The Biz With D - Interview with Brian Owens + Ebony Slater

Sitting across the table from singer-songwriter Brian Owens, one might get the feeling of conversing with — as some say — an old soul. There is a calmness and self-assuredness that suggests he’s been here before, even though he is only on the verge of becoming the new voice of American soul. He doesn’t project the harried, fast-paced life of a national recording artist, but rather the soulful energy that dominates his music.

Raised in St. Louis, his music reflects a city infused with blues, soul and funk, resulting in a style that is distinctly his own, yet reminiscent of artists like Marvin Gaye, Al Green,and Otis Redding, who laid the foundation for Grammy Award winning, R&B soul artists like D’Angelo, Maxwell and Raphael Saadiq. Now, joining that class is Brian Owens. “I want to be my own voice, but in a way that’s familiar to people,” Owens says. “So I welcome the comparisons because it means that people take comfort in my influences. 

As one of the lead singers of Sidewinder, the Air Force band that became a YouTube web sensation with more than 2.5 million views and swept up a flurry of media attention for their version of soul-pop singer, Adele’s “Rolling In The Deep,” Brian has been featured on national television shows like The Ellen DeGeneres Show and Entertainment Tonight.