Alternative R&B duo, Dora Martin, are the end result of a charismatic, creative fusion of two talented solo artists with a undeniable musical chemistry, London-based singer-songwriters Jermaine Riley and Cherri Voncelle. [As seen on Yahoo! Celebrity UK]

Introducing Dora Martin: London’s freshest alternative R&B duo

After successfully working to become solo artists in their own right over a number of years, the two felt it was time to join forces, and thus Dora Martin was born, the unique name derived as a reference to the animated explorer of the same name, whilst also bearing heavy significance to the heroic plight of a certain Martin Luther King.

Since releasing their cutting-edge EP ‘Coalition‘ back in October, the two have been busy working on various campaigns, including the launch of their second single ‘Black History‘, the accompanying video for which featured cameo appearances from former Britain’s Got Talent runner-ups, Twist and Pulse, and former EastEnders actress Preeya Kalidas.

I recently sat down with Jermaine and Cherri, to discuss everything from their EP, collaborations and the state of the R&B scene, to embarrassing moments onstage, party tricks and their plans for the future. Here’s what they had to say, and check out the full video below:

On their favourite track from their ‘Coalition EP’:

“I still feel like the very first time we started to record, “Skyline“, it just had a different air about it to anything that we’d ever done on our own, so I think that’s probably always gonna’ be our little favourite, because that kind of kicked the door open, kind of set the tone for what everyone thought Dora Martin was gonna’ stand for.”

On dream collaborations:

“Brandy, not that I’d be bold enough to sing on the same record as her! I’d love to collaborate with Ed Sheeran and Labrinth, especially for our sound, we want to try and stay away from all that generic stuff and the non-generic is Labrinth’s field.”

On the state of the UK R&B scene:

“I think we need to give it some love, it needs a love injunction. There are a lot of singers who are doing shows and supporting artists when they come over, and they’re so talented, it’s just about us injecting that love into that side and realising that we do have R&B artists and singers from the UK. The fact of the matter is, in the US, they do look a lot to what’s going on here, but a lot of the things that are elevated are not necessarily R&B, so it’s up to us to do that so they can see it. We’re proud of having an R&B sound but we also want to show where we’re from. We’re not trying to be American, we’re just Dora Martin from the UK.”

On not taking the talent show route and giving advice to aspiring artists:

“I would just say, stay true to who you are as an artist, just know and study enough to find out who you are, because everyone has their lane and not everyone should particularly try and emulate someone else that’s already out there, I think people really gravitate to something that’s real, that’s organic, and something that literally, naturally comes from the heart. That’s one thing that we’re trying to do as well, we’re trying to give you the truest form of our art. We never put up any creative barriers and I’d encourage everyone else to try and do that. If there was one thing, I would say, it’s just do that.”

To download the ‘Coalition’ EP on iTunes click here . For any further information, follow Dora Martin onTwitter , or visit their Facebook or official website .

Watch the full interview with Dora Martin below: