The world together, forever, I'll be all that you need
You and I were always meant to be
If you should leave and go your own way
I'll still love, I will survive but every night I pray
That you will find your way right back to me
I'll, I'll never let you go
I'll keep you on my heart"
I love Freestyle Friday here at Boom because it's one of my very favorite genres of old school music. Back in the fall of 1988 glam rock was everywhere and it almost made some of the dance tracks even more appealing since they were so completely different from the likes of, well, "Welcome To The Jungle". Sweet Sensation was one of several girl groups (Expose`, The Cover Girls, JJ Fad, etc.) that were doing battle on Billboard's charts. "Never Let You Go" was their first break out hit and after it hit number one on the dance charts mainstream radio also embraced the girls.
Betty Dee Lebron is the main voice behind the group and back in the 80's they had some of the best choreography around. The original line up of Lebron and sisters Mari and Margie Fernandez grew up together on NYC's lower east side and by 1988 Shelia Vega replaced Mari. Together the trio performed all over the world, bringing their Latin freestyle sound with them.
Sweet Sensation was one of those groups that helped convince me to take a break from the hair bands every now and then. My friends and I also figured out how to mix the huge headbanger hair with biker shorts, crop tops, and little ruffled skirts so that we could pay homage to both genres at the same time.
Betty Dee also performs the Sweet Sensation catalog regularly with Belle Ritter and Jenae Colon. Both ladies joined Sweet Sensation back in 1991 and have stuck with its' original lead singer ever since. The great news for freestyle fans (especially in the NYC area) is that you can still catch the ladies performing all of their classics live!
We are flashing back to some of the best of the best content here at DailyBOOM.
(ICYMI)
Here is a great recent chat with Sabrina Nieves of The Cover Girls.)
Isn't it interesting how some music just really stands the test of time? Being a DJ's kid I can rattle off songs and artists easily, My dad trained me well and a corner of my brain has 40 years' worth of music neatly filed away, just in case I need it someday. Then there are those groups and artists that for whatever reason really stand out. The Cover Girls are a big one for me. I can't tell you exactly what it was that initially made me pay attention, but "Because Of You" was my song back in 1987. Mixed in with my hairbands there was a bit of freestyle music and these ladies topped the list.
I can distinctly remember taping The Cover Girls off of Open House Party because they hadn't hit locally (yet) and even though I could have had my dad order their album I hedged on that because I had my rocker image to maintain. Any long-suffering fan of freestyle music knows that The Cover Girls went through a lineup change when Angel Sabater left as the lead vocalist and was swiftly replaced by Evelyn Escalera. What many don't know is that her departure was completely anticipated, so much so that Escalera had already been trained and was simply waiting for that phone call to come naming her as the new lead voice of The Cover Girls.
What's interesting is the fact that Escalera has been performing with the group regularly for the last 25 years and still takes heat for daring to replace a singer who left on their own accord. She has been joined onstage for the last 12 years by Sabrina Nieves and Lorraine Munoz and let me tell you, these ladies really kill it. After catching a recent freestyle show in Westchester County, NY where The Cover Girls performed, I had the privilege of chatting with Nieves for a few minutes and I quickly realized that while my teenage self loved the originals, my grown-up self is far more in tune with the class act that blew me away onstage a bit earlier.
While Nieves readily admits that there is often "noise" that surrounds them, she is completely humbled by the love that they do receive. The connection that these women actually share is pretty intense too. As it turns out, Nieves and Munoz actually go all the way back to 4th grade and they attended the same performing arts school together. In their earlier years, Nieves focused on dance while Munoz was more into voice training. While they naturally hoped to one day work together, neither ever could have imagined that they would spend over a decade together performing with The Cover Girls.
Cate Meighan: What is it like for you to still work with Evelyn and Lorraine after all of these years?
Sabrina Nieves: It's actually pretty amazing. I really respect what Evelyn has done, she is THE longest running Cover Girl! I think that she also really respects Lorraine and me, what we bring to the stage as well. We all really love and respect the Cover Girls brand and want our performances to be the best that they can be. But behind the scenes, we are all really just clowns (laughing). We have so much fun and nothing breaks the bond we share. Even if we are busy with our 9 to 5 jobs and don't talk for a bit, once we finally do get together it's always all good.
C.M.: Is there any new music on the horizon for Cover Girls fans?
S.N.: It's funny because we have written and we have recorded some other things! We also realize that we only get so long on stage and people really want to hear the classics. They come to a freestyle show to hear the old songs and we really understand that. As long as we can get out there and keep performing them then that's what we're going to do. There is a real sense of peace with where we are at now. It's good, really good.
C.M.: What is it like to perform the same songs for so many years?
