Immediately, acclaimed musician, composer, and Canadian Music Corridor of Fame inductee Kevin Hearn, shares his new single and accompanying video, “Love Is The Key”, crafted beneath the imaginative and prescient of award-winning filmmaker Phil Tougher. Revered for his work with Barenaked Girls and a powerful listing of collaborators, Hearn’s soulful new observe options attractive harmonies from esteemed Brooklyn a cappella group The Persuasions, and lead vocals from legendary artist Andy Kim, who shall be inducted into the Canadian Songwriter Corridor of Fame on October 17.The tune started as a late-night concept in Hearn’s residence studio, a easy, heartfelt love tune paired with a soulful piano development. Impressed by the spirit of early rock and roll and basic vocal teams like The Drifters, The Temptations, and The Fleetwoods, Hearn envisioned a observe that captured the enjoyment and marvel of feeling love in a few of its many various types.
To deliver that imaginative and prescient to life, Hearn invited The Persuasions to hitch him in New York Metropolis, the place they recorded their vocals dwell off the ground. Their unmistakable harmonies impressed the tune’s closing title, “Love Is The Key”. Further contributions got here from celebrated drummer Tony “Thunder” Smith (Lou Reed), bassist Dean Dinning (Toad the Moist Sprocket), and JUNO-winning producer Eric Ratz, who helped form and blend the ultimate recording at Noble Road Studios in Toronto.
The Persuasions’ Dave Revels shared, “We felt a kinship with Kevin from the day we met so a few years in the past. It has solely strengthened by way of time. When he launched us to this lovely tune and requested if we might sing on it, the reply was a right away sure! We’re grateful to be part of his musical journey.”
A pivotal second got here when Hearn shared the observe with Andy Kim, whose timeless basic, “Sugar, Sugar”, is referenced within the second verse. Quite than merely providing his blessing, Kim enthusiastically joined the challenge, lending his unmistakable voice and presence.
“I believed I ought to ship the tune to Andy, and hopefully, get his blessing,” shares Hearn. “I included a word saying ‘I hope you get a kick out of this Andy’. To my amazement, he wrote again saying he cherished the tune and would like to sing it! We went again into the studio, amended the lyric, and as soon as once more, the tune
was taken to a different stage. Andy singing it was really the cherry on prime.”
Andy Kim provides, “Once in a while you hear a tune that owns you. The melody and lyrics are timeless. ‘Love is the Key’ is Kevin Hearn’s infinite journey to like’s religious awakening. I’m without end grateful to sing this tune with music’s everlasting energy, The Persuasions.”
Hearn lately earned a JUNO Award nomination for “Album Paintings of the 12 months” for Basement Days, a group of unearthed recordings from the Nineteen Eighties, created along with his delightfully offbeat highschool band, The Glacials.
About Kevin Hearn:
A gifted composer, in-demand collaborator, and ever-active musical power with zero curiosity in inventive stagnancy, Hearn lower his tooth collaborating with the likes of Look Folks, and revered art-rock outfit Rheostatics earlier than formally becoming a member of Barenaked Girls in 1995. Because the group’s profile swelled within the ensuing years, he explored new sonic floor with a sequence of modern and imaginative solo albums. Some of the revered and sought-after Toronto musicians of the previous 30 years, Hearn’s initiatives all the time entice good collaborators together with Violent Femmes, Gord Downie, Laurie Anderson, Garth Hudson, Ron Sexsmith, Dan Hill, Michael Ray of the Solar Ra Arkestra, Carole Pope, Mary Margaret O’Hara, Alan Doyle, The Persuasions, Violent Femmes, Colin Hay and drummer Rob Kloet (the Nits).
Certainly one of his most rewarding inventive and private relationships of all was with the legendary Lou Reed, for whom Hearn acted as musical director and keyboardist from 2007 till his passing in 2013. Hearn was inducted into the Canadian Music Corridor of Fame in 2018 as a part of Barenaked Girls. He launched his ninth album, the charming and compelling Calm and Cents, which was nominated for Instrumental Album of the 12 months on the 2020 JUNO Awards. Hearn additionally re-released his whole solo catalogue, which dates again to 1997’s debut Mothball Mint, and included a primary time digital launch of the sold-out 2019 Document Retailer Day Canada challenge Kevin Hearn & Associates Current: The Superhero Suite, nominated by the JUNO Awards for Album Paintings of the 12 months. Hearn’s earlier album with Hugh Marsh, Dreaming Of The 80s, is a group of the last decade’s classics hits and deep cuts reimagined in Marsh and Hearn’s uniquely atmospheric and ethereal sonic atmosphere.
