U.K. born, L.A. based SJae has been honing her skills as a singer, songwriter, and most notably as a producer for years. She’s worked with artists ranging from Rod Stewart to the Pussycat Dolls, and on March 22nd she will release her debut EP FIRST. Naturally she’s reached out for a little help from her friends on the future club anthem “The Avenue.” Sam Sparro seems to have harnessed all of the good vibes in the universe for his vocal performance with Raphael Saadiq’s guitar playing, and SJae’s pristine production completely matching his level of exuberance.
Unsurprisingly, the backstory for this one is as life-affirming as the song itself. From SJae:
"Sam Sparro and I wrote this after the Orlando Shooting. It's a response to prejudice and loss. The message is that we all need to stick together in the face of hate, because ultimately, we are all the same. What hurts you, hurts me and vice versa. Our aim is to inspire hope and unity in these current strange and polarizing times."
Equally as inspiring is the impetus for SJae to make this EP in the first place. She recently detailed her experience as a female producer in terms that most women will likely relate to regardless of their industry:
“The purpose of my project is to show women can produce records, create more content and more visibility for us, so we can encourage other women to enter into the field. I believe we haven’t been encouraged to be technical within the creative industry. The assumption is that women exist only as performers, singers and songwriters, the introduction of a women who produces music, ‘makes beats’ etc. is met with surprise and a sometimes not so subtle air of disbelief.”