S.N.: I love it! I'm a boss and a mother in my daily life so this is what gives me a chance to play dress up! There is a moment at the start of every show when Evelyn, Lorraine, and I are just standing there. When the music hits and the lights go on- that feels like it's my moment. It's funny because I also instantly look for a heckler. If I find him then I will work extra hard to try and change his mind about us (laughing). I also really love it when the crowd sings along with us. "Show Me" is my favorite song to perform and it's always last. It feels like a lot of people came just to hear that and to hear them singing the words with us is just the most amazing feeling!
C.M.: What would you like to say to the fans that come out to support The Cover Girls?
S.N.: Oh my gosh, the Cover Girls fandom is diehard! There are those people that really do follow us from show to show, so much so that I kind of look for them (laughing)! We are so very grateful for all that the fans have done to support us. We love that they have introduced our music to their kids and now we have another generation of fans following us. That's honestly what helps to keep the Cover Girls alive, so thank you!
Talking to Nieves makes it extra easy to root for these ladies. The talent is obvious. Escalera's live rendition of "Wishing On A Star" kind of rips the roof off of any building, but the grown-up Cover Girls are also role models. They juggle children, are businesswomen, have nursed broken hearts, and whatever else life has thrown their way, all with a little grace and a whole lot of class.
"Every time I hear your voice And I look into your eyes Sends a burning sweet sensation Oh, inside of me The look in your eyes Has found me I am sending Sending my love to you Praying that you are home Sealing it with a kiss"
Zhanefirst caught my eye back in 1994 when their "Hey Mr. DJ" kind of became an anthem. They were a little hip hop but with a smooth neo soul groove thrown in. Their harmonies were tight and there was little there not to love. Zhane had a string of hits in the mid-90's but my very favorite is still "Sending My Love". It's a bit slower and smoother than their other stuff. Rather than rambling on I'm going to just tell you to check it out. Do you remember this?
"You play tricks on my mind, you're everywhere, but you're so hard to find You're not warm, you're sentimental You're so extreme, you can be so temperamental"
I know that these guys were a bit older when they had a string of hits that began in the late 70's but being ten years past retirement age seems unreal. I remember when "Urgent" first came out in the summer of 1981. It was catchy and really the perfect single off of their 4 album to lead with. At the time, Foreigner was a pretty well-established rock group but this album helped them to crossover onto the pop charts where they would spend years making their presence known. "Urgent" was something different though. It was one of those songs that everyone loved after 30 seconds in and I suspect that it probably still has that effect to this day on those not familiar with Foreigner's extensive catalog. Back in 1981, I had a little transistor radio that I carried around with me and it was an era where we all really did listen to the radio for hours just waiting for your favorite DJ to play your favorite songs. "Urgent" was certainly one of those songs for me. Check out the video below. It was made when MTV was still brand spanking new and every artist out there was trying to figure out how to perform a song that could be shown every few hours on a loop if they were really lucky.
I think that one of the coolest things about music is how it affords each and every one of us the ability to travel through time. You know what I mean, that twenty-second song intro that just for a flash of a moment makes you feel like it really is 1987 all over again. Some songs just stay with you, forever imprinted in your mind, following you through life like comfortable old friends, and no amount of passing time changes your love for them. Nick Van Eede, the co-founder, singer and songwriterof Cutting Crew, has created exactly that kind of gift for millions of people worldwide via "(I Just) Died In Your Arms", a song that shot to number one in 1987 and continues to pop up in pop culture to this day.
I think that most people believe that once you "make it" in the music industry you're sort of set for life if you handle your money properly. The actual truth is that the music business is at best, a harsh place to try and exist. You could be at the top of the charts and playing sold-out shows now and in six months you're back to waiting tables or washing dishes. The only solid guarantee is that every star eventually falls from the sky and then it takes talent, timing, and unshakable determination to get back up again.
In his thirty-five years since starting Cutting Crew, Nick has experienced the highs of sold-out tours, as well as the unimaginable loss of Kevin MacMichael, the secret ingredient (and brilliant guitarist) that helped to balance the band. Despite the losses, a storyteller can never stay quiet for too long and over the last decade or so he has rebuilt the band with a new Cutting Crew co-conspirator, guitarist Gareth Moulton, who has truly honored the past while leaving his own imprint on the music.
The band was steadily gigging until Covid-19 brought the touring industry to a screeching halt, making this the perfect time for that new release that had already been planned. Ransomed Healed Restored Forgiven puts an incredible symphonic twist on a catalog of already beloved songs. It was a risky move but one that Nick completely embraced. We spoke recently about these reimagined classics and Nick was happy to really dig into the details of how this album came to life.
Nick Van Eede on embracing the idea of a symphonic album:
"It was a wonderful thing! Fifty years ago when my granddad would hear me playing guitar in the lounge he would say, 'your songs seem to work well, if only they had an orchestra' and then many years ago when we first got a publishing deal there was always mention of an orchestra. Over the years, I have performed 3 or 4 of the songs maybe 25 times with an orchestra. Cutting Crew songs aren't better than anyone else's' and they're no worse than anyone elses', but I do kind of write those big melodies, and the layering of our arrangements just begged for it. I've joked about how I've been waiting for the call to do this and then there really was a call out of the blue from a record label to do it (laughing). Then came the million-dollar question of do you do this with songs that are so precious to millions of people and risk making it not as good. I finally decided to jump and so we jumped off the cliff together!!
It was time-consuming and meticulous work. I wish I could sexy it up and tell you that I flew all over the world to make this album but it didn't happen that way (laughing). You know how everyone is doing things now since the world has changed because of this virus? People are recording remotely or doing concerts from their house, well this was done pre-Covid but really under the same rules because of how scattered we all are. The string arranger was in Manchester, my guitarist is in the middle of England, I'm in the south of England, the orchestra was in Prague, the engineer was in Slovenia and lastly our drummer, he was in Russia. It was quite a task and there were moments in time when we just said, 'f--k it this is just impossible'- like while trying to tell a Russian drummer that the high hat isn't quite right (laughing), those were the tricky bits. The beautiful thing was working with the string arranger, Pete Whitfield, I must say that it was a pleasure and gift for me.
It's not a perfect science because especially the rocking songs like "Any Color", have some great string parts but you can't really layer too much. I grew up playing classical guitar and if you came to my house now I wouldn't be playing rock music, I'd be playing you classical music because I know my composers and I'm pretty deep into them I love it and sometimes I'm humbled by it you know, I listen to Mahler's "Adagio" and think, well that's it, there's no point in writing another note (laughing). When Pete, our string arranger, would send me huge manuscripts of notes I'd thank him and remind him that I'm not very good at reading music (laughing), then ask him to send the audio along as well. Only then I would get involved, which he liked. He told me so many acts in the past have hired him and they'd get what they get, so he was happy that I wanted to be involved."
Nick on reimagining Cutting Crew songs after the works of specific composers:
"I have recently worked with quite an acclaimed classical composer in this tiny little village in Sussex where I live. His name is Nigel Crouch and he has always loved "I've Been In Love Before". He insisted that the composer that was the best match was Sibelius and told me to listen to the last movement of Symphony #5. I checked it out and pointed Pete to that and so now on that song you can hear some movements a' la Sibelius.
"The Broadcast" was a risky one to makeover. When the song was first imagined I had this transistor radio and I would never listen to the pop stations. Instead, I'd go right up to the end of the dial on short wave and you'd just get these strange sounds. It would be like propaganda from North Korea or Arabic music and that was my little world at the time. I really wanted to get the feeling of when I was a teen in rural Sussex and so Pete and I both agreed that the style of music was like that of a British composer named Ralph Vaughan Williams. I was at first worried that the song might feel a bit too Broadway but hey, we're reimagining these songs and they're supposed to sound different, right?.
"(I Just) Died In Your Arms", the Reprise, has to be one of the most emotional recordings that I've ever had to do, just me and the orchestra. I think it was done in two takes, just did it and cut the takes together. Those words now as a 62-year-old man mean something completely different to me then when I originally wrote them as a 26-year-old guy. I've lost my father, I've lost my brother, I've lost Kevin my original guitarist and best pal, I have a daughter too- so many things have changed. I've always been good at writing fairly oblique lyrics and something that you can read whatever you want to in it but doing that one as an older guy meant a lot of tears. There were a lot of tissues on the floor (laughing). That song was in the style of Edward Elgar who is probably my favorite British composer. We got his trademark cellos to move around and sound very foreboding yet beautiful at the same time. That will go down as one of the most memorable moments in my entire career.
"Berlin In Winter" is now one of our biggest songs to play live and it stems from a story that you just can't make up. In 1989 when the wall fell, Cutting Crew was on tour and I remember watching the television with Kevin and seeing these amazing images and beautiful human moments. Three days later we were actually playing in Berlin. We had a hit record on their charts and a sold-out tour but only about twenty-five people came to the gig (laughing), quite rightly too. I think we did about six songs and had people onstage with us and then we went down to the wall together and had an incredible time. That has always been one of the abiding memories in my life and this song is an imaginary song about a guy who was sequestered by the Communists to build the wall, lived through all of the atrocities of it and then was there as an old man to see it fall. It's hard to write a story because you have to have a beginning, a middle, and an ending in only three verses, so I'm very proud of that one.
I knew it had to be Russian sounding for this recording, Pete said 'that's Shostakovitch and I was thinking more Tchaikovsky, something with a haunting, descending cello line and again a quite cold and daunting sound, but definitely a Russian influence.
