Biography
Clyve originates from Bath, England and first moved stateside to New York ten years ago and has split his time between both cities ever since. Clyve’s recording career took off when he was signed as a Dance artist to Kong Records by Juan Santamaria. European chart success with the track 'Painted Moon' swiftly followed, resulting in some great shows including a live TV performance in front of 20,000 fans at the Falles Festival, Valencia.
Clyve made his USA debut to a 100,000-strong audience at Washington DC Capitol Pride in 2001. He performed alongside dancefloor diva Kim English and Latin superstar Jade Esteban Estrada. Clyve stayed with the Dance theme for his 2006 EP release with uNYk Records, which featured the dance floor tracks 'I Can't Concentrate' and 'Cover Me'.
In addition to uNYk Records, Clyve was also signed to the legendary President Records. With President, he created a beautiful Soul version of 'Moon River' which featured on a UNICEF benefit CD.
At this point in his career, Clyve chose to follow his heart towards a new musical direction. He combined his soulful voice with his NYC influences to create RnB tracks 'Inside You' and 'Like It When You Do It Like That'. The tracks were recorded in Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn with RnB super-Producers Dwain McLellan and Keith Demaury. Plans for a debut album were soon set in motion.
The past decade has seen Clyve record his music across the globe, but never in the UK – until now. On returning to his roots, Clyve said: "I wanted to take my Soul/NYC vibe back home to the UK. I got my contacts book out from back in the day and made it happen."
The initial discussion about 'The Beat Continues' album began after a chance meeting with Producer Jon Birch, whom Clyve had previously worked with. Everything started falling into place. "Jon is my inspiration and motivation," says Clyve, "I'm so blessed to have him work on this album." 'The Beat Continues' has a Nu Soul/RnB vibe with an old-school flava. It features original songs written by Clyve along with tracks previously recorded by artists such as Nate James, Lynden David Hall, Lemar and Clyve's favourite Chicago-based soul star, Kem.
Clyve knew it was vital to get the right backing singers with the right sound: "It was very important for me to have a blend of old-school, Motown-style backing vocals - I wanted a trio of sirens with soul. I found them in Cath, Sarah and Becky. They sound so good together and bring an authentic Soul feel to the album. They definitely are the 'Sistas Of Soul'."
Clyve is also delighted to be working with Trevor Curwen again. They had previously worked together on 'Let's Get Serious', the track that launched Clyve’s career as a Dance artist. "Trev is a legend," laughs Clyve, "He combines his brilliant studio skills with a dry and borderline-offensive Northern humour that I love. It's great to be back in the famous 'Trevor's Emporium'!"
Clyve has also starred in productions of world-renowned shows like 'Jesus Christ Superstar', 'Fiddler on the Roof' and 'Rent', which combined with his career as a successful Dance artist shows his versatility. Now he has followed his true musical calling to create his new album: "I have really enjoyed exploring different musical styles and have been fortunate enough to be blessed with success. But now it's time to be me – I've found my creative niche. I'm so excited about finishing the album and can't wait to go out live with it – most definitely the beat continues . . . with soul."
The new single "Like It When U Do It Like That" is released July 2009 with the album "The Beat Continues ... with Soul" due for release later in the year.
Clyve |
Top 5 Favourite Artists: |
| Top 5 Favourite Albums: Medicine – Lynden David Hall Circle Of One – Oleta Adams Hurricane – Grace Jones Soul - Seal Last Night – Moby |
| First 5 Tracks on my Ipod: My Dougie – Lil Wil ft Soulja Boi Pretty Wings – Maxwell Even After All – Finley Quaye New York (Remix) – Norah Jones Weight Of The World – Lemar |
| Top 5 Favourite Gigs:
Mandela’s 90th - London 2008 Grace Jones – Colston Hall 2009 George Michael – Paris 2007 Kem/Fantasia – Newark 2006 Morrissey – Dublin Castle 2004 |
