Randevyn
Encyclopedia
Randevyn Pierre is an American, independent pop
/urban alternative
singer-songwriter
, musician
and composer
.
, Randevyn spent his early years living on the east coast of the United States where his father, a young pianist and singer-songwriter, passionately pursued a professional music career as a gospel musician. After years of unsuccessful attempts to obtain a recording contract with his seven brothers and one sister, Randevyn's father joined the United States Army
. The family later relocated to Kileen, Texas, for a short period before going to Germany
twice; once for two years and another 6-year tour of duty. After finally returning to the United States, the family settled in Widefield, Colorado. While attending Widefield High School
, Randevyn gave up his short-lived defensive lineman position on the junior varsity
football team for the spotlight on the school auditorium's center stage. Randevyn excelled as a top-notch baritone
singing with the school's male barber shop chorus. During his senior year, Randevyn learned to play the piano and was selected as the director for the school's inspirational choir.
, Germany
, as the lead vocalist of his father's gospel choir at the age of 10. After moving back to the United States
at 13, he began playing piano and organ for his local church in Colorado Springs, Colorado
. As a high school student, Pierre recorded Christian music with Verity Records
' Stellar Award-winning, Colorado Mass Choir
as well as EMI
's Denver-based, Heritage Christian Center Choir. Years later, Randevyn impulsively packed his bags and headed south to expand and further his music career. Shortly after his relocation to Atlanta, Georgia
, Randevyn's talent was brought to the attention of several Atlanta musicians including rapper Chris Ludacris
Bridges and platinum-selling R&B group, Jagged Edge
's 581 Entertainment. Playing piano for himself, Randevyn was invited to audition for Jagged Edge's small label and their mother, Linda Casey, who was impressed with Pierre's talents. Because of the label's full roster and other issues, the business relationship was never consummated. Later, after an unsuccessful audition with Fox
's American Idol
(season 3), Randevyn decided to merge and release a collection of soul songs he had written and recorded as a full-length album. Randevyn's musical visibility began in October 2005 when he teamed up with Sincere Johnson, CEO of Atlanta-based, Sin. J Entertainment, surfacing as the company's flagship artist.
and XM Radio. Randevyn's first album also made its mark, entering Billboard
s Radio & Records
Going for Adds in September, 2005. In March 2006, Soltrain received a mention in an edition of Billboard Magazine and BET
featured Randevyn's SolTrain album on its official website. In June 2006, he appeared at the BET Awards
in Los Angeles, California
, as a result of SolTrains media attention.
-winning producer, David "Mr. DJ
" Sheats (Outkast
, Goodie Mobb, the Dungeon Family
) to begin working on a second album. In June 2007, Randevyn took a short break from recording, touring in a support role with Universal
's Grammy Award-winning, India.Arie
. During this tour, Randevyn appeared at New York City's Carnegie Hall
for the first time. At the end of this tour, Randevyn was urged by India.Arie (whom he credits as his musical mentor) to began producing his own material as a pianist and singer-songwriter. By September 2007, Randevyn had taken another approach to his music, heeding Arie's advice about producing skeletons for his own songs. The decision to create music from his original piano arrangements triggered a major change in Randevyn's sound as he began creating more fingerprinted compositions that would mirror his musicianship. He later partnered Mike Phillips of the Drummerboyz Club to complete the full musical production of The Randevyn Project.
In September 2007, Randevyn marched in Jena
, Louisiana
, in support of the nationally organized rally against the jailing of the Jena 6. This experience would eventually be the premise and inspiration for "Jena Tree", a song on Randevyn's second album. In March, 2008, Randevyn parted with Sin. J Entertainment.
The Randevyn Project Randevyn's second studio album was titled, The Randevyn Project, and released by Earthtone Music in February, 2009. In a 2008 Myspace
blog
, Randevyn expressed his new view on his brand of music, acting as co-producer
on his second album. When snippets from the album were released on Randevyn's official Myspace page in March 2008, it was clear to many that his musical angle had been re-invented.
The new cross-genre
album was originally scheduled for release on Tuesday, September 30, 2008, but was not released until the following year. According to his Myspace blog, this release was projected to emerge as an incredible, ground-breaking, urban alternative album. Though the release did not claim the national visibility of SolTrain, Randevyn was regarded by many as an activist-songwriter who created his own, remarkable stamp of pop music
with the release of The Randevyn Project.
The Randevyn Project (2009)
Pop music
Pop music is usually understood to be commercially recorded music, often oriented toward a youth market, usually consisting of relatively short, simple songs utilizing technological innovations to produce new variations on existing themes.- Definitions :David Hatch and Stephen Millward define pop...
