18th February 2004
VS
Get ready for VS - a brand new r&b, hip hop, pop band set to shake the UK music scene in 2004.
VS are the brainchild of Simon Webbe from Blue, Melody from DJ Pied Piper and established singer/songwriter Ali Tennant, who have come together to form production company, ‘Love For Music‘.
Simon is personally managing the band, which brings together UK rappers Blimi and Jamie and blends them with the sweet vocal harmonies of Chinyere, Marvin and Ryan.
The band are signed to the massively successful label Innocent Records, home to Blue and Atomic Kitten, and will be releasing their debut single in early 2004.
VS are made up of five diverse and talented individuals:
Jaime Summaz, 24, is a female rapper from Manchester who worked on music projects with Simon Webbe before he joined Blue. Also a talented dancer, Jaime has featured in many music videos and shows.
23-year-old Chinyere McKenzie has been best friends with Simon since childhood. A talented choreographer, Chinyere set up her own dance school in Manchester at an early age, to work with under-privileged children.
Blimi is a 22-year-old rapper from West London. He and Simon share the same barber - who suggested they meet when he heard Simon was putting together a band. Blimi was clearly destined for stardom from an early age, winning the coveted ‘Tim Westwood Open Mic‘ contest in 1997, and Simon was quick to recognise his talent.
Marvin Humes is the baby of the band at 18. Not only an amazing singer, he is also an established actor, and appeared as a regular cast member in BBC1‘s Holby City. However, Marvin desperately wanted to make music his career and after recording several tracks, he met Simon at the 2003 ‘Soccer Six‘ Industry Football match and handed him a demo tape. Simon was so impressed with what he heard that he called Marvin straight into the studio.
Although only 20 years old, Ryan Taylor has also been singing from an early age. He met up with Marvin on the audition circuit where they discovered their mutual love of soul music and Marvin suggested he join VS as the fifth member - thus completing the line up.
VS spent the summer of 2003 putting the finishing touches to their debut album, working with a variety of producers both in the UK and overseas. November and December saw the band support Blue on selected dates of their "Guilty" tour, winning new fans wherever they performed.
On February 23rd 2004 VS release their hotly anticipated debut single, "Love You Like Mad". The track is a smooth slice of r&b that perfectly fuses the band‘s slick vocal ability with laid-back raps and an infectious hook, producing a melodic track that is sure to please urban and pop fans alike.
With support already building on the urban music scene and several other national tours under their belts, VS look set to take the music scene by storm in 2004.
David Jensen Photography:
https://www.davidjensen.co.uk/
