Creative Collaboration: Adee David

Context: Creative Collaboration is a type of content we've been hoping to produce since the beginning of Old Soul Wednesdays. We finally had the chance to make it happen this month with our founder's childhood friend, Adee David. We asked Adee to create a playlist of music that inspires her, and write short explanations for each song to really bring us into her musical world. We'll let her take it from here.

Hi everyone! My name is Adee David, and I’m an actor, singer, and musician living in New York City. I’m originally from Miami, Florida, where I grew up loving all things music from a very young age.

Larissa and I actually went to theatre camp together (shoutout to STA at UM!), so I was so excited when she reached out to me about contributing to Old Soul Wednesdays. After our initial discussion, we landed on the concept of creating a playlist of music that inspires me, and the rest is history! I hope you enjoy!

I decided to start us off with a true bop - this song is great for strutting down the street, taking the grocery store by storm, or just dancing around your room. Long live Ariana!

Shoshana Bean is one of my biggest musical inspirations. For those of you who aren’t super musical theatre nerds like myself, she was one of the first Elphabas in Wicked, and she’s a glowing example of how to transition from Broadway actor to stellar recording artist. Her voice is so powerful and unique, and her career path reminds me that you don’t have to pigeonhole yourself into one type of artistic expression.

When I first heard YEBBA sing, I was completely blown away. I had never heard anyone sing the way she does, and I spend way too much time trying to recreate her unfathomable riffs….maybe one day, but for now I’ll just listen to this song on repeat!

I had to include a couple of throwbacks, and no one gets me in my feelings quite like Carole. I’ve always enjoyed her music, but after seeing Beautiful: The Carole King Musical on Broadway, I really began to have an appreciation for the amazing career she’s had. If you find yourself yearning to stare longingly out a window with a single tear rolling down your face, this is the song for you.

I like to think of Sara as one of Carole King’s musical children, so it felt right to put her next on the list. I love the groove of this song, and I use it at a lot of auditions because it’s so fun to sing!

My roommate/fellow musician Olivia Wendel (check her out on Instagram @oliviawendelmusic!) turned me on to Emily King last year when we covered her song “Wishing Well” (check that out here!). I then quickly fell down the Emily King rabbit hole and loved everything I heard - this song is such a feel good jam, and it always reminds me of my good friend Liv who introduced me to Emily’s music!

So Beyoncé is…...Beyoncé. It was a real struggle for me to just pick one of her songs to put on this playlist (I could easily make 10 playlists of JUST Bey), but I ended up settling on this one. While it’s not one of her most popular hits, I find it really harmonically interesting and it shows off her craaazy range (how is she literally a bass??). And a little Drake never hurt anybody either!

They didn’t call her “the voice” for nothing; Whitney had one of the most powerful gifts the music industry has ever seen. I had to include her because she not only inspires me, but she has inspired the generations of artists who have come after her (many of them on this playlist). We miss you, Whitney!

If you happen to be a music theory geek, Jacob Collier is definitely your man. At the ripe young age of 23 (I feel old…), he is one of the most innovative musical minds of our generation. His music challenges me, uplifts me, and reminds me to practice my scales!!

A few months ago, I was fortunate enough to be invited to join Broadway Inspirational Voices, a professional gospel choir of Broadway and theatre artists here in New York City. Founded by one of my professors/mentors, Michael McElroy, the choir is well-known and respected in the New York theatre community for both its exceptional performances as well as its wonderful outreach programs. Before I joined the choir, I was a self-proclaimed super-fan, and this is one of my all-time favorite BIV arrangements! To learn more about BIV and its mission, check out our website here.

Here’s another example of me having a personal connection with the artist - Crystal is a friend of mine and a fellow BIV member, and by far one of the most talented human beings I know. Over the past few years, she has been kind enough to take me under her wing and show me the ropes of the music scene, and I am so grateful for her guidance and friendship. This song is PHENOMENAL, as is all of her music. You’re welcome!

I could listen to India.Arie sing the phonebook and still have my jaw on the floor. Her range is out of this world, not to mention her incredible soul, style, and passion. I don’t have much more to say except this song is just really really good, ok??

I was lucky enough to see Thirdstory in concert recently, and let me tell you - these boys can put on a SHOW! With everything from heartbreaking ballads to full on bangers and even a few covers (check out their mega cool take on “Hotline Bling”), they are an extremely versatile group with some of the best harmonies I’ve ever heard.

I wanted to make sure we ended on a real high, so I’m closing us out with the man, the myth, the legend: Stevie Wonder! This is one of my favorite songs of all time - it brings me such immense happiness whether I’m singing it, listening to it, or even just thinking about it! It reminds me to always bring joy to everything I do, both in my work and my life in general.

This has been such a blast! Thanks so much to Larissa for including me in this project, and thank YOU for reading/listening along!

- Adee

Want to learn more about Adee's talents and work? Check out her website and Instagram.