Corona presents Sola Rosa in association with George FM. Thanks to Jucy and VNO.
From his humble beginnings experimenting with a 4-track recorder at the ripe age of 19, Sola Rosa frontman Andrew Spraggon has cultivated over 15 years of rich and well-crafted melodic beats. Fusing a rotating mix of hip-hop, jazz, reggae, latin, neo-soul and funk topped with an assortment of diverse vocalists, Sola Rosa have released five critically acclaimed long players to date.
Sola Rosa’s sixth album Magnetics, released on September 26 via Rhythmethod, is no exception and sees the band introduce a glorious assortment of fresh new vocalists from all over the globe. To celebrate, Sola Rosa are hitting the road, taking their music across New Zealand for three-dates in October and November.
Recorded at Andrew Spraggons studio in Avondale, Auckland, this latest effort sees this five-piece strip away their collaborations with an array of session musicians, having chosen instead to record together as a full band, which allowed for a much more enjoyable and more simple creative process.
Third single Both Of Us features The Streets co-vocalist Kevin Mark Trail and long-time Sola Rosa collaborator Olivier Daysoul. The result is an impressive collision of sweeping gospel harmonies and heavy synths. Other vocalists include: Noah Slee (NZ), Jordan Rakei (AUS), Tawiah (UK), Georgia Anne Muldrow (US) and Sharlene Hector (UK).
“Sola Rosa’s Magnetics is solid – a great album to have on repeat at the backyard this summer”
- Rachel Bache, NZ Herald
Currently Sola Rosa is made up of five key individuals. Matt Short joined Sola Rosa in 2004 as an incredibly accomplished session player, who has previously played with the Opensouls, Tyra & The Tornadoes and Vietnam War. Ben White, an accomplished jazz guitarist, followed suit in 2007. Vocalist, producer and MAINZ teacher Cherie Mathieson joined the band in late 2011 as their touring female vocalist.
The latest addition is British artist and The Streets co-vocalist Kevin Mark Trail. Trail has collaborated with local jazz wizard Nathan Haines, international heavyweights Nitin Sawhney, Estelle and Black Twang and landed support slots for N.E.R.D, Massive Attack and Angie Stone.
Sola Rosa continue to experiment and evolve, which is a true testament to their success over the years. Expect big things this Summer.
