Pop/R&B recording artist and singer-songwriter Stephen Voyce pairs up with the rocker stylings of Zenab Jaber for their sweet and sultry new single, "Funk Me Up With Your Love."
A collaboration between the likes of Stephen Voyce and Zenab Jaber is nothing new. In 2020, the two recording artists teamed up for "Victim of Circumstance." Now, they're ready to slap the music scene with a sensual, groovy, and slow-burn single alongside an accompanying music video.
The song's music video was shot in Montreal's Wiggle Room by Chris Mackenzie and features Voyce's life partner, Oro Marzo. The music video sees Voyce and Jaber in full-on performance mode, putting on a wildly passionate show while cutting to scenes of Voyce and Orzo basking in each other's funked-up love.
Expanding on the single itself, "Funk Me Up With Your Love," the song sweetly opens with Zenab Jaber's squeaky-clean acoustic guitar riffs that leap into a stellar funk-pop beat. Stephen Voyce's smooth-sailing vocals later pour through our speakers with incredible passion and lust, letting his significant other know that he's ready for the ride.
This song sounds like it's straight out of the early 2000s, but with a fiery and funky twist. Zenab Jaber later makes her vocal appearance to give the song a dynamic back and forth, helping us better understand that quaking passion they sing about. We're equally impressed with both artists' ability to bring the listener smack-dab into their storyline; we could best describe it as main character music.
If you're looking for a spicy new song to fuel your fire, look no further than Stephen Voyce and Zenab Jaber's sultry new single, "Funk Me Up With Your Love," now available on all digital streaming platforms.
Welcome to BuzzMusic, Stephen Voyce and Zenab Jaber. We're head over heels for the sweltering heat and passion within your new single, "Funk Me Up With Your Love." When did you begin feeling inspired to create this spicy new single? Stephen Voyce: Thank you for having us; I'm really happy you like the song as much as we loved creating it. 'Funk Me Up With Your Love' was born from a guitar riff Zenab sporadically created during a jam session. We got together to work on music, and in between moments, she played it, and I loved it instantly. We recorded her guitar, just to make sure we had it and then moved on to other music. Months later, I circled back, listened to it again, and knew that we had to do something with it. And so I produced music around it, wrote my lyrics and melodies, and recorded to it. It wasn't something I had to think about, her guitar riff pulled it all out of me. I sent it to Zenab. She came down, wrote and recorded her parts, added new guitar elements that elevated the song, and voilà. I did the first level mix, and sent it off to my frequent collaborator Martin Dee, who added his magical mixing touches, added extra production elements, mastered it, and the rest, as they say, is history.
Zenab Jaber: We were vibing together and came up with the riff while jamming. Felt like in the mood of ‘we won’t bury ourselves with an old breakup and negativity, but a more: summer’s coming, let’s vibe with new faces and make the best out of our times.
What led the two of you to work together again after "Victim Of Circumstance?" How is that project different from the new single, "Funk Me Up With Your Love"? Zenab Jaber: I love creating with Stephen. He’s such a talented and sweet person. We understand each other, and the chemistry’s totally present. He started working on the song and adding so much to it and surprised me with a good result without expecting it. In 'Victim of Circumstance', we shared the same thoughts and points on subjects to be talked about more often. It’s a little different from 'Funk Me Up With Your Love' by being a little more specific and bringing awareness. The new song is about us being confident and enjoying life. We’re here, no matter our backgrounds and challenges throughout our lives. Stephen Voyce: Funnily enough, both songs were born from the same jam session; this was right at the end of 2019. After Zenab laid down the guitar for 'Funk Me Up With Your Love', she then played a second riff, a riff that would become 'Victim of Circumstance.' 'Victim of Circumstance' is a song that talks about the injustice of discrimination. I think that at the time, with everything that was happening in the world and everything that would happen, that song needed to take precedence then. 'Funk Me Up With Your Love,' on the other hand, is a song about lust and desire, a drastic shift from our first collaboration. It's fitting that it came out now, at a time when we all need a little reprise from the last few years.
What was it like shooting the "Funk Me Up With Your Love" music video in Montreal's Wiggle Room? What was that experience like? Stephen Voyce: My Queen, Oro Marzo, who also stars in the music video, introduced me to Wiggle Room, I believe, in 2021. I had heard of the venue before then but had never been to it up until that point. I fell in love with the aesthetic, the vibe, the energy, and their celebration of inclusivity; they host some really amazing burlesque shows there. When it came time to do a music video for 'Funk Me With Your Love', after writing the script for it, I started brainstorming on where to shoot it. I reached out to my social media community, and a friend of mine, Kym Dominique-Ferguson, a fellow Montreal-based artist, suggested Wiggle Room. And instantly, my mind went, "yup, that's the one!" The shoot itself was a lot of fun, we had a tight window to get it all shot in, so that bit was a little stressful, but such is life. We had a small but close-knit crew; we're lucky to be surrounded by very supportive friends who also happen to be amazing artists in their own rights. For example, Montreal filmmaker Chris Mackenzie, a really great friend of mine, came on board as our Director of Photography and co-Director. Nir Guzinski, LittleGalaxia, RainbowLust, also all good friends and talented creators came down to support. When you're surrounded by people who want to see you succeed, how can you not?
Zenab Jaber: Wiggle Room! Love that place. The staff is awesome and very welcoming. It’s a true pleasure to film in such a historical beautiful place in our hometown. I’m sure a lot of funk happened in that place haha, Stephen chose it perfectly. What was the most rewarding part about creating "Funk Me Up With Your Love"? What did you enjoy most about the experience? Zenab Jaber: I enjoyed the fun, giving the good vibes and feeling it myself. Our friends were there to be part of it. That was a fun one to do. Stephen Voyce: For me, the most rewarding part was being able to collaborate with Zenab, seeing both of our worlds collide and create something new yet again. I'm a huge fan of her talent, so being able to work with her is an honor. That's the beauty of creating, being open, looking beyond yourself, receiving gifts, and sharing yours.