To no surprise, Ronnie Heart has always had the moves. From a self-started break-dancing club in high school to dancing until daylight in Colombia. “Everybody danced (in Colombia).” He even trained in a dance company, dabbling in jazz, ballet, tap and hip-hop. “I’ve always wanted to be a dancer—ever since I was little kid.” Ronnie then picked up a guitar in high school, and the iconic artist we know today was born.
Heart was born in Houston, Texas. Between now and then, he’s bopped around from Pueblo, Colorado, to Denton, Texas, to Brooklyn, New York, and beyond—traveling the world during his international tour with electro-pop band Neon Indian. He now lives among a community of artists in a “progressive pocket” of Fort Worth, Texas.
We won’t tell you his real name, because you might as well consider ‘Ronnie Heart’ to be just that. His sinisterly chic sound and emotive performance style are sure to leave toes tapping and heads bobbing. With synth-funk and weird disco vibes, Heart appears to leave everything on stage after a performance.
While some people will draw the parallel between Ronnie and Prince, Heart has always been a product of his own creativity. “I’ve never been much into copying other people’s moves.” While he loves Prince and Michael Jackson, he attributes his inspiration to producers. “I think about Quincey Jones a lot. Everything he’s produced has a jazzy, funky feel.”
If you’ve seen Ronnie live, you know it’s electric. “In-between songs, I get pretty adventurous. You know that feeling when you don’t know what’s going to happen?” Yeah, it’s like that. His lyrics are hopeful. Melodic odes inspired by the beauty of how far we can go. “Formative years of not having a lot of control to now having control of everything that I do musically.” He’s also inspired by possibilities, as well as by intergalactic thought leaders like Carl Sagan. As Sagan would say, “Somewhere, something incredible is waiting to be known.”
As for what’s next: Stay on your toes for Ronnie’s second album. “The last album (You (R) Mine) was all dance songs. This one will still have that, but more ideas. More moody and thoughtful.”
Boogie with Ronnie Heart for his DJ set at the Art Con 14: VIP Party, Thursday November 8 at The Boedeker Building.
Written by: Christin Workman
Photo by: Brandon Scott
Leave a comment