Homecoming

In collaboration with producer Melvin Darrell, we have garnered support from our networks to write, produce, record and perform original songs inspired by the Black Philadelphia Artists that have changed the course of music history. Starting from the 1950s, we minted to take the listeners on a musical journey experiencing sounds made popular by the likes of Billie Holiday, Gamble & Huff, Jill Scott, Jazzy Jeff and more. Each or their influences will be brought to light in spoken introductions and then by the inspired original song. The main objective of This EP is to highlight magical moments in Philadelphia’s Black Musical history while also inspiring future generations to remember the men and women who created and influenced the sounds each of us instinctively create with today. Over the course of 5 months, we will write, record, produce and release this EP. With the help of Veena Kenoah, we will also host a live performance, free to the public with attention to music students in the Philadelphia area.

Hometown is an EP celebrating the power of music from the perspective of a student and songwriter. Rather than hear all of the life details of an artist as you would in their biography, we specifically want to teach the listener to hear distinctive styles, tones, rhythms, cadences and vocals that became signature elements from each of the influential artists. Each song will be inspired by a particular era in Philadelphia Music.

The EP will consist of 8 tracks; 4 original songs and 4 introductions, each a talk highlighting the referenced time period, the artists of the day, their most memorable impacts of the Philadelphia sound and music as whole, and their impact on the songs written by Julia and Melvin.