Erykah Badu And GarageBand

R&B singer Erykah Badu used to record her song ideas by dialing her own phone number and singing into voicemail. Thanks to her 10-year-old son, she discovered how to use GarageBand, and it has dramatically turned her musical life around. In three months, 72 new songs were recorded, ending what Badu said was a dry spell away from the studio. The result was also the critically-acclaimed new album “New Amerykah Part One (4th World War)”, a project which blends funk, hip-hop, soul and blues. And yes, there is a Part Two due out shortly. That is an astonishing amount of output. In an interview with Reuters during her European tour, she explained that her life is largely built around touring — a full eight months each year will find her on the road. “I’m mainly a performance artist,” she said. “I also enjoy recording too…..When there is something to say, when I have something to write about…” And, of course, as an artist, her ability to act on inspiration when it strikes is crucial. That’s where GarageBand has made a huge difference.

Badu is a self-proclaimed “analog girl”, but told Reuters that now, with this familiarity with GarageBand’s capabilities, she will be using computers more in the future. “I’m now learning to become an engineer, and it’s a freeing thing,” she said. “Since I’m a control freak anyway, it feels good to control the frequency of my music.”

It must also feel good to have the freedom to record in real time, when inspiration strikes. Badu is listening to a lot of blues these days: Muddy Waters, Bessie Smith, Lightnin’ Hopkins. She doesn’t read music, or study jazz or blues. “I recently came to this voice,” she said. “Around 1996, I started to feel out music, so I have so much new territory to discover.” And with GarageBand, Badu will be able to follow those influences and musical discoveries as they influence and deepen her own musical offerings.