By Sonia Schnee | Posted Friday, January 22, 2021

If you’re craving that old school, boy group sound of Boyz II Men, New Edition, and *NSYNC, then look no further than South Jersey’s own #Elevated, who just released their newest single, “Paradise,” on YouTube, Spotify, and other audio outlets. Check out our interview with the talented quintet, below, as they discuss how they’re “bringing back old school vibes with a modern twist.”

Congratulations on the release of your new single! What can you tell us about the title (“Paradise”) and the meaning behind it?

For some of us it is interpreted in different ways. One interpretation is "the beach and perfection." What we could do for a significant other is living a life that feels like a dream and live a life where we are content. Another interpretation is last year, we were struck with hardships such as the pandemic. We want to eventually reach that small spec of light at the end of the tunnel we call 'Paradise.’ This song is a soothing and uplifting song to help us go through our inner struggles that we have experienced during these hard times!

What inspired you to create this?

The winter feeling is always soothing, so we wanted to create a song that explores that feeling of calmness and joy.

Where did you record/who did you record with?

We recorded at Vince's (one of the #Elevated members) house. We self-produced everything and hired a mix engineer to mix and master!

Tell us about #Elevated. Who's in the group? Where are you from? How did you find each other? How would you describe your style? Who are your influences?

#Elevated is a 5 member guy group from South Jersey!

Kevin (baritone), Josh (tenor), Vince (baritone/countertenor), Will (bass/tenor), and Donovan (bass).

This group consists of two of Vince's friend groups: Will and Donovan were in Vince's high school choir and often sung together, and Kevin and Josh were in Vince's university and often jam and sing together in the piano room.

The group started with Kevin, Vince and Josh who performed for an event at Rutgers University. We decided to become a group right after. We later added Will and Donovan to make a 5 member group! Our music is old school with a modern twist. We grew up listening to old school R&B and pop such as Earth, Wind and Fire, Boyz II Men, Brian McKnight, New Edition, Michael Jackson, etc. We also enjoy some of the modern artists as well such as Justin Bieber, Chris Brown, Ne-Yo, Ed Sheeran, Charlie Puth, Bruno Mars, etc. We miss boy bands or singing groups that can sing acapella like Boyz II Men, *NSYNC, etc., so we want to bring that sound back.

What are you looking forward to in 2021, personally and/or professionally?

We're looking forward to more opportunities and to a better year overall.

Finally, where can people find your music?

Follow us on Instagram: @hashtagelevated

Subscribe to us on YouTube: http://youtube.com/hashtagelevated

Check out our latest single, “Paradise”:

The song is available on all audio platforms!

Here is also a link tree to see our other content: https://linktr.ee/hashtagelevated

Is there anything else you’d like to add?

We have been growing a small fan base on YouTube through various contents such as reaction videos (2k subscribers).