Ra-Re Valverde
Right away, music pundits, radio station programmers and audiences alike wi… Read Full Bio ↴Right away, music pundits, radio station programmers and audiences alike will listen to Ra-Re Valverde and proclaim the ushering of a"neo-soul" empress. Not exactly a misnomer, but perhaps the "neo-soul" term may be too limiting. The soul is undoubtedly there! And if the newness is prevalent, it's because of Ra-Re's youthful outlook, the fact that she's contemporary—but her heart, her passion, her outlook is that of a soul singer from generations past. To look at her myspace page, one could glean that her diverse mix of musical heroes are Prince, Sarah Vaughn, Bjork, Miles Davis, Bobby McFerrin, Stevie Wonder, John Lee Hooker, Joni Mitchell, and an endless trove of artistic brilliants.
You see, Ra-Re is an unabashed New Yorker—born and raised in the Bronx, yet resides in Harlem; encompassing what that wonderful city may have to offer. Hence, the name of her debut album, the independently release of A Beautiful Mess. The album is a bold and soulful effort, undeniably eclectic, and lyrically introspective. It's a 14-song musical portfolio from a singer, songwriter, instrumentalist, producer and visionary—who may be doing something that's a bit left of center, yet still commercial or accessible enough to be embraced by the masses.
Ra-Re (meaning sunrise-sunset) came up with the album's title simply as a description of her life. "The title A Beautiful Mess represents the balance between the many ups and downs that life has to offer, and finding the beauty and color in it all,” she says. “When dealing with love & relationships, or even when creating, there is always a space in between knowing and not knowing that feels good and safe. That to me is A Beautiful Mess.” And this beautiful mess is all Ra-Re.
She wrote or co-wrote all the songs featured in the package, and produced five of them alone. The song "Outside the Box," (with its mid-tempo and bass-heavy groove) produced by Jamie Siegel (Lauryn Hill), according to Ra-Re is the song that got the whole creative process started—and was an impetus for how she would approach the entire project. The opening lyrics seem to suggest it all… “Normality don’t exist for me/Mostly I live on the other side/Fine with me, I’m cream-filled with such complexities/I see love in unordinary things.”
“Living outside the box somewhere on high/I don’t wanna come down/Living outside the box somewhere on high, you can’t make me come down” An excerpt from "Outside the Box" “Outside the Box” leads to such other Beautiful Mess gems as "Love Will" featuring Peter Hadar—offering an optimistic yet naïve message that relationships can get tense due to financial woes, but love will… There's also the poignant "Them Eyes"—where Ra-Re paints a lyrical yet heartfelt picture, vicariously seeing the world through the eyes of a young lady involved in an abusive relationship, and in the second verse a homeless woman who may have missed her calling as a famous singer but seems able to profoundly affect Ra-Re and everyday by-passers.
No woman is an island, and Ra-Re, a self-taught producer and engineer also commissioned producers Donovan Henry (Innovative Music), Anthony-Michael Alexander (Baby Jupiter) and German producer Laszlo (with whom she developed a strong collaborative relationship with via Myspace) to round out A Beautiful Mess. Growing up, Ra-Re was raised in a household with a strong independent and entrepreneurial spirit, and was encouraged to express herself. Her musical tastes were influenced by her mother, but the desire to actually explore her vocal talents was inspired by her grandmother, Zelphia Ann, who sang in the church. The family recognized these talents early on.
Ra-Re attended the LaGuardia School of performing arts during her high school years. "It was a milestone period in my life," she recalls. "It's where I first learned to write and read music, develop an affinity for classical music and create some strong relationships in an environment where artistic individuality was strongly encouraged." From there she would segue to the Berklee School of Music in Boston (where she received a Bachelor's in Music Business Management)—a very pivotal point in her life. "Berklee has a lot of history to it," she recalls. "People like Lalah Hathaway, Rachelle Ferrell, Herbie Hancock, John Mayer and Norah Jones attended there. There was so much influence, and it wasn't just about gaining book knowledge, but more about relationships that I still have until this day.
