A Song For You
The Othering & Belonging Institute at UC Berkeley is thrilled to invite the co-founders of A Song For You, Dhanesh Jayaselan & Noah Slee, to produce and curate the Arts & Culture mainstage program for the Othering & Belonging Berlin conference.
A Song For You:
A Song For You is a vocal ensemble project rooted in the Berlin neo-soul/RnB/HipHop scene, consisting of approximately 60 vocalists and a dynamic band. Founded by singer Noah Slee and creative director Dhanesh Jayaselan, the group aims to celebrate the abundant talent present in Berlin's live soulful music scene while providing a platform for BiPOC & underrepresented voices to shine in their own artistic medium.
In late 2022, the ensemble dedicated their efforts to crafting their debut album, which was recorded at Limusic Studios in Limoux, France, and Brewery Studios in Berlin, Germany. Guided by the expertise of producer S. Fidelity, the album features captivating collaborations with artists like Theo Croker, Annahstasia, Moses Yoofee, and others. Simultaneously, ASFY has created a captivating live performance experience that seamlessly combines music, dance, storytelling, and visual installations.
ASFY made their grand debut on March 8, 2023, at Volksbühne in Berlin. The performance, entitled "Matriarch," was a 90-minute theatrical production that paid tribute to International Women's Day. Through the powerful mediums of song, dance, and visual imagery, the ensemble conveyed the story of the "Matriarch." The show featured a lineup of 34 singers, an eight-piece band encompassing strings and a rhythm section, as well as five talented dancers from “Movement Seven”. Notably, "Annahstasia" made a special guest appearance. The overwhelming response to ASFY's announcement led to the show selling out all 800 tickets within a mere two weeks, marking a momentous achievement for the group.
Following their successful debut, ASFY has also graced the festival frontlines at XJAZZ! 2023 and MELT festival's Mainstage, meanwhile performing at the historical “Expressions: In The Garden”, which saw them reimagine the music of Noah Slee, Kelvyn Colt, and LARY, alongside their house band and The Expressions Orchestra - to close out the summer, the group performed a conceptual show as a headline act at this years’ Pop-Kultur. A Song For You explored a new pathway with a recent collaboration with Soundwalk Collective, wherein they were invited to co-create and perform a choral arrangement and choreography of the Soundwalk Collective’s score on the recent film “All The Beauty & The Bloodshed” - at Berlin’s newest feature performance space - Reethaus.
With their captivating performances, dedication to amplifying underrepresented voices, and their commitment to pushing the boundaries of live soulful music, A Song For You continues to leave a lasting impression on Berlin's music scene.
Dhanesh Jayaselan
Malaysian born, of Indian heritage, raised in Melbourne Australia - Jayaselan, 26, is a multidisciplinary artist who explores his concoction of identities through a variety of story-telling artistic mediums such as music, film, and events. Jayaselan focuses his attention and passion towards creative production of projects that explore the contemporary cultural landscapes, navigating an aesthetic that showcases organic beauty, intimate and poetic storytelling, and his own experience as a person of colour - using his position to platform the beauty of culture and ethnic experience.
Jayaselan also finds himself working alongside the flourishing Neo-Soul/NuJazz scene in Berlin as a musical and event curator, producer, and project commissioner. Standout projects include his role as the curator of the opening night of “Expressions: In The Garden'' as part of Kultursommerfestival 2023 program, XJAZZ 2022/2023, Cassette Head Sessions event curator, and artist manager of the Selassie and, previously, phenomenom, Moses Yoofee. Alongside these musical projects, Jayaselan has worked with artists such as, but not limited too, NOWNESS, Soundwalk Collective, Wayne Snow, Noah Slee, Jesper Munk, ZFEX, Abase, WizTheMC, Rodes Rollins, James Chatburn, JuJu Rogers and more; solidifying his role in the Berlin Jazz scene.
Noah Slee
Noah Slee is an artist for whom the term ‘community’ is a defining factor in his creativity. Be it in the relatively recent sense of belonging found as part of the free-thinking, queer community of Berlin, the community he is forever tied to through his Tongan roots, or the artist community he cultivates through running grass-roots events which strives to support home-grown Berlin talent.
Known for slick and evocative vocals, Slee was well and truly put on the map with the release of 2017 debut album Otherland (Wondercore Island / Majestic Casual), for which he was awarded two prestigious Pacific Music Awards in 2018. Fast forward a couple of years, a couple of international tours and tens of millions streams later and Slee continued pushing boundaries with his 2019 EP TWICE. The EP was crafted largely by Slee himself with help from his Berlin dynasty of trusted creatives but also showcasing talent from all corners of the globe.
While the indie-club artist holds nostalgia for growing up in a Tongan household in West Auckland, Aotearoa, New Zealand, Slee is resolute about his choice to pack up his life and move to Germany in 2015. It’s a long way from home but ‘a big part of being in Berlin was coming into myself ’ he admits. Slee’s work has seen support from the likes of Zane Lowe, BBC1, Clash, Complex and Nylon. Relishing in the potential forces of the arts, Noah Slee is as determined as ever to create wavy ground swells with his heart opening breezy rnb dance jams.
