I was born in Toronto Canada. Moved to Montreal till I was 5 and then moved to Saudi Arabia for 6 years. My dad worked for a phone company called Bell Canada and they were setting up networks over there. He brought the entire family with him. I have an older sister.
I was always into music and entertainment in general but never really pictured myself actually becoming a musician. I was a shy kid who wanted attention from the ladies but didn’t know how to get it. One day in 9th grade I was in French class when my teacher Ms. Priolo called me up to sing for everybody. I don’t know why I did it but I did……and every girl in that room went crazy. And just like that I started singing. True story!
I ended up joining a 5 man vocal group called In Essence in high school. We wrote a song called “You Will Never Find” and were signed to Funk Master Flex’s management company in NYC. The song ended up getting featured on Flex’s 60 min of Funk CD and all of a sudden we were on our way to stardom! However a showcase for numerous babes went completely WRONG and we never ended up securing a US Label deal. We came back to Canada and ended up signing a deal with BMG/SONY and released our first full length album “The Master Plan” in 2013. The following year we won a Juno for Best R&B recording (BTW a Juno is Canada’s equivalent of the Grammy in the US).
Unfortunately all good things must come to end and in 2006 In Essence broke up. I decided to continue as a solo artist and put out a couple records. “Waiting For Midnight” was released in 2015 and was produced by Ben Mink, the Grammy award winning producer/song writer who has worked with KD Land, Heart, and Leonard Cohen just to name a few. 2015 is also the year I began my summer residency at a venue in the heart of Toronto called Casa Loma. The show is called Soul In The City and it takes place in the gardens of a beautiful historic castle in the city. My 8 piece band “The Righteous Echo” perform classic as well as original material. The show is every Monday starting in June and runs through to September. We pack the house with a 1000+ a night.
But while I love performing those classics I’ve also missed the pop/R&B that started my career. And thus Sav Blvd was created. On this record there’s going to be some pop, some R&B, and some reggae….just feel good music that has inspired me throughout my life. I feel like this has been bubbling in my soul for some time and it feels good to start letting it out.
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Share your press release.
Juno Winner Sean Jones Releases STOLE
Toronto, ON. 13 February 2018 – Sean Jones began his career as a member of the Juno Award Winning R&B group In Essence. And now, the artist is taking us back to where it all started, with the release of “STOLE” from his new album to be released later this year as part of Sav Blvd the Artist’s Alter Ego. The album reflects the music and the journey that has shaped the artist. “STOLE” is an instant reminder why the always in demand Jones, performs to packed venues in Canada and abroad. Sean Jones is the consummate performer. Fans know they get the very best of the artist from the moment he hits the stage. Not just his music, but the heart and soul of the man. Summer 2018, accompanied by an eight piece band, Sean will take up residency for the fourth year at Casa Loma’s “Soul In The City.” The always sold out shows are a testament to the talent and draw of the performer. “STOLE” reflects not only the road traveled but the one ahead for the multi-talented Sean Jones.
List the names of those that have assisted you so far in your music career and use this opportunity to thank them.
I’d like to thank my mom, dad, my Ingrid and her husband Thomas who continue to support me to no end. My management company JLE who work tirelessly for me and believe in me. My girl Andrea who has given me the greatest gift anyone could have ever given me. My daughter Savannah. The amazing musicians that I have the privilege of working with: Michael Shand, Calvin Beale, Thomas Reynolds, Jeff Halischuck, Miku Graham, and Miles Raine.
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Narrate your experience while recording in the studio or while touring.
Touring is such an amazing experience. I LOVE to travel. When we roll into a new city the first thing I want to do is get settled in the hotel. It’s usually been a long day of travel so it’s nice to get to the room, take a shower, and put on a change of clothes. If the show is that night then there’s not a lot of time to explore. However if we have a free day I make it a point to go and explore the city or town. I check out all the shops. Grab a beer at a local brewery or pub. Ask the concierge where the best breakfast spot is. Take lots of pics and chat with the locals. The unfortunate part is that there’s never enough time to REALLY see everything when you’re on tour. But I have lots of places that I know I want to go back to and spend more time.
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Go into detail about your songwriting process.
You know I don’t really have a “process” per se. Inspiration can hit me at any time. I’ve started songs while walking through the mall! I live 40 min outside of Toronto so if I get stuck in rush hour traffic….which happens often….I come up with a lot of ideas in the car. I have so many voice notes on my phone and it’s crazy. Most of them sound like gibberish but as long as I can hear the melody I’m good.
I usually get the idea for the chorus first and then I work backwards from there. I like to work with someone who is a great lyricist as I tend to get hung up on lyrics sometimes. It’s also just generally nice to bounce ideas off of people and hear what they come up with. I’ve co-written with people and the ideas they come up I would NEVER have thought of in a million years….but it works.
