Stacy Barthe on Beyoncé's Advice and Stepping into the Spotlight

Love Rihanna's "Cheers"? Well, Parlour chatted with the brains behind the track, singer-songwriter Stacy Barthe whose Grammy-nominated talents fueled her fourth EP, P.S. I Love You. Released on Valentine's Day — we're just getting into it, forgive us — it's no surprise that she's already worked with successful pop stars like Katy Perry ("Hummingbird Heartbeat") and Kelly Rowland ("Everywhere You Go").  Now the powerful songstress is leaving the wings and walking toward the stage, we'll drink to that.Parlour: You were a songwriter before you became a singer, what inspired the change?I was tired of being broke! When I wrote “Cheers” for Rihanna, I didn’t have gas to get to the studio. The last session, before I decided to be an artist was Beyoncé. I sat down with her for hours, we talked and I played my Sincerely, Yours EP before it was even Sincerely, Yours. She said, 'Wow I can’t wait to hear this,'  and that’s when I made my decision.You've worked with artists like T.I., Elle Varner, Estelle and more, who's your favorite?Alicia Keys and I had a really good connection. Her vibe was euphoric, you couldn't help but to feel good, plus we were working in Jamaica. Akon was one of my favorites too. He did a song — it didn't come out yet — called “Just A Man” with Stephen Marley. If Bob Marley was alive in 2020, he’d be singing that kind of song.What's Nouveau Noir?Elle Varner and I made that up, Nouveau Noir is the 2013 Black Renaissance. When you think of Langston Hughes and Billie Holiday and that era of art, poetry and music, our generation is the new version of that. One of my friends said, 'I’m around a bunch of molly-popping teenagers all the time' and I thought that was hilarious because being young really is different now. Nouveau Noir says that it’s OK to be smart, different and eclectic.For those who haven't heard P.S. I Love You, how would you describe it?It’s a journey with all types of vibes. It's soulful, it's R&B, there's reggae and melodic hip hop, and organic guitars. P.S. I Love You is a good balance of four love songs, and other kinds of songs like “Flawed Beautiful Creatures,” “Hell Yeah,” and “Before I Knew Me."What do you hope your music makes your listeners feel?I want them to be able to relate. One thing that we all have in common, we all feel. We all hurt, no matter how much we try to hide it, I’m just out front with mine. I’m going to say what you thought or felt but never wanted to talk about. Check out Stacy Barthe's EP P.S. I Love You here.