Interviews

Published on January 3rd, 2023 | by MuzikScribe

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Vadè: Brotherhood

 


First things first, please introduce for me the members of  Vadè…

Jermaine: 1st Tenor, songwriter, arranger.

Philip – Founder, 2nd Tenor, arranger.

Roy Crisp – 3rd Tenor and songwriter.

JJ Hammersley- Bass.

Let’s hop right into this holiday single, “Christmas Wish” featuring Shawn Stockman — Tell me about this particular track; how did it come to fruition?

We were introduced to a man named Aaron Casserly Stewart, who currently manages one of Dr. Dre’s lead producers, Blu2th. He came up with an idea to collaborate with one of the biggest vocal icons in the industry, Shawn Stockman of Boyz II Men. As the festive season was coming to pass, Blu2th and Shawn suggest re-harmonizing and doing an a-cappella version of their single “Christmas Wish.” This idea became a reality, and the single has now been played on BBC Radio 1Xtra and added onto various Christmas playlists worldwide. It is such an honor for us to feature and collaborate with one of our vocal heroes.

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

Philip: It started in the year 2013 from an idea of setting excellence within a-cappella music in the UK. I went to JJ with the idea that we could create something incredible, and he asked me to wait for him whilst he finished his Masters in a years time. So I recruited the members in the meantime. From the little idea, the curiosity grew into what you would now see as Vadé.

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

Jermaine: I’m from the Midlands, Wolverhampton as you’d probably hear from my traumatic accent! Lol. It’s hard to say as the boys would tell you I have an eclectic taste in music. Take 6, Commissioned, Stevie Wonder and Boyz II Men definitely up there though!

Philip: So I’m born and bred in Bracknell, just 45 minutes west of London, but I’m Ghanaian by blood. I’d say my strongest musical influences are Take 6 and Boyz II Men, Usher and Michael Jackson.

JJ: I was born and raised in Zimbabwe. Without having much access to music as in the West, I depended on hot releases on the radio or music stores. Boyz II Men, Shai, Jodeci and many of the vocal R&B groups from the ‘90’s were my inspiration. Going to church and learning to sing harmonies in the choir greatly helped to develop my skill as a bassist and singer.

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

Roy:  Gift of the gab, charm, intellect, songwriting and content ideas from time to time.

Philip: Jokester, bring everyone together musically and creatively.

Jermaine: Joker, songwriting ideas. I can’t believe Roy said intellect! Lol.

JJ: As a pharmacist, I’m considered the doctor of the group, I love cracking jokes, but also have a knack to contribute and enhance any ideas musically, along with running the group as a business. Because I have a serious side, too, I’m considered as the dad of the group, too.

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

Jermaine: I’d have to say our sound is a cross between Boyz II Men and Take 6; Jazz with a sprinkle of R&B.

JJ: The beauty of what we do as an a-cappella group is that we don’t really corner ourselves into a specific genre, but create according to ideas, events or what we usually listen to in our own time; this covers Jazz, Gospel, R&B, Afrobeats.

Where does y’all’s moniker originally derive from?

Jermaine: What’s moniker mean? Lol!

JJ: The name of the group was thought of by Roy. Vadé is a Latin word which means ‘to go together.’ We felt it perfectly summarized us as a collective, and our mission as a group

Switching gears here…

What do you all feel has been the key to your longevity? And what will continue to sustain you all in this business? 

Philip: To be honest with you, we genuinely love singing a-cappella music but, most importantly, we understand that the music is bigger than us. So all the egos generally get dusted out of the window because it’s not about us.

JJ: When we started the group we actually took a “gap” year out. In that time, we got to know each other, how we fit musically, who we were as individuals and, most importantly, developing a brotherhood. By the time we debuted at the 02 in Manchester a year later, we felt prepared for anything!

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

Nothing too deep…was going to say a sense of fulfillment. Lol! But we just want our music to be enjoyable, something for everyone; we love when people appreciate the niche’ we do.

JJ: Our goal as musicians is to get recognition for our talent, and (the) impact it makes to everyday people who appreciate talent and enjoy music. We hope to inspire all artists out there to be proud of their voices, and what they can achieve through the power of their music.

On a more serious note, are you all happy with the current state of R&B?

JJ: A lot people love to say R&B is dead, and being a ‘90’s kid I understand where they come from but my perspective is that just like everything with time, R&B has evolved into something else but the beauty of music trends is that they always come back one way or another.

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

Oh, of course, aside from wanting to song write, etcetera, for other artists and cinema, fashion, fragrances and more are in our sights for the future.

JJ: Would love to open pharmacy businesses in my country, finishing reading 3 of the books my fiancé gave me.

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

JJ: My greatest career moment is to be on a record with one of the members of Boyz II Men, Shawn Stockman, record with Rihanna and recording the musical score for the film Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, all in the same year!

What’s an average day like for you all?

JJ: I have a 7 month old boy, so like many parents in this position your day tends to begin at 3am! I also work at the general hospital in Cardiff on multiple wards as a clinical pharmacist from 8am till 5pm. I spend my evenings with my family, putting the baby to bed, watching one episode of Blacklist on Amazon Prime, then going back to bed!

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

JJ: Our presence is vastly on social media; in particular TikTok, Instagram and Facebook. We all endeavor to keep on top of the comments and DM’s, but with nearly 100k followers on TikTok, you’re bound to miss a few slides in the DM’s!

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

JJ: My least favorite part is the creation process. Since we are an a-cappella group, you can’t leave any of the process to chance from the lyrical intent to the Doo-Wop of the vocal bass. Because it take time to perfect, that is the longest part of our process. Recording and performing is relatively easy.

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

In whatever you do and what you pursue, do it with love…so that even in times it isn’t enjoyable, that love for what you do will see you through!

Lastly, what’s next for Vadè?

We are planning to release a single early next year [Ed note: interview conducted 12/27/22], ahead of an EP launch in the summer.

Is there anything I left out, or just plain forgot to mention?

Would love to submit our music for Grammy consideration, and go on tour worldwide from next year onwards.

Yes! Phil and Roy are single. Love ya, bye.

Any “closing” thought(s) for our readers?

A quote by the great Quincy Jones, “If a task is once begun, never leave it till it’s done, be the labor great or small, do it well, or not at all!”



Connect w/Vadè Online:

beacons.ai

 

 


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