Butterfly Ali - Interview & Pray For 'Em (Official Video)

Having already made a name for himself as a renowned actor after appearing in recurring roles for hit TV shows such as Pretty Little Liars, The Rookie and Glee, vocalist and songwriter Titus Makin aka Butterfly Ali has also been making an impression on the music scene of late with his singles ‘Rose’, ‘Righteous’, and his current single '5 Minutes'.

The follow up single is Pray For 'Em which which drops today (Oct 28th). Pray For 'Em was produced by Sam Barsh (who has produced for Kendrick Lamar, Logic, Anderson .Paak and Aloe Blacc).

Wordplay Magazine sat down with Butterfly Ali to talk about his new single.

WP: I wanted to start by saying, I'm a huge fan of not just yourself but your TV show, The Rookie. I found the show last year, and I’ve watched both seasons and loved it.  I heard there was a third season being produced, so I'm guessing you guys are recording it right now.

BA: Ahhh, thank you man, I really appreciate that. Yeah, yeah, we're filming right now.

WP: Awesome, It can't come soon enough man, I love it.

BA: Thank you very much. I appreciate you for watching it.

WP: About 10 days ago that was when I heard your track “Five Minutes”, I listened to it and was like, damn, this is super funky, I like this a lot. And then, obviously, as I dug a little deeper, I realised that you were Jackson West from The Rookie, haha.

BA: Haha, yeah, same guy.

WP: I guess when you see somebody acting, you kind of think that's how they're going to be in real life. And your character is very clean cut and the persona of Butterfly Ali is more like “let's party and have a great time”.  But I really vibed off it man, I've really enjoyed all the music.

BA: Yeah, honestly that's a lot of the reason why I was releasing music a few years back I was releasing it under Titus Makin, my given name. But, yeah, it makes sense why Donald Glover and Childish Gambino do it like that, because some people can't separate the two worlds. And for some people they're just like, when you hear Titus Makin, they expect to see Jackson West. Expect to see, like, my characters from Glee or Pretty Little Liars, I've always played very straight laced characters because, in a nutshell, when the industry meets a black dude who speaks well, they typically get cast to some kind of military or cop role, you know what I mean? So I was playing those type of characters, but it's so opposite from my actual personality which is funny to me but, you know, whatever.

WP: So I think it's really important for us to champion, I want to say new artists, Butterfly Ali is kind of new in the sense of we're still waiting on an album, hint, hint, or an EP? So I think it's important that we really get in touch with these artists and find out what makes them tick you know so I wanted to jump off with you, and ask, where it all began. What sparked your love for music?

BA: So, honestly, I was raised in a household of all gospel oldies blues and jazz, so I was the kid that was never allowed to listen to, quote unquote sexual music, at the time, which didn't make sense because all the oldies I used to tell my parents, all the time I was like dad you realise Marvin Gaye is singing about sex, haha.

And he was just like yeah but just listen to the way it sounds, just listen to the sound and the quality of the music. So I grew up with, soul, funk, gospel, all those things. And on top of that, I was, and still am a preacher's kid, so it was rooted in me. And we're from the south. So, it's just part of who I am, you know have those soul, funk, blues roots. And as I got older, I literally just kept with that like I tried doing other genres, went through all the phases of being more pop, R&B being more, from Chris Brown to Neo I tried it all. And the only thing that felt organic to me was this lane that I finally found, which I knew always knew was there but I allowed myself to tap into, and it was the soul, funk world so that's kind of how I landed here.

WP: Well, I mean, thank you for landing, as I said so far, everything I've heard I've really enjoyed man. I have been smashing your stuff on Spotify the last week.

BA: Spotify is the hardest thing. I'm like bro get me on a frickin’ playlist How do people be doing this?

WP: It's funny you mention that, I don't know if you've had a chance to check out what it is exactly that we do at Wordplay Magazine, but every two weeks we update our, On Rotation Spotify playlist. And we would really love to put Five Minutes on there but also your new track as well once it drops, obviously, if that's cool with you man?

BA: Errr yeah, pretty sure I'm definitely fine with that, haha.

WP: Who are some artists that have influenced you and that you'd like to work with in the future?

