There are so many words I could use to describe Marvin Brooks. Artist. Honest. Motivated. Humble. Songwriter. Extraordinary Human Being. All of them are correct and to be quite honest, there’s about a hundred more I could write in this space.
It’s a rare thing for me to think about the words of a subject long after the interview has been completed. But Marvin’s journey is not only very interesting, it’s inspiring.
On August 20th, 2021, the Ghanaian–German artist released ‘I’ll Be Fine’ via Position Music. The 14-track album is filled with soul searching and sometimes soul crushing stories mixed with optimistic songs of strength and will power. After my conversation with Brooks and listening to this album many, many times, I have no doubt that Brooks will prevail and the world will be coming along for the ride.
Anytime I hear an album as deep as ‘I’ll Be Fine’, I’m always left wondering what the writer went through when penning songs like these. I asked Marvin about it and he says, “It just flowed! When I was in Ghana I wrote 45 tracks. Just me and my guitar. I recorded in my memos on my phone. Then I came back to Germany and I had this bitterness because I left Germany with the thought of all of the people that don’t believe in me and my music and what I want to become, so I had to leave all of that behind. But I was still bitter a little bit. So I brought this package back – these emotions.”
Brooks continues, “Position, the label that I’m signed with, said they wanted to have an album that was syn-cable – because they are the biggest sync label in America. I got the whole idea but they said, “Please, be you. Be yourself”. So I’m like, say no more.”
On his journey he went to places like Elmina Castle in Ghana, which was a slave castle and he tells me that he got to know the history from the beginning. Brooks elaborates on his own families history. He says, “It was important for my Mom, for me to know my roots and know where I’m coming from and how this whole thing started. For me to understand that this is the past and we are free. Because that’s what we are. My Mom came to Germany as a free person. She was no slave to nobody. These were all the things I was allowed to say out loud. Tracks like ‘Unstoppable’, for example. I just let out everything that was on my mind. They tried to kill my soul, don’t want to see me glow but still I’m unstoppable. The whole album is my own personal testimony.”
Marvin and I shared many laughs during our conversation. He’s about an open book of a person that you will ever meet. He pulls no punches but is also one of the most welcoming people I’ve had the privilege of interviewing.
I asked him to share a few tracks that he felt the world needed to hear. This is not an easy task given the fact that each song is super special and personal to him. But just like throughout our conversation he will always be honest.
Marvin mentions a few songs that have logical reasoning. He tells me, “Probably from a commercial standpoint.. You always have to be, as a musician, you can’t just be an artist. You have to see the business side as well. I won’t lie about that. From a commercial standpoint, I will probably give you ‘Shake What Your Mama’ because that’s the most commercial track. But if I would show you what’s inside of my heart and what I’ve been through, I would play ‘7:45’ for you.”
As we spoke about those songs I was wondering to myself what his favorite track was. No sooner did I think it, he says, “My personal favorite song from the album is ‘What’s Love Got To Do’. It’s one of the last songs. I wrote that one in Ghana and I love the way that Herman produced it.”
Brooks currently calls both Ghana and Germany home and holds the special traditions and cultures from the two countries close to his heart. His dual-citizenship and hometown pride is a major creative muse in Brooks’ musical output. The natural entertainer and performer has already supported artists like Justin Timberlake and 50 Cent on their European tours. I think one of the most amazing things about all of this is that I feel that his best days are in front of him. And I don’t say this lightly given his list of already amazing accomplishments.
The floodgates are wide open and I cannot wait to see what is next for Marvin Brooks. I’ll certainly be listening anytime he has something to say. In the meantime, I recommend you go get lost for 45 minutes or so in the genius that is ‘I’ll Be Fine’.
-Tommy Marz
You can find Tommy on Twitter
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