That time in Berlin, it was a blur and pure joy but no anger. There could have been people coming through from the east, pointing at the policemen or saying 'f--k you' or whatever, but instead it was a beautiful embracing evening. I have a memory of being with a big roadie friend of mine who had a hammer and dinged off a piece of the wall for me and I've still got that here somewhere. It has really stuck with me and I've played in Berlin 20 times at least since then. It's one of my favorite cities in the world. It shows those scars but it has done it very well. It's a special place and they've kept the wall intact in some places so that you can see it. It's just a little wall, not this gigantic thing, but of course, if they tried to cross it back then they would have been shot.
So if I make another million pounds I'd love to buy an apartment there. I'd love to live there as an older guy. Let it be said too that new Germany is a wonderful place. They've never ever tried to sweep it under the carpet, everywhere you go there are memorials to the history of the country. I think I work more there than anywhere else and I love it."
Nick on the legacy of "(I Just) Died In Your Arms":
"I knew it was special because that was reinforced by anyone that heard the really scratchy first demo. I was 25 then and had been writing quite well for about 7 years, so I had other things to compare it with. The longevity of it absolutely staggers me. Ten years after I thought well that was a good run (laughing), twenty years after it was an even better run. It may be 20 million people's worst song in the world but that doesn't take away from the other 200 million people that really like it. I've always just really embraced the song and it's a number one record that has really outlasted a lot of other number one records. I always refer to the song as 'she' and I say that she's my passport, she's like a lover, she's an accidental dinner conversation, she's my bank manager (laughing), so I'm quite happy to have her in my life.
When it came time to do this album I wanted to do this song near the end because I needed to know how we were going to make this album work first. I felt that touching this song was really risky and somehow it just came together. I don't really smoke but I had about ten cigarettes that day and a lot of Johnnie Walker as well to get the vocal right."
Nick on his writing process:
"Well, this is important, I never, ever sit down and tell myself I'm going to write a song about something in particular, like my daughter's blue hair (laughing). It just doesn't work that way. I do have the ability to write very obliquely though and that leaves my lyrics open to interpretation in a myriad of ways.
It has to hit a very high bar that I set for myself. I won't put anything out there in writing that I view as just a filler song. I'm always proud of my albums and while you don't have to like every song, they've hit my bar and that is always in the back of my mind. At the same time, when you give birth to something you must never share it too soon. Just let it roll and if it starts sounding a little like "Hey Jude", as an example, don't worry, it might not end up sounding anything like "Hey Jude". Don't get scared, it's just not there yet, and don't kill it too soon.
I really have to sit there and find that muse though. I usually write on the keyboards because I love them becauseI don't play them very well, so I have all sorts of happy accidents because I don't know what the f--k I'm doing (laughing). It's also all very phonetic and I've been brave enough to at times just make sounds that kind of hit with the music. Once you're really off and running then the actual lyrics just seem to pour out and you can be done with it even in an hour because you found what has rooted you to the song.
Also, I'll warn you, if during the course of this conversation you say something to me that I absolutely love it'll be written down and transferred to my ten-meter long piece of wallpaper that I sometimes stick up in my studio. It has my little catchphrases, titles and sayings that I really like and so while creating something I can look up and see all of these possibilities. It's my responsibility as a songwriter to keep track of possibilities."
Nick on striking gold twice with guitarists' Kevin MacMichael and Gareth Moulton:
"When I found Kevin all those years ago it was like a good marriage because everything was easy, no egos when wrote together. He was my editor and very good at taking my straightforward jolly lyrics and making them darker. He would put some negativity in there (laughing) and it's what was needed. When I spoke at his funeral I think I judged the mood right and told that story, adding that if Kevin had his way that song would have been called "(I Just) Lived In Your Arms". So to find Gareth Moulton after having already found a Kevin was just astonishing. He has to tip his hat to what Kevin did while at the same time being himself and he has done that masterfully. Gareth does all of the sensational guitar playing on the album. He's my best friend and to find somebody like that is so special."
Nick on embracing whatever comes next:
"We have had 22 gigs canceled so far this year, including one in Trinidad, plus Switzerland, Japan, and everything else. There is still a show scheduled for Budapest and one in Tel Aviv but there are no flights. Also, if I go then when I come home I'll have to quarantine for fourteen days, so playing requires real thought. That said, we're very clever humans and so I imagine we'll figure it all out in the end. Things are going to be different and I'm ready to embrace it. I love doing the unplugged things and so maybe Gareth and I will just be dueting for a while and telling the stories behind the songs. When we do the rock shows he always tells me to stop talking (laughing), but I enjoy telling the stories too.
In spite of all of the awful things, there are so many beautiful young people coming through in this world and I'm totally encouraged by them. They'll lead the way towards whatever is next for us all in this crazy world."
