HOODIE ALLEN AT THE PEORIA CIVIC CENTER THEATER
6:30PM DOORS * 7:30PM SHOW * ALL AGES
TICKETS ARE $27 IN ADVANCE, $30 DAY OF SHOW
ON SALE THIS FRIDAY AT 10AM!
TICKETS WILL BE AVAILABLE AT THE PEORIA CIVIC CENTER BOX OFFICE, ONLINE AT TICKETMASTER.COM OR CHARGE BY PHONE AT 1-800-745-3000.
Hoodie Allen gives everybody something to chat about on his full-length debut, People Keep Talking. The fourteen songs bob and weave between technically tight bars, old school soul panache, a jazz-y swing, and undeniable pop appeal. It’s the same intoxicating musical concoction that solidified the New York MC as an independent sensation when he first formally arrived in 2009. Without a label or management, his 2012 EP All American landed in the Top 10 of Billboard’s Top 200, eventually moving over 100,000 units. In addition to sold out worldwide tours of his own, Hoodie’s also played shows alongside everybody from Passion Pit to Macklemore. Now, he’s poised to be a topic of conversation for a long time to come with People Keep Talking. “On some level, the album is a commentary on the fact that there’s always going to be constant noise and communication in the world we live in,” Hoodie explains. “Especially being a musician, you get instant feedback on social media. Staying true to that same idea, I wanted to send out the message that you should do what makes you happy and follow what you’re passionate about regardless of whether or not other people support you. Regardless if you’re loved or hated, do what you do and be true to yourself.”
That mentality fueled the creative process behind the album. Nodding to many diverse influences, Hoodie aimed to sharpen his signature sound. “I wanted to build a style rooted in hip-hop, pop, and soul that combined everything I loved,” he elaborates. “The flow and wordplay are as important as the hooks are. I aimed for the album to be cohesive in terms of the sound and story. The songs contribute to the narrative, but they can stand on their own as well.” The first single “All About It” [featuring Ed Sheeran] slides between a funk guitar twang and trumpet bounce. Hoodie’s flow comes to life as he and Sheeran trade slick, sly, and smart verses just before an unforgettable refrain. “That was a late night in the studio,” he recalls. “Ed had just played MetLife Stadium with Taylor Swift, and we were hanging out right after. Lyrically, it’s about acknowledging where you come from and watching nothing grow into something. There’s a young, carefree, throwback attitude. You have fun with how life has evolved, but you don’t take it for granted.”
Elsewhere on the record, jazz spirit projects onto “Movie” as Hoodie paints the picture of the perfect romance—complete with clever bars referencing True Detective, Billy Madison, and more. “This relationship is so good it feels better than real life: it feels like a movie,” he goes on. “I tried to carefully weave in all of these allusions and pop culture references for an interesting narrative.” At the same time, he offers up the ultimate (anti) coming-of-age narrative in the anthemic “Act My Age”. “It’s meant to be fun, but it’s also a commentary on being in your mid-to early twenties in New York and not knowing when to grow up,” he says. How many people can boast graduating an Ivy League college, University of Pennsylvania in Hoodie’s case, and working at Google? Not many. Each of these experiences impacted and influenced his perception, further fostering his own indie enterprise. “I never expected to get to where I am,” he smiles. “Doing things independently means you have to be incredibly driven and strong willed. To this day, I still just take things step-by-step and do what feels right to me. That plays to an entrepreneurial background, which I love. I lived a double life at Google. I had a real world job, but I had my outside ambition. Everything contributes though. Working on the marketing and business of music myself, it’s like my own company and brand.” In the end, he’s delivering something fans can live with. Hoodie concludes, “I wanted to give people something to escape to—that can be the perfect soundtrack to anything they go through on a daily basis. When a record connects to a part of someone else’s life, what more can you ask for?”
http://hoodieallen.com/
