeners with her dense and compelling music.

Sharing a personal story with her latest single, "Never Be the Same," Regina Madre's emotionally volcanic vocals and lyricism take listeners through the lowest point of her marriage with actor/activist Terry Crews. While their current relationship is rock solid, Regina Madre shares a personal and behind-the-scenes look at the ups and downs of a modern relationship.

Listening to "Never Be the Same," the song opens with tender piano melodies, uplifting strings, and short/jazzy drum breaks. As Regina Madre's breathtaking vocals take the stage, her natural vibrato and innate soul seep through our speakers without a dull moment. While she begins touching on the fragility of a relationship's low points, she makes her way to the soulful and bluesy hook.

Accompanied by a plucky bassline and serene strings, Regina Madre delivers her powerhouse vocals with the utmost charisma and passion, leaving any listener in awe of her natural talent. As the song comes to a sweet and savory end, a bright organ and electric guitar pierce through while emphasizing the song's emotional rollercoaster lyricism. We honestly can't get enough of the heavy and organic instrumentals, as it makes for an exhilarating sonic experience accompanied by someone as naturally talented as Regina Madre.

Find Regina Madre's latest single, "Never Be the Same," on all streaming platforms, and catch the song's animated music video on YouTube.

Welcome to BuzzMusic, Regina Madre. We can't get enough of the power and soul you've delivered within your recent single, "Never Be the Same." When did you begin writing this personal and heartfelt piece?

I began writing this song in about 2015. It was close to five years after our “D-Day.” My husband and I had spent about 2 to 3 years in therapy trying to rebuild our marriage. And though I felt the frame was up and much of the structure, it definitely was a different house.

As a child, I was quite shy and found it hard to verbalize my emotions. I took to writing songs to get my feelings out. The same was true in my marriage. Though I fancy myself as an outgoing woman, when something really hurt, I would be reduced to silence. I would just sit and play my piano and little melodies came to me. The melody for this song was born out of a little piano intro, that is playing at the very beginning of the song. I just kept hearing that little melody and it was in my phone for about a year before words began to come.

Was it challenging to create such a personal and honest single like "Never Be the Same" when writing about the ups and downs of your relationship?

Absolutely. Again it can be hard to be so vulnerable with people you love but at the same time sing it to millions. I’m always authentic in my songwriting. Even in my attempts to make the song universal, I try to tell the truth. This is certainly challenging when your marriage is in the public eye. I most definitely had moments of misgivings about recording the song and putting it out.

Did you have any help when crafting the sonic and instrumental atmosphere for "Never Be the Same"? What sort of vibe or feel did you initially have in mind?

My producer on this cut, Stephen Rezza and I sat down and talked about the vibe of the song. He’s a young man with an old soul!!! We share a love for old music like we are the same age… Aretha, Stevie, you name it, this young man knew it all! I shared with him my desire to craft a song that merged all of my musical taste together from rock to gospel and even jazz. My sonic inspiration for the sonic pallet was a 70s rock anthem “Knights In White Satin” by The Moody Blues. I heard that song in my house as a kid over and over again. I would dance and swirl around the room to the orchestrations of the ballad and the swooning vocals. My good friend and A&R on this album, Andrae Alexander, Who is a kick-butt keyboardist an organist, and all-around amazing human, found me the most baddest orchestra to pull in the strings, and that was the Matt Jones Orchestra out of Chicago!!! Though I wrote the song, both chords, and melody, and I had known for a while what I wanted. I do not have the talent or the skill to orchestrate such complicated strings on the keyboard, nor did I want to try to do that..I wanted that live orchestra sound, and boy did they deliver! We added live drums to give it just the right pop and my boy Reggie Johnson came and brought the thunder! BGV‘s by Jared Jenkins arranger and vocals by Taylor Green (“The Voice”) and Mariah Maxwell (Sunday Service Choir) gave it that angelic power. Engineering by Omar Loya,who did the whole project, and mastering by Kevin Granger.

Could you expand on the creation of your animated music video for "Never Be the Same"? How does the video emphasize the song's theme and concept?

Wow, this was really a dream project for me! As I was laying in bed one night with my earbuds in, I was listening to the song for anything I wanted to change. And suddenly I started seeing visions of myself walking around the house singing the song then talking to myself in the mirror while my eyes turn green. I said, “Oh my God!!!! I have to turn into a werewolf !!!! That’s it!” It was Elphaba in “Wicked”, the moment her soul goes dark, and she can’t go back. Then I said, “oh no, that’s a really expensive video!“ Dang it! Then I thought, “Not if I animate it!” - an idea was born.

I reached out to my girl Piper Ferguson, my photographer, and director of all my music videos, to find an animator, and she knew just who to send me to. I was introduced to Andrew William Ralph through his agent who is a good friend of Piper's. We talked about the story together and he did an amazing job! He really heard my heart and took specific notes to run true to my story. I simply love this video! The Darkside of the human heart is a cavern entered into through betrayal. There is no beast more feared than a wounded one. And who hasn’t become this beast? I think it speaks for itself.

What's next for you?

A lot! As you may or may not know I wear many hats! Of course, I am releasing the rest of this project so the whole album will be out in June! We will be featuring the new single at that time, a summer Downtempo jam called “Reaching for the Top”, along with its a live-action video! My husband Terry Crews and I just released our audio memoir “Stronger Together“ for Audible. We will be continuing to promote the book as well as doing speaking engagements around it. Then, more music! I’m continuing to write and create as I speak and looking forward to putting out more music! And as the world opens up, we’ll get on the road! So thankful to be doing what I love!

Instagram

Facebook