Brooklyn Artist Tuu Ra Delivers Latest Love Anthem “Feels Right”

Jamaican and Haitian artist Tuu Ra comes from a musical background, while also taking the time to study audio engineering at, SAE New York. His record label, Ifenla Music Group, has garnered successful artists out of Trinidad, Ghana, Nigeria, West Africa, and the US.

Now here to drop off one of his own releases, we sat down with Tuu Ra to discuss audio engineering, Ifenla Music Group and the inspiration behind his new single.

What inspired you to transition from creating hip hop/rap tracks to dancehall?

I was always laying down some reggae/dancehall songs behind the scenes that I just wasn’t releasing. At the time I was more focused on putting out what the majority of my audience wanted which was hip-hop/rap. This changed around 2018 when I got on an Afro-house song called “Dance” which revealed my Jamaican & Haitian roots. The chorus was partially sang in Haitian creole. Then in 2019 I featured & collaborated with three Nigerian afro-pop artist which made the demand for my dancehall/afro-dancehall sound grow even more. Plus I just felt I wasn’t putting my full personality into the music leaving out my native tongues such as the world famous Jamaican patios.

Tell us about “Feel Right”. What inspired the track and how has fan reaction been so far?

“Feel Right” was inspired by a real life interaction with a someone I was speaking to around that time. I was very busy having started two new business’ and being challenged learning the ropes. The girl I was speaking to was well aware of my entrepreneurial spirit but was under the impression that I would have time for the chase games. This is what inspired the lines “NUH YOU WEH ME FAVOR? , GYAL COME GIVE ME THAT GOOD LOVE YEA. SHE KNOW ME NAH GO CHASE HER, MONEY ME AH CHASE ME A REAL BOSS YEA! ” The feedback has been great. The first day out a lady from Germany slid in my dm and told me she was addicted to the song. She said she had listened 7 times in a row after hearing it the first time and how it really gave a her a feel good vibe that she wanted to start her day to. Of course my international followers love it. Feedback & IG re-shares went crazy first day out spreading across the US, UK, & West Africa which you can find in my IG highlights and in the comment section of the youtube video. Few were really impressed because they weren’t expecting me to sing on the hook the way I did. Many have said it’s catchy, addictive, and a hit.

You also study audio engineering; do you mix and master your own tracks?

Yes! I went to the Honablue Institute for Audio Engineering in Brooklyn before they closed down and following that I went to SAE New York to further my skills in the music production and audio engineering course. Of the songs on my Spotify I’ve mixed and mastered “Biko”, “Follow Me Go”, and “Walk in Truth” from the comfort of my home, and most times right in my bedroom. My bedroom is also where I’ve recorded the majority of the songs currently in my catalogue. When I’m pressed for time due to deadlines or having my hands in other ventures I’ll shoot it over to my good guy Swags NYC in Brooklyn to nail it for me. He’s pretty much mixed and mastered everything else that I haven’t.

Tell us about your record label Ifenla Music Group. We’d love to know more about the artists on your label.

The label is new as of January 2020. So we’re still very much in the beginning phases, especially after the pandemic slowing everything down. I took a solo trip to Ghana, West Africa for the “Year of Return” festivities this past winter to finance, film & direct, and feature for two Afrobeats artist I believed in. One of them being Fasache for our song “Biko” produced by Tone Legend Beats. While in Ghana I filmed and directed the music video with the help of Ghanaian videographer Pius. I pretty much put the whole production together on the fly. I was visiting my cousins hotel after discovering she was out there as well and instantly fell in love with the location and decided to use it to film. I found the main model “Maiy” who flew in from Germany at the beach during the Afro-nation Festival and the second model “Gko” I brought in from Lagos, Nigeria last minute as the second video girl.

The second artist Kwaku Bobby caught my attention with his single “Fire” which led us to doing a collaboration called “Odoyewu”. When I arrived to Ghana we put the finishing touches to song in the studio and I found two more ladies to quickly film the video before returning to New York.

As of right now we are focusing on artist development & working very closely with Nigerian Afro-pop artist “Oluwa Rankee” who I featured in a recent song “London Girl” produced by “Rico Da Producer”. He has some fire on the way to be followed by his first EP which we are planning to release under Ifenla Music Group. Also Trinidadian recording artist “J’Neka”. We are currently pushing her release “Some Gyal” which has successfully made airplay on a few FM radio stations in Trinidad.

I recently teamed up with a grade school friend “Aicha” who is an Entertainment Lawyer and is helping us get everything in order professionally along side my manager Aida Dorsey. So slowly but surely my team is coming together. We’re not racing because we want a strong foundation built on loyalty and trust and plus haste makes waste.

You say you come from a musical background; are your parents also musicians and how did music impact your life at a younger age?

My mother is an educator. Being strict about my education led to strong writing abilities which greatly helps me today with song writing. My father is a singer and musical composer mainly in the Haitian Kompa genre but has dabbled in the House Music and R&B genres as well. Back in his days he played the saxophone in his own band here in NYC. My grandfather “Antoine” was a millionaire in Haiti. When he passed my father went to Haiti and stayed for about 4 years dealing with family and legal issues when attempting to collect his share of the legacy. Prior to my father going to Haiti I didn’t see him much because my mother and I had moved to Georgia after she got married. When my father returned we had also returned to NYC for good. Resulting in me and my father had ample time to bond especially because I was older and could go and see him whenever I chose. During this time I was exposed to the musical genius in my pops that I was completely oblivious to prior. Being the kid I was that always enjoyed listening to music, finding out that my father was a musician instantly put me on the path to become the same. So in 2006 I wrote and shared my first rap song with the world and here we are today.

You currently live in Brooklyn; how has it been being in NYC during all of the madness in 2020?

It has been very challenging for sure. We lost a couple family members to covid-19 and some were hospitalized which motivated me to drop a hip-hop covid-19 freestyle that I titled “RIP-COVID” up on my youtube and soundcloud, expressing how myself and my family were affected by the pandemic and what I consciously did to protect myself and them from it thereafter. As far as the recent riots, they really started turning up while I was on a flight to Cali to get my daughter. So by the time I touched foot in LA I was in the midst of the commotion filming a “Day in LA” interview with my good guy Devin. Now that I’m back in NY I’ve really been spending quality time with my daughter and doing my best to be balanced because there’s just but so much “bad news” you can take into your psyche. I’ve been doing my part where I can, currently signing petitions and wrapping up my next single titled “Bettah” which will speak on these times with the main theme of the song being “things will get better”.

Who are some artists you are listening to right now?

I have been listening to a lot of Afro B. I’m just inspired by dudes catalogue and growth not to mention our small convos on IG & then running into him in Ghana, West Africa earlier this year. If you type in Tuu Ra & Afro B in google images the photo we snapped in Osu, Accra will pop up. Besides that my young star Oluwa Rankee, I really enjoy his work, Chronixx, Burna Boy, & Omarian who you can find an image of us both & my daughter Senaa in LA as well on google.

What’s next in 2020? We’d love to know what fans can look forward to!

Next up is definitely the next single “Bettah” to be followed by my EP/Album , some collabs with IFENLA artist and a 4th-5th music video for the year with me in it for sure. It’s about to be a flood!