In a smooth, soulful and majestic tone, S. Green, a native of Jackson, Miss., advocates the essence of classic Rhythm and Blues set against a modern tone. For the many who enjoy soulful, passionate, love-filled music and words of expression, I proudly introduce to you S. Green.
What was your original calling to music? How did you start?
I originally got involved in music at the age of 14. I knew I had musical talent at a young age, but it wasn’t until I was in the ninth grade that I decided to audition for the high school choir. When I made the choir, it ignited the musical desires that were deeply ingrained within me. I would always listen to music as a kid; my life was absorbed by my love of R&B music from the 60s to the 90s. My mother would always play records and cassettes from her favorite singers and I began to do the same (except records began to be replaced with CDs). As a choir member, I began to be selected to lead songs and then lead singing songs for high school activities. My first performance was such a great feeling that I still remember how it felt almost 30 years later! Exhilarating. I knew at that point that I’d never want to lose that feeling again.
Who or what is your musical inspiration? Which artist(s) do you look up to? Did any of them inspire you to experiment with your music? Is there something new you’d like to try?
Luther Vandross is my music inspiration. The way he was able to exude musical and vocal confidence in all of his songs and performances was something that I try to portray as well; he was such a masterful performer. I will forever be grateful for how he left such an amazing musical catalog that perfectly represents his God-given talent. I have taken notes on how he wrote his songs; he wrote from a place of openness, vulnerability and real-life situations. That is definitely a technique I have found to be useful as an R&B artist. I use real-life situations to illustrate what I’ve dealt with so anyone can resonate with my lyrics much like Mr. Vandross did!
Why did you become involved with Music Beats Cancer? Has cancer directly or indirectly affected you?
Cancer has been a thief and a destroyer of a few lives in my life. I’ve had a few fraternity brothers (Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc.) who had a battle with cancer and really struggled until the end; I’ve also had some special friends lose their parents because of it as well. The most painful iteration of it, however, was when I lost my grandmother in May 2001. She was diagnosed in 1998 during a routine doctor’s visit and was told to start going into surgery to prevent it from spreading. Even after having the surgery, the cancer returned again in 2000 and was more aggressive than it was before! By this time, my grandmother didn’t have the strength to go through another surgery nor did she have the capacity as the cancer spread far too much. She made peace with her decision and began to live her last months in the midst of her pain. This process was exceedingly sad as I saw my once very vibrant and vivacious grandmother shrink down to a shell of her former self. As she came upon her final days, the memory that still stands out in my mind is the look she had on her face gasping for air through the ventilator she was attached to as her eyes bulged from each breath she took. Even in writing this I can still remember the sadness I felt at the moment coupled with tears seeing her this way; it was absolutely heartbreaking. What made this experience even worse is that she died on May 10, 2001, just days before Mother’s Day; it was also days before my older sister would graduate from Mississippi State University (MSU) with her bachelor’s in Industrial Engineering. Her death sombered the celebration of my sister’s accomplishment and the acknowledgement of another year to celebrate her motherhood. Even though her death was 21-years ago, the sting of that time still bites me just as strong as ever! Every memory I have of her makes me smile and every family gathering brings attention to her absence. We all miss her laugh, her jokes, her cooking, her everything! I can only imagine the millions of people who have experienced this pain in lieu of cancer and its deathly outcomes. Being a part of this campaign gives me the opportunity to work towards eradicating cancer; hopefully, no one will experience a similar situation ever again in the near future!
What is happening next in your music career?
I will be releasing an EP soon titled “Speaking From My Heart” and it will consist of songs that illustrate the ups and downs of the love journey. The title track is my next release (Spotify and Apple Music) and I am preparing to film the music video for it. Writing more music, gaining more exposure through sync licensing and having my music represented in films, television and commercials is a huge desire of mine as well. I will be doing more venue performances and of course, continuing to record more music!
Anything else you would like Music Beats Cancer readers to know about you?
Two fun facts about me is that I have a Ph.D. in College Leadership and I am also an Executive Life Coach (website: drsgreen.com)! I have been fortunate to have the best of both worlds in that I help people achieve their goals and I also am able to share my music with the world! If you want to know about me and my life journey, please follow me on all of my social media platforms which can be found on my website here (sgreensoul.com). My website also contains my music videos and more! You can find my music on all social media platforms such as Spotify and Apple Music. Please continue to support my music and by all means, reach out to me on social media to get to know me better!
