Image courtesy of 2Rs Entertainment & Media PR
If you haven’t notice, vintage is all the rage in fashion. From collections that conjure up images from the disco era—lots of glam and glitter—to collections that are find new ways to interpret 80s street style. It’s all good because in fashion, everything old can be new again.
The same applies to music. There is nothing new under the sun, as was so eloquently put in Ecclesiastes. For music, it is not always about creating something new, but how you put familiar musical elements together in ways not experienced before.
Day Kornegay is one such artist, an artist that combines the familiar together in ways that will keep music lovers humming his tune but also in ways that advance music genres. As his debut five-song forthcoming album can attest, Day’s done his homework while developing a sound that’s fresh, vibrant, and accessible. Day himself refers to it as “Urban Intellectual.” “I can be edgy, but in a subtle way,” he says.
And with the late summer release of “Automatic,” Day has scored a top 40 R&B hit and is on his way. Day Kornegay took time from his very busy schedule to speak to Fashion Reverie about “Automatic,” his love of music and how he is bringing back that late 80s/early 90s ‘New Jack Swing’ style.
Image courtesy of 2Rs Entertainment & Media PR
FR: What is your musical background?
Day Kornegay: I grew up in Brooklyn and raised in the church. My parents have decent voices and they had in my church. I got the musical bug singing in the choir. I went to high school at Music and Art or as it is better known as LaGuardia High School, the famous school from the 1980s iconic film “Fame.”
FR: What is your musical training?
Day Kornegay: At LaGuardia the curriculum is very serious. You spend half of the day training in your art. You learn orchestral composition, all the Italian, German, and French classical artist. You really get your music foundation at LaGuardia.
You literally have a full arts curriculum and that doesn’t include your academic classes. It like going to high school for music.
FR: After college, you became a backup singer/vocalist.
Day Kornegay: That’s correct. For a long time, I toured for Atlantic Records that would pair me with different artists. I graced the stage with Stevie Wonder, Alicia Keys, Erykah Badu, Common, J.P. Taylor from Kool and the Gang, and other great artists.
Image courtesy of 2Rs Entertainment & Media PR
FR: What were the motivations behind you breaking out and becoming a solo artist?
Day Kornegay: I really love music and I believe music can change the world. Music can transform people. There are folks who cannot speak a word of English but know all the lyrics to Michael Jackson songs. It is the closest thing we have to a love emotion, and people get energy from music.
Being a vocal musician is my way of sharing love with people. I love seeing people happy. That is my gift and that is how I share love with people.
FR: What do you prefer and why, singing/performing or songwriting?
Day Kornegay: As a performer you literally get to touch people with your music. You can see from performing on stage how your music can change, transform, and bring up all kinds of emotions in the audience.
With songwriting you get to consider how your words and music can affect people. Songwriting is more long term. Hopefully, people will hear your work again and again, and get to process it. Singing is in the moment. It is hard to choose between the two. They are both equally gratifying.
“Automatic” image courtesy of vimeo.com
FR: Let’s talk about your top 40 hit, “Automatic,” that was released at the end of August. Your sound harkens back to late 1980s R&B crooners—Bobby Brown, Keith Sweat, Alexander O’Neal. How did “Automatic” come to be and be infused with that 80s/90s R&B sound?
Day Kornegay: The 1990s is where I started to form by thoughts and opinions about music. That was a huge influence on me. I love all eras of music. However, the 90s was special; there were so many talented artists. There was such a creation of new sounds; sounds that we hadn’t exactly heard before.
Think about it, look where hip hop went in the 90s; it exploded. Then, there was ‘New Jack Swing’ and Teddy Riley. My mom was a huge Keith Sweat, and Guy fan. She played their music continuously. So, that sound was drummed into my head.
We now have artists that are tapping into that 90s R&B/hip hop sound. Bruno touches on; Lizzo has her take on it. Still, there is a bit of gap of that live band sound. So, I decided with “Automatic” to give a bit of that in the song.
FR: And your “Automatic” video is so much fun. It reminds me of a male version of a 90s Brandi video for 2019.
Day Kornegay: There we go again, Brandi, a huge 90s R&B artist.
Image courtesy of vimeo.com
FR: What are trying to say in “Automatic”?
Day Kornegay: “Automatic” is about having fun!! Certain people you click or connect with automatically. This song it is about that fun, flirty romance that happens between two people who like and love the same things in life. As the guy in the song travels around the world, the girl he has this connection with always pops up because she likes the same places he likes, globally.
The world is so much smaller now thanks to technology and social media. We were thinking about that and “Automatic” came to me and my producer Rick Steele.
FR: Aside from being a very fun song, “Automatic” is a very family-friendly tune; no profanity or nudity. That might not have been your intention, but it is somewhat refreshing. Did that happen organically, or did you plan for a family-friendly song?
Day Kornegay: I have young nieces and nephews and they send me little videos of them singing “Automatic,” and it is so nice that there’s no lewdness or profanity because that is not a part of the song. We did not intentionally design the song that way, and I have nothing against strong language in music; however, in “Automatic” there was no need for strong language or lots of booty shaking.
FR: Now you refer to your sound as urban intellectual, could you speak about
that?
Day Kornegay: I am from New York City which is a huge melting pot of everything from fashion, entertainment, nightlife, finance, you name it. You can literally find everything in New York City. As someone who comes from an urban city and is comfortable using my mind my musical style is defined by the urban intellectual vibe as it relates to New York City.
FR: Fashion Reverie is a fashion magazine, so some fashion questions are a must. Who are some of your favorite fashion designers?
Day Kornegay: I am a fan of local New York City-based fashion designers. I have a lot of friends who are amazing fashion designers. ME, which is a NYC-based fashion brand, is one of the menswear brands that I love. I wear a lot of the brand’s clothing. The clothing is top notch, everything down to the stitching and the fabrication. The brand is about self- expression and sometimes has messaging about love or defining oneself.
That said; I will also go shop at Zara and find some great clothes there. I try to stay with boutique brands from anywhere in my travels. I love to support indie brands.
Image courtesy of 2Rs Entertainment & Media PR
FR: How would you describe your personal style?
Day Kornegay: My personal style is urban chic, urban intellectual. I am not afraid to throw some sneakers on with some skinny jeans and a blazer. I am also comfortable with suiting it up. I love bold colors, but I also love minimalist style incorporating neutral colors and tones. Fashion for me all depends on my mood, and my mood is generally fun and adventurous.
FR: What’s next for you?
Day Kornegay: We are working on the release of my EP; however, we are waiting for the single “Automatic” to get more traction and sit with people. I would love to get “Automatic” in a commercial. And there is a world tour in the works, on the heels of my current national tour.
—William S. Gooch
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