Q & A with Huey Nunn Jr. on debut album “Better or Worse”
Houston resident Huey Nunn Jr. recently released his debut album “Better or Worse” in January 2016 to much acclaim. The Shreveport, Louisiana native have long touted a early love affair with music in its purest form. Now fast forward 20 years and his dream has finally come to fruition in a classical R&B offering now available on iTunes, Amazon, Google Play, Spotify and Youtube.
Q: What was the thought process that led you to the decision that a return to 90s R&B was something that music lovers needed?
A: I notice that less and less talent is required to become a famous artist in this day and time. I will probably never make it because I have real talent and it’s not what the teenagers will listen to today. Music is based on Market Share and Demographics just like any other business and teenagers are the target. So I am not at all bashing business decision makers because they are in the industry to make money. I will however accept responsibility for some of this change, because as a consumer we look for the cheapest sale. This have in turn created piracy which has ultimately changed the face of the music game and make it easy for those without talent to enter the game. Honestly teens are the only group that truly purchase music because it’s at their fingertips with that device they put to their ear called a phone. Everyone else illegally download music with “free” readily available technology that steals from the artist. Another thing is that true artistry is dying as there are only a hand full of Artist out there that can truly perform without auto-tune. Lastly, the listeners today verses the listeners in the 90’s are not loyal because the swag of the artist are not consistent. I understand evolution, but there is a fine line between evolution and having an attention deficit disorder.
Q: How much of a stretch was it to self-produce as opposed to peddling your music from corporation to corporation?
A: Technology has evolved and equipment is so cheap that it was extremely easy. You can pretty much learn anything from YouTube if you have the will and determination to learn. I was already musically inclined at a young age and self-taught myself drums and piano. I eventually took percussion lessons, but I was well advanced by the time I took the lessons. I grew up in the church playing the drums and singing in the choir and was always exposed to music so it was a matter of learning the equipment. After that it was learning how to transfer my thoughts/vision into rhythmic notes that expressed my feelings. Most of the tracks were played by Bass Heavy which is a child hood friend of mine responsible for a lot of music No Limit Records and their Artist are known for today. He and I already had chemistry at a young age when he played bass guitar for the church and I played the drums. It was a matter of many years later coming together and creating a 2015 sound with that 90’s vibe to it.
Q: What 90s artists helped to shape the musician that you are today?
A: R. Kelly is of course number one, Jodeci definitely number 2, Dru Hill, Men At Large, Color Me Badd, Boyz II Men, Keith Sweat, Aaron Hall, Tony Toni Tone and many more. But those are the ones I can remember off the top of my head. See these kids do not understand the true definition of music. You know I find it funny to hear that now because my mother Mary Nunn and Huey Nunn Sr would say that to me all the time but I never understood it. Now look at me. Oh one last group that is really not the 90’s but that made me appreciate music in a different light is Maze featuring Frankie Beverly.
Q: Now you album seems to follow the story of a realistic love story that goes up and down. From infatuation to realistic couple problems to the eventual reunion–how much of this is based on your own personal background?
A: All of it is based on personal experience. Now not all of it is directly related to my current situation of course, I took pieces from this relationship and another relationship and merged into a series of sequential stories that makes my point. Most of the music today is talking about sex, cars and money. I have a little bit of that in there too, but the focal point is realistic stories that people can easily relate to. I can’t relate to billions I have never been a billionaire. I can relate to Bentley’s and Ferraris I never had that level of vehicles. Now God has blessed me with a Luxury vehicle, but not to that level. One of the main reasons why people lie is because of these Artist being idolized. Kids and adults want to be like these people and that’s why you have kids and adults as well on Facebook and Instagram fronting like they have something they do not. Faking like their life is perfect and it’s all a lie. At one point of my life I was caught up in that mess, but now it’s time to get back to the basics. That why you hear me mention in the song “Get It All Back” that people be Facebook fronting.
Q: What do you want your fans to walk away with after listening to this album?
A: Life lessons, motivation, hope and faith that things will be ok. Know that making mistakes are ok as long as you do not keep repeating them. Understand that every relationship has its problems. You will not be in love 100% of the time and to think so is unrealistic. You have to ask yourself when you are in a crisis, how bad do you want it. We are too quick to give up in this day and time and that’s what the very last song on the album entitled “Unconditional Love” is all about. Don’t love me under convenient conditions, love me under all conditions. Don’t conditionally love me, love me unconditionally as a wife, husband, boyfriend and or girlfriend. I’m taking us back to the basic of life because we have lost our way in the new testament. See the old testament is the foundation, and if you do not have an understanding of that, you will easily go astray.
Q: In a lot of R&B songs we normally hear a long litany of complaints and effeminate whining. Your album definitely stays to true to R&B roots but there is a definite masculine edge. Was that your intention or was it something that evolved in the studio?
A:That’s a great observation as I did not really catch that. Well based on my first remark, I’m sure you can tell that it definitely was not planned, it just kind of ended up that way. I am just the average joe trying to provide for my family with everyday challenges. I took a snapshot of that adversity as well as pleasurable times and highlighted them during my recordings. I was actually in a lot of pain and so many questions during the start of the album, but as time progressed I was happy again. So the order in which you see is not the order in which I recorded them in. I started off in a dark place and ended in happiness, but Bass Heavy the Genius realized after we had already mixed everything down that I had a story to tell if we rearranged the order of the songs and add skits. That was strictly Bass. My job was to come up with the concepts write lyrics and in some cases Co-Produce the tracks!
Q: What’s next for Huey Nunn?
A: Next for Huey until maybe the end of the year, is promoting my album, and using my album to motivate others. I am a great motivational speaker so that too is a realm in which I would like to explore. I am naturally an activist at heart so once I am passionate about something and I set a goal, I achieve it at all cost. Failure is not an option for me and that’s something I learned in the 8 ½ year I served our country in the Military. I have overcome a lot of obstacles in my life, gangs, Iraq, Nigeria and many others that I can share to motivate others to dream it but more importantly achieve it. I was told no by many people whom I can throw their names out there but I will not. I said I’m tired of begging people to give me a chance so I created my own path. I funded this album myself, and I did all of the administration work needed to get it copy written, distributed and marketed to the level it is now. No one has really given me guidance, I have done my own research with Bass to see what needs to happen to make this album successful. I am still learning as I go because the album has yet to reach its full potential.
