.png){kind=logo}
WORDS MAISIE JANE DANIELS - PHOTOGRAPHY FIFI NEWBERY
Jessi Clover Belgrave and Vlad Woodham-Smith, known collectively as Temptress, are more than just musical collaborators – they're partners in crime. Their journey began at Goldsmiths, where their shared passion for soulful R&B sparked an instant connection. Recognising the magic in their harmonious vocals, they embarked on a creative partnership that has since flourished.
In 2021, Temptress unveiled their debut EP, '‘Body," marking their entry into the music scene with style and substance. Now, in 2024, they're back with a vengeance, presenting their next release, 'Heaven Sent.' Beyond their musical prowess, Jessi and Vlad have ventured into the realm of visual storytelling, co-founding a production company together.
Immerse yourself in the enchanting world of Temptress through the mesmerising music video for 'Heaven Sent,' inspired by the Renaissance era. With a touch of humour and their signature captivating melodies, Jessi and Vlad invite you to experience their artistic evolution firsthand.
.
Maisie Daniels: Hey Jessi and Vlad, welcome to F Word! You both make up the stunning R&B duo that is Temptress, can you tell me why you chose this name?
Temptress: Hey thanks for having us! We actually used to be called Vlad vs. Clover when we first started but our old manager didn’t approve haha, so we trawled through every word we could think of and landed on Temptress. To be honest the word felt like it really represented our sound and looked good written down.
MD: How did you both meet, and when did it click that you wanted to make music together?
T: We met at university at a gig in the student union. We were both on the popular music course at Goldsmiths and playing in different projects, Vlad was filling in a last minute spot. We grabbed lunch after soundcheck and got chatting and decided we should make a track together. We ended up writing ‘lies’ which was the first track we ever released.
MD: As Londoners born and bred, how have you seen the city’s music scene change over the years?
T: When we were teenagers, though we didn’t know each other, we both went to a lot of indie gigs. Music felt very linked with fashion and subculture then which is quite different to now. I think people weave between styles and sounds much more quickly.
MD: Your new EP ‘pipe dream’ is out now! Congratulations! Is there an underlying theme that runs through the EP?
T: The ‘pipe dream’ EP theme is quite internal, it also looks to the future, but in a dreamlike surreal state.
MD: If the EP were a colour, a temperature and a taste what would it be and why?
T: It would be deep blue, 30 degrees on a hot sunny day, and it would be sweet and spicy.
MD: What’s your favourite track on this EP and why?
T: I think our favourite track in this EP is Future Valentine! It was so easy to write and the production is such a fun throwback for us.
MD: What’s the best thing about working as a duo?
T: Being able to bounce ideas off each other, when one of us is lacking in inspiration the other jumps in and inspires. We love writing but sometimes it is so easy to get into your head so having a partner in crime really helps you get out of that.
MD: Have you ever had artistic differences, and if so, how do you overcome them?
T: Oh yeah, it’s natural to have a difference of opinion but I think we have just accepted that challenging each other helps us find the best way through. So I guess listening and not being overly attached to every idea helps.
MD: I love the aesthetic of your music videos, especially ‘Heaven Sent’. Can you talk our readers through the inspiration behind this single?
T: The song has the word ‘heaven’ in the title so immediately our minds went to renaissance, cherubs and heavenly imagery so we tried to recreate some classic scenes but with a sense of humour. We love making quirky out of this world visuals that are not really based in reality and this song felt like the perfect time to explore that.
MD: I love that you produce all the visuals yourselves, and run a video production company together! At what point did you know you wanted to do this, and why?
T: We kind of fell into it. It started with us needing to make our videos/stills, we had no idea what we were doing, but loved doing it so obsessively kept making visuals and learning as we went. After seeing some of our work for our own project we started to have other artists/labels ask us to make visuals for them and it kind of spiralled from there.
MD: We see a lot of experimentation coming through in the EP, is there a genre you might experiment with for a future project?
T: We both have such eclectic music tastes that really any genre could slip in. I think we would definitely be up for exploring some more indie, choursy guitar alongside our RnB base.
MD: Do you believe in manifestation?
T: Definitely, manifesting makes you direct your actions and focus. So we would say yes.
MD: Do you have anything exciting coming up that we should know about?
T: There might be a cheeky show on the horizon :)
MD: And to end, what's your favourite F-word?
T: FOOD
Comments