BJ The Chicago Kid is enjoying success with his gritty yet touching soul album In My Mind. Getty Images
BJ The Chicago Kid is enjoying success with his gritty yet touching soul album In My Mind. Getty Images

BJ the Chicago Kid talks about his Grammy-nominated album In My Mind

He is nominated for Best R&B Album, Best Traditional R&B Performance and Best R&B Performance.

Saeed Saeed
Saeed Saeed

February 11, 2017

One of the notable breakout albums last year was In My Mind by BJ The Chicago Kid. For ­newcomers to his work, the heady, soulful sound of the 32-year-old's debut was a welcome throwback to an era were R&B and soul was more concerned with evocative songwriting than commerciality.

For fans, the album was merely a confirmation of what they already knew.

Now the wider music industry could honour BJ, real name Bryan James Sledge, as he is up for three Grammy Awards in tonight’s ceremony. He is nominated for Best R&B Album, Best Traditional R&B Performance and Best R&B Performance.

We spoke to BJ before the nominations were announced, and he told us about the ­creative process behind In My Mind plus singing about life's more complex side.

In My Mind is a gritty yet touching soul album. How did it come together?

The music is me. I am so glad the album came out and it is doing really well. I have been working on it for a while. But at the same time, they are not just a collection of the best songs I wrote. When you are making an album it is about the purpose – you are creating both a concept and vibe, then you follow through with that. It is all passion-driven with these songs. The way I work is just to make it all seem natural. It’s not just about doing it to make an ­album. I want the creative ­process to be effortless.

You worked with the likes of Kendrick Lamar and Chance The Rapper on the album. What do you look for in a collaboration?

It actually all happens before the collaboration. I am normally a fan of the artist I work with it and that makes it easier. We both know how to utilise each other to get the best ­product out. To be useless is just ­terrible.

In My Mind deals with issues such as faith, relationships and owning responsibilities in life in a nuanced way. You seem to say that life can get kind of messy.

Absolutely. In a compass we got north, south, east and west, right? But in between that, you got things like north-east – now that, to me, is where real life is. Everybody’s life is not straight, it’s often 30 degrees to your left, or in the hardest part of the reach. The fact that music can go there is what makes it so special.

sasaeed@thenational.ae

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Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.

Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.

“Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.

Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.

“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.

Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.

From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.

Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.

BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.

Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.

Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.

“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.

Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.

“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.

“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”

The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”