She Got Game

Art imitates life. Denim is living her dream, and her life’s like a movie…Lights, Camera, Action.

Jesus Shuttlesworth was a basketball phenom out of Brooklyn USA in Spike Lee’s 1998 film, “He got game”. Played by Ray Allen. Shuttlesworth had a bevy of NBA teams after him, pure talent and a bright future. Replace those NBA teams with record labels and you’ve got Denim, a soulful songstress ready to set the mundane music scene on its ear.

Denim, has a certain savoir faire about her and a disposition of a woman wise beyond her years. Truth-be-told, the baby-faced Brooklynite can’t even legally purchase liquor. Denim attributes her old soul to her upbringing, “I hate that whole, ‘yea I was raised in the hood son and yadda yadda..’ yea, I had it a little rough, I had to grow up quick…but I’ve always surrounded myself around wise people”. Wise, as well as talented, at the age of 14 a chance meeting at an open mic would have Denim signed to Roc-A-Fella records one day later. The now infamous Dame and Jay split would be the reason Denim didn’t invade your television sets, radios, and computers, which she chalks up as a “learning experience.” “You live, you learn, you pick up the pieces and you keep moving,” says Denim, confidently.

Her maturity goes beyond her demeanor and seeps into her lyrics, creating an indefinable sound, which is all her own. Writing all her own songs, as well as ghostwriting for the likes of Victoria Beckham, Denim has been courted by many other major label pop-stars for her writing abilities, but admits she’d rather not. “A lot of big names… I’ve turned them down…I’m too focused on me right now and my project and being the best I can be.” Says Denim.

Finished with practice, ready to come off the bench and take her shot, prepared for whatever this game of life throws at her, Denim’s more than just a pretty face in a pair of jeans. She’s got her eyes on the prize and is poised to become the Michael Jordan of the music industry. If her life really is like the “Spike Lee” joint, she won’t have anything to worry about, just this year the real life Jesus Shuttlesworth won the NBA championship…Enjoy the movie.

So what made you use the Ghost Face beat “Nutmeg” to SING over?
Well as an artist you always find yourself loving someone else’s track, some artists tend to be attracted to the singles off an album, I’m always attracted to the songs I wish could’ve been the single. Nutmeg has always been my joint.
I already had the first part written, and it didn’t even dawn on me but while I’m writing the song its the melody of Nutmeg.

The Lyrics to that song are kinda deep what made you write that?
The song came about after having a conversation with one of my mentors, we were just talking about life and how things are just crazy nowadays, it just got me thinking and right after that conversation I just started writing.

You’ve got skills, what’s stopping you from writing for anybody?
I’m big on lyrics I write from experience and a lot of people try and recruit me, every one comes at me and says you should write and get your money, but its not in my heart because I’m focused on me. It would be wrong of me to go and write for them I’d be cheating them. I don’t do things just to do it for the money, if my heart isn’t in it then I’m not gonna do it. Also if my name is attached to something it has to be credible.

So what motivates you?
Life period motivates me. I could just look out my window and get motivated, thinking about my family and my upbringing and that motivates me! Just life, and the fact that god chose me. I hear it all the time from people, like ‘I wish i had your voice’. That’s motivation enough!

So tell me what was like it to be signed to the Roc-a-Fella?
Dope, I was running with the elite, and still am. Those are my friends till this day, we still always on the phone chopping it up, still working together, I ran and still do with the best, and to have learned from that, it doesn’t get any better than that.

So who are you listening to?
I listen to a lot of different stuff, I listen to Queen. Santogold…she’s in a lane all by herself, her writing is ridiculous, and of course, you know Jay-z, Lil’ Wayne. This new artist out of Brooklyn named Hicks, he’s definitely something to watch for. Aliyah I love her. I listen to a pretty wide range of music.

So you like Wayne?
Yea I’ve always been riding with Wayne. I’m a fan, and I’m glad to see him where he is. I don’t know him personally, but I know that has to be a good feeling selling a million.

So define YOUR style, your music.
It’s funny because everyone has their own def, and I like that, I hear different things everyday, I hear the Ella Fitzgerald references, I’ve even been called a ’singing Jay-z’. I like that people have their own definition. Every time I’m asked this question I just cant put a definition on it. I’m not an R&B singer, I’m not an alternative rock singer, but that’s what you may get from me with all my different songs…whatever beat catches my ear and I feel like I wanna marry it, it just comes out.

How did you get the name Denim?
People think its a stage name but I’ve had that name since forever, I been a tomboy all my life and people called me Denim cause they said I was tough like jeans. I played touch football, basketball, handball all of that..

That “You and Me” song is dope, how did you get in touch with Polow Da Don for that beat?
Well through my manager, Reggie Saunders, he has a relationship with Polow. Polow is one of my favorites so we got him on the phone, but at first I was kind of nervous because your scared that the people you really wanna work with are not gonna be what you expect them to be but Polow was so cool, so dope, he sent the beat over I recorded it I sent it back and he loved it.

What’s the next move for Denim?
Well I got something’s on the table, different people coming at me, as far as getting signed, so that’s in the works. I’m working on my album its called Kick The Habit, its not ‘kicking the habit’ as in “I’m letting go [of love]” ..I’m kicking the habit of song formats, I’m just having fun with my music, its not gonna be your regular verse, hook, verse…we kicking that out of here. So right now I’m working with a few producers. Its gonna be limited to a few producers, if you notice all the classic albums didn’t have that many producers, when you think of classics, they always had that one producer that gave the album its feel.

Well thank you for sitting down with TOUR-Mag, you’re really humble and I wish you luck.
You gotta be humble , and thank Y’all !

* Photo by Hannah Mattix

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