Karizma aka Lord Goldie
Native born Nashvillian growing the overshadowed local rap scene through live performance, cross-genre collaboration, and spreading good vibes
Hip-hop Unicorn With a Vision
Native born Nashvillian growing the overshadowed local rap scene through live performance, cross-genre collaboration, and spreading good vibes.
Check out her interview with Rick Barker below 👇
Read on for the full ‘Homie Spotlight’ article on Lord Goldie…
One of the rare ones who stayed, Lord Goldie, otherwise known as Karizma, was born and raised in the 12 South/Wedgewood area; bonus fact: the unofficial official term for a born and bred Nashvillian is “unicorn.”
In fact, back in ’97, Karizma had an old friend who owned a record shop on 12 South, which is no longer there and is now probably a brunch place. She decided to go against the current and stay in Nashville because she saw the city changing around her and wanted to become part of the change; though, Karizma also firmly believes that as an artist, it is important to journey outside of home, at least for a short moment, in order to grow mentally and creatively. To fulfill her nomadic artist development requirement, Karizma has travelled back and forth between here and Texas since her childhood, mainly to Houston. Other visited spots include Memphis and Atlanta. She plans on expanding her horizon by venturing up to New York by the end of this year as well.
Karizma also goes way back (as in back to the start of the year), with her introduction to HOME. Being a member since January/February, Jeremy and Jason of Root Note introduced Karizma to HOME Owner Logan, and set up a meeting before The Grand Tour existed, while the space was still under construction, transforming from a garage to the cozy spot it is today. The lack of a magnificent Tour did not sway Karizma; she saw the vision and baby HOME’s potential. Clearly Karizma has flawlessly tapped into her third eye, as HOME continues to grow and blossom.
Karizma’s introduction to music happened when she was a little kid. She had always been into poetry, and by age 9 she had written her first rap. In High School she was in a large group with a wide array of members. It was around that time when she started recording her music. After graduating High School, she attended SAE in Nashville, studied audio, learned how to mix, and earned a bachelor’s degree in something like Audio of Applied Science. Today, she sports a soundboard in ink on her right forearm.
In 2014, Karizma continued to write and create, and she added Producer Kyd Dynomyte among several others to her creative team to compose and release her first project onto Bandcamp.
To create her first project, titled Built 2 Last, she worked with producers Tim Hall, Syk Sense, Play Dat Beat Wee Wee, and Jeffo The Hitmaker in studio to write, record, and repeat. She tells me the recording experience varied depending on which producer she was working with that particular day; since producers are humans, they each have their own individual personality and creative flow. On top of the different personalities and different vibes, whether or not the producer played an instrument added another layer of diversity. Overall, the recording process was not at all difficult, since Karizma vibed well with each producer.
Also a member of TONS, Karizma is one of the growing number of non-country identifying artists in Nashville, though she is open to collaborate and create with anyone in any genre. Karizma knows hip-hop is her personal strength, but for her, if it works, it works, even rap country. She sees the hip-hop scene in Nashville growing and evolving, but the current obstacle is that Music Row doesn’t yet know how to market the genre. To counter the obstacle, Karizma mashes hip-hop with more currently accessible music. Creatively claustrophobic, Karizma has already collaborated with r&b vocalist Odessa Moon to cook up “Embers,” but she would love to exchange brain waves with underground rock band The Weird Sisters, thanks to the influence of her uncle raising her on rock, listening to legends such as Jimi Hendrix and Nirvana.
Being a mythical Nashvillian unicorn, Karizma has witnessed the rapid expansion and growth of the Music City: the good, the bad, and the ugly.
Believe it or not, there was once a time when cars roamed free without thousands of stoplights or being gridlocked in traffic jams on the interstate; though, the large influx of people means that there are always new faces to meet every time you walk through a door.
There are speculations as to why Nashville is growing at such a rapid rate, that Karizma and I discussed and agreed on. One speculation is the rise of Nashville hot chicken. Apparently, Hattie B’s is not the original; they grabbed the recipe from local, family owned Prince’s Hot Chicken, she tells me. Regardless, The Food Network featured our spicy poultry and informed the masses that our amazing and yummy city exists. Another speculation, of course, is the rise of country music in the mainstream, which could be attributed to Blake Shelton’s popularity from his coaching gig on The Voice, as well as Florida Georgia Line’s cross-genre creations, introducing non-country fans to the sound of country. Despite the speculative reasons, it is evident that Nashville is expanding daily, maybe even hourly, as more artistic folk discover the welcoming energy we emanate.
