Neo-Soul band Projective (project X collective = Projective) sit down with Banjaxed to chat about how they formed, their journey so far and what the future holds. The band is made up of six Cork musicians;
Leanne Curtin – Vocals
Ciara Stacey – Vocals
Diamond Nzekwe – Vocals/Trumpet
Cian Harris – Guitar
Michael Riordan – Bass
Daniel Brazil – Drums
Origin Story
“we all played together in different combinations but not like all of us at the same time“ – Ciara
When the members of Projective played together for the first time, something clicked. Like, clicked. Though they had been studying in Cork School of Music at the same time, and were weaving in and out of different combinations, it wasn’t until Ciara’s 3rd year performance exam that Projective took their first steps forward. After this the guys were dying to play together that before they had any original material, they even considered putting on a covers gig in The Roundy. (I mean I would still pay to go to that gig, provided they play their latest release Motions, of course)
Once the lads had settled on the name projective and released their first single ‘Running‘, something really odd happened.
- An Instagram comment.
- From a band in Indonesia.
- Also called ‘Projective”.
- Also with a song called ‘Running’
The guys mentioned how sound they were and how their Indonesian counterparts event hinted at collaboration, nothing is in the works yet though.
Back to the story…
Once they were settled, Projective spent the entire summer of 2023 writing material. With their first gig coming up that October, they had a deadline. Their writing process goes something like this; get everyone in a room together, jam, vocalists type out quick-fire lyrics while the rest of them work out the groove. Circle back and put it all together. Done.
“We wouldn’t leave the room until we had at least one new song“ – Ciara
Though the lyrics are written at a rapid pace, they are always deep. Once finished, the girls will share their lyrics with each-other & check for common themes. “Sometimes they express how I feel” explains Diamond. How amazing is that? To be writing music, with your friends who just get it. As for the vocal harmonies? The rich blend of Diamond, Ciara and Leanne happens naturally. Once they have their lyrics down, they will start singing together and the harmonies flow from there.
I was lucky enough to experience an exclusive performance. Michael asked ChatGPT to write sample lyrics for a projective song, and so ‘Walking Backwards in the Rain‘ was born. (as you can gather from the title, it was a very serious and deep song) Though ChatGPT doesn’t hold a torch to the girls’ lyric writing, the group burst into a beautiful spontaneous song full of signature harmonies, that sounded genuinely effortless.
Studio Time
Having spent a huge amount of time writing material (not using ChatGPT) as well as playing the songs for almost 2 years at the time of recording, Projective were able to hit the ground running in studio.
“We got to go into the studio with arrangements that were ready to go“ – Cian
Though at the moment there are only three releases from Projective, they have enough material for an album, which is going to be in the works very soon. With such a large selection of songs that could go on this album, it would be easy for any artist to be paralysed by the decision. This is where the lads put egos aside and combine live crowd reaction with an outside producer’s expertise to stay focused.
“For our next two [singles], they are produced by Kealan Kenny“
Prior to working with Kealan, The band spent some time with producer Christian Best in his studio in Middleton, recording drums and bass. For their first two releases they worked with Cian Sweeney who is based in Birds of Paradise studio in City Centre. The work they are putting in in the studio is paying off, with support from the likes of District Magazine, Genuine Irish and Nialler9.
Inspiration & Influences
With such a strong identidy in neo-soul, we need to know thes guys’ influences. Artists they would love to work with include Loyle Carner, Odeal, Cleo Sol, Olivia Dean, Adam Blackstone, Max Martin and Leon Thomas
Listening to the sound of their dream collaborators, it’s so easy to imagine Projective opening for any of them. They have truly captured the sound of their influences and effortlessly blended it with their own signature style, to lead Ireland’s neo-soul revival.
Future work
Projective have no signs of slowing down, and why would they? With almost two albums worth of material to record, they’re ready to get back into the studio to follow the next two releases. Their ambition after that branches to London, with live shows and air time on english radio.
SOMA Orders
- Oat iced caramel latte – Diamond
- Oat flat white – Ciara
- Iced Latte – Leanne
- Decaf americano – Michael
- Oat Latte – Cian
- And for Daniel? Water. Actual plain water. Like just water. (dw, the others already called him a dryshite)