BA: Literally, for me right now. I mean I keep a list of artists on my phone, but I'll do my top five. I literally wrote these down so if anybody ever asked me, if my management ever asked, “Hey, you wanna collab want me to try pitch a collab with anybody?” I'll send them the list. Anderson .Pack I know for a fact, there's this artist named Samm Henshaw that I would love to work with. And there's an artist named Yuna, who I'm obsessed with and would love to work with. And, yeah, let me see. I've always wanted a feature with Andre 3000, that would be amazing. Oh, and one of my top favourite artists, two more sorry, have always been Pharrell and Cee Lo. I love that left of centre, type R&B world where it's like it's a little more eclectic and funky. And Chance the Rapper, sorry that’s too many.

WP: Your new single is called ‘Pray For ‘Em’ which is out at the end of the month. I've been lucky enough to listen to it already and watch the video. And it’s really great. I know that in the video you've got a lot of your family members involved in it, is that correct? Was that just to get your family involved or is there a particular reason behind it?

BA: Yeah there was a reason for that. I did it like that because of the kind of matriarch of it all, I wanted it to be the song in general, it has way more meaning. It's based around the climate that we're in, the racial climate. You know, we've always been in but it's more so showing its face and rearing its horns right now. So again, I didn't know what to say. So I was like, No, let me just write a song because people were asking me are you gonna post about it or make a little video about it on Instagram or something. And I was like, I feel like there's just so many videos about how everybody thinks something and it's fine but let me just make more of a call to action so I just made the song and I wanted to create a visual, and it's really just showing all the different phases. The reason I wanted my family in the video, is one for my own personal memory book, because I was like that is a beautiful moment to have us in our African greatness, just sitting there confidently with each other unified. Yeah, so there was that purpose also to show the beauty of black faces like they're all different. But they're all beautiful and we're sitting there, peacefully. So, pretty much we're all sitting in a space in a meditation posture, and we're all sitting peacefully with each other and the cameras punching in on our faces.  Anyway, the point is, I just wanted to show black people unify and show the strength that we could have in a peaceful way to make change.

WP: That's awesome, obviously it's a powerful and an emotional song so that makes perfect sense.

BA: The term pray for em’. The reason it's titled that and I say it so much in the song and in the chorus is because the overall takeaway is that when you've done all you can you just stand and all you can do is pray for the world and pray for healing. It's like we can use our voice to do as much as we can, but for me personally, the most powerful thing would be prayer.

WP: You have released a few singles this year. So the question on everybody's lips, is there a Butterfly Ali album or an EP on the horizon?

BA: Yeah, I think it's not something we're actually aiming for. The objective was really to start just building this name, getting people familiar with my sound and this new artist's name I've released. So that's honestly been the main focus but realistically, I mean I've been pumping out so many songs that it would only make sense that I would, you know, drop an album, I mean I definitely already have enough to do an album it's just gonna be a matter whether to actually release some of those songs or scrap them, since I'm so long winded, the answer is yes, yes, definitely sometime in 2021.

WP: Shall we say, watch this space then? 

BA: Say What?

WP: Can we say watch this space with regards to an album or EP from you?

BA: What does that mean?

WP: It’s a British saying, watch this space, it means, I will fill this space at some point so make sure you watch it, haha.

BA: Haha, That is definitely a British thing.

WP: I don't know if I explained it very well but that's what your getting!

BA: Haha, That's pretty much it, just stay on the lookout. But yeah 2021 definitely an EP or an album in 2021.

WP: I look forward to it man definitely, as I'm sure all of your fans will as well. What is your proudest moment to date as an artist? Now if you want to answer this just as an actor or just as a musician, then that's cool or if you want to do both, go for it.

BA: I'm gonna do both, because, well, I do both and I've had proud moments on both sides. My proudest on the acting side has definitely been, I honestly wouldn't say a specific job, it would be more the perseverance and wherewithal I've had throughout my journey in the business because I've definitely wanted to quit, multiple times, maybe once or twice a year. And it's one of those things where it keeps showing up and it keeps kind of showing me that the struggle is worth it like something new will pop up and I'm like, Okay, well I'm happy I didn't quit because. Geez. I wouldn't have been able to partake in that. On my acting and music side is my perseverance of the fact that I'm sticking with it, and seeing how it goes. But honestly, more so on the music side it's the fact that I found the confidence to release a sound that was organic to me, because I've had so many people try to cater that sound I've had different management at different times and you get stuck in finding that sound, and I finally stepped back and was like you know what screw them. What's organic to me, is, I know I like it. Yeah and I've always looked super young, so I've always tried to throw me in a very Chris Brown route, which is fine, I appreciate Chris Brown, it's just not me. And I was like I know I look young. I know all this stuff that y'all want to believe, but this is music that's most organic to me and I finally found the confidence to stick with that for myself.