Focusing back on Karizma, another critical moment for her creative career is performing at SXSW every year since about 2013 or ’14. Her connection with DJ Money Green, who has 2 stages every year, opens the door to meeting different artists of all flavors. The Spring weekend even is a hot hub for indie artists, where business cards and CDs are handed out like candy on Halloween.
All her collabs and performances have guided Karizma to where she is today, with her latest release, “Like I’m Broke”; though, more is to come in August!
Go show her some love at her live shows and on her socials!
Interviewed and written by Andra Ingram.
Hans Lorei
Wearing multiple hats, but sticking only to what he loves doing, Hans is a creative critic at heart and applies his skills to several fields
Musician, Real Estate Agent, Business Partner
Wearing multiple hats, but sticking only to what he loves doing, Hans is a creative critic at heart and applies his skills to several fields
With no clear plan other than to move from Pittsburgh to Nashville, Hans Lorei was sure of two things: he wanted to play music, and he would create opportunities for himself.
He chose to move to Nashville of all places 6 years ago for a change of scenery, an escape from the brutally cold weather in PA, and because he already had a friend living here who could smooth the transition.
The music bug hit Hans at the tender age of 6 when his mother bought a Yamaha keyboard sporting all the bells and whistles; once he produced his first drum loop, his destiny to be a creator was carved in stone. Music being in the family, there were always guitars and various other instruments lying around the house asking to be picked up and played. Later in High School, he participated in a myriad of bands that inevitably fizzled out.
The first CD to land in the palms of Hans’s hands was a compilation of 80s and 90s pump-up sports anthems, otherwise known as Jock Jams.
A few other musical influences are artists such as The Talking Heads, Animal Collective, Discovery—which is a stand-alone collaborative project with the keyboardist from Vampire Weekend and the vocalist from Ra Ra Riot—as well as 70s rock bands like ELO (Electric Light Orchestra) and Supertramp.
Post-formative years, more specifically towards the end of May 2018, Hans became a member of HOME. Being a long-standing fan of CD Baby, he first heard of us through their podcast event hosted at our space; though, it was actually difficult finding the HOME entrance of the Center 615 campus, he tells me. Regardless, he stayed through the end of the event and schmoozed with notorious founder Logan, who impressed him with The Grand Tour, and he decided to sign on up. As an autonomous entrepreneur, it is refreshing to have access to a workspace that is separate from his living quarters; mingling with other creatives and musicians, there is an addictive synergy and meeting of ideas for honest collaboration without a competitive ulterior motive.
An accurate description of Hans today is someone who wears several hats. His gift, which he calls “Analytics and Ideas Refinement” is looking at how things can be improved, such as aesthetics of a space, marketing strategies, and song edits, to name a few. Definitive equivalents of his skills applied to specific fields would be an Editor for journalism, a Consultant for a business, and a Producer for music.
His current hats include working as a writer and musician for his band Saunas, a Real Estate Agent in the presently booming housing market (knock on wood), and a Business Partner with his buddy who founded a start-up called Uplift.
The start-up is in the process of working on a patent for a wheelchair lift designed for use with high-top counters in bars, restaurants, and live music venues. According to the Americans for Disabilities Act, a person bound to a chair cannot cause undue burden to an establishment; this new lift, however, will remove the idea of undue burden and provide fair accessibility for patrons in a wheelchair. The lift will be a collapsible platform that raises and lowers the height of the chair via remote.
Regarding the housing market, there is an unusually high demand for places with either space for an in-home studio or an already existent home studio, something Hans considers an “only in Nashville” thing. Luckily for us HOME members, we don’t have to worry about constant access to a semi-decent sounding studio; 615 Main Street has us covered.
Of course, I can’t go without illuminating Hans’s band Saunas, self-described as alt-wave. Consisting of three members and claiming Nashville as their stomping grounds, they’ve definitely got a late 70s/early 80s groove with an infectious beat worth dancing, or at least tapping, to. With an EP on the horizon, it is vital to be in the know, so follow their socials!
One final word and a bit of life advice to all: sometimes you realize you’re good at things you don’t enjoy doing, but simply because you can do something, doesn’t necessarily mean you should pursue it.
Also, you look ridiculous taking pictures of pitiful Nashville “snowfalls” as if they’re the most magnificent things in the universe.
Follow Hans on his socials and show some Homie love!
Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/saunasfeelsgood
Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/saunasfeelsgood/
Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/artist/27PSPrxwsYUNFjN9bkg4oF?si=Q8iDFoWxQbqnZLueB2hJuA
Interviewed and written by Andra Ingram
Wendy Child
Hot releases on the way, former contestant on The Voice, private music tutor on the side, wife to a Producer, and proud mother of a Rat Terrier
Local Honest Pop Artist
Hot releases on the way, former contestant on The Voice, private music tutor on the side, wife to a Producer, and proud mother of a Rat Terrier
An average, everyday e-blast from the network of overshadowed pop genre artists in Nashville, The Other Nashville Society, is what (probably) first introduced Wendy Child to HOME.