/urban alternative
Alternative rock
Alternative rock is a genre of rock music and a term used to describe a diverse musical movement that emerged from the independent music underground of the 1980s and became widely popular by the 1990s...
singer-songwriter
Singer-songwriter
Singer-songwriters are musicians who write, compose and sing their own musical material including lyrics and melodies. As opposed to contemporary popular music singers who write their own songs, the term singer-songwriter describes a distinct form of artistry, closely associated with the...
, musician
Musician
A musician is an artist who plays a musical instrument. It may or may not be the person's profession. Musicians can be classified by their roles in performing music and writing music.Also....* A person who makes music a profession....
and composer
Composer
A composer is a person who creates music, either by musical notation or oral tradition, for interpretation and performance, or through direct manipulation of sonic material through electronic media...
.
Early years
Born December 11, 1978, in Hampton, VirginiaHampton, Virginia
Hampton is an independent city that is not part of any county in Southeast Virginia. Its population is 137,436. As one of the seven major cities that compose the Hampton Roads metropolitan area, it is on the southeastern end of the Virginia Peninsula. Located on the Hampton Roads Beltway, it hosts...
, Randevyn spent his early years living on the east coast of the United States where his father, a young pianist and singer-songwriter, passionately pursued a professional music career as a gospel musician. After years of unsuccessful attempts to obtain a recording contract with his seven brothers and one sister, Randevyn's father joined the United States Army
United States Army
The United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...
. The family later relocated to Kileen, Texas, for a short period before going to Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
twice; once for two years and another 6-year tour of duty. After finally returning to the United States, the family settled in Widefield, Colorado. While attending Widefield High School
Widefield High School
Widefield High School is a high school in Security-Widefield, Colorado. It opened its doors in 1958 and is the older of the two high schools in Widefield School District 3. Widefield's mascot is the Gladiator and the school's colors are navy blue, columbia blue, silver and white...
, Randevyn gave up his short-lived defensive lineman position on the junior varsity
Varsity team
In the United States and Canada, varsity sports teams are the principal athletic teams representing a college, university, high school or other secondary school. Such teams compete against the principal athletic teams at other colleges/universities, or in the case of secondary schools, against...
football team for the spotlight on the school auditorium's center stage. Randevyn excelled as a top-notch baritone
Baritone
Baritone is a type of male singing voice that lies between the bass and tenor voices. It is the most common male voice. Originally from the Greek , meaning deep sounding, music for this voice is typically written in the range from the second F below middle C to the F above middle C Baritone (or...
singing with the school's male barber shop chorus. During his senior year, Randevyn learned to play the piano and was selected as the director for the school's inspirational choir.
Musical biography
Randevyn Pierre first discovered his talents in PirmasensPirmasens
Pirmasens is a district-free city in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany, near the border with France. It is famous for the manufacture of shoes. The surrounding rural district was called Pirmasens from 1818 until 1997, when it was renamed Südwestpfalz....
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
, as the lead vocalist of his father's gospel choir at the age of 10. After moving back to the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
at 13, he began playing piano and organ for his local church in Colorado Springs, Colorado
Colorado Springs, Colorado
Colorado Springs is a Home Rule Municipality that is the county seat and most populous city of El Paso County, Colorado, United States. Colorado Springs is located in South-Central Colorado, in the southern portion of the state. It is situated on Fountain Creek and is located south of the Colorado...
. As a high school student, Pierre recorded Christian music with Verity Records
Verity Records
Verity Records is an American gospel music-focused record label founded in 1994. The label is a now major component and namesake of Verity Gospel Music Group , the Gospel group operated by Jive Label Group, which in turn is owned by Sony Music Entertainment.-Artists :* 21:03* Crystal Aikin*...
' Stellar Award-winning, Colorado Mass Choir
Colorado Mass Choir
The Colorado Mass Choir is an American gospel choir.The group's lead vocalist is Joe Pace. They released their first album in 1997, and won a Stellar Award for New Artist of the Year. Several releases on Verity Records followed.-Discography:...
as well as EMI
EMI
The EMI Group, also known as EMI Music or simply EMI, is a multinational music company headquartered in London, United Kingdom. It is the fourth-largest business group and family of record labels in the recording industry and one of the "big four" record companies. EMI Group also has a major...
's Denver-based, Heritage Christian Center Choir. Years later, Randevyn impulsively packed his bags and headed south to expand and further his music career. Shortly after his relocation to Atlanta, Georgia
Atlanta, Georgia
Atlanta is the capital and most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia. According to the 2010 census, Atlanta's population is 420,003. Atlanta is the cultural and economic center of the Atlanta metropolitan area, which is home to 5,268,860 people and is the ninth largest metropolitan area in...
, Randevyn's talent was brought to the attention of several Atlanta musicians including rapper Chris Ludacris
Ludacris
Christopher Brian Bridges , better known by his stage name Ludacris, is an American rapper and actor. Along with his manager, Chaka Zulu, Ludacris is the co-founder of Disturbing tha Peace, an imprint distributed by Def Jam Recordings...
