EP to Be Sold Exclusively on JohnForte.com in July, Available In Stores Nationwide in August
First Single, “Play My Cards for Me”
Available as Free MP3!
Private Live Performance Showcase in NYC July 14
Grammy-nominated singer, songwriter and producer John Forté is set to debut StyleFREE the EP, his first collection of new music to be released in eight years. The EP will be made available on John’s new website, johnforte.com on July 14 – exactly nine years from the day he was arrested on charges of drug trafficking – and will be in stores (physical and digital) nationwide in August.
Forté’s undeniable talent as a lyricist and musician, far from diminishing during his incarceration, has grown and matured. His new songs, full of powerful social commentary combined with hope and inspiration, bear witness to the remaking of a man and his struggle to remain free – they are a testament to his spiritual journey and proof that the phoenix can, and will, rise from the ashes.
On StyleFREE the EP Forté delivers an eclectic group of songs, including tracks reminiscent of mixtape culture and throwbacks from Forte’s childhood in Brownsville, Brooklyn, such as the title track, “StyleFREE”. The EP also contains powerful ballads like “More Beautiful Now,“ and the self-affirming “There We Are” – each track being equally honest, poetic and creatively expressed.
Despite having been largely removed from the tech revolution the past 7 years,
Forté has wasted no time embracing new technologies and new business models with regards to his music. He is pre-releasing StyleFREE the EP using Topspin, which will live at johnforte.com and offer a media-rich fan experience, including streaming audio of the entire EP available for everyone to hear beginning July 14.
John Forté is also excited to offer his first single, “Play My Cards for Me” as a free MP3, and encourages music websites, bloggers and fans alike to share the track using a specially designed widget that can be easily posted to any web page.
Best known for producing and co-writing tracks for The Fugees' multi-platinum album The Score, as well as recording two solo albums, PolySci (Columbia; 1998) and I, John (Transparent; 2002), which featured guest appearances by Herbie Hancock, Esthero and Tricky, and included a duet with Carly Simon, Forté dropped several MP3s into the blogosphere, including "Life Has Just Begun (Returning Home)," “Homecoming” (featuring Talib Kweli) and a remake of Kate Bush’s “Running Up That Hill”, all of which can be heard at johnforte.com, shortly upon his return.
In addition to recording, Forté has been writing (he signed a book deal with Simon & Schuster for his memoir), touring (he recently joined fellow artists Talib Kweli, Chrisette Michelle, and Pharoahe Monch on stage as special guests of The Roots at Highline Ballroom, showcased at SXSW, and returned from Ireland having performed with Ben Taylor and David Saw) and is actively working with at-risk youth at In Arms Reach, a Harlem-based initiative for children of incarcerated parents.
If you live in NYC, please join us for a special evening with John Forté
Tuesday, July 14 @ RdV
(409 West 13th Street)
Complimentary cocktails 7-9 pm; Performance at 9 pm
(This event is INVITE ONLY – You must RSVP to attend)
Don’t miss John Forte live this summer!
7/12 Brooklyn, NY Afro-Punk Festival @ BAM
7/16 Alexandria, VA Birchmere, 7:30 PM (w/Robert Cray Band)
7/20 Philadelphia, PA World Cafe Live
7/24 Camden, NJ XPN Festival @ Wiggens Park
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