YMONA

YMONA - Yours, Mine, Ours, None of the above, All of the above

Artists are expected to have influences on their work. People constantly ask me as a musician, “Who do you sound like? Who are your influences?” basically, who do you want to be?  It’s been hard to answer those questions. Do I go back to what music I listened to on the radio growing up? Do I go back to what was played in our house that I didn’t necessarily choose to listen to, but was expose to anyway? Some of the jazz greats and American Idol top 12 say that they owe everything to their parents who exposed them to (fill in the blank) style of music, whether it be gospel, jazz, whatever.  So when do we stop imitating and start being ourselves? When have we assimilated those influences and even though I loved and still love Ella Fitzgerald, and learned every nuance, every riff, every breath of her singing, when am I not just an Ella imitator?  And then there is the question of plagiarism. When am I honoring Ella and when am I ripping her off?

It’s a fine line and at some point, apparently it needs to be drawn. I’m not sure how. I just know that I want to sit on this for awhile.