What does it take to come back after two years away? R&B artist Cedric Brazle spent that time regrouping, and returned with Cologne (Vol. I), a project named after his grandfather's cologne.

This week Karissa sits down with Cedric, raised by his grandparents in Jacksonville's Moncrief neighborhood and now based in Miami, for a conversation about legacy, memory, and honest songwriting. They get into his Louisiana Creole and Irish roots, his uncle Lord Bill Barnes (a calypso artist signed to Columbia Records), his latest project Cologne, Vol.1 and more.

They also dig into the stories behind "Mine," "Woman," "Again & Again" and "Casanova," and CedricWorld.com, the interactive Paris suite he built to go with it.

This one lingers. 🖤

⏱️ CHAPTERS 0:00 – Cold Open0:46 – Intro: Welcome to Via the Sound 1:46 – Meet Cedric Brazle 3:49 – New Orleans: The Place That Felt Closest to His Roots 5:01 – Who Was Cedric Before the Accolades? 6:08 – His Uncle, Lord Bill Barnes8:02 – Louisiana Creole & Irish Roots 8:52 – How Church Shaped His Voice 10:19 – His Favorite Hymn & the Altar Call 11:26 – Were You the Church Kid Breaking Hearts? 13:08 – Growing Up in Moncrief 15:28 – From Jacksonville to Miami: R&B in South Florida 17:04 – The High School Rock Band 19:54 – Influences: Usher, Brandy & John Mayer 21:06 – If I Knew Then & What I Know Now 22:39 – Vulnerability Is Honesty 25:03 – Two Years Away: Why He Regrouped 28:14 – Locked In: Studio Weeks in L.A. 29:10 – Why Cologne? A Tribute to His Grandfather 31:15 – "Woman" 33:06 – "Mine" & Flipping Michael Jackson's "Butterflies" 34:45 – Paris: Coming Back With a Bang 40:25 – "Again & Again" & Working With Traction 43:31 – What Does Making It Look Like? 45:13 – Opening Acts & Dream Collabs 48:02 – Cologne as Legacy: "A Study of Invisible Presence" 49:57 – "Casanova" & Setting Up Volume Two 52:09 – Stream Cologne (Vol. I)

What does it cost to be a successful musical theatre actress? Actress, singer, and dancer Shanel Bailey joins Via the Sound for Episode 7, “Walking By Faith.”

A South Jamaica, Queens native and first-generation Jamaican-American, Shanel has performed on Broadway in The Book of Mormon and Gypsy alongside Audra McDonald, and stars as Hazel in the Emmy and GLAAD-nominated Grease: Rise of the Pink Ladies. We talk the highs, the lows, and everything in between, plus her time on The Equalizer, being the first Black Pink Lady, the importance of community, and growing up a chameleon shaped by different cultures and sounds.

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Podcast Jingle By: @uyixshane

He's not normally in front of the camera. He's usually behind the kit, making everything feel right. Building the rhythms. This week Jaylen K. Petinaud joins us and share his journey with Riss.

One of the most sought-after drummers working today, Jaylen has played Broadway as principal drummer for Alicia Keys' Grammy and Tony Award-winning Hell's Kitchen, toured the world with 14 time Grammy winning Jazz musician Herbie Hancock, made his Broadway debut in Camille A. Brown's revival of For Colored Girls, and got his first real gig at 21, a live album recording for Nicole Bus at Roc Nation.

This week they get into his Jamaican roots, growing up as a pastor's kid with music in his DNA, the NBA dream that died when he was younger, picking up sticks at seven years old in church and how Producer Mondays at NuBlu cracked open the industry door. Jaylen also shares phone call from Herbie Hancock that shifted it all.

They also get real about losing his father, nearly losing his motivation, and how music, family and community pulled him through.

Jazz is in good hands with people like Jaylen. - Herbie Hancock He's not wrong. 🥁🖤

Chapters

0:00 – Cold Open: Has There Ever Been A Moment You Second guessed This?

1:04 – Intro: Welcome to Via the Sound

1:29 – Meet Jaylen K. Petinaud

4:12 – Who Was Jaylen Before the Music? [Wrestling, Basketball & Karate]

4:48 – The NBA Dream & Why It Didn't Happen

6:23 – LaGuardia High School: Where It All Clicked6:42 –The Moment Drums Found Him

9:11 – His Father: Minister of Music, Role Model & Everything

9:56 – Jamaican Roots: Bob Marley

11:01 – How Reggae & The One Drop Shaped His Sound

12:05 – Academia vs Raw Talent: Does School Matter?

13:16 – What He Learned at LaGuardia & Purchase College

14:49 – Welcome to the Industry: Ray Angry, Producer Mondays & NuBlu

17:03 – Getting Signed: Starfruit Management

18:09 – You Need a Team: Being Grounded Beyond the Music

18:35 – The Camille A. Brown Relationship: How It Started

19:50 – Broadway Debut: For Colored Girls Revival (2022)

20:10 – Original Drum Arrangements & Getting Credit for His Work

20:28 – How Hell's Kitchen Happened: Alicia Keys Production

21:00 – "How Do You Feel About Working With Alicia Keys?"

23:51 – Has There Ever Been a Moment You Second guessed All of This?24:05 – Losing His Father: Turning the Page

26:20 – What Keeps Him Grounded: Gospel Music Feels Like Home

26:39 – A PK Kid Who Questioned God After His Father Passed

27:22 – Favorite Gospel Artists

29:06 – The Herbie Hancock Phone Call

29:40 – From Kenny Garrett Tour to the Met Opera to Herbie in One Week

32:35 – What Herbie Says About His Playing

34:17 – What Legacy Looks Like

36:12 – Closing: Thank You & A Surprise Album Tease?────────────────────────────

🎵 Podcast Jingle By: @uyixshane

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