Adam Davenport and Shanica Knowles Make EDM Debut with MY RETURN ADDRESS IS YOU
By: A.A. Cristi Jan. 27, 2017
Actress Shanica Knowles, the mean girl to Miley Cyrus on Hannah Montana who most recently played Tichina Arnold in the Lifetime film Surviving Compton, has collaborated with New York actor Adam Davenport on his debut single, "My Return Address is You." The release, which was delayed a week in protest of the Inauguration, is now set for this Friday, January 27th, via Independent Ear through Caroline Distribution/Universal Music Group/ILS.
Described as an electro-pop/dance ballad with a chorus that may get stuck in your head, "My Return Address is You" was written for Knowles by Davenport and Leslie Mills, an Emmy-nominated songwriter based in Nashville whose songs have been featured in the soundtracks for nearly a dozen films, including White Oleander and What a Girl Wants.
"The production is inspired by a bit of nostalgia," says Davenport. "I wanted to bring elements of 80's dance-pop, underground disco and mellifluous vocal harmonies ala Fleetwood Mac onto a contemporary electro pop-dance track. I thought it might be fresh to have a folk guitar pre-chorus that segues into a Dutch house drop."
Davenport first reached out to Knowles by sending her a direct message on Instagram. "Dance music is something I've never tried before, so when Adam reached out to collaborate with him on this record, it was hard for me to say no because the song was so inspiring," says Shanica. "It's something the world needs right now because it's a positive anthem for this generation. I think that the message of this song will really uplift people in a way they haven't felt in a long time, and just dance."
Of working with Knowles, Davenport had nothing but positive feedback: "Her voice is intimate and soulful; her phrasing reminds me of Billie Holiday, Alanis Morissette, Florence Welch in its ability to communicate feeling directly to the listener. She nailed all of the vocal harmonies in one studio session."
The label Independent Ear signed Davenport after hearing an early demo of the track on ReverbNation, an online platform for unsigned artists. "Adam and I were destined to work together," says Ryan Block, the CEO & President of Independent Ear. "His music and dedication to his craft are what stands out to me the most. He has a very bright future ahead of him and we are proud to be a part of the journey with him."
A remix EP will be released this spring with mixes from Grammy-nominated StoneBridge from Sweden, Australian-based ALIUS whose current release "I Don't Wanna Wait" on Ministry of Sound debuted at #24 on the iTunes dance charts, and Jordan Jay, a rising talent from the Netherlands who's getting support from David Guetta and Nicky Romero.
Brooklyn-based Davenport graduated from Yale University. He recently performed at Carnegie Hall and made his professional stage debut in Michael Bergmann's opera adaptation of Tom Wolfe's "Bonfire of the Vanities." Last year he became one of the first African-Americans to play Hercules in the indie musical feature film Project Olympus and is one of the few African American models to be featured by DNA Magazine Australia, which included him on their Best of 2016 list.
Comments
Videos