Aloe Blacc
Aloe Blacc
Egbert Nathaniel Dawkins III, known as Aloe Blacc, is an American soul artist, vocalist, songwriter, actor, record producer, businessman and musician. He is best known for his singles "I Need a Dollar", UK No. 1 single "The Man", and for writing and performing vocals on Avicii's "Wake Me Up", which charted at #1 in 22 countries...
NationalityAmerican
ProfessionSoul Singer
Date of Birth7 January 1979
CityLaguna Beach, CA
CountryUnited States of America
I think a lot of self-identity and inner-personal development is hampered by consumerism and capitalism because we see ourselves as a reflection of the TV, rather than as a reflection of the people who are around us, truly.
America's biggest export is media and I think that's a positive thing.
We develop social systems for the handicapped, but when you're handicapped in your mind, society doesn't handle those situations well. I think we don't recognize or acknowledge the power of messages and how deeply affected we all are by the messages we receive from the media.
Music critics think of lyrics first and don't consider melody but so many songs are lyrically depressing but musically great, and that's why they become classics.
In hip-hop, I wasn't very focused on delivering a message. It was just a string of lines that didn't connect. What I wanted to do is write stories... and affect someone's emotions with that song. I think as a soul singer, I'm able to accomplish that.
So wake me up when it's all over When I'm wiser and I'm older All this time I was finding myself And I didn't know I was lost
You can feel a lot of things, and that's okay. Channel that into your passion.
People need to spread love towards strangers. We all bleed the same blood and we are all part of a global community now.
In school, I studied psychology, linguistics, neuroscience. I understand that there is a real lack of respect for the brain.
I've become more introverted as I've got older. I used to be an outgoing person who joked around a lot, but as the amount of energy I expend by sharing my music has increased, I like to balance it by spending time by myself and recuperating.
Salsa, classic rock, soul music, jazz... all of that was a part of my education in making hip-hop music.
Industry executives sacrificed art for what sells and mega-stars now saturate the market with the same tired lyrics.
What do you actually need? Food, clothing and shelter. Everything else is entertainment.
I continue to write songs that are topically related to social, political and economic issues of our time, but I also recognize that onstage, I have a lot of fun and audiences have a lot of fun, so I'm trying to package the messages in music and sounds that are fun to perform and fun to listen to.