Get your own copy of Ransomed Healed Restored Forgiven at Cutting Crew's official site. Check out their Facebook & Twitter for gig updates and behind-the-scenes fun.
We are flashing back to some of the best of the best content here at DailyBOOM.
(ICYMI the first time...)
Some songs just stay with you. No matter how many years have passed since the first time that you remember hearing it on the radio, four seconds in and you recognize it as YOUR jam. Sure, it might be one of a handful of songs that you classify that way, but it's still YOUR jam. Pretty Poison's "Catch Me I'm Falling" has always registered as one of mine. It was just the right song at the right time for me, one that to this day leaves me dancing. It has worked that same kind of magic on a lot of people. I say that because, in between heating up dance floors worldwide, "Catch Me" has also found its' way onto the soundtrack of at least a dozen movies, as well as television shows like Breaking Bad.
I recently had an opportunity to catch up with Jade Starling, who has had a roller coaster ride of a year. She has helped to love and rally her bandmate through cancer, hit the stage on numerous occasions, and has found an enormous amount of personal healing in the #metoo movement. Every step of the way Jade has remained grateful, gracious, and infectiously positive. Keep reading and you'll find her just as endearing as I have!
Cate Meighan: It has been a while, so fill me in on what you've been up to. Jade Starling: As I reflect on the last year or so, it really has been a very busy and productive time. We've done a lot of tour dates this last year. We were out on the Lost 80's Live Tour and we shared the bill with some incredibly famous groups that I've idolized forever. Missing Persons, Berlin, Wang Chung, Naked Eyes, Spandau Ballet- just all of the really great music that I grew up with. Here I was, on tour with them and it was just such a great experience.
2017 started off with a challenge though because my longtime partner in the group, Whey Cooler was diagnosed with Stage 4 throat cancer and he had to go through chemo and radiation treatments for about three months. I always knew that he was one of the strongest people, if not the strongest person that I've ever known in my life. What he went through was just the worst, but being a strong person and one that is blessed with unconditional love, he managed to find the strength to get through this. The support of his friends, family and fans was amazing. Everyone really rallied around him and lifted him up. I would say by May his treatments were over and we started going out on tour again. Honestly, he was just coming off of treatment and probably shouldn't have been on the road, but he wanted to go and I think in the end it was the best thing. He needed to get out there again. He was never someone that didn't do anything, so he was in the studio every day right up until those last weeks of treatment. He worked like he wasn't sick and I admire that so much. We had been working together for thirty years and so getting back out onto the road just made sense. As of today, he is almost back to normal and has been in remission for three months.
(Photo: Jade Starling Official Facebook)
Also our classic song “Catch Me I'm Falling” was featured in the movie "The Big Sick" (available on pay per view) this year. Having our song in the movie brought a lot of recognition and we've been sorting through more offers for tour dates and things like that so that song really is a gift that keeps on giving (laughing). Who knew that Catch Me would be such a blessing?
CM: "Catch Me "I'm Falling" was such a huge song and I think it's one that is instantly identifiable even 30 years later. Do you ever feel boxed in by the success of it?
JS: I don't feel boxed in by it but it's like the pinnacle of everything. People will always compare everything we do to our biggest, worldwide hit, I never like to dwell on the past. I'm grateful that the song keeps reinventing itself. It has been used in a dozen movies and it has been on tv shows like Breaking Bad. I'm not mad at that at all (laughing) because it's fantastic. But we are still working on new music and we've had amazing success at the dance or club level for the last decade or so. We've had over a dozen or so songs chart on Billboard's dance chart and six number ones on there. Also in the last few years, I released my first solo album called Captive and it spawned three Billboard dance hits. I think we're still relevant, especially in the dance community. I think our style is pretty diverse. We're actually award-winning songwriters. We've written songs for other people and have worked with other artists like Joss Stone.
Also, we're revered in the freestyle world. I don't know how that actually happened but I'm really glad that it did. I don't think that we're a freestyle act but we seem to be lumped in with that type of music and I don't mind that, it's another thing I'm not mad at (laughing). We get invited to do big arena freestyle shows and there are the same dozen artists or so that do these, so I'm happy to be part of that family.
(Photo: Jade Starling Official Facebook)
CM: The freestyle world really is like a family, isn't it?
