The comeback story of Renee the Wonder is guaranteed to inspire you
This comeback story of gorgeous South London vocalist, producer, and MC Renee the Wonder will inspire and resonate with anyone else who’s been on a creative journey and/or a spiritual awakening!
I first met Renee the Wonder at my friend Omari’s event, Lucid Living at Prince of Peckham. Both of us being into our spirituality, we hit it off instantly. Renee had such a warm presence that it was hard not to be drawn in! Fast forward a few months later, and she’s released her comeback tune, Oh Fla Lala and we’re sitting in the Prince of Wales in Brixton, sipping on drinks as I interview her for Rave Report!
Renee’s soul purpose was always to be in the music & entertainment feild. And after going on a spiritual path of her own as a vocalist, songwriter, and producer of all things Drum and Bass, R&B, Garage, House and more, she is now living that dream. This is Renee’s story, from the birth of her career as an artist in school and college through to where she is today, with a refreshingly real take on her emotional ups and downs along the way. Trust me, this comeback is only the beginning for Renee the Wonder!
Hey Renee, what’s your backstory as an artist before your comeback with Fla La La?
Hey! So it all started when I was 10 and my uncle came to live with me and my mum for about a year. He showed me the art and magic of music by teaching me how to play the piano and having jam sessions together daily. By the time I started secondary school I knew exactly what my path was and where my passion lies. Anyone that knows me from secondary school would remember me for always being in the talent shows and school performances. By the end of secondary school I had gotten into music production because my school just bought a collection of Macs which all had Logic Pro downloaded on them. Every Wednesday, my school would hold production training sessions and of course I was there every week. Once I fell in love with production I knew exactly what I wanted to study in college and what my next move on my path was.
I went to Croydon College to study music tech. But I really wasn't feeling that college - I literally had to go through airport security just to get in. It was a lot. So I dropped out… but my mum wasn’t having it! She got me into Carshalton College, it was much quieter & smaller and ended up being the perfect place for my next step in life. I would say that whe I joined Carshalton I officially started to step into my artistic power. I was surrounded by so much talent and I can confidently say that I found my voice and style in those years.
Me and three of my classmates ended up spontaneously and unintentionally forming a garage group called “Point Blank”. The group was made up of 4 members: 3 boys and 1 girl (that was me). We had one producer, two rappers, and a singer. Our tutor was a massive part of showing us our potential and would really push us and create beats for us to sing on as well. This was my first time ever recording dance music and I must say I LOVED IT!
I grew up on UK garage and baseline music anyway so it makes sense why it was so easy for me to write and flow on those beats. The group did end not to long before we finished college and then shortly after college was completed, we were told some horrible news that one of the group members from “Point Blank” had sadly passed away due to unknown circumstances at the age of 20. That news was such a shock for us and I miss him so much. He was a true character; he really was the life of the group.
After college had finished I began to pick up my own music career as a solo artist. Even though I studied music tech I spent most of my time singing and didn't work on my production skills as much as I could have- I still lacked confidence in my beat making. Don't get me wrong, when I heard my beats when I was alone, I would love them but I just never thought they were good enough to release, so I started depending on producers to assist me with my music.
I then decided to invest in my own music equipment and ended up creating my own little home studio in my bedroom, which I loved so much. I ended up doing all my vocal recordings there and also made a ton of beats that no one will probably never hear.
By 2016, I decided that it was time to start releasing music. One of the “Point Blank” members, “DEADCVPRI” produced this simple but beautiful soul R&B instrumental and sent it to me to see if I would come up with any ideas. I ended up writing a whole song to it in one day; the lyrics came to me so easily and that's when I knew this was going to be my debut release.
So in March 2016 I released “Put It In A Song” ft. DEADCVPRI.
After that, I was still in music but I didn't release a song again until this year!
When I released this it was a bit before I understood the power of Spotify, so unfortunately, it's only on SoundCloud and YouTube. I also followed with another song soon after, “Freestyling”, also on SoundCloud and YouTube.
But in between those releases and this year, for about three years, I was working at the studios and I started hosting a open mic show. My lifetime friend of 20 years “Lil Trubz” chose me to be the hostess, and that put me back on the map with the music since I was around so many artists—a lot of them have now blown up aswell.
In 2021, I fell pregnant with my first child, and since then, I’ve been going through a spiritual rebirth of my own.
And is that where Fla La La came into it?
For a while I've been saying I want to try Drum and Bass, so I started downloading drum samples and experimenting. I ended up playing some chords, which I reused from a song I wrote 5 years prior and then adding the D&B element to it.
And that's how “Oh Fla La La'' was created. I used the same lyrics from the R&B Tune i wrote years prior and then adjusted the chorus to my liking and the rest was history!
‘Oh Fla La La’ is what made me fall back in love with being an artist. I finally found my voice again and what I have realized is that I feel right at home in the UK dance scene. I feel like I lost myself because I was chasing the wrong sound.
Don't get me wrong R&B is great and I can boss any genre I'm in but UK dance music is where I have the most fun and write the most bangers and I'm so happy I did a full circle and remembered what made me happy before!
How did you execute the release?
I had a whole team in my head! They were like, "Renee, you're going to the studio” this day or “You’re recording the vocals” that day. It was my first time attempting to mix a song I was going to release. The last time I mixed was in college for a project. It was nerve-wracking, but someone in my head was telling me I could do it. It took me weeks to figure out my way around logic again; it had been years. I'm so proud of that mix!
I also became my own PR team! I had planned my whole social media strategy and posts on IG TikTok and Facebook. I paid for some ads on Instagram and the feedback has been great. There's been some really good followers who DM me and leave comments. Sometimes you think you're being annoying but you have to push through it. Because even if you just get one extra person from that post, its worth it!
What's up next for Renee the Wonder?
Music is one of the only things that makes me feel very fulfilled with my purpose. I’ve always suppressed it and held myself back, comparing myself to others. But I got past it and felt the joy!
For my next tune, I’m still unsure which one I'm going to drop, but what I can say is that the lyrics are going to be very eye-opening and motivational as well.
I know that my frequency is needed in this world and whoever likes it is on my frequency too. In order to receive in this world, you have to put out. That’s how I’ll find my tribe. We’ve only got 80 years here so why not?!