Divinity Roxx

If you find yourself performing for the leader of the free world, you must be doing something right. Unless that leader ends up being Donald Trump, in which case it's some sort of cruel and unusual punishment. Bass guru and funky wordsmith, Divinity Roxx did just that while serving as bassist and musical director to America's royalty, Beyonce. Her latest solo album ImPossible (pronounced I'm Possible) is an uplifting piece of smooth, jazzy funk about overcoming hardships and believing in yourself, even when the odds seem stacked against you. In this interview, we discuss the motivations behind the new album, the lessons she's learned from being surrounded by other world class musicians and what it feels like to play for President Obama.

Hi Divinity, thanks for taking the time to talk today! ImPossible is an inspiring record, full of defiant positivity. Congratulations!

This record moves away from the heavy rock sound of your last record into a smoother, jazz/funk vibe. Was this a conscious decision or did the change come naturally?

I think the change was a natural progression of me growing and learning to explore the different aspects of my creative self and incorporate that into the music I create. I wanted to make an album that really represented who I am in my entirety, not just one part of me and I think this music resulted in the culmination of all of the experiences I'd had since recording the previous album.

Were there any albums that you gravitated towards while you were writing ImPossible?

I'd been writing ImPossible for some years. I think I was listening to a lot of different music during that time. I'd really gotten into the band The internet and appreciated Syd for her honesty. I'd also been listening to Kendrick, 9th Wonder, Anderson Paak when he was Breezy Lovejoy, Robert Glasper, and a bunch of other stuff. But when I really started writing and recording I didn't listen to anything but ImPossible.

Do you tend to write more sitting down by yourself or jamming with the band? Did you collaborate with your live band in the writing process?

Most of the record was written in my alone time. I'd either had a just a bass line and a melody or a full on track with pre-production, drums, synths, arrangements, you know, sketches. I collaborated on the track Break Down These Walls with an amazing producer from Atlanta, Reggie Rock. That was probably the only song that I hadn't come up with on a late night in my room or an early morning when I tend to practice. When we got into the studio, the band had heard most of my sketches. We talked about them and collaborated on making them full-on records. We had a great time recording the album. They brought the songs to life and I still love the subtleties in the playing on this album. Everybody was on one accord and you can feel it in the music. We cut most of it together as a band playing to the track sketches I had made and so you can hear us playing off of each other's ad libs. We had a blast making this album.

There are few bassists who could be a better mentor than Victor Wooten. What are some of the most important lessons that he passed on to you?

Vic is a wealth of information and knowledge. He seems to always be teaching even when he's just chilling. I think one of the most important lessons he taught me, and that he teaches is that.

You've played for enormous crowds all over the world but I can imagine that performing for President Obama would be especially daunting. What was going through your head during the performance?

I couldn't believe it was really happening. I was really nervous. I just kept thinking, wow, he's right there and he's real. It was an unbelievable night for so many reasons. I met him again last year at the White house Press Xmas Party and I asked him for a fist bump instead of the hand shake. That was pretty cool.

Your single, 'We Are' is a moving, inspirational song that insists on optimism, even through hard times. What motivated you to write it?

Part of what motivated me is the times we're in. There's war everywhere. People are afraid. People are angry. The world is a bit chaotic. But still, the only solution is us. We are the problem and the solution. We were born in this tumultuous time and it's no accident that we are here. We are the ones we've been waiting for. We can change things, we can change ourselves but it starts with each of us. My former Poetry Professor June Jordan coined that phrase years ago and it will forever be true.

It's been a heartbreaking week and very difficult year. How important do feel it is to keep your message positive when it feels like there is so much anger in the American consciousness?

Negativity only attracts more negativity. Violence begets more violence. We can clearly see that more than ever. It's really important for me to stay on the positive side of things because it only takes one light to brighten the deepest darkest cave. There are many people who prefer light over dark, we just have to combine our light to push this darkness out that's trying to destroy us. We can't let this be the legacy of human beings.

How has the tour been going? Do you have plans to do a larger tour of North America?

Still working on it. Right now we're doing spot dates.

What projects do you have coming up?

Continuing to write, play more shows, create more content and get some more visuals out there to spread the music and the message. This album is really special. More people should hear it.

Thank you so much for chatting today.