Today we’ed liked to introduce you to Cadence, Mattie, Bennett, Wisdom, and their parents, Edward and Michele.
Before we jump into specific questions, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
We’re a four sibling band from the Twin City area. We each started music lessons from a very young age. Cadence (20) started singing at the age of four, Mattie (18) started piano at the age of three, Bennett (16) started guitar at nine, and Wisdom (15) started playing drums at seven.
We came together in December of 2013 on Christmas Day, playing and singing “Joy to the World” for our family in our basement. We met our producer Karl Demer in 2016 at a charity concert and ever since then, we’ve been performing around town. We have raised money for charity in the Clouds Choir, the largest choir for a cause, every year since 2016 and the Children’s Cancer Research Fund in 2017. We appeared on season 13 of the Americas Got Talent in 2018.
We released our first album last year (Season 1) and we are now working on a second one. We’ve performed with three-time Grammy award-winning Sounds of Blackness on multiple occasions, including their annual Christmas and ’60s shows, as well as Minnesota Twins games.
Our family is incredibly supportive and we are still cultivating and improving our sound and skills. We’re just trying to get our sound out there.
Has it been a smooth road?
When we chose music as something we wanted to do, people wanted to categorize us and our music, but we have varied tastes in all genres. We want to make a career playing original music, so getting above the fray is challenging.
We’ve had small successes like getting featured on AGT and some local charity and festival performances and radio airtime, but its hard to get noticed.
We attend a very rigorous high school which was voted number 1 in the state of Minnesota. Cadence is in college right now and Mattie is taking college courses while in high school. Bennett is straight A student, Wisdom is a freshman. We’re excelling in school while learning and growing as musicians. We practice and play 2-4 hours every day, so keeping a schedule is key. Our most recent challenge has been learning the dance and incorporate more movement into our performances. Coming up with money to pay for everything is another challenge.
NUNNABOVE – what should we know? What do you guys do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
We have established a family business centered on music entertainment. We are proud of having had some national exposure and starting our business so young. We have been able to work with some really talented people, like Jearlyn and Jevetta Steele of the world-renowned Steeles, and of course the 3-time Grammy Award-winning Sounds of Blackness. We’ve also shared the stage with the likes of PJ Morton and Stokley Williams of Mint Condition. The thing that sets us apart from other bands is that we are all siblings; we all act, sing, dance, and play instruments.
How do you think the industry will change over the next decade?
Obviously, the coronavirus changes things. Online content and concerts are going to be huge as people adjust to what’s happening right now. Over the next 5-10 years, creating original music is going to continue to be an inspiration. We are inspired to play music and be an inspiration to others. We see ourselves touring at some point, and establishing ourselves as professional musicians capable of holding our own on any stage. It takes time and exposure to learn how to hold an audience and provide an experience for an entire performance.
Image Credit:
Karl Demer, Atomic K Studio, Minneapolis, MN
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