A CROSS COASTAL CONNECTION:
The Story of Motion Blu
Written by Luke Nichols
What is the power of a duo? Why is it that people yearn for their other half, to find a friend that views the world in the same way? While it’s comforting to find someone you can lean on, we all look for the one person who will push us to improve, helping us become a better version of ourselves. And that is the story of rising R&B Soul duo, Motion Blu.
Growing up, Bishop Freeman, Motion Blu’s singer and lyricist, was constantly surrounded by music. Born in Raleigh, North Carolina, Bishop and his family moved around the U.S. until laying down roots in Riverside, California. While homes were exchanged with the seasons, music swirled in the air regardless of where Bishop’s family was.
When there was a moment of calm, Bishop’s mom and siblings would burst out into song, belting their hearts out to R&B classics and soulful crowd favorites. This open and loving environment highlighted to Bishop that music was an outlet to express himself.
Armed with his new voice, Bishop joined acapella, choir and theater groups in elementary school. Showcasing his artistic prowess, Bishop landed his first lead role as Charlie in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory in 3rd grade. From then on, he threw himself into his own art of songwriting.
Simon Chernow’s path to music, Motion Blu’s producer, took on a different shape as he grew up as a dancer in Boston. While learning piano and percussion in high school, Simon’s main focus was on movement and how to best interpret a song through motion. He was obsessed with how emotionally connected dance was with music, understanding that the rhythm and musicality of dance had the ability to influence the way music was created in the first place.
Simon’s first shot at music came about when creating personal dance videos. Simon attempted to pair his clips with his playlist favorites but kept running into copyright issues. Fed up, Simon decided to make his own music to overlay on his videos and Simon “The Producer” was created.
The joining of these two musical forces to create Motion Blu occurred by happenstance. Bishop met Simon at a UCLA dining hall during their first week of freshman year. While it was clear that they both viewed the world through a creative lens, it wasn’t until a year into their friendship that they began creating music. One day while shooting a short film, Simon wanted to add an original soundtrack to match the tempo and emotional valence of his work. While he could have easily thrown down a beat with catchy drums and interweaving melodies, he wanted to overlay a vocal track to compliment his producing style. Invariably, Simon turned to Bishop to help him on the project and the duo hasn’t looked back–Motion Blu was born.
What rings true about both of these interweaving stories is that Simon and Bishop create from a place of authenticity and love for music. For the duo, music is viewed as an escape from the trials and tribulations of life–a place where they can both be completely open and honest with themselves.
Influenced by the genres of Soul, Hip Hop and R&B, Motion Blu looks to create music that convinces the listener that they are part of a conversation. For Bishop, his lyrics aim to encapsulate what he would like to say if only he had the confidence. Like the heroes we place on a pedestal, Bishop’s language aims to release pent-up feelings and thoughts that have too long rested on his chest.
Taking inspiration from the likes of Brent Faiyaz, Summer Walker, Lauryn Hill and Childish Gambino, Motion Blu has mastered the silky smooth sound that makes listeners want to close their eyes and reminisce on days past. Also, with lyrics crossing into the realm of spoken word, Bishop’s flow and harmonies feel more like a hypnotic poem than a heavily produced R&B track.
What’s most captivating, however, about Motion Blu is that they don’t see their music being interpreted in any one way. For Bishop and Simon, creating music is an incredibly vulnerable pursuit. A song contains heartfelt memories and experiences that few people understand, and it is even more anxiety-inducing to release that creation for the world to hear and judge. But for Motion Blu, they choose not to focus on how their music is received because they believe it is up to the listener to form their own opinions on the work.
With four released singles to date, Motion Blu is tackling their largest project to date, aiming to release their first EP at the start of 2024. Heavily influenced by where Bishop and Simon grew up, the EP weaves a throughline between East and West Coast sound. Connecting the fast-paced city lifestyle provided by Boston and New York along with the relaxed, calm of Los Angeles, Motion Blu’s EP is going to change the way music lovers view pop R&B.
Now, we shouldn’t expect anything less from this rising duo as motion is in the name–the pair are always looking to reinvent themselves, steering away from stagnation in the pursuit of doing what has never been done before them.