Sam Tsui and Casey Breves have become known on TikTok for their fantastic singing voices and their insightful videos on fatherhood. But Adobe & Teardrops is usually kind of a downer, so why am I posting kids’ music on here? Well, Casey and I spent all of high school standing on the same corner, waiting for the bus, simmering in the closet, separately and together. (Speaking only for myself, I hope Casey had a better time than me.) I was an extra on Grease and Casey played one of the most angelic Danny Zuko’s there ever was, and I would lip sync to him in the wings while watching my crush drunk it all in from the front row.
(Just as a side note, both of us grew up a few blocks away from Karen Pittelman of Karen and the Sorrows, and she graduated from the same high school a few years ahead of us. Who says the Upper East Side doesn’t have culture?) Anyway, it never surprised me that Casey would go pro with his singing, which led him to singing in the popular chamber a capella group Chanticleer. Casey and Sam Tsui met in college, singing in the same a cappella group. The couple are applying their creativity to a picture book and album inspired by raising their daughter, Elaia. Why Do We Sing? will be out on May 5th. When I saw Casey’s name pop up in my inbox, and reveled in the catchiness of “The Greatest Ever Campfire Song,” I knew I wanted to share it here.
Hi, Casey. What’s up. How’s life been since high school? But more seriously, I’ve followed you from afar as you performed in Chanticleer. What do you see as the through line between that experience and children’s music?
Hi Rachel- what a small world! Great to be connected again after all these years!
One of my favorite parts of performing with Chanticleer was the educational outreach component- I loved working with choirs of students around the world to hone their craft and inspire a love of singing. When kids discover their voices and their ability to express themselves through singing, it’s magical! I think for us, writing this music has been a really wonderful way of reconnecting with that magic and, for me, a natural extension of those great experiences working with kids in Chanticleer.
For both Casey and Sam: what inspired this project?
I think we would both say our daughter Elaia has been the main source of inspiration! She’s almost three now, but from the moment she was born, our joy and excitement at being her dads has reshaped our creativity in so many ways. We started working on our children’s book Why Do We Sing? while she was still a newborn, and after months of listening to almost nothing but children’s music (baby shark doo doo doo doo!), we were so excited by the opportunity to create a full album to accompany the book with Republic: Kids and Family. We played every song for Elaia as we were writing the album (she gives very honest feedback!), and she even has two spoken cameos!
The album covers a range of genres. How did you approach making them feel cohesive?
Since the book features lots of different global vocal traditions to illustrate all of the reasons people sing, we knew the soundtrack had to draw inspiration from a number of genres, and you’re absolutely right that it took a lot of thought to make the album feel cohesive! For one, we collaborated with some great featured artists on a few tracks (the ones inspired by Mariachi and Bollywood), and when it came to the writing, we focused on storytelling and a common theme of songs about singing, which we hope makes the whole album feel like one complete thought – plus, we really poured a lot of love and excitement into every song!
Did you find any challenges with co-creating music and a book?
Creating an album that reflects the spirit of the book while maintaining its own distinct character was definitely a challenge — but we hope one that resulted in an exciting and satisfying experience for anyone who listens! Our aim in the book is to show kids that singing is for everybody and that there’s a song for anything that’s in your heart. So that became our challenge for the album: how do we actually bring that message to life with ten songs for kids? We’re so happy with how the album turned out- and can’t wait for kids (and grown-ups) to hear it.