Juggling is not just an entertaining show of coordination. To Armél — it's daily life. With both hands full of projects, and still others suspended in the air, he's still managing to keep his eyes on the sky. This 21-year-old singer/songwriter/producer/
engineer/entrepreneur (there are other applicable labels for Armél, but, you know, it could get overwhelming) is finally ready for the spotlight.
"I had to make sure that when I came out, people could say, 'Yo, who did that track? That track is hot!'"
He laughs uproariously, but he's not even close to kidding.
"I'm happy to say that at this point, now, I'm ready to come out of the dungeon, if you will. It's time. I wear a lot of different hats," Armél says, "singer, writer, producer — and I can get equal amount of credit."
Life has offered many opportunities to the ambitious Armél (whose name means "prince" in French, ladies). He continues to try to seize them all. He had to turn down basketball scholarship offers in high school. He was once a European Ambassador to the U.S. He's landed several small acting roles in television (The District) and movies (most recently, National Lampoon's Van Wilder) with surprising ease. Through it all, though, music remains where his true passion lies.
"I can't really pick one favorite part [about making music]," he says, "there's so many aspects that I'm attracted to."
Despite his young age, Armél already has a resume that makes most significant musicians in the industry turn their ears to check him out. He's collaborated with David Foster, Beyoncé, Ja Rule and many others. He's currently the founder and CEO of Elite City Entertainment, but also uses his own creativity to write songs; uses some of his own studios to record; and uses his own engineering skills to produce final, polished R&B tracks. Acting as all these roles has enabled him to be massively prolific.
"I haven't had to rely on anybody else. With that aspect involved," he says, "I've been able to knock out an archive of over 100 songs."
Out of this massive pool, he's selected the catchiest and smoothest to be featured on his debut album, Love 101.
"I'm excited about it," Armél says. "I have this feeling inside. It's this feeling of confirmation; this validity, that I can't describe."
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