He’s sexy, down-to-earth and heartwarming. The front man for the Juno Award winning funky pop band jacksoul, Haydain Neale, is not only a nice guy but a great entertainer and songwriter too. Simply put … he is the soul of jacksoul.
The four-member band has been together for about a decade and has achieved high-charted and numerous #1 singles and videos. You have probably heard some of the songs spinning on the radio like “Can’t Stop” (2000) and “Still Believe in Love” (2004). The band’s soon to be released CD mySOUL features the new original single “oneSONG” and 13 classic cover songs including “Love TKO” (Teddy Pendergrass) and “Superfly” (Curtis Mayfield).
Haydain elaborates on his artistic experience in the making of mySOUL. “Recording these soulful songs was a magical experience. Personally, it allowed me to really pay homage to some great songwriters and some incredible performers that inspired me to sing in the first place. But it’s also a present to all the jacksoul fans who like to know what I’m really all about and where the jacksoul sound comes from. It comes from all these places at once, and then through us, we put it together in our own funky stew.”
I ask him what inspires his songwriting, “My wife, my daughter, my mother. The trinity of power and passion and laughter keep me going.” He shares how he wants his music to influence his fans, “jacksoul is about love. Feeling love, sharing love, making love. If we can bring people closer – physically or spiritually – then we’re doing our job.” And Haydain, well, he is a fan of many including James Brown, Teddy Pendergrass, Luther Vandross, Sam Cooke. “Any artist that makes me feel something intense – sadness, joy, sexiness. I love artists whose music takes me on a journey.”
To put a stamp on music history, jacksoul’s last Canadian tour was with James Brown. I ask Haydain what it was like touring with the Godfather of Soul, “Like going on a vacation with the Pope: A totally religious experience.” He explains about the upcoming Canadian tour this summer, “The tour will swing westward and hit the major cities between Toronto and Victoria in June. We’ll break after that and go eastward later in the summer, and then cross the country again later this year.”
Haydain’s future plans include continued writing and more production work. Last year he was bitten by the production bug after producing a great album for jazz vocalist DK Ibomeka. Also, watch out for Haydain in the nationwide Roots World Cup campaign which is happening in stores right now. mySOUL will be available as of June 20 in stores and online at roots.com. He comments, “jacksoul and the Roots crew have been tight since way back, before we ever got signed they believed in us and spread the word. Four CD’s later, they still have my back and are even carrying the new record in the store for the month of release. It’s great when friends have your back like that.”
For more info go to jacksoul.com