Khemistry: Here To Stay

Please introduce for me the members of Khemistry…

The members of Khemistry consist of Mike Rich, Jay Simmz, Terrell Oneal and Sangin Boy.

Let’s hop right into this single, “Don’t Stay Mad” — Tell me about this particular track; how did it come to fruition?

”Don’t Stay Mad” is a collab with an amazing songwriter out of New Jersey named Brian Lewis, produced by Isaac Bam Richardson and Jeremy Nixon. Every man has been in a situation where he has put himself in jeopardy to lose the woman that he loves. Sometimes he might not have the words to express his apology. So we essentially wanted to create an Anthem that says everything a man would want to say to get his woman back.

Reflecting, tell me your whole inception into music — When did you all first become interested in it? And, how did it all begin for Khemistry?

We all come from heavy musical backgrounds; some through the family and some through the church. All four members bleed music since we were all children. Even though we didn’t know each other, we were all involved heavily in music in some way or another. Our individual solo careers allowed us to cross paths over the years, and from there the connection was undeniable. We joined forces for a tribute show to R&B groups from the past, and the response was so amazing that we felt we should really give this group thing a try…and that’s how we ended up with Khemistry.

Now where exactly do you all hail from? And growing up there, who all did / do you consider to be your strongest musical influences?

As a unit, Khemistry is based out of Clarksville, Tennessee, about 45 minutes from Nashville; though we come from different places and backgrounds separately that influences our sound. Here locally there isn’t a huge R&B presence, so we are trying our best to create one and influence the generation under us in the area. We study all of the successful groups before us, like Dru Hill, Jagged Edge, Boyz II Men, New Edition, 112 and more!

Now from an individual standpoint, what do each of you bring to the table both personality-wise and creatively?

This is a really good question because each member brings so much to the table! Jay Simmz you want to start?

Jay Simmz: I’ve been told I’m the reserved one. My calming energy brings a comfortable environment to the situation. I’m a thinker and I like to challenge my guys to think outside of the box, and that also taps into my creative side as well. I’m really a perfectionist, and I try to make sure that shows through all of us in our performances. Positive energy is my strong point. Most refer to me as the smooth one. Mike thinks he is smoother than me, but he might get there one day! Lol.

Mike Rich: I’m actually the smoothest no matter what Jay Simmz thinks!! Lol. But on a serious note, from a personality standpoint I would like to think I’m more of the outspoken one. I’m always thinking of a plan or what we could be doing. I’m such a workaholic…I’m steady sending ideas or tasks that we as a group should complete. I’m sure they get sick of me at times. Lol! But we gonna put in that work! I’ve always had a passion for songwriting and structuring music, so with Khemistry I get to be creative in that way…and with 4 minds now it only pushes me to sharpen that iron.

Terrell Oneal: Creativity-wise, I like to think out of the box vocally! My mind really hears a lot of different harmonies and different ways, and it pushes me vocally. As a musician myself, I’m intrigued by music that is unique and I feel like I bring that to Khemistry! Now personality-wise, Umm…I would say I’m the life of the party. The fun guy. I love putting a smile on someone’s face. Life is already hard enough to be so serious all the time. One thing about me is if you are around you’re going to have a good time. Oh and Jay and Mike…I’m definitely the smoothest! Don’t listen to them.

Sangin Boy: You have to excuse these guys, we all know who the smoothest is…and that’s me! Haha! As far as my creative-side, I would like to think that I’m a student of the game. I grew up on the true essence of R&B which was so powerful, and that stuck with me…so now my emotions and my passion speak through music. I share that with not only the guys, but our fans. I’m transparent in letting the world know I want them to feel what it is that I’m singing. And my personality speaks to that as well. I’m the type of guy that can fit in with any environment just because of my spirit. I just love being with my brothers and just vibing. Our name fits us so well because that’s exactly what we have, Khemistry.

In having said that, how do you all classify your overall sound and / or style?

We get compared a lot to groups like Boyz II Men and Dru Hill! Which is nothing but a complete honor. Our sound definitely has a resemblance to the music of the late ‘90’s and early 2000’s because of the emotions our music evokes. But we are still tweaking that sound to not only create our own version of it, but to not be put in a box. Our sound is essentially the Khemistry sound. And our new single, “Don’t Stay Mad,” really embodies that because no matter what genre you listen to it can translate with anyone.

Although pretty self explanatory, still tell me where y’all’s moniker Khemistry originally derives from?

