Covenant Junior Nabil Ince—performing under stage name Seaux Chill—is excited to be releasing his newest album Freedom Ave at midnight on March 25. His third album as Seaux Chill, the record follows his September 2015 release I Heard God Laughing.
The release will be preceded by two listening parties the evening before. The first party will be held on the fifth floor of the Edney Building downtown at 6:00 pm. The second will be held soon afterward at Covenant College Chapel at 8:30 pm. Both events are free. Online pre-orders and Seaux Chill merchandise will also be available at both listening parties.
Since Seaux Chill dropped I Heard God Laughing in 2015, he has been working on the new record and mentoring East Lake school kids at Expression Engine, a music tutoring program through East Lake New City Fellowship. He also recently participated in Jazzanooga’s “JAZZ: The Next Generation Project” performance.
Ince recently explained his background and the motivation behind his newest album Freedom Ave. He points to challenging classes and experiences in his Sophomore year at Covenant that jump-started his journey to making Freedom Ave.
“I was gathering creative ammunition from classes like CHOW2, Music History, and African American literature,” says Ince. “I walked into Spring Break with lots of little ideas and pieces of chord progressions. I walked away from Spring Break with about 25-30 songs.”
The album leans heavily on jazz and gospel influences, with a hint of international influence. Several songs are synth and electric piano-driven, with a steady amount of organ and percussion.
Ince says that his work teaching music to local kids last summer gave him a greater appreciation for God’s love. “Coming out of the struggles of Sophomore year, love and appreciation of who God is, his character, and his faithfulness took root on a deeper level,” he says. “I saw that worked out every day with the kids [at Expression Engine] in the summer.”
He also points out how the album partly reflects that narrative. “I’d always been hesitant to put my everything into my work. I didn’t want to do music for a selfish reason – to be rich, famous, or other things the world offers for being an artist,” he says.
“But being with the kids in the summer gave me a reason and heart behind the music. Freedom Ave is about the straight and narrow journey; always moving forward and realizing it's God’s love that draws us back when we go astray.”
Be sure to show at Chapel March 24 at 8:30 p.m. to hear the music first, in person, before it drops online.