Bringing jazz music to the forefront with SHEBAD

SHEBAD is a soul/jazz project of visual artist and vocalist Claire Voy and multi-instrumentalist Ciccio Spagnolo. Based in Guelph (Ontario, Canada), the duo explores new approaches to indie soul music by infusing them with danceable jazz melodies, accentuated by Claire’s voice. The band’s debut record, Music is the Answer, came out in late 2024 and has since made multiple appearances at music festivals across North America and opening for notable acts, including Kamasi Washington, Thievery Corporation, and Anomali.

Kateryna Topol: Hello Claire and Ciccio, how is your day going?

SHEBAD: Good! Getting ready for a big weekend with the band, going live for CBC’s Make The Season Kind show. Also, it’s almost Ciccio’s nephew’s 1st birthday party.

KT: Very different events, those two. How did you two meet and start making music together?

SB: We first met in a World Music class in our first year of undergrad at the University of Guelph, and shortly after started playing jazz gigs together at the campus café called The Bullring. That was in early 2019. By the end of the year, we were trying our hand at writing together and wrote our first song, “Oneiro“. We’ve been creating and performing together ever since.

KT: What was your individual journey to a career in music like?

SB: Neither of us seriously considered a career in music until university, though we’ve both been musical since childhood. Claire studied Studio Arts, and Ciccio initially studied Computer Science before switching into Music in his second year. It had been a calling of our hearts, but neither of us felt confident or secure enough to actually take the steps towards that dream on our own. After meeting each other and building our orbit of musicians and friends, it took time, trust, and community for us to truly dive headfirst into this path. And there’s still so much more ahead of us.

KT: Collective confidence, love it. Congratulations on the release of your latest record, Music is the Answer, how long was this one in the works?

SB: Thank you! We actually wrote “Learning to Un,” which is the 7th track on the album, back in 2020 as part of a collaborative artist residency through the pandemic. We held onto that one for years and had it in our back pocket while we wrote the rest of the album throughout 2023 and 2024. So I think the seeds of the album were planted as far back as 2020, because it was that year that we set the goal for ourselves to create an album and began working towards it. But, in practice, it took about two years to create between writing, recording, producing, artwork, and all the rest.

KT: Can you talk us through your creative process a bit…

SB: We are big voice memo’ers. We have a backlog of melodies, rhythms, and harmonic ideas that light us up, and we know have to be made and woven into our music. For some ideas, we don’t always know where or how we will make it into a song; for others, it’s an entire song: lyrics, melody, and harmony will hit one of us, and we are just tweaking it slightly together.

The writing comes mainly from the two of us (Claire and Ciccio), but we definitely call in our other band members, Emil and Emmitt, for creative input. We’re also currently working with our friend, JASA, who’s a producer based out of Toronto, and behind the production of our single “INNER RISE”. When we’re recording, we always want the song to feel like an energy ball we’re putting out into the world, so if it doesn’t feel that way, we gotta add, change or modify parts of it.

We usually create from our home, taking turns each night and showcasing and celebrating together. We have a small home studio that has everything we need: nothing more, nothing less.

All images by Alexis Mimacho, courtesy of the artist.

KT: Your live performance is a 5-piece band, do you tend to work with the same musicians?

SB: SHEBAD has taken on many forms throughout the years, and we feel so lucky to have met and worked with many different, incredible musicians and artists. Emil, our keys and sax player, has been involved in SHEBAD for almost as long as we have. Emmitt and Bridget, who joined in 2024, brought so much life to the project and helped us push our sound further.

We’re fortunate to be surrounded by a lot of talent musically and artistically, and even when people have had to choose other paths, there are others who step in and share their light and magic with the project. Everyone who has played with us live has brought something special, and as we record those friends show up here and there all over our project.

KT: That’s great. You’ve played quite a few shows and festivals, and opened for some big-name headliners – what are some of the most notable moments from your tour

SB: We got the call to open for Kamasi Washington at History the day before the gig. On the way to the gig, we were unconfirmed as support, and we didn’t know until our soundcheck that it was for real. Getting to be in a green room and side stage with some of the most prolific West Coast musicians in the world will be an unbeatable memory. There were definitely some tears.

Getting to travel all together through the U.S. as a band from Guelph has been soul food for our little chosen family. Emmitt, our drummer, was still 20 on our first tour in the States, and him with X’s on his hands at every gig was a very funny era.

Getting to go to new places – because music took you there – meeting fans who love our music, and watching them sing our lyrics is something that will never get old.

KT: That’s awesome. With the new record out, what are your goals for 2026?

SB: Another record!!! [laughs] We’re working on our sophomore album currently, which we’re super excited about. We’re following some threads that were present in a few of our favourite SHEBAD tracks, namely “Black Walnut” and “INNER RISE”. Those songs seem to really draw people in, both in the recorded versions, and live, and it’s so much fun to see everyone dancing and moving at our shows. We want to bring more of that energy with the next release, and see how far we can push our weird fusion of influences and interests into the realm of dance music.

The album release will also come along with a 5-6 week tour across North America, which will be the longest period of time we’ve been on the road together. It’s definitely daunting and exciting, but our hope is we’ll have the year to get these tunes solid in our live arrangement so we can be as prepared as possible to just enjoy the ride. It is truly a blessing to travel through music, and we know how lucky we are to be in a position to do so.

KT: Let’s do a quick fire of a few random questions: You’re based out of Guelph, what are some of your favourite spots in the home city?

SB: The Guelph Outdoor School, The Patch, The Eramosa River, The Common, our home

KT: Favourite things to do in a new city when touring?

SB: Check out local jams, connect with new