You may have seen Titus Makin Jr. on hit shows like ABC’s The Rookie and Pretty Little Liars, now he’s focusing on his music career under the moniker Butterfly Ali.
Why the name change?
“I really wanted to create a space where I could be entirely myself,” Ali exclusively tells Rated R&B about the inspiration behind his stage name. “My name, Titus Makin, already felt like it belonged to the public and I would have to merge the two worlds. So as I began to write this new music, I wanted to give it a name that represented the energy that connected me to my music.”
He continues, “I wrote the quote, ‘Flow like a butterfly sting like a bee’ in one of my songs through the inspiration of Muhammad Ali. I then noticed that even one of the greatest boxers of all time could see the beauty and strength in something so small like a butterfly. Thus, I put those ideas together and felt like it really described my musical personality and style.”
The actor/singer has released his emotional new single “Rose,” along with the accompanying video.
“I wrote ‘Rose’ about the love that you don’t realize you need until it’s gone, whether that love is relationally or for yourself,” he explains to Rated R&B. “I really wanted the video to feel like one long steady breath, so we shot it in one take.
“I wanted to tell a truthful story, showing the audience all the different head-spaces and emotions you may feel throughout one single day of being brokenhearted, but then coming to the realization that you will be okay and able to move forward.”
Watch Butterfly Ali’s “Rose” video above. Stream the single below.