JS: It's funny how the more things change the more things stay the same. All of the acts and groups on tour just do seem like more of a family. It's like a relationship with the family members that you only get to see a few times a year. It feels right and natural. There's nothing strange about how comfortable it all is. I prefer working with people that I like to be around. I like positive, upbeat people. I don't like drama and I really like to build people up, especially other women. I'm very supportive of other female acts in the industry. I feel that you get what you give in the music industry so I always try to put out the positive and hopefully that's what I'm getting back. I'm all about love (laughing). Think about the love of the fans when they're singing our songs! It's very touching and it warms my heart so I try to stay in touch with our fans. I do answer as many messages from them as I can. It's important to them and it's important to me to keep that relationship going. It's amazing what social media has done and can you imagine if we had it back in the day, how big things could have been? It just seems like the more that I'm out there on social media promoting myself and responding to even basic things, it really does so much. I can make someones' day, or they can even make mine. It just means so much. It's not that hard to be kind and what comes around goes around.
CM: Freestyle music really took off in Miami right?
JS: Yes. Pretty Poisonwas originally based out of Philly but we were doing the majority of our shows in the tri-state area. That's really where it started for us and then it spread out to Florida, especially Miami because that was a big dance hub for sure. It took a long time but I think dance music has finally come to the forefront. It's commercially viable especially with XM Radio and things like that you can just channel in on exactly the music you like and individualize each genre.
CM: You have been involved in the music industry for so long, how have the negative aspects of the business affected you?
JS: Well, during the 90's after our Virgin records deal ended we signed with a small label. The president of this record company was always groping me and touching me. He felt like he could have his hands on me. I ended up suing for sexual harassment and I won because we settled. The recent news coming every day with these people in power, you know you see what they want you to see. They look like these great people that are respectful and would never do anything wrong and yet, so many people have gone through the same thing that I have.
I've had a gag order to keep me from talking about it and for so many years I've suppressed those feelings. Now, with all of these other women coming forward because of #metoo, it's almost like the burden has been lifted off of my shoulders as well. It makes me feel vindicated and it has taken me a long time to be able to say that. I feel like I wasn't alone now and for so long I couldn't talk about it and I felt like I was having a breakdown. It was so embarrassing and I felt belittled and trapped. This person would threaten to take away a budget because I wasn't doing what he wanted me to do. It wasn't in private. He was touching me and making me feel uncomfortable in public and in front of other people.
CM: I think a lot of people think that this is a new issue rather than one that has been swept under the proverbial rug for so long. But it has always existed.
JS: I'm just happy to see so many people and women coming forward to tell the stories about their abuse by these creepy guys. It just messes with your head and it messes you up. I don't care if they're multi-millionaires, they are still despicable. That behavior is disgusting and should never be condoned. It's never okay, in any situation.
CM: What else have you been up to, besides the music?
JS: I work out a lot. I go to the gym because it's good for my head, my body, and my soul. I have to work out, gotta keep it looking good (laughing). I really do enjoy weightlifting, kickboxing, yoga things like that. I've also been working with people on developing skincare products. It's something that I'm really into. Natural things, natural ways to keep your skin looking young. That's something that I'm really working on and it's in the developing stages no so hopefully in the next year or two it'll come to fruition.
It's really important to get into good skincare habits when you're young otherwise you wake up one day, look in the mirror and say,' what have I done or what haven't I done?'. I'm happy to say that I've never done any kind of plastic surgery or injectables. I just don't believe in it unless things are totally falling apart (laughing) and I feel like there's no choice. I think sometimes people get carried away with it. If someone says that another person had work then I think they've gone too far with it. You don't want to look like you've had work, you want to look like yourself and that you haven't aged. I find that with some topical skincare products you really are getting lots of anti-aging and nourishment which is great. It also comes from the inside out. You have to feel joy and happiness in your heart because when you do it shows on your face. Smiling is like an instant facelift.
I just like to spread positivity. When you're with someone that's negative it just brings you down, it's contagious. Misery loves company. There are so many things that we're blessed with and it's not that there aren't hardships, everyone goes through them. But honestly, I praise God every day. I have strong beliefs and I just always tell people to pray. Use prayer, it helps. My best friend got through cancer and I truly believe it had a lot to do with positivity and prayer. When you think that you've hit that rock bottom and that all is lost, it really isn't. There is still that little spark of hope, so hang onto it.
CM: This really has been both a challenging and rewarding year for you. What comes next?
JS: We're very blessed and lucky. We have been working in the studio on new music and we're going to be releasing a new album in 2018. We're really excited about that. There have been opportunities for us outside of the group but we're still working very hard in the studio. I can't say when exactly but there will be a new single released in the first quarter of 2018 with a new album to follow. There will also be some new remixes of "Catch Me I'm Falling" thanks to some big-name producers and remixers we're working with.
CM: What would you like to say to the fans that have followed you and have really lifted you up this year?
JS: Oh great big special thanks to all of the fans for their undying continued love and support.They are the reason that we're still here doing what we love to do so much.