Mike Rich: Well originally me and Jay Simmz had talked for almost a year about starting a group, and in the midst of it we always had conversations about if we ever created one the vibe would have (to) be right. We wanted a brotherhood, really good chemistry. The word just resonated with us. We put a K on it for some flash, and we were off to the races!

Switching gears here…

What do you all feel will be the ultimate key to your longevity? And what will it be then that will continue to sustain you all in this business?

Honestly, we feel like the key to our longevity is staying prayed up. Not only having faith in each other, but in our vision. We have seen countless groups come and go…but we focus on our friendship outside of music just as much as we do on the business of the music industry. We genuinely love each other. And that love is bigger than the music. We support one another, and we hold each other accountable. We believe that’s why Khemistry is here to stay.

What do you all want people to get from your music?

We want to teach people how to love again! How to deal with their emotions. How to tap into your feelings; whether that’s a heartbreak, a new relationship or a sensual relationship. We want to help people navigate through all phases of love through music.

On a more serious note, are you all happy with the current state of R&B? And, even more specifically, why do you all feel that we, the masses, don’t see the group dynamic like it was back in, say, the nineties?

The state of R&B is in good hands. There are so many talented artists out right now that’s bringing a new and unique perspective to R&B, it’s amazing. We are just glad to be able to add our flavor and sound to it. And to answer your question about why you don’t see many groups anymore, the simple answer is because it’s expensive. Lol!

Do you all have any other outside / additional aspirations, maybe even completely away from music?

Absolutely! We all write songs and produce, and we would love to tap in with other artists. Even outside of music we want to impact our community in other ways. Like investing and building our communities up from a financial standpoint.

To date, what has been your greatest career moment(s), at least thus far anyway?

It’s funny you say that because we have had so many in the short time we have been a group. This is only our seventh month as a group, and we have 70K followers on TikTok along with several videos (with) over 500,000 views. We have also got to open up for Lyfe Jennings, which was a fun experience. But our greatest career moment thus far would be finally releasing our first single to the world. It’s our first baby, and we are extremely proud of it.

What’s an average day like for you all?

The average day in the life of Khemistry is filled with FUN! Even when we are working we will find a moment to have fun. But also our work ethic is through the roof. Between practicing for shows, writing and recording new material for the album, along with keeping a presence on social media, especially TikTok, is quite time consuming. We have our Khemistry TikTok live sessions every Tuesday and Thursday night at 830pm CT, we encourage everyone to tune in,

Please discuss how you all interact with and respond to fans…

On all platforms we try to be as responsive as we can to our fans because they are the reason that we have an opportunity to be successful! Especially our TikTok fan-base. We really do the Tuesdays and Thursdays night lives for them. So we can read their comments, and take their requests! They get to know us personally. We try to make them a part of Khemistry! Team Khemistry is amazing, and we love all 70K of them.

What is your favorite part about this line of work? Your least favorite? And, why?

By nature we are all lovers of music and singing. So we don’t take for granted the fact that we get to bless the stage and do what we love to do, which is SING!! Our least favorite part would have to be the business-side. It can get grimy and ugly. We have prepared ourselves for everything that comes with the game, but that doesn’t make it fun. Luckily we have each other to navigate through that part.

What advice would you all have for someone wanting to follow in your footsteps?

Be consistent. That is the most important part of this music thing. Consistency will open doors you never thought were possible. Every song won’t hit. Every video won’t be viral. But consistency is how you grow and improve.

Lastly, what’s next for Khemistry?

We are currently working on our debut album for the fans, along with our first tour for 2024! And before that, we are having our 1 year anniversary concert August 5th in Clarksville, Tennessee! It will definitely be a great experience, and our first major tour show with a live band and more! Tickets are on sale at: www.khemistrymusic.com, and tickets are already selling! You don’t want to miss it!

Is there anything I left out, or just plain forgot to mention? And, any “closing” thought(s) for our readers?

We, Khemistry, just want to thank all of our fans for being an part of our journey, and we would love if you are meeting us for the first time here to give our music a listen as you won’t be disappointed! R&B will never die, and we will make sure of it! Until next time much love, Khemistry. Thank you for this interview! Absolutely loved the questions.

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Tags: 112, Boyz II Men, Brian Lewis, Dru Hill, Isaac Bam Richardson, Jagged Edge, Jeremy Nixon, Khemistry, Lyfe Jennings, New Edition, tiktok