Suave

Suave is an Uptown New Orleans artist and songwriter whose music draws on neo-soul, hip-hop, old school R&B, funk and the city’s soul culture. His style, melody, subject matter, delivery and wordplay reflect a mix of these influences and his own life experiences.

Early life and musical background

He grows up in New Orleans, where jazz and gospel are part of his musical upbringing. He begins performing regularly at the age of 10 and appears at major local festivals, including New Orleans Jazz Fest, French Quarter Fest and Black Heritage Fest, often performing for crowds of more than 15,000. These performances help him develop a distinctive stage presence.

Training and industry connections

Suave studies Music Performance and Music Business and Marketing at Tennessee State University. He gains wider industry exposure through rapper Juvenile and the UTP/Atlantic Records/Rap-A-Lot Records circle, working alongside artists including Skip, Wacko, Partners N Crime, Stone and Lac, and Ms Tee. He also performs with a number of gospel artists, including Kierra “Kiki” Sheard, Smokie Norful, Juanita Bynum, Kim Jordan, Maurette Brown-Clark, Vanessa Bell Armstrong, Craig Adams, CeCe Winans and John P. Kee.

Recording work

He is described as working in the studio for other artists while also performing at local open mics. He works with Unda Dawg Entertainment and with his own BFAM (Brothas From Another Mother) Music Group, LLC. His debut solo album is titled Pain B4 Progress.

Other artist of the same name

Another artist using the name Suave is Waymond Joseph Anderson, a former R&B singer from Los Angeles known for the Top 20 hit “My Girl”.