I have a small set up at my crib. I like to write on my piano. I’m not a real player but I know how to mess around with chords and I enjoy messing around on the keys. I find it easier to experiment on the piano than on guitar. However there are some songs that require a guitar. You just have to choose your weapon wisely. Each one can lead you down a different road in terms of feel.
After I’ve got some chords and melodies down I use my Pro Tools and Ableton rig to put together a rough demo. I’m not a producer but I think it’s important to sketch the idea as much as possible. In the end the sounds may change but the VIBE is what you need to capture.
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Brief us on what you have on the way for your fans out there.
I’ve got some SWEET TUNES coming for the people. I’m very excited because I believe we’ve created some Quality music. Good songs first and foremost. With the release of the first single “Stole”; we are just getting you seated at the table! The appetizer is still to come. Hope you’re hungry.
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Tell us what you are doing to increase your fan base.
Sav Blvd is a completely new project so I’m kind of starting from ground zero. I’ve created profiles on the major social media sites Twitter, Instagram, Facebook. We are running small ads and posting every day to get the word out. Playlist promotion companies are the new thing now. We’ve hired one to work this single. We’ll see how it all works out. We won’t be starting the PR push until the release of the next single in April. A lyric video is on the way and we will be filming a live rehearsal video for 3 songs off the album which we will use as content.
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Tell us that point in time that you just feel like giving up on your music career.
This business takes its toll on you over time. As artists we are hyper sensitive and emotional. Rejection is something that we try to ignore but at some point it finds its way through the chink in your armor and suddenly you are contemplating giving up and finding yourself a nice easy 9 to 5 job. I have those thoughts at least 2 to 3 times a year. And I think as you get older; the frequency increases. BUT as quick as that feeling comes, it can also leave just as quickly. All it takes is an email, text, phone call, radio play to make life alright again. I remember making a decision to not resign with a label that was paying me a healthy monthly advance for living expenses. I had no idea what I was going to do. I seriously started looking at options to go back to school. But all of sudden I got a call from my new management company that I was going to open for Sarah McLachlan. The clouds WILL clear. You just need to have faith. Easier said than done but it’s true.
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Go into detail on how you make your instrumentation or melody.
As I said earlier, I don’t have a specific process. I just try a bunch of different things. I will run melodies in my head for weeks if I don’t think I’ve got it. I like to take my time and make sure the final choice is the right one. Instrumentation is fun but time consuming. There are SO many options when it comes to sounds and virtual instruments. You can spend an entire day just looking for the right synth sound. It’s very cool but you can find yourself falling down a worm hole pretty quickly.
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Tell us the best way to get in touch with you on social media.
I think Instagram is the easiest. I’m on there the most.
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Tell us your favourite genre of music.
I love R&B/Pop music but I also love old soul music. Marvin, Al, Donny, Aretha…..it doesn’t get much better.
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Tell us the subject matter of most of your songs.
Love and relationship.
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Tell us all we need to know about this song.
Written by Donny Anderson and myself. Produced by Trvth Music and Gabe Gullucci.
It’s just a simple song about playa that finds the right girl and wants to turn his life around.
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Tell us what you think about digital distribution and streaming.
It changed the game for sure. You can now sell your music and make money WITHOUT a major label signing you. It’s also become easier than ever to get discovered all over the world. However what’s also clear is that artists are STILL getting ripped off in the end with the amount of compensation they receive. I hope one day the scales will become more balanced but this type of shit has been going on forever.
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Tell us various ways that artists can boost their revenue.
Play more live shows.
Become a session musician.
Create a blog.
Licensing and Publishing deals.
Sell Merch at your shows.
Perform at corporate events (not that exciting but the money is generally very good).
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Tell us your thought on self-training and going to educational institution to study music.
You don’t necessarily need to get a diploma in music to be great. However I believe that every artist should get as much education in their respective field as possible. And furthermore, that search for knowledge should never stop. You should always strive to be a better artist.
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Go on at length on what it takes to write a hit song.
There are so many factors involved in that. I guess you start with catchy good overall melody, catchy and smart lyrics, great production, and a great performance from the artist. But even the with ALL of that, your song may never see the light of day if you don’t have the right team of people to unlock the right doors. There has to be some sort of plan for the release or it will just be another good song wasted. It’s like the engine of a car. If one part isn’t working properly then you probably aren’t going very far.
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State the official date of release.
Feb 2, 2018.
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State your artist’s name and elaborate on it.
Sav Blvd was created in honour of my baby girl Savannah who was born Oct 24th 2017.
I am a poet , writer, beat maker, chef, songwriter, web designer, music promoter,digital marketer, blogger and director.
View all posts by Kolade Olamide