The digital letter announced a mixer that was to be held at the HOME location. After a post-event grand tour of the community campus, soaking in the awesome vibes and seeing how beautiful a family of like-minded music folk can be, Wendy decided to officially join. Her favorite thing about HOME? The opportunity to leave her house that freelancing as an artist inevitably draws her into.
As far as being in Nashville goes, Wendy has lived here for less than a year! July will mark her first anniversary of moving here from Dallas, TX. Originally from Colorado, the infamous Nashville humidity has obviously been an adjustment. Another unforeseen obstacle Wendy encountered was when she and her husband initially moved to Donelson but consistently had a horrific mouse problem. After six months of rodent torture, they broke their lease and settled in cozy, historic Franklin where her husband works as an A&R rep by day and Producer/Sound Engineer by night.
Like most other people who move here, dreams of becoming a music star pulled Wendy to Nashville. Her dream’s humble beginnings started with her first studio recording experience at age 18, which was also when she first met her producer husband. Having always wanted to live in a musical city, she was naturally drawn to Music City, USA due to the overall attitude here of what can I do for you versus what can I get from you that is frequently found elsewhere.
Rewinding to before her first recording session, Wendy grew up with parents who were into Christian music and strongly encouraged her to love bands such as Superchick, the genre’s alleged Britney Spears equivalent. At age 12, she began writing her own music and playing the guitar in order to impress a guitarist heartthrob she had her eyes on; she took guitar lessons from the dreamboat, but alas it was not meant to be. Moving on, the Christian music track carried over into High School where Wendy played in a band she believes was called Standing Saved...or something like that. In her first year of college, drunk on the newfound freedom of being away from home and her parents, and trying to find a genre that properly fit her as an artist, she bought a pocket-sized, four string ukulele, learned how to play it, and wrote a song on it in a single night. Her new roommate was less than thrilled, to say the least.
Further into her music career, Wendy participated in season 7 of The Voice.
In 2014 she began the audition process with an open call in Colorado. The open call led to a filmed callback the next day in a small studio with a producer, which led to an interview process including psych evals, which led to a flight to LA, which led to more interviews with hair, makeup, and full glam, which led to the actual blind auditions to be aired on TV.
Six weeks prior to the big, blind audition, she and the other final 90 contestants were sequestered in a hotel in LA and actually had all modes of contact with the outside world taken away from them during the final week of filming auditions, to prevent results from reaching the ears of contestants who had not yet sung in front of the celebrity coaches. Wendy recalls sitting by the hotel pool or the fire pit with other phone-robbed contestants and just staring at each other out of boredom. Luckily, around the corner from the hotel was a small pet shop where mostly the female contestants traversed to and released their woes through self-prescribed puppy therapy. Unfortunately, Wendy never made it on-screen, due to the show trying to compensate for millions of dollars lost daily from postponing filming for a week in order for Pharrell to recover from an illness. The last scheduled day of filming never happened, and the four teams of 12 contestants filled up before the other half of the contestants had the opportunity to perform for the blind audition.
But the story doesn’t stop there! Since Wendy’s most exciting but never-to-be-repeated experience, she has encountered numerous former Voice contestants at random places in Nashville. When meeting former contestants, there is an unspoken attitude of “once you’re in the family, you’re in it for life,” so out there in the music world there is an ever-expanding family of entertainment TV veterans. If this applies to you, feel free to contact Wendy for emotional support or general story sharing.
That aside, all of Wendy’s crazy music experiences have carried her to where she is today, releasing a series of Honest Pop singles throughout 2018.
With her current project, Wendy delves into an unapologetic and truth bearing pop vibe. Sadly, however, the ukulele does not make an appearance (darn). For her release strategy, a highly debated topic with her producers, she has chosen to release a series of several singles as opposed to the more traditional approach of releasing a whole EP or album, due to the change in how music is currently consumed. Since the success of pop music relies heavily on Spotify playlist features, Spotify being the king of music streaming and consumption, releasing a full album simply does not make sense anymore. A stream of singles builds traction, allows for artist growth, and gives music consumers a reason to keep paying attention. Using this tactic, Wendy builds a lasting momentum that reflects her non-stop drive as an artist.
Follow Wendy Child on all her socials to stay in-the-know with her single releases, or reach out to just say hi! She’s super friendly, I promise!
Music: http://wendychildmusic.com
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/6s7bcPZT7f6G51ozLgbQsR
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Wendy-Child-191453047239/
Interviewed and written by Andra Ingram