Hailing from Trenton, NJ, R&B/Soul artist/producer Bradd Marquis blesses us with his incredibly unifying single “No War”. Drawing inspiration from Soul/R&B legends like Sam Cooke, Marvin Gaye, and Donny Hathaway, Brad Marquis has blended the purpose of his preceding forefathers with feel-good modern-day production. His latest invigorating single “No War” runs on one main theme, love and the ineffectiveness of war. He sings that war never solved anything, and the only way the human race will thrive is if we come together as one. While tying in soulful and blood-pumping production overtop his emotionally-rich vocals, Bradd Marquis has perfected effective songwriting.
“No War” begins with simple yet effective lyrics, “Where’s the love? Where’s heart?”. While the track's production serves an initial beat of what sounds like soldiers marching into battle, it then shifts into a foot-stomping kick adding conceptual layers within. What makes the song that much more exhilarating is the physical brass and the electric guitar stylings of Marcus Machado, channeling elements from different musical eras while blending them effortlessly. Bradd Marquis’ vocals are another breathtaking aspect of “No War”, clearly portraying the likes of his iconic inspirations as well as Gordon Chambers powerful background vocal arrangement. Through his soulful and passionate songwriting, Bradd Marquis preaches that we bring back love in the world and start feeling remorse for damaging different parts of our world with brutal wars.
Listen to "No War" here.
Welcome to BuzzMusic, Bradd Marquis! We’re moved by your passionate songwriting on your single “No War”. What made you want to create “No War”, and serve a greater message that needs to be heard? My whole life has funneled me to this moment! Living in racially charged communities, living in low income underserved communities, receiving a degree in African American studies, working in education and for non-profits, my personal spiritual journey with Christ; It's all come to a head and "No War" is the beginning of that unfiltered expression. I believe loss and growth have given me the courage and vision to full fill a greater purpose and my preferred platform has always been the arts. Over the last few years, I've felt a large portion of society was screaming to be heard (myself included) but it was being drowned out by the over-saturation of misinformation into the market place. It was being drowned out and ignored by individuals who saw no hope or just didn't care so they chose to distract themselves with what I felt were superficial goals or entertainment. Entertainment that on the surface my seem harmless but subconsciously it was destructive. In the past, during times like these, music led the way towards awareness, activism, and healing. I wasn't hearing these messages in the market place so "No War" is the beginning of my contribution. I hope it inspires others to do the same! Has the Corona Virus had any impact on how you view your life and career? No, Corona Virus didn't have any impact on the direction I was taking. Figuratively speaking, It's the world drunk off evil and now it's sick. It's forcing us to reevaluate everything and when we come out of this the line will be definitively drawn on who we are as individuals and society. The distractions have been removed, truth is truth, We’ve heard that “No War” features Marcus Machado’s electric guitar and Gordon Chambers’ backing vocal arrangements. Seeing as you produced “No War”, how did you shape the final track’s production to serve the same powerful message as the lyrics and what made you choose Gordon Chambers and Marcus Machado. With the exception of my first project, "Finding My Way," I'd always solicit producers to interpret my ideas or they'd just give me tracks and I'd fit my ideas to what they sent me. Before I even wrote one song for "Finding My Way" the producer and I spent months getting to know each other. We had shared experiences and an understanding of one another that was mirrored in the music. I always yearned for this experience again but the industry shifted, things became fast food, and these experiences were hard to come by. Eventually, it became difficult to find the right producers to interpret my message and it was placed on my spirit to do it myself. Who could wrap the music around my message better than I could. Who could interpret my soul and passion better than I could. I took piano lessons, purchased production equipment and figured it out! After "No War" was done, mixed, mastered, and ready to be released I sent it to my trusted support group for feedback and to start the buzz. That's when the excitement and suggestions started flowing in! Marcus Machado was the first one, he wanted to replay the guitar live. Initially, I was reluctant to make any changes because I was done with it. I had been working it for almost 2 years, sometimes you just have to call it. You'll always be able to make some kind of adjustment. Gordon was the one who convinced me to make the extra investment. He said, "Bradd, this song is too important not to get it right!" That type of faith coming from a Grammy Award-winning writer, producer, etc. can not be ignored, and neither can the suggestions he makes about your vocals. After I heard Marcus's guitar riffs I needed no more convincing! I'm forever grateful to them, George Littlejohn and my engineer Jeremy Cochise Ball. Cochise was also the engineer and producer of "Finding My Way," full circle! 'No War" is such a powerful statement and song is it part of a future concept album? "No War" is the first release of a 5 song (Untitled) EP. It covers the last few years of my life where I lost both my grandparents, they raised me. I had to move back home to help care for them. My career stalled out, I had a son and broke up with his mother shortly thereafter. I found a new love, got engaged, and rebuilt my whole world in slow motion, brick by brick. All that happens and for sure ones, priorities are destined to change. While channeling the musical likes of your iconic inspirations, Bradd Marquis purely blends past and present R&B/Soul is stated in your bio. Regarding "No War" in your own words go into more detail as how that was accomplished. I've had countless conversations with my mentor and business partner, George Littlejohn, about music. Many of our conversations revolved around how many of the most conscious and socially impactful songs were up-tempos; Bob Dylan/ Sam Cooke's "Blowing In The Wind," Marvin Gaye's "What's Going On," O'Jay's "Money," Edwin Star's "War," all the way to Michael Jackson's "They Don't Really Care About Us." I wanted to create something in the vein of these songs with an edgy soulful feel that reflected the 90's 00's music I grew up on. What current artists are you listening to now and who did you listen to growing up and what impact they have in your own musical direction? These days I listen to about everything at least once. It doesn't matter what genre, I even do a little country. I just listen to music that gives me goosebumps, nostalgia or inspires me in some kind of way. Honestly, what moves me the most is gospel music, artists like Tasha Cobbs Leonard and Jason Nelson. I love Kirk Franklins latest project. I'm a fan of Anderson Paak, Lucky Daye, and Post Malone, I just discovered Jordan Rakei who is very good but my favorite artist right now though is H.E.R. As you can see, I'm all over the place. Which artists would like to collaborate with in the future and tell us how the collabs would be mutually beneficial? Which artists would I like to collab with... I would love to get some production and write songs with Kwame' Holland and Anderson Paak. I believe their vibe would be complementary to my own. I would love to have Kendrick Lamar and H.E.R. jump on a track with me. Kendrick and I would make something real socially impactful. H.E.R. and I would be the RNBest, RNB duo since Marvin and Tammi, Teena and Rick, K-Ci and Mary J. It’s incredibly uplifting to see an artist like you using your platform to serve messages that bring everyone together. Why do you think it’s important for artists like yourself to write from the soul, and channel the strongest emotions inside them? Everybody should express themselves to their level of comfort but we need music, artists that speak on things they are passionate about. Music that heals, music that inspires and speaks to the human condition. Music has always been a soundtrack for life and we shouldn't avoid talking about controversial or sensitive topics just because it makes people uncomfortable or the gatekeepers won't champion it on radio or tv.