Flaviyake [flah-vee-uh-ke] is a Pop singer and songwriter, Grammy Recording Academy and NARIP (The National Association of Record Industry Professional) member. She is known for reinventing herself in every new music video. I first interviewed Flaviyake in April 2016. Since then, she has released her first album "Bad in Bed". It was released on June 8, 2017. This is also her first release as a producer. The first 7 tracks and track 10 were self-produced. Keep reading to find out about why she chose that title, her experiences as a producer, and more.
1. Are you living in LA now?
Yes, I am living in LA now, a place with the best climate in the world!
2. Why is your album called "Bad in Bed"?
Last year I ran into psychological articles on different women's websites saying that a woman should not be open about her feelings in her text messages to a man or in a personal conversation, because it may scare him. But the reality is that men are shy too and they are waiting for a woman to make the first step sometimes. This is how I came up with my album concept – the freedom of women’s feelings expression. We have too many boundaries in our life already, so why should we limit ourselves in this direction as well? I am voicing in my songs what some women would not risk to say.
3. Did you come up with the concept for the album artwork?
Yes, and I found great 3D designers (Alex Knell and Carver Koella) who made it a real artwork. It would be too obvious and cheesy to use an erotic photo or my portrait in an artwork of an album with a sexual concept. So I thought why not to make an artwork from the title itself? I realized that I could put BDSM devices over the letters. BDSM is widely used in music - you can find it in artists’ outfits, dancers’ outfits, stage design, music videos and song lyrics. But I guess it is mostly used because it looks cool and edgy, while I actually spent years in that. I was also writing stories about that for a smartphone application and giving interviews on TV. So when I’m using those devices in my artistry, I truly know what they are used for.
4. There's been a lot of talk in the media about the lack of female producers and directors or their lack of visibility. You produced eight tracks on this record. What was that like? Did you encounter any sexism during the process?
Luckily not, or not yet. I even met someone who is representing one of the songwriters from Beyoncé’s album Lemonade and he was really impressed that I am making my record myself, as there are very few female producers. But these numbers are actually growing. There is one thing I guess that is important if you are a female producer – you should look sportier if you want to be perceived as a producer. If a female producer looks very feminine wearing high heels and a distracting slim-fit dress, I guess people won’t take her seriously as a producer.
5. What's the most important thing you learned making this new album?
The most important thing I learned making my album was learning that I learn something new in production with every song.
Photo credit: Sergey Koval
6. What's your favourite song on the album?
“So Hard to Say” and “The World in Blur”. Both spacious. For me, they are one of the best songs I’ve ever written.
7. Are you still working on your book "From the G-spot to Enlightenment"?
My book is finished. I am looking now for the best service to print it out in support of my album.
8. In our last interview, you were focusing on recording and weren't playing live. Now that the album is done, are you going to tour this album?
I will see how it goes, not sure yet. I want to release a lot of material since now I know how to produce songs.
9. Who would you love to tour with?
This is a big question! Okay. Lady Gaga, Justin Timberlake, Skrillex, Eminem and Pharrell Williams (I recently dreamed that I’ve got a hat like his one!).
If you'd like to see what Flaviyake is up to next:
Official website www.flaviyake.com
Facebook http://www.facebook.com/Flaviyake
Instagram http://instagram.com/flaviyake
Twitter http://twitter.com/Flaviyake
YouTube http://www.youtube.com/user/flaviyake
Links to "Bad In Bed":
Spotify https://open.spotify.com/album/4Xc4iMssJIT7wXGn75Cc9m
iTunes http://itunes.apple.com/album/id1242936272?ls=1&app=itunes
SoundCloud https://soundcloud.com/flavi...yake/sets/bad-in-bed
If you liked this post, please like, comment, and share.
Interview by Glodeane Brown
All photos provided by Flaviyake