We are flashing back to some of the best of the best content here at DailyBOOM. ICYMI Some songs just stay with you no matter how many years have passed since the first time that you remember hearing them on the radio, four seconds in and you recognize it as your jam. Sure, there might be a handful of songs that you can classify that way, but when one of them starts to play it's still always YOUR jam. Soave’s “Crying Over You" has always registered as one of mine. It was just the right song at the right time for me, one that to this day leaves me dancing. It has worked that same kind of magic on a lot of people and I challenge anyone that is under the impression that freestyle music died off twenty-plus years ago, to reconsider. I say that because on any given weekend, in various locations across the U.S. you’ll find thousands of freestyle fans packing venues to embrace not only the music but also the bit of nostalgia that those dance floor classics conjure up.
I’ve had an opportunity to get to know Jeffrey “Soave” Martinez a bit and I now really understand that in order to consistently perform nearly every week for the last three decades (as he has), it takes passion, devotion to the music and a deep gratitude for all that freestyle has brought to his life. The fans play a huge part in his ability to keep performing because without demand there is no supply, but it’s his gut-level devotion to music that has Soave now working on the biggest passion project of his life. The need to grow has led him back into the studio to create brand new music, completely on his own terms.
In a recent interview, Soave revisited his earliest days in the music industry and brought me up to speed on all that he has in the works for this year. Check it out below.
(Soave Martinez- Official Facebook)
Soave Martinez on his first brush with the freestyle music world:
"My girlfriend and I had just broken up and I found out that she was going to be at the Puerto Rican Day Parade, so I figured my friend and I could go and we would run into her. I had never been to this parade before, so I had no idea just how massive it was. I was thinking it would be just a couple of blocks and I'd run into her when really it was hundreds of thousands of people (laughing). So we went and it didn't take me long to figure out that I was never going to run into her so we decided to just enjoy the moment. As we were walking my buddy was taking flyers from everyone that was handing them out. He had a stack of flyers in his hands and I looked at the last one that was handed to him and it was little pictures of about 25 different acts all in a big square. It was for a Puerto Rican Day Parade after-party at Club Broadway 96.
I was a fan of freestyle first before I ever even considered performing it. I really liked established acts like Noel, TKA and Trilogy. They weren't on the flyer, but my father was the head of security at Club Broadway 96, so I knew that even though we were underage we would be able to get in because he would hook us up. We headed down to the club, had dinner and then we ended up backstage so I got to meet all of the artists as they were coming through. Since I was broken up with my girlfriend, I took autographed photos from each of the acts and I decided that I was going to mail them all to her on Monday, hoping that would get her back (laughing).
I was there for hours either backstage or watching everyone from the side of the stage and by the fourth or fifth act I was thinking, 'I could do that, I could be out there'. In my college days, I wanted to go to school for both acting and singing, so I figured whichever one I got an opportunity to do first, that would be the one that I focused on. As luck would have it, I got the opportunity to sing because I was at that show that night."
(Soave Martinez- Official Facebook)
Soave on how that one night turned into a golden opportunity:
"Well, on Monday I did take my pile of autographs to the post office (laughing) and as the lady at the counter was wrapping it up with love, I realized I had to get something from out of the pile. The person I had spent the most time with was Johnny O and I needed to get his manager's phone number from inside that envelope. The guys' name was George Vasconez, he owned Sparkle Management and at the time, he was THE guy. So I got the number and called it a few times that day asking to speak with Johnny O. When I realized I was actually speaking with George I told him that I wanted to be a singer and he just started laughing his head off (laughing). He must have thought that I was a complete kook, but he explained that first I needed to be discovered. If I wasn't discovered then I needed a complete demo tape and I had no clue where to go to make one. All that I could think of was that booth in Macy's with the Karaoke that let you record and gave you a tape on your way out (laughing). George told me when he was going to be at the same club that I had met Johnny O at and he told me to introduce myself to him and that he would help me figure out the demo tape.
I was so excited! I went to that club in jeans and a jean jacket with no shirt under it, I don't know what the hell I was thinking (laughing), but it was kind of the style back then. So I introduced myself to him at the club looking like this and he looked me up and down and said, 'kid, I'm going to put you on stage and the girls are going to go crazy'. I couldn't believe it! He introduced me to Judy Torres and a few other people and then basically took me under his arm. Every Wednesday night I stayed at his house in the city, because that was the night of the week that all of the artists performed. He took me to different functions and shows so that I could watch and learn how all of the other artists did things. He took me to The Palladium and Studio 54, clubs like that and everywhere that we went he was known as the manager so those velvet ropes went up. It was like school for me and I lived for those Wednesdays. It was so exciting and I really couldn't believe that this was my life.
After seven or eight months of this, I really wanted to get started on my career. I was around all of these other artists but no one had ever heard me sing and I just wanted to sing. George told me he had gotten me an audition for a song on Micmac Records, which I thought was crazy because I still didn't have a demo tape. I asked him how I could audition without it and he reminded me of all the times I was in the car with him, singing. He thought I was talented and I had no idea that he was helping me to improve and just watching me grow for all of those months. I was really just a clueless kid (laughing)."
