Only A Song For You can lift an entire auditorium of people in Berlin to their feet. At the vocal ensemble’s first public performance last year, a sold-out Volksbühne were dancing, clapping and singing along, the ensemble expanding their size to a theater’s worth of people for a beautiful, connecting moment. When talking to co-founders Noah Slee and Dhanesh Jayaselan about how the ensemble came to be, they say the fundamental idea behind the group was simple: “Let’s sing.” Noah’s upbringing in New Zealand was filled with music, from being in a gospel choir to family barbecues where a cousin would no doubt bring a guitar, leading his whole family to sing together. This collective singing was something he and Dhanesh saw was missing in Berlin. Looking at the talent they saw in the soulful, R&B, Hip Hop and jazz scenes surrounding them, they felt that collective singing could be the gel to bring people together. The ensemble is centered on BIPOC identities and has over fifty members.
Seeing them live, each voice has its own beauty – when you think you’ve hit the sky for talent, another artist emerges and layers something new and unique into the performance. As Noah says “There’s a lot of Mariah Carey’s” in the group. More than a choir, the ensemble isn’t bound to song, but also movement and poetry to express story; story from cultures across the world. On stage, the group reclaims space and represents unrepresented voices. Off stage, the ensemble also provides a support network for members who meet for practice each Monday, setting the tone of their week. Since their first performance in early 2023, A Song For You have performed the main stage at Melt Festival, performed with Annahstasia and Nick Hakim, and amongst photographer Tyler Mitchell’s exhibition at C/O Berlin. In their upcoming album “Home” (out 21.06. on Bradley Zero’s Rhythm Section) the group considers the meaning of space, and will do so in-person with a performance at Theater Des Westens.
Text: Savannah van der Niet / Photos: José Cuevas
Tickets for A Song For You’s “Home” album launch on 19.08.2024. are available here.
@asongforyouberlin