It was there where I was also introduced to many different genres of music and culture; it’s where I first explored the techniques of artists like Coltrane, Ella and Bach. It gave me the incentive to approach my music from an entirely different angle." During her time at Berklee, she also met MCA Records R&B singer-songwriter Rahsaan Patterson (who she interviewed for the campus magazine), who promised her a background vocal slot in his band when she finished school. He kept his word, and Ra-Re's world would never be the same. Ra-Re co-wrote on the title cut from Rahsaan’s third album and first independent release, After Hours, and sang on the songs “April Kiss” and “I Will Always Find Myself.”
She has traveled the world, from Japan to the United Kingdom, practically living on stage and in studios—getting the chance to work and tour with other talented artists such as Jennifer Lopez, Trina Broussard (Ra-Re co-wrote 9 songs on Trina Broussard's 2004 Motown release The Same Girl), Lalah Hathaway, and currently Jill Scott. "Working with Jill has been another turning point in my career," Ra-Re says. "Lalah Hathaway recommended me when Jill was looking for a back-up singer for the Sugar Water tour featuring Erykah Badu, Queen Latifah and Floetry." The tour was already in progress when Ra-Re came on board—and needless to say, she fit right in. Jill, like Rahsaan and Trina Broussard, couldn't resist utilizing Ra-Re's talents as a vocalist & arranger on her latest release, The Real Thing, further prompting Ra-Re to step up the pace on releasing her own debut project, A Beautiful Mess.
Ra-Re Valverde is quite excited about this new endeavor she is embarking upon as a solo artist—especially since working alongside so many individuals that she has admired. "I've been blessed to work with some of the most talented artist/teachers in music. I can definitely say that I've taken something from each experience, to make it my own. "What's most important to me at this present time is to find and maintain my voice," says Ra-Re. “Sometimes you're hesitant about some of the things that you wanna do, because you're not sure; unsure of what people are gonna think or how they are going to react to the direction in which you may choose to take. What I realize more and more is that this journey is really about discovering me, first, and then going out and sharing the things that have influenced my life and the lives of those around me. It took some time, but I am learning as I go that the possibilities are and have always been endless! “
A Beautiful Mess will be available through several internet outlets such as myspace.com, CD Baby, and Ra-Re’s website www.rarevmusiconline.co A BEAUTIFUL MESS' the debut coming soon!!!! ~It's INDIE that's MAJOR
You see, Ra-Re is an unabashed New Yorker—born and raised in the Bronx, yet resides in Harlem; encompassing what that wonderful city may have to offer. Hence, the name of her debut album, the independently release of A Beautiful Mess. The album is a bold and soulful effort, undeniably eclectic, and lyrically introspective. It's a 14-song musical portfolio from a singer, songwriter, instrumentalist, producer and visionary—who may be doing something that's a bit left of center, yet still commercial or accessible enough to be embraced by the masses.
Ra-Re (meaning sunrise-sunset) came up with the album's title simply as a description of her life. "The title A Beautiful Mess represents the balance between the many ups and downs that life has to offer, and finding the beauty and color in it all,” she says. “When dealing with love & relationships, or even when creating, there is always a space in between knowing and not knowing that feels good and safe. That to me is A Beautiful Mess.” And this beautiful mess is all Ra-Re.
She wrote or co-wrote all the songs featured in the package, and produced five of them alone. The song "Outside the Box," (with its mid-tempo and bass-heavy groove) produced by Jamie Siegel (Lauryn Hill), according to Ra-Re is the song that got the whole creative process started—and was an impetus for how she would approach the entire project. The opening lyrics seem to suggest it all… “Normality don’t exist for me/Mostly I live on the other side/Fine with me, I’m cream-filled with such complexities/I see love in unordinary things.”
“Living outside the box somewhere on high/I don’t wanna come down/Living outside the box somewhere on high, you can’t make me come down” An excerpt from "Outside the Box" “Outside the Box” leads to such other Beautiful Mess gems as "Love Will" featuring Peter Hadar—offering an optimistic yet naïve message that relationships can get tense due to financial woes, but love will… There's also the poignant "Them Eyes"—where Ra-Re paints a lyrical yet heartfelt picture, vicariously seeing the world through the eyes of a young lady involved in an abusive relationship, and in the second verse a homeless woman who may have missed her calling as a famous singer but seems able to profoundly affect Ra-Re and everyday by-passers.