WP: The name Butterfly Ali, is it anything to do with Muhammad Ali or am I way off?

BA: No, you're spot on. The short story is that I wrote a song called Butterfly Ali. Just before I changed my name, and in the song that I haven't released, in the chorus, there's a part where the background vocals go “flow like a butterfly, sting like a bee”, and it's obviously a  Muhammad Ali quote. And I was like, I named the song and talk about being a butterfly, and I just fly in free in the chorus, in a very Lenny Kravitz way, and then we call it Muhammad Ali then came to Butterfly Ali, and then I sat down like that and I was like, honestly, that name, quite truthfully depicts the energy of my music, I was like, I feel I'm finally flying free and don't mistake the beauty, or my personality as weakness is like I'm still a strong fighter, like Butterfly Ali, the best of both worlds.

WP: Do you have any advice for any of our readers who might be trying to play this mad game of music?

BA: Oh yeah. Well, it kind of goes back to what I was saying before about perseverance and finding yourself like just being confident to be confident in who you are, what you have to offer, and being confident in your voice. Like, that's a huge hold up for a lot of singers. A lot of people don't feel like their voice quality, literally their singing voice or rapping voice or whatever is good enough because it doesn't sound like who they've heard or what they've heard, and it's like you very well may be that new voice that somebody else can identify with so when people are like yeah but you know I'm not like a belter, I can't do runs or I can't do whatever, you need to believe in yourself. Just make your music. You know what I mean: make your music in the sound and the message you want to have, and surprisingly enough you might have some people relate to you out there.

WP: Are there any artists on your radar at the moment that you feel that we should check out?

BA: Yeah, some of them are already people that I’m sure you already know about, but some of my recent people that I've found that I was like, they're really cool and please forgive me if I'm behind, but there was an artist named ‘Bank’, have you heard of this person?

The song that I really like is called simmer, anyways, Bank, Moses Sumney, the song that I would suggest you listen to is called “lonely world”.

WP: What albums have you got on heavy rotation on your Spotify playlist at the moment?

BA: Let me look. Okay, so this is what's tricky about me I also buy everybody's music so I typically will play. I'll download it off of iTunes, and I'll play random songs on my Spotify but it says that my favourite artists on Spotify right now are Chloe and Halle. Do you know who those two girls are? They're the two girls that when Beyonce started her record label and Beyonce signed them. Chloe and Halle, they've been killing it. They just had a remix, they have a song called do it. And it’s them featuring Dougie cat, and some other people. They do a lot of dope harmonies, these two young black girls from Georgia, and Yuna are my two favourite artists and of course Chance the Rapper.

WP: What do you like to do when you're not making music or acting?

BA: Um, quite honestly, I feel like people want me to say something cool, but I love watching TV. I am quick to sit down and watch and catch up on a show of mine, and my current show right now that I'm obsessed with is a HBO show called Lovecraft country.

WP: Can you name three things that you can't live without when you're in the studio?

BA: Well a bottle of water, candles, I’m that boojee person I love candles it just makes me feel vibey when I'm singing it gives me a good vibe. And let me see that I can't live without. I really need them at the studio. It's just kind of a boring answer but it's true, warm temperature. I prefer it not to be cold, if the air is blowing, I feel like it tightens me up. I like to be warm, obviously the engineers aren't the biggest fan. So yeah, warmth, water and candles.

WP: It’s been an absolute pleasure chatting to you, thank you for making time in your schedule to chat with me.

BA: Thank you for watching the show and listening to my music, and thank you for the interview, I’ve had quite the good time myself.

WP: I hope you have massive success with everything and I’d love to chat again and catch up next year when the album drops.

BA: Absolutely man, let’s make it happen.

Words - Ed Lindsay