RNGLDR: The UK has quickly become the most influential market for neo-soul and modern funk / jazz adaptations to take root. For you, as a young UK soul artist, can you speak a little bit on the scene and what it is about it that makes it such fertile ground for music at large?

Parvenu: I think one of the beautiful things about living in the UK, the major cities and London in particular, is that it has such a worldly feel; it's an amazingly diverse city, with cultural influences from all over the world. This also spills into the music being made here. We have this sort of melting pot, whereby you have so many different cultural, social, and economical groups merging, that this is also mirrored in the music being made, genre wise, lyrical content wise etc. I believe that's why the music scene is the way it currently is in the UK. As for soul music specifically, that's culture and heritage.

RNGLDR: In terms of your own sound, it seems as though you’re inspired by a wide range of music and thus have become a conglomerate of a lot of different influences. Who are some of your biggest influences that grant us some insight into who you are as an artist today?

Parvenu: Man, I feel like music, is a feeling and a language of its own.. So when you're talking influences, you can attribute what you do to the many artists who came before you who inspired you, as much you can to your day to day experiences - how people made you feel, what you've been through, what you've seen etc. Genre wise, my dad played everything from Paul Simon, to Toots and the Maytals, to Bob Marley, to Stevie Wonder, James Brown, The Temptations, Aretha, Fela Kuti etc...I'm influenced by all of these guys. I took a personal liking to the Fugees of this world, the Lauryn Hills of this world, the Amy Winehouses, and I grew up singing in a Gospel Choir; so you may hear some of these influences in an Alex Parvenu record. I'm also a 90's kid, so anything that was popular in the 90's, most definitely influenced me too.

RNGLDR: In particular, there seems to be a vibrant Motown influence in your sound where the lighter side of soul music blends with a lot of instrumentalism and pristine vocalism. What kind of effect has the Motown era had on you?

Parvenu: I believe Motown got it right. There was a real musical sensibility and a real pop sensibility...coexisting - a great balance. Some argue that's what most popular music today lacks... a great sense of musical sensibility. I love the Motown era, the harmonies, the lyrical content, the musicianship, even the fashion. 

RNGLDR: Let's talk about your debut, It Wasn't Me and its music video. It displays and acknowledges a lot of artists past and present. What was the thought process on the characters included in the video? Which of them are inspirational to your music and the track specifically?

Parvenu: I would probably have to do an entire interview to really break down the entire animation video, as there's lots going on in there - more than meets the eye. In the stage performance elements of the video, I pay homage to James Brown, The Temptations, and Carlos Santana to name a few.

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RNGLDR: The video is one of the more fun-loving animated shorts that we can think of. What was the inspiration behind the video?

Parvenu: You know what, outwardly, I probably come across as quite a serious individual; people are always telling me I need to smile more. But at heart, I'm a big kid. I love to laugh, so you know, there's always going to be a bit of humour in whatever I do. After story boarding for the video, I knew the best way to bring it to life was to do an animation, so we spoke to a few animators and the rest is history.