Hip hop, pop, R&B and electronica converge to form i SQUARE, whose debut single “Hey Sexy Lady” is the perfect party track, holding steady on the Billboard Dance/Club Play chart and showing the shape of pop music to come.
i SQUARE, comprised of Mike J, Destiny, Briddy and 10Beats, formed by chance in 2009 at Babyface’s Brandon Way studios. The group had explosive chemistry right off the bat, and charmed Sean “Diddy” Combs – now an executive producer on their forthcoming debut album – with their first performance. Says Mike J, “Diddy is seriously like our big brother. We can call on him for anything, and we always go to him for advice. He gives us a perspective that is invaluable.”
The i SQUARE philosophy starts with a distinct sound, and that sound can incorporate anything from the four distinct personalities that make up the group. Destiny, a space-age femme fatale with a larger-than-life style, explains, “‘Hey Sexy Lady’” introduces the world to each of us. Mike J’s a balladeer. 10Beats gets people hyped with super sexy rhymes. Briddy’s amped all the time, and his energy is contagious. I do the ethereal singing. It’s our duty not to half step. We’re about to smash the stage.”
Get a taste of what this boundary-bending group is all about at isquareonline.com, where fans can get all the latest updates from the band and see out the “Hey Sexy Lady” Skrillex Remix video, which cuts together clips from the original music video and behind-the-scenes footage from the shoot. The Skrillex track can be found on the Hey Sexy Lady Remixes EP, which features four other cuts by Afrojack, Laidback Luke, and more and is available now on iTunes.
Recently, I had the chance to ask Destiny from iSquare about things such as who they’d love to work with, their music, and their goals. You can read about that below.
When did you first realize you had an interest in music and what sparked that interest?
I realized I first had an interest in music when I was very young, about 2, because once my mother introduced me to Michael Jackson it was a wrap. All i ever did was mimic him. He was the epitome of what I wanted to be as a performer. You can even see now as an adult that I tend to frown up when I perform the way he did. people tease me about it but I can’t help it.
Do you find it easy to sing and perform?
Well performing does come naturally, my parents always said I was a ham! Lol… I would perform in front of anyone. My parents are very talented as well so entertaining came naturally to me.
Besides music, what are some of your favorite things to do?
Besides music some of my favorite things are books. I absolutely love books – learning about the world’s REAL history and not what they feed us just gets my blood flowing. I have thousands of dollars of rare books, my babies lol. Oh and I am a writer as well. I have written a few sci-fi feature films that I plan on having become comic books! I have incorporated some of the things I’ve learned along the way for a bit of a twist with history.
If you had the chance to work or record with anyone, who would you choose?
If MJ was still alive he’d be my first choice of course. But right now I’d have to say Lady Gaga, Janelle Monae, even Willow Smith, that cutie patootie!
How would you describe the sound of your music?
We would describe our sound as a pot of gumbo. pop, electronica, dub step, hip hop, RnB, disco, and alternative. We are so individually unique and listen to so many different types of music as well so we are inspired by different people. We just tried to stay true to what makes us inspired on a record, and it usually is a track with a variety of elements involved.
How do you feel that you’re different from other artists in your genre?
We are different I guess in the way that we really don’t have a genre home, and that’s been the debate since the beginning of us being signed. And I believe its the best way to be because it doesn’t box you into a category which is what we represent with our name Square. We want to be the box, not be put in one.
What are some of your short-term and long-term goals you have lined out for yourself?
Short term and long term goals are encompassed in the same mission, which is to go all the way and explore and conquer every avenue available to us as a group, as well as inspire the world. I really want to touch the hearts of people in a way that I was never able to before, and be transparent as person and let them touch my heart as well.
What are your upcoming plans for promoting your music?
Well we are currently on our promo tour, so thats awesome. It’s been nothing but a blessing. Our record is taking off at lightning speed and is being well received, so it’s just attempting to hit every state and venue right now. And what is also great is that we will do a show at one place and then people are so shocked by our performance that more and more dates are coming in. I guess people didn’t know what to expect but now that they’ve seen us they love it!
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Images Via: Pop Generation
