Sheer Element debuted on The Voice, capturing the attention of three out of the four judges. They joined Team Kelly Clarkson, and have hit the music scene running. With their angelic harmonies and beautiful dynamic, Sheer Element has become a vocal group to watch. And with their debut original single, ‘What I Want’, they have shown that they are a powerhouse of vocals and should be watched closely.
We had the absolute pleasure of sitting down with Sheer Element to talk about their beginnings, their experience on The Voice, and their upcoming EP.
Thank you so much for sitting down with us! We love your newest cover of Drake’s ‘Hold On, We’re Going Home’ – how do you guys choose what songs to cover?
Thank you for having us! Of course, we want to choose popular songs, but also songs that we all love. We think the most challenging and fun part is figuring out how to put our own spin on them.
Individually, how did you get into music?
Tabon Ward: I got into music when I was a kid. I was in my middle and high school’s bands and some of the musicals. Then I graduated from the Popular Music program at the University of Southern California in 2020. I’m a sucker for old-school R&B music so that has always been my strong suit.
Jej Vinson: Ever since I was a toddler, my parents would bring my sister and me to their church choir rehearsals. That’s how I started learning how to sing and harmonize. A few years later, I discovered and fell in love with contemporary R&B after watching Beyonce on TV. Since then, I’ve become obsessed with studying that style of music.
Izzy Kaye: I started singing in middle school. I joined a rock band as a backup singer for fun (I wanted to be an artist, author, or a dancer but at that time, not a singer). I fell in love with music and performing and then in high school I got very involved in choir and theatre and that has continued throughout my life.
You met before auditioning for the Voice in college – how did you discover that your voices worked so beautifully together?
We met in college in a singing group, which eventually led to us becoming really good friends. When you’re friends with singers, you just can’t help but sing all the time. I think that naturally made it really easy for us to blend together.
Your iconic performance of Silk Sonic’s ‘Leave The Door Open’ got three of the four judges to turn their chairs! What was going through your heads when performing the song?
We were just so excited to be up there on stage. We were nervous, but when Chance the Rapper turned around, we knew we had secured our spot on the show so that was a breath of fresh air. Then when Niall turned toward the end and Kelly at the very last second… we couldn’t believe it! Such a wave of different emotions in just a couple of minutes, we will never forget that.
How has the Voice impacted the dynamic of the group?
Through The Voice, we learned how to work well under pressure. Even though we made a lot of amazing memories on the show, the competition was still super intense. Every time you’re on that stage, you only get one shot, so we had to be on our A-game. Being in that environment pushed us out of our comfort zone, which helped us grow in the long run.
Your three-part harmonies are out of this world – who are some of your inspirations and influences?
So many different artists have influenced us. We love artists from Destiny’s Child, Boyz II Men, and Bee Gees to Ariana Grande, Mariah Carey, and Usher.
You shared a snippet of your upcoming single, ‘What I Want’ and it’s so different from the covers you’ve put out. It mixes R&B, hip-hop, and pop. What was it like writing and recording together for the first time?
Rico Love wrote the song and it was produced by D’TownThaGreat. Working with them in the studio was a dream come true. Their creative minds astound us. We’ve arranged covers before but recording and arranging our own music for the first time honestly felt like putting together a puzzle. After Rico recorded the demo for ‘What I Want’, we had to make it work for three voices, and that was so much fun to figure out.
Your vocal ranges are incredible – how does the dynamic of the group affect the songwriting process?
Thank you! It’s a fun process figuring out who will sing what parts since we’re all familiar with each other’s vocal capabilities. We know that Izzy’s angelic voice thrives in the stratosphere, Jej has the resonant low notes and a strong falsetto range, while Tabon has the powerful belts and breathy soft vocals. That way, we’re able to produce parts that best showcase our blend and individual voices.
What can we expect from your upcoming debut EP in September?
This EP is really special because it covers all of the emotions involved when someone is in a relationship. We’re excited because we think every song on the project is super relatable and we hope the listeners think so too. Musically, expect a lot of 2000s R&B nostalgia and the same Sheer Element signature harmonies that our fans have come to love.
What do you think about their newest single, ‘What I Want’? Have you been listening to it on repeat like we have? What kind of questions would you have asked Sheer Element? Let us know what you think of the interview in the comments, or sound off to us on Twitter at @TheHoneyPop. You can also find us on Instagram and Facebook!
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TO LEARN MORE ABOUT SHEER ELEMENT:
INSTAGRAM | TIKTOK | TWITTER
IZZY KAYE’S INSTAGRAM | JEJ VINSON’S INSTAGRAM | TABON WARD’S INSTAGRAM
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