BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB) — Just in time for the holidays, VOYAGR has released a Christmas song, which dropped in November, in addition to the band’s new EP.
Comprised of vocalist Rachel Ball, guitarist A.J. Jabaji, and drummer John Morano, the band came together when Jabaji shared a project called “VOYAGR” with the others. Shortly after venues began opening after the pandemic lockdown, the trio began playing together.
“After so many times, I’m just like, ‘Guys, we should be a band,'” Ball recalled. “I feel like I just wanted to pursue something and I wanted to see what they thought of it.”
The trio had all been playing music separately prior to the band’s formation between late-2019 and early-2020.
“We all listen to very similar styles of music, so that makes collaboration super easy,” Morano said. “I feel like we all learned about music and how to play music differently, but when you are all listening to the same types of genres and styles, you’re all kind of speaking the same language.”
Ball credited her bandmates for helping her to write her first song, “Think of You,” which was written and recorded after she reached out to them for their thoughts. Because they were able to relate to the song, it came together as a team effort in a short amount of time.
“If I could give anyone out there some advice, I would say, ‘Chase after your goals and your dreams and don’t give up,'” Ball said. “If you have a goal or a dream and you don’t think you can achieve it, just take that little step, because that little step can get you to the end goal.”
Jabaji gave his thoughts on “Think of You.”
“Before, it was just kind of — I would share my songs. And Rachel wanted to get into songwriting and all that, so she started doing it more frequently, and she showed us what she wrote,” Jabaji said. “I was like, ‘Holy crap, that is something special right there,’ and then we ended up playing it later the next day at The Cave, and I go home and her and John finish it overnight.”
VOYAGR’s favorite venues to play: The Cave, The 9th Ward at Babeville
How they got their name: Jabaji liked the idea of a space voyage, and compared it to how everyone is on their own voyage through life.
Their favorite songs to play live: Oh Brother, Lover’s Lie, Heartless (Kanye West cover), Bellyache (Billie Eilish cover), Lovely (Billie Eilish cover)
Their dream concert lineups:
A.J. Jabaji
- Wild Rivers
- Donovan Woods
- VOYAGR
John Morano
- Wild Rivers
- Phoebe Bridgers
- VOYAGR
Rachel Ball
- VOYAGR
- Maggie Rogers
- Lennon Stella
- Judah & The Lion
- Wild Rivers
For more information about VOYAGR and their music, visit the following links:
Music Monday is a weekly series created and produced by Adam Duke to showcase artists from Western New York and their work. To be considered for a feature, email Adam at adam.duke@wivb.com.
Adam Duke is a digital producer who has been part of the News 4 team since 2021. See more of his work here.