Bridges and platinum-selling R&B group, Jagged Edge
Jagged Edge (band)
Jagged Edge is an American R&B group, with the lead singers, Brandon & Brian, born in Hartford, CT on October 13, 1975, Kyle Norman of Decatur, GA born on February 26,1976 and Richard Wingo of College Park, GA born on September 3, 1975. Wingo was a late addition to the group, added after Kandi...
's 581 Entertainment. Playing piano for himself, Randevyn was invited to audition for Jagged Edge's small label and their mother, Linda Casey, who was impressed with Pierre's talents. Because of the label's full roster and other issues, the business relationship was never consummated. Later, after an unsuccessful audition with Fox
Fox Broadcasting Company
Fox Broadcasting Company, commonly referred to as Fox Network or simply Fox , is an American commercial broadcasting television network owned by Fox Entertainment Group, part of Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation. Launched on October 9, 1986, Fox was the highest-rated broadcast network in the...
's American Idol
American Idol
American Idol, titled American Idol: The Search for a Superstar for the first season, is a reality television singing competition created by Simon Fuller and produced by FremantleMedia North America and 19 Entertainment...
(season 3), Randevyn decided to merge and release a collection of soul songs he had written and recorded as a full-length album. Randevyn's musical visibility began in October 2005 when he teamed up with Sincere Johnson, CEO of Atlanta-based, Sin. J Entertainment, surfacing as the company's flagship artist.
SolTrain
Randevyn's 2005 compilation of songs entitled, SolTrain was nationally released by Sin. J Entetainment as a full-length, independent album on November 8. Though released by a small company, SolTrain was nominated for several independent music awards, being played on radio in the United States, Europe and Asia on Radio OneRadio One
Radio One, Inc is a U.S. company which owns and operates 69 radio stations in 22 American cities. The company is headed by Cathy Hughes, Chairman and her son Alfred Liggins, CEO. The company's target listeners are African Americans in urban areas...
and XM Radio. Randevyn's first album also made its mark, entering Billboard
Billboard (magazine)
Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis...
s Radio & Records
Radio & Records
Radio & Records was a trade publication providing news and airplay information for the radio and music industries. It originally started out as an independent trade from 1973 to 2006 until VNU Media took over in 2006, up until its final issue in 2009.-History:The company was founded in 1973 and...
Going for Adds in September, 2005. In March 2006, Soltrain received a mention in an edition of Billboard Magazine and BET
Black Entertainment Television
Black Entertainment Television is an American, Viacom-owned cable network based in Washington, D.C.. Currently viewed in more than 90 million homes worldwide, it is the most prominent television network targeting young Black-American audiences. The network was launched on January 25, 1980, by its...
featured Randevyn's SolTrain album on its official website. In June 2006, he appeared at the BET Awards
BET Awards
The BET Awards were established in 2001 by the Black Entertainment Television network to celebrate African Americans and other minorities in music, acting, sports, and other fields of entertainment over the past year. The awards are presented annually and broadcast live on BET...
in Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...
, as a result of SolTrains media attention.
Musical reformation
In early 2007, Randevyn partnered two-time Grammy AwardGrammy Award
A Grammy Award — or Grammy — is an accolade by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences of the United States to recognize outstanding achievement in the music industry...
-winning producer, David "Mr. DJ
Mr. DJ
Mr. DJ, born David Sheats, is a Grammy Award-winning American hip-hop record producer and DJ from Atlanta, Georgia.-Biography:Raised on the southside of College Park, Georgia, Mr. DJ entered the music industry as a DJ for Atlanta-based hip-hop group OutKast. According to Sheats,After touring with...
" Sheats (Outkast
OutKast
Outkast is an American hip hop duo based in East Point, Georgia, consisting of Atlanta native André "André 3000" Benjamin and Savannah, Georgia-born Antwan "Big Boi" Patton. They were originally known as Two Shades Deep but later changed the group's name to OutKast...
, Goodie Mobb, the Dungeon Family
Dungeon Family
The Dungeon Family is a hip hop/R&B/soul musical collective, based in Atlanta, Georgia and specializing in Southern hip hop with heavy funk and soul influences. The group derives its name from "The Dungeon", the name given to record producer Rico Wade's basement studio where many of the early...
) to begin working on a second album. In June 2007, Randevyn took a short break from recording, touring in a support role with Universal
Universal Records
Universal Records was a record label owned by Universal Music Group, and it is now owned by Manny Patino and Michael Jackson, and operated as part of the Universal Motown Republic Group.-History:...
's Grammy Award-winning, India.Arie
India.Arie
India.Arie is a Grammy Award-winning American singer-songwriter and record producer . She has sold over 3.3 million records in the U.S. and 10 million worldwide. She has won four Grammy Awards from her 21 nominations, including Best R&B Album.-Background:Simpson was born in Denver, Colorado...
