Champian Fulton on Life, Lessons & Legacy

We’re looking forward to introducing you to Champian Fulton. Check out our conversation below.

Good morning Champian, we’re so happy to have you here with us and we’d love to explore your story and how you think about life and legacy and so much more. So let’s start with a question we often ask: What do the first 90 minutes of your day look like?
I love to wake up and have a few cups of tea. If I have the time, I really like to start my day slowly, either with sitting outside or reading a book., but often, I have so much work to do, that tea is accompanied by email time. Just to keep up with my business I’d say I have 2 hours of emails to do everyday, not including *new* business which takes more time.

Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
I am a Jazz pianist and vocalist and I run my own business: booking shows, promoting, and then of course learning music and working on my craft. I have been a professional musician since I was 12 years old, and in New York City since I was 17. I am so lucky that I get to travel: I have performed in more than 24 countries and of course quite a bit of traveling in the states as well.

I have a ton of projects happening right now. In addition to my regular performances with my trio / quartet, I just began a new nine-piece band with Swedish saxophonist Klas Lindquist. We are debuting the music at Birdland, in NYC, every Sunday in October, and then recording in the spring.

I also just released a new single titled “Goodbye My Love” with producer Brian Camelio. I am soooo proud of this recording because it was a fun project to work on; all the music and lyrics are written by Jane Hall (Jazz guitarist Jim Hall’s wife) and I loved co-arranging this with Brian. It’s definitely different from my previous recordings, and the first time I’m singing with strings!

Appreciate your sharing that. Let’s talk about your life, growing up and some of topics and learnings around that. Who saw you clearly before you could see yourself?
Definitely my father, Stephen Fulton. He just passed one month ago and I have been thinking a lot about his influence on my life. He was my biggest fan, my biggest advocate, and my best teacher. He taught me everything, from how to work on a car to how to talk on the phone. When I was little, just born, he introduced me to music and he used to play records for me and see which ones I liked best by seeing if I would smile or get agitated , or even cry. He introduced me to the piano when I was a baby, and then the trumpet when I was 3 years old. We had a band together from the time I was 12. Without him, I wouldn’t be who I am and he definitely knew who I was before I did.

Do you remember a time someone truly listened to you?
Yes, I was maybe 12 or 13 years old, and we performed at the Kemah Jazz Festival in Houston Texas. I was just singing at that time, not yet playing piano professionally. The great Jazz musician James Moody was also on the festival, and I saw him see our set. Later that evening when I ran into him again, I introduced myself to him and he immediately said “You got to hit your pitches, girl! Hit your pitches!”

On face value, that is a criticism, and maybe even a harsh thing to say to a little girl. But I felt really validated by his comments. He had really listened to me sing, and he had taken me seriously enough to criticize me.

I cried about it, but when I got home I wrote “hit your pitches” on pieces of paper and taped it up everywhere, on the piano, on the fridge, on my mirror. I began focusing on my intonation more of course, but I also felt that I was really becoming a Jazz musician because Moody had taken the time to consider me, and then criticize me. I felt I was on the right track to getting into the club. Was a great moment for me.

Sure, so let’s go deeper into your values and how you think. Is the public version of you the real you?
Haha, yes I think so. I am a happy person, a person who wants to have fun and feel good, and I like to smile. Is it the WHOLE me? Probably not. Because I am also very serious and very dedicated, and that means I spend a lot of time practicing and rehearsing my band, and I can be very critical, musically, of other peoples performances. I can also be a tough negotiator when needed! But yes, I am myself all the time, for the most part.

Okay, we’ve made it essentially to the end. One last question before you go. If you knew you had 10 years left, what would you stop doing immediately?
SCROLLING. I love instragram. I watch cleaning videos and booktok and all kinds of silly and wasteful things. I really love to read, and I wish I spent all that time scrolling reading a book instead. But it’s a tough habit to break. I don’t think there’s anything wrong with “wasting time”, but scrolling is toxic.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://champian.net
• Instagram: @champianfulton
• Twitter: @champianfulton
• Facebook: @champianfulton
• Youtube: /champianfulton

Image Credits
Margherita Andreani