Nadir Omowale

Made In Michigan.

Nadir is an award winning Funk and Soul musician with one heck of a live show. He's a champion for the entertainment industry, and the best part is, he calls Detroit home. Learn more in our Q&A with Nadir.

CW50: How are you feeling today?

Nadir Omowale: I'm feeling pretty good, despite the fact that my wife's car got broken into yesterday. It's kinda weird too because it's out in the country at her job. It's seems like the economy is causing people to do things you necessarily wouldn't expect.

CW50: I'm sorry to hear that. If you had to look for a bright spot … ?

Nadir: Well I just won two Detroit Music Awards. That's cool.

CW50: Absolutely! I see that "Workin' For The Man" was named Outstanding Urban/Funk/Hip Hop Recording, and you were honored as Outstanding Urban/Funk Vocalist. That's awesome! How did you get started in music?

Nadir: I come from a musical family and so there was always music around the house. There's a family legend that at 18 months old I was seen out in the yard using a stick as a guitar singing na, na, na, na, na, na, naa! (to the tune of The Beatles, "Hey Jude").

At the age of 14 I got serious about music and steered myself in that direction. I went to Middle Tennessee State and got my degree in Recording Industry Management. I worked in Tennessee for several years before moving to Detroit.

CW50: What's your local venue of choice?

Nadir: I enjoy playing at Memphis Smoke in Royal Oak. Neil Sever, the sound guy there, does a brilliant job of pulling everything together.

CW50: What do you do when you're not focused on your music?

Nadir: I like to read and play Scrabble with my wife.

CW50: Which of your accomplishments are you most proud of?

Nadir: Staying married for ten years. It can be trying being married to a musician.

CW50: Why did you choose to move to Detroit from Tennessee?

Nadir: Tennessee didn't have very many commercial avenues for funk or soul musicians. Detroit allowed me to flourish and do what I do.

CW50: What's unique about writing music in Detroit or Michigan?

Nadir: One of the reasons that the music of Detroit is so real and honest has to do with the people here and the spirit of what people are going through. There's a gritty earthiness that permeates this area. There are real human stories and emotions here and it shows in the innovation of the music that comes out of Detroit.

CW50: What advice might you give to a musician looking to take their career to the next level here?

Nadir: The music business is changing so much right now, but there are two things that are absolutely critical. The first thing is really developing a live show and understanding the difference between just playing your music and entertaining people. You can be real and speak about human emotions, but what made Motown groups so popular is because they took those emotions and made it entertaining. The other part is taking advantage of the internet. You don't have to be the local artist anymore. We all have the potential to be global. Be rooted in your local community, but then export that to other cultures and let it be appreciated in those other places.

CW50: Can you tell me one or two keys things men and women of Detroit can do to help our city be what we know it can be?

Nadir: The first thing is pick up the garbage. It seems like there is pride in the city, but it's almost a begrudging pride. We show pride outwardly, but not in the way we elect our officials or the way we treat each other and the city itself. We need to be introspective and look at what we have to offer. The rest of the world appreciates it, but we take it for granted.

CW50: What can music do to help reinvent Detroit? Culturally or economically?

Nadir: The City of Detroit is forming an entertainment commission. I've been appointed to it and that's one of the aspects that we're going to look at. One of the questions I asked was why can't the Hitsville Museum area be something similar to Branson, Missouri. Where you go down the street and you've got theaters where people are playing Motown or Detroit music in general. One example of many is that people in Japan are losing their minds over Detroit techno, but we aren't taking advantage of that to draw people into the city. We found that cities with entertainment commissions like New Orleans, New York and Nashville see more revenue from those sources.

CW50: That sounds like exactly what Detroit needs. Check out links at the end of this article for more info on the Entertainment Commission.

CW50: I noticed that you covered Michigan for MTV's Choose or Lose campaign 08. Can you tell us a little about that?

Nadir: 51 correspondents were selected to cover the elections. It gave me a new appreciation for the people of Michigan and the diversity of ideas that are here. There's a very conservative streak and a very liberal streak here and that plays out in some of the tensions that we have here. Also, I got to cover the Republican National Convention and got tear gassed for the first time. They say you can't be a decent activist if you haven't been tear gassed.

CW50: What do you want people to take away from your music?

Nadir: First off, I want people to enjoy it and to have a good time and to dance. Hopefully it also makes them think a little bit. I write music where you don't have to think, you can dance and not listen to the lyrics, but if you do you'll notice that I talk a little bit about politics and social issues. My music is not just about money, partying and women … although I guess my wife says that I write about politics … or women, but I say what else is there to write about?

CW50: Is there anything else the CW50 audience needs to know about Nadir?

Nadir: Visit distortedsoul.com

More info on the Detroit Entertainment Commission on distortedsoul.com.

* Koozhava is a supergroup that plays world music and they get together on Tuesday nights at Black Lotus Brewing Co. in Clawson, Mich.

* My Sisters and Me is a soulfood restaurant located at 17410 E. Warren, Detroit, MI, 48224 (313) 371-6702

* The 1440 Collective Studio is Detroit's Creative Incubator and Nadir's favorite hangout.

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