. During this tour, Randevyn appeared at New York City's Carnegie Hall
Carnegie Hall
Carnegie Hall is a concert venue in Midtown Manhattan in New York City, United States, located at 881 Seventh Avenue, occupying the east stretch of Seventh Avenue between West 56th Street and West 57th Street, two blocks south of Central Park....
for the first time. At the end of this tour, Randevyn was urged by India.Arie (whom he credits as his musical mentor) to began producing his own material as a pianist and singer-songwriter. By September 2007, Randevyn had taken another approach to his music, heeding Arie's advice about producing skeletons for his own songs. The decision to create music from his original piano arrangements triggered a major change in Randevyn's sound as he began creating more fingerprinted compositions that would mirror his musicianship. He later partnered Mike Phillips of the Drummerboyz Club to complete the full musical production of The Randevyn Project.
In September 2007, Randevyn marched in Jena
Jena
Jena is a university city in central Germany on the river Saale. It has a population of approx. 103,000 and is the second largest city in the federal state of Thuringia, after Erfurt.-History:Jena was first mentioned in an 1182 document...
, Louisiana
Louisiana
Louisiana is a state located in the southern region of the United States of America. Its capital is Baton Rouge and largest city is New Orleans. Louisiana is the only state in the U.S. with political subdivisions termed parishes, which are local governments equivalent to counties...
, in support of the nationally organized rally against the jailing of the Jena 6. This experience would eventually be the premise and inspiration for "Jena Tree", a song on Randevyn's second album. In March, 2008, Randevyn parted with Sin. J Entertainment.
The Randevyn Project Randevyn's second studio album was titled, The Randevyn Project, and released by Earthtone Music in February, 2009. In a 2008 Myspace
Myspace
Myspace is a social networking service owned by Specific Media LLC and pop star Justin Timberlake. Myspace launched in August 2003 and is headquartered in Beverly Hills, California. In August 2011, Myspace had 33.1 million unique U.S. visitors....
blog
Blog
A blog is a type of website or part of a website supposed to be updated with new content from time to time. Blogs are usually maintained by an individual with regular entries of commentary, descriptions of events, or other material such as graphics or video. Entries are commonly displayed in...
, Randevyn expressed his new view on his brand of music, acting as co-producer
Record producer
A record producer is an individual working within the music industry, whose job is to oversee and manage the recording of an artist's music...
on his second album. When snippets from the album were released on Randevyn's official Myspace page in March 2008, it was clear to many that his musical angle had been re-invented.
The new cross-genre
Cross-genre
A cross-genre is a genre in fiction that blends themes and elements from two or more different genres.-Examples:*Action comedy *Comedy-drama or dramedy *Comedy-horror...
album was originally scheduled for release on Tuesday, September 30, 2008, but was not released until the following year. According to his Myspace blog, this release was projected to emerge as an incredible, ground-breaking, urban alternative album. Though the release did not claim the national visibility of SolTrain, Randevyn was regarded by many as an activist-songwriter who created his own, remarkable stamp of pop music
Pop music
Pop music is usually understood to be commercially recorded music, often oriented toward a youth market, usually consisting of relatively short, simple songs utilizing technological innovations to produce new variations on existing themes.- Definitions :David Hatch and Stephen Millward define pop...
with the release of The Randevyn Project.
Earthtone Music Group/Innergy Publishing
In March 2008, a group of investors established Earthtone Music Group (EMG) with the sole purpose of signing Randevyn as its headline act. The company, made up mostly of venture capitalists, compiled resources to promote The Randevyn Project overseas to save the record's momentum. With the establishing Writeomatic Publishing in 2006, Randevyn became the owner of his music publishing rights. In partnership with newly Atlanta-based production teams, Hardwork Entertainment and The Drummerboyz Club, Randevyn wrote all 14 of the The Randevyn Projects tracks. Singer India.Arie is credited with co-writing Jena Tree.External links
- Official Website
- Randevyn at Allmusic.com
- Randevyn on MySpace
- Randevyn at Giant Step Records
- Randevyn - Soultracks.com
Discography
SolTrain (2005)| 1st Single | 2nd Single | 3rd Single |
|---|---|---|
| DearFarah | SupaNatural | MissinYou |
| Randevyn/C. Hill (BMI) | Randevyn/D. Thomas (BMI) | Ted Winn (ASCAP) PJ Morton (SESAC) |
The Randevyn Project (2009)
| 1st Single | 2nd Single | 3rd Single |
|---|---|---|
| Graveyard Treasure | Life Support | Legend |
| Randevyn/Mike P. (BMI, SESAC) | Randevyn/Mike P.(BMI, SESAC) | Randevyn/Mike P. (SESAC, SESAC) |