Camden, New Jersey-born, New York City-based singer and songwriter Rico Davis fronts episode 6 of Singersroom’s “Voice & Acoustics,” a performance series that showcases the fearless vocal delivery of singers backed by minimal instrumentation.
For his live session, the talented crooner performs a lush and soulful rendition of his single “Hustle Harder,” a record Rico says is about “perseverance and making a way out of no way.” Joining Rico in the studio performance are singer Quis Vaughn and his acoustic guitar player.
As a co-writer on all of his songs, Rico’s writing process stems from his highs and lows of being an outlier. Having experienced extreme highs of happiness, and yearning for salvation in his lows, his songs take you through the ebb and flows of life’s emotional rollercoasters.
“I’m a big fan of classical music and rock and roll so you’ll hear records that are lead by electric and acoustic guitars, you’ll hear records that are more emotional with piano and violin, and because I’m a fan of watching things shake there’s even some twerk music for the ladies,” Rico told Singersroom. “Hip Hop and R&B are embedded in me so those elements will be present in just about every record too.”
“Hustle Harder” will appear on Rico’s forthcoming EP, Ethos, which he says was inspired by a plethora of things.
“I’m inspired by love and life,” he says. “Everyone has a story including myself. It’s damn near impossible to go through 24 hours and not have at least one significant song concept fall into my head from the powers that be. Romance, intimacy, self-awareness, spirituality, and sexuality are what drives my creativity and writing most these days. I channel eras of music versus individual artists. 80’s and 90’s artists had a lot more to sing or rap about, and they weren’t afraid to do so. That same swaggy charisma and courage was brought to their stage shows too – some of the dopest live performers emerged during those periods.”
Watch Rico Perform “Hustle Harder” for Singersroom’s ‘Voice & Acoustics’ Series below: