Rarely have I met a young artist so engaging and endearing, but Sean McClain is a member of that very special and exclusive club. An accomplished musician and producer, McClain makes the kind of music that listeners have been longing for and now that it’s here we can’t get enough of his signature sound — crisp and colorful notes so vivid the listener can almost visualize the music. This not any run of the mill sound, McClain’s music is anything but.
The humble South Carolinian has that southern charm and reserve which is so characteristic of a southern gentlemen, but when he gets in the studio or on a keyboard what comes through is hot buttered elegance, soulful and provocative. As is true of many of the greats – McClain is nothing short of amazing when he plays, likes to keep his own image low key and let the music do the talking
What’s your most recent claim to fame?
I have done a lot with the Administration Production Team here in Detroit. I am involved in scoring music for bands, film and commercials. Music production and making music is a lot like making a visual art or pictures. You start from scratch with blank paper and your paints and then you have to think about the picture you want to create so you use everything available including material and techniques to make something beautiful.
Are there any special projects you’re working on currently?
I am working with APT right now doing some stuff for Keri Hilson, and I’m working with an artist out of Atlanta Reggie Jackson, Laban King and Gerard Brooks, and a group from the south called 1208. I am also working on a project with Jennifer Sheffield which will be coming out in 2013.
What’s your take on the current state of music?
It’s certainly not how it used to be. We are losing the essence of the music and lyrical content. A lot of young people when they listen to this stuff are being influenced to move in the wrong direction which can end up being a dead end.
Who and what do you listen to?
I listen to pop, country, being a musician I can play all genres of music. For R&B I love Tank, Miguel, John Legend and Beyonce. For rap it’s Jay-Z and for country it’s the Dixie Chicks and Taylor Swift. What I look for in a song is the heart and the passion and what makes it relatable to people.