No woman is an island, and Ra-Re, a self-taught producer and engineer also commissioned producers Donovan Henry (Innovative Music), Anthony-Michael Alexander (Baby Jupiter) and German producer Laszlo (with whom she developed a strong collaborative relationship with via Myspace) to round out A Beautiful Mess. Growing up, Ra-Re was raised in a household with a strong independent and entrepreneurial spirit, and was encouraged to express herself. Her musical tastes were influenced by her mother, but the desire to actually explore her vocal talents was inspired by her grandmother, Zelphia Ann, who sang in the church. The family recognized these talents early on.
Ra-Re attended the LaGuardia School of performing arts during her high school years. "It was a milestone period in my life," she recalls. "It's where I first learned to write and read music, develop an affinity for classical music and create some strong relationships in an environment where artistic individuality was strongly encouraged." From there she would segue to the Berklee School of Music in Boston (where she received a Bachelor's in Music Business Management)—a very pivotal point in her life. "Berklee has a lot of history to it," she recalls. "People like Lalah Hathaway, Rachelle Ferrell, Herbie Hancock, John Mayer and Norah Jones attended there. There was so much influence, and it wasn't just about gaining book knowledge, but more about relationships that I still have until this day.
It was there where I was also introduced to many different genres of music and culture; it’s where I first explored the techniques of artists like Coltrane, Ella and Bach. It gave me the incentive to approach my music from an entirely different angle." During her time at Berklee, she also met MCA Records R&B singer-songwriter Rahsaan Patterson (who she interviewed for the campus magazine), who promised her a background vocal slot in his band when she finished school. He kept his word, and Ra-Re's world would never be the same. Ra-Re co-wrote on the title cut from Rahsaan’s third album and first independent release, After Hours, and sang on the songs “April Kiss” and “I Will Always Find Myself.”
She has traveled the world, from Japan to the United Kingdom, practically living on stage and in studios—getting the chance to work and tour with other talented artists such as Jennifer Lopez, Trina Broussard (Ra-Re co-wrote 9 songs on Trina Broussard's 2004 Motown release The Same Girl), Lalah Hathaway, and currently Jill Scott. "Working with Jill has been another turning point in my career," Ra-Re says. "Lalah Hathaway recommended me when Jill was looking for a back-up singer for the Sugar Water tour featuring Erykah Badu, Queen Latifah and Floetry." The tour was already in progress when Ra-Re came on board—and needless to say, she fit right in. Jill, like Rahsaan and Trina Broussard, couldn't resist utilizing Ra-Re's talents as a vocalist & arranger on her latest release, The Real Thing, further prompting Ra-Re to step up the pace on releasing her own debut project, A Beautiful Mess.
Ra-Re Valverde is quite excited about this new endeavor she is embarking upon as a solo artist—especially since working alongside so many individuals that she has admired. "I've been blessed to work with some of the most talented artist/teachers in music. I can definitely say that I've taken something from each experience, to make it my own. "What's most important to me at this present time is to find and maintain my voice," says Ra-Re. “Sometimes you're hesitant about some of the things that you wanna do, because you're not sure; unsure of what people are gonna think or how they are going to react to the direction in which you may choose to take. What I realize more and more is that this journey is really about discovering me, first, and then going out and sharing the things that have influenced my life and the lives of those around me. It took some time, but I am learning as I go that the possibilities are and have always been endless! “
A Beautiful Mess will be available through several internet outlets such as myspace.com, CD Baby, and Ra-Re’s website www.rarevmusiconline.co A BEAUTIFUL MESS' the debut coming soon!!!! ~It's INDIE that's MAJOR
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Ra-Re Valverde Lyrics
B With U Let me tell you about all of this pain man Let…
Complicated Hazard done it again Yeah Hit me on my cellular Like the pi…
Do I Hmmmm mmmm Lady Said baby I know what's on my heart, said it…
In This Love I'm bad for your health Make you swallow your medallions So …
Love Will 길었던 하루 노을이 진 밤하늘에 홀로 빛나는 별 하나 그댈 닮아서 내 맘에 들어오죠 다시…
On Time (Jaaa) Proč musim dělat pořád věci co mě nebaví Ztrácím tim …