When independent artists Jazz Sanusi and Eddy “Boyo” Owoeye teamed to record music as JAED (pronounced as jade), they probably had no idea their collaborative single “Tell Me” would garner such high appraise far and wide. They are definite an act to watch in 2020.
Tell us a little bit about yourselves individually.
Eddy: My name is Edward, I go by Eddy! I’m 25, born in the UK but originally from Nigeria. I lived in the latter for about seven years before moving to the United States when I was thirteen. I currently hold a bachelors of science in nursing and travel for work. In my spare time, I enjoy making bops and being creative.
Jazz: I’m Jazz Sanusi, a 24-year-old with Nigerian and Belgian roots. Growing up in Belgium, I was indulging myself in creative activities like music, dance, and theatre from an early age. Currently, I am finishing up my master’s in business psychology which also gave me the opportunity to come to New York City.
The chemistry between the two of you is undeniable. How did you first meet?
Jazz: We like to blame it on our zodiac signs. We met waiting in line for a Samoht concert and sparked up a conversation and ended up having a really fun random night with two other people we met that night, which is very New York.
Will there be more collaborative music for your fans in the immediate future?
Jazz: Eddy and I are busy creatives so we are always creating in one way or the other. That includes JAED, where we have some exciting things lined up so stay tuned for sure!
How would you describe the JAED’s sound overall?
Eddy: I would describe JAED’s sound as new age R&B. Our sound right now features lots of mellow guitars, and simple catchy yet vulnerable lyrics. I’ve been told quite a bit that our song is catchy.
Jazz: I completely agree with Eddy’s description, JAED blends our individual backgrounds into a new sound. The fusion of jazz, soul, pop and R&B can all be found in vocals and music.
What do you each feel the other brings to the table as far as the creative process?
Eddy: I love Jazz’s voice. She’s a seasoned singer and always sings with passion and depth. Despite being such close friends it still feels like such an honor to work with her. I feel she brings an element to our sound in a way no one else can. Lastly, her love for jazz music and music in general is inspiring.
Jazz: Eddy is such a natural. Lyrics and melody come very easily to him, which is such a blessing to work with and leads to all his work being catchy and relatable.
When it comes to picking beats, how do you decide whether a track works or not?
Eddy: We’re still figuring this out right now. We are both very liberal when it comes to the creative process. We honestly start with the heart of the song, such as the message and what we connect to and we just go from there.
Jazz: I think the most important thing for us both is that we really vibe with the music or beats from the first two seconds. That’s the only way we can convey our story as artists. That makes us very open to working with different musicians, so hit us up!
Are you guys romantically involved or do you just enjoy creating together?
Eddy: HA! No. I’m not Jazz’s type. (laughs). We are just friends.
How do you overcome disagreements?
Eddy: I think this is a funny question because we had one the day before this was released! I must say that with me as a sagittarius and Jazz as a Libra, we naturally have great chemistry. We tend to never clash and when we do, we’ve been really good at patching things up and just talking them out. We’re not afraid to be open with one another and I love that about our friendship.
Share with us the biggest lesson you have learned in the music business so far.
Eddy : Promote! Promote!! Promote!!!
BE’N ORIGINAL