Soave on that one audition that changed his life:
"I was just dying for that audition to come and when it finally did, I was put right in the vocal booth and handed words to a poem written by someone's ex-girlfriend, called "Crying Over You". He wanted me to sing it in a very monotone style that resembled another song that was already on the radio. So, I did exactly what I was told and then after the third or fourth time I asked if I could sing it differently, the way that I would really want to sing it and he said yes. I made it my own and he said, 'all right, all right that's good, come out!', and I thought I blew it.
I'm thinking that I should have just kept my mouth shut rather than trying to be creative over here (laughing), and so I came out of the booth. I was expecting the worst and instead, he told me I got the song and he welcomed me to the team.
We recorded the song and back then it took forever for a song to come out. If you recorded in January it would take until October or November for them to release it because they had to master it and then do edits, which took forever. So, when it finally came out they first gave it to the record pools as kind of a test market. I remember KTU radio (in NYC) had a Hot or Not segment and my song was like 97% hot. Then it went to the test press to get a feel for how the song might do, which would help to set the release date. This song went from the test press right to the radio stations before the label had a feel for how the market was, and it went into regular rotation. I went from doing shows for free to making six or seven thousand dollars on a weekend, literally overnight. I didn't understand at the time how rare that really was. I thought it was a Micmac thing and that if your song came out on their label then you'd automatically be played on the radio. I quit my day job and two weeks later I had my first pay from singing, a check for seven thousand dollars and then a bag with another seven thousand in cash (laughing). I was scared because I had all this money and I remember trying to get home as fast as I could with it.
I pushed them to put out another song really fast and the label insisted we ride that wave created by "Crying Over You". I actually wrote the lyrics to the next song, "If You Want Me", on the back of a vomit bag while flying back from a show, on Eastern Airlines (laughing). It was before I had any kind of recording device so I kept writing the lyrics and singing them so that I would remember them. I recorded it and it took them forever to release it, but when they finally did it actually did much better than "Crying Over You", because people were waiting for a follow-up song."
(Soave Martinez- Official Facebook)
Soave on the importance of having full control over his new music:
"I started this project six years ago when I was making a lot more money and had the ability to spend more money on the studio. For a few years, it was harder coming up with the funds to cover all the costs that go with recording an album, but now I'm back in the studio every week again. It's nice to actually be in control and it's probably taking longer because I am in control. It's my money now that's invested so they can't tell me what to do. It has to be perfect. I've waited so long for this chance that it just has to be perfect. I'll do an entire song and then go back over it with a fine-tooth comb looking for one sentence or one little riff that I don't like, and then I'll fix it. I'm also one of those guys that's really annoying to producers (laughing) because I actually care about how it's going to sound. They understand me though and know that I work fast, but I'll always go back and fix stuff. To me, that's how you become a good artist."
Soave on his musical passion project:
"The name of the album is 'Silky Sheets and Smooth Covers' and the silky sheets are my original songs, while smooth covers are cover songs. Those are songs that I've always loved listening to or that are fun to perform. It's exciting because I just know that it's going to do well. I want to get it out by March because it's the 30th anniversary of "Crying Over You". It's so exciting and I feel like every song that I finish is better than the one that I did before.
It's not a freestyle record, but there is one freestyle song on there that I'm having a lot of fun with. I feel like I have to throw one freestyle song in to really get the attention of my original fanbase, almost as a thank you for sticking with me. It's a way of staying true to who I was as an artist back then while also proving that I'm vocally capable of so much more now. The reason why I like this particular song so much is that I wrote it in 1992 and it just stayed with me. I never recorded it or released it, I've just kept it with me for all of these years, thinking I'd save it for when freestyle comes back and gets real radio play. I always believed that if it were to come back then I'd need to be ready and this is my song for that.
People say that freestyle is back but I can tell you that it never really went away. I've been singing it regularly for over thirty years. Maybe we get more shows now than even ten years ago, but it never went away."
(Soave Martinez- Official Facebook)
Soave on not having any real regrets:
"I don't ever have regret really and here's why: If you have regret and would change something in your life, then you also couldn't have the good things that you have today. I've had different dancers and I've had different kinds of stage shows over the years, but I've never stopped performing, never. I've been very blessed. If I changed one thing then all of that would change too. I'm happy with the opportunities that I've already had and I'm happy that my life isn't over yet, so I can still make a difference in a lot of different ways."
Check out Soave's official site for updates on everything he's doing. Also, follow him on Facebook, Twitter, & Instagram for info on upcoming gigs, new music & tour dates.
