International recording star and Queens native Carole Sylvan had a jam-packed summer complete with a new EP and gigs across New York City and Connecticut. First conceptualized in 2021 and released on July 1, “Something Goin’ On” made it into rotation across hundreds of U.S. radio stations within a month of its release date.
Tracks full of timbres and tones include “Savin’ Up for Your Love,” an instant soul and R&B classic; an incredible version of the Sly and the Family Stone classic “You Can Make It If You Try”; the soulful title track “Something Goin’ On” that features the legendary New York City outfit The Uptown Horns; and the super funky, sax-filled “Show Me” that was originally penned for a country artist.
“It’s a whole new ballgame compared to the other things in my discography, which is mainly house, R&B, background vocals, dance tunes, and a couple of pop songs here and there,” explained Sylvan, who released the 10-song album “Love” last year, which debuted at No. 9 on Relix. “I definitely had fun throughout this process.”
Taking a deep dive into her discography and incredible career on stage, we spoke with Sylvan ahead of her show at The Bitter End in Manhattan on July 30.
All Roads Lead Back to the Big Apple
Sylvan was surrounded by jazz music at an early age thanks to her family’s love for the genre and from living in St. Albans, Queens. For instance, Lena Horne lived on her block and the Mills Brothers and Brooke Benton were from the same area. However, she began her career as a classically trained singer, performing at Count Basie’s house during grade school, putting on her first concert in Bermuda at 12, singing in Los Angeles at 13, and opening up for James Brown at Yankee Stadium at 16. Sylvan later attended the Brooklyn Conservatory of Music and Julliard School of Music.
At a critical moment during her junior year of college, Sylvan found herself in an impromptu audition for a local show band, singing Roberta Flack’s “The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face,” which ultimately secured her spot on the road with the band for 44 weeks.
“I had never been away from home without my voice teacher or my mother … it was an experience,” Sylvan recalled.
Sylvan then started writing songs with the Fatback band and performed lead vocals on the band’s first hit song, “Money,” which became their first gold record. She won the Ed Sullivan award for outstanding artists and won Best Record of the Year for her 1995 song “Look Ahead” from Mix Magazine. Sylvan landed a Top Ten Billboard hit four years later with her dance anthem, “Just Doin’ What We Love,” which remained on the chart for 12 weeks. She quickly became one of Italy’s favorite dance recording artists with “Come Go With Me” and “Caught Up with Angels of Love.” Sylvan performed vocals on U2’s multi-platinum album “Rattle and Hum” (1988) and sang on Charlie Karp’s final studio album “Back To You” (2019), which charted on the Roots Music Report for Blues Rock in 2020.
To add to her illustrious list of accolades, Sylvan has performed across the globe and recorded with Peabo Bryson, Pet Shop Boys, Toni Braxton, RuPaul, Lionel Richie, Ben E. King, The Weather Girls, Brandy, Natalie Cole, Jennifer Holiday, Patti LaBelle, and so many more.
“This summer, I hope attendees just forget their troubles and listen and dance to the music for 90 minutes. That’s what I look forward to,” Sylvan said. “Hopefully, there’s something in the show that they can relate to—a story, a song that’ll take them back or make them remember a good time in their lives.”
Currently, Sylvan is a teaching artist and artist in residence for Young Audiences New York, where she teaches Broadway, pop, and jazz singing as well as glee club and musical theater.
“A lot of people think that you have to be in the limelight to make it, but you don’t and that’s something that people have taught me along the way,” Sylvan said. “I never went for the flash and the bang. I always wanted to be comfortable and be able to take care of my family because that’s the most important thing to me. Anything else outside of that is gravy.”
