Interview with musician Lyfe Martinez

Bulawayo24 caught up with Lyfe Martinez, a Zimbabwean musician based in the UK. Lyfe Martinez is currently working on his debut album, 'Life is a Journey', which he expects to release at the end of the year. He has previously released a mixtape and singles which can all be downloaded for free on his Soundcloud page.

Lyfe Martinez tells Bulawayo24, "I have my latest track released recently entitled  'Zvongonyoka' and it features the very talented Mathias Julius.

"You can watch the music video of this track on YouTube and my Vevo channel. I also have another follow up track which was released a couple of weeks ago entitled 'Funky Weekend,' which features a talented female vocalist by the name Chantee."

The videos are available to watch on YouTube and Lyfe Maartinez's Vevo channel.  

He describes his music as universal, consisting of a mixture of all genres. He says: "I would describe my music as Afro centric. I produce Afrobeats, Rnb, SA House, Reggae , Hip Hop and Pop/Dance music. I do it all basically and I have no limits. Sky is the limit!"

Various artists from different genres, including Lucky Dube, Brenda Fassie, Oliver Mtukudzi, Akon, Aaliyah, Drake, Fuse ODG, and many others, have inspired Lyfe Martinez. When he was younger, he sang in school choirs, church choirs, weddings and other talent shows and that helped him hone his skills.

To date, he has collaborated with many artists both from Zimbabwe and other countries. "To name a few, I've collaborated with Alesi Summer, Mathias Julius, Chantee, Faye, Silvaa King, Livzi Em, Zasha Nangi, Nash Daddie, Shayne Dingz, PillazNation, Roby Gee, FireFlex, Demi Jones and Lax Luga."

Of his creative process, Lyfe Martinez says, "I have to say I'm a very creative person. I'm very good at writing songs. Sometimes ideas or melodies just pop up in my head and I record those ideas on my phone using audio recorder in case I forget.

"I play musical instruments so I can compose my own soundtracks then I write lyrics to the instrumentals. The type of beat will determine the song lyrics I write. But sometimes I do write a song off my head then I make the beat to suit the song.

"I also work with other producers and they send me their beats, if the beat inspires me then I'm motivated to write and within minutes I'd have completed writing the song lyrics and I often create the melody as I write.

He laughs saying, "The process is unique. It's weird to explain but it all just happens in my head very quickly. I think I'm insane... a little bit."  

Lyfe Martinez says he has started recording his music in the studio about two years ago and says: "I'm currently an independent artist but I have two associates whom I'm linked to and they manage me, market and distribute my music. They are Willie Wall Music and TML Entertainment."

"I do face challenges in my musical carer just like any other artist out there. Making music requires a lot of dedication and motivation. It also demands a lot of financial input because until you breakthrough, you don't have a label to sponsor you."

However, he believes that these challenges are no longer obstacles because of the internet. He says, "Social media allows artists to share they music online and if people like it then you can easily build a fan base and sell your music and even get booked for live shows."

He adds, "I have built a good following and developed a solid fan base through my music. With every track I release I gain fans.

"My fans have downloaded plenty of my music from Soundcloud, YouTube, Reverberation and iTunes etc and also share it around on social networking sites.  

"It feels good to see so many downloads of my music and people sharing it on social media sites etc.

"I have had TV interviews on TV channels such as Vox Africa TV which is a global channel so I gained good exposure."

Through being focused, Lyfe Martinez hopes to become a successful artist, known globally and then also work at helping other upcoming artists breakthrough. He would love to own a record label and manage artists and give them a chance in life.

To listen to or download Lyfe Martinez's music use following links:
www.soundcloud.com/lyfemartinez
www.youtube.com/lyfemartinez
www.reverbnation.com/lyfemartinez
www.myspace.com/lyfemartinez

Follow him on:
Twitter: @LyfeMartinez
Instagram: @LyfeMartinez
Facebook: Lyfe Martinez