Under the Influence: Lexy Lopes | Features | MN2S

Multilingual, multi-genre artist Lexy Lopes talks us through the songs that influenced her sound and style.

British-Portuguese singer and rapper Lexy Lopes made waves worldwide with her single ‘#YCCTSB’ (‘You Can’t Cut These Shapes Better’). She embraces house, garage, pop and rap in her compositions, so her influences are unsurprisingly broad-ranging, but rooted in the urban sounds she holds dear. Here’s what she had to say about five of her favourite songs.

 

Robin S – Show Me Love [Big Beat, 1993]

 

Let me start with a time where men didn’t wear skinny jeans and being in the biggest clothes and bare face was cool. I absolutely love this era of music. Dance, house, R&B and hip hop collided and legends like Eiffel 65, Stardust, Corona, Phats & Small, Wamdue Project, Armand Van Helden, Livin’ Joy, Daft Punk, Modjo and Haddaway were in their prime. It is an age of non-stop hits and timeless music. I’m so glad I got absorbed and was a part of that rawness of powerful voices growing up. The sounds of this time were and still are enchanting and you would just want to move as soon as the hit dropped in clubs, family parties and festive holidays. What would my music be without this strong foundation of influential music? Nothing.

Lauryn Hill – Doo-Wop (That Thing) [Ruffhouse Records, 1998]

 

My influences would never be complete without the Grammy-awarded empress who has a lot of knowledge that she brings to her music. I literally play this song every day before I do anything. I love this song. In my interpretation, it is almost a warning to the industry I want to go into because I’m so deeply in love with music. I love the soulful, hip hop and R&B nature of the sounds. It’s just a song that I feel in my energy.

Through many of Lauryn Hill’s songs, I learnt value, worth and what it means to be a woman. I rinsed Miseducation. A rich album not because of its success but because of the messages encoded so deeply and perfectly to her audience. She was the first female artist to win five Grammy awards, and the first hip hop artist to win in the major categories. She is also connected to groups and many other artists/groups who I adore like the Fugees, Wyclef Jean, John Legend, Aretha Franklin, Kanye West, Mary J Blige and many more.

Sticky feat. Ms. Dynamite – Booo! [FFRR, 2001]

 

GARAGE! Do I even need to say more? The excitement and crazy vibe I experience when this song drops in the clubs or in a car is mad. I start doing the craziest of any two finger moves I can think of, lol. This sound is classed as a subgenre of music, but for me garage is raw UK music.

In my opinion Ms Dynamite demolished every track she did whether it was garage or hip hop/R&B vibes from songs like ‘It Takes More.’ Natural High and Unbreakable are excellent albums for me. They were literally on repeat when I first got them and then I naturally selected those timeless tracks from my perspective. I think I also have a passion for education and knowledge because Ms. Dynamite also projected a lot of empowerment into her songs. We can’t forget her amazing intellectual brother Akala who uses music to make a change instead of just claiming to make one.

2pac feat. Talent – Changes [Jive, 1998]

 

I don’t even know where to start with this paragraph. I just get lost in message, music, rap, hip hop, activism and controversy. This song is so timeless not only with its sound but with its message and with the issue of the very society we live in today. 2pac was definitely one of my favorite rappers and linked to many other artists that I found amazing and equally inspiring. The hip-hop culture is definitely an awakening one and on a regular day this is what you would catch me listening to. This is where I began so I guess I could call it home.

Michael Jackson – Black or White [Epic, 1991]

 

I had to save the best to last. I love Michael Jackson for many reasons. From a very young age, as early as the Jackson Five, I was infatuated with his dance moves, his voice and his music. His presence on stage was unmatchable for me. I was completely obsessed with getting the moon walk right. I probably still can’t do it properly but he is an artist that I hold dearly to my heart. His music would get me through things and even help me understand things.

Michael Jackson suffered many media attacks but he rose above most of them until who ever he had been singing about and sending messages to us got to him. I hope I can be legendary like this man and rise above everything just like he did. I hope I can bring the world together and have a moment where there are no psychological lines of cultures, races and many other factors and have people sing or dance to my songs the way a loyal audience did for him.

Read more Under the Influence features here:

Under the Influence: Coco Cole

Under the Influence: Boogie Vice

Under the Influence: Kelli-Leigh

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