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NORTHVILLE,
Mich. -- Evan Gerish. The Northville,
Mich. native is being compared to Eminem. He is the next rising
star to come out of the Detroit music scene. Gerish was born on
Oct. 14, 1989. He speaks English, Italian and Spanish. His stage
name is Elevan and his debut album, 11-11-11, was released
on that very date.
Describe
what you do...is it more of poetry or rapping?
“Well,
its actually a pretty even blend,” Gerish said in a Facebook
interview. “It will probably be marketed as hip hop, but
there is definitely spoken word influences.”
How are
you similar or different from Eminem?
“There
is always going to be that comparison between any white rapper
and Eminem,” he added. “We’re similar in that
we both are musicians and our specialties are lyrics, but I think
the noticeable similarities end there.”
Who or
what inspired you to get into the music business?
“My
friend and I were getting Taco Bell one day after school and he
had just bought The Cool by Lupe Fiasco,” the new
artist explained. “He was talking about this song ‘Streets
on Fire’ and how it was really about AIDS, but you didn’t
know that until you heard the song like five times and we listened
to it over and over and I kept getting impressed with the amazing
metaphors in the song and I had already started writing poetry.
But after that, I started writing them in a lyrical structure
and it just kind of slowly went from there.”
Can you
give me some highlights of your debut album, 11-11-11?
“It’s
a mixture of songs and poems,” Gerish said. “The first
track is ‘A Million Thoughts’ and it’s in essence,
a freestyle talking about Detroit and the hardships of Detroit.
Then I talk about myself and my mind and the struggles I’ve
gone through, etc. There’s one called ‘Whiskey Sour,’
which is a really chill drinking song. It’s got a great
hook in it. ‘Wake Up’ is another one and it’s
all about nightmares.”
OK. Please
tell me a little about one of the struggles.
“You
kind of have to listen to it,” he responded. “Basically,
I’ve got a million thoughts and I go through a few of them.”
Where
can people pickup your new album?
“It's
on Bandcamp at elevan.bandcamp.com
or on my Facebook page at facebook.com/elevanmusic.”
You mentioned
your girlfriend Macey. Are any of the songs dedicated to her?
“No,
not on this one,” Gerish answered. “There is one about
heartbreak.”
If you
could do a duet with anyone, who would it be?
“I’m
open to doing collabs with anybody,” he added. “I
would LOVE to do something with Skylar Grey.”
What are
some of your upcoming gigs?
“I
don't have any more scheduled in the near future,” the new
artist explained. “But I’m open to them. I can be
contacted at elevanmusic@gmail.com.”
For
more information about Evan Gerish, visit his website at http://elevan.bandcamp.com.
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Evan Gerish, slam poetry artist from Northville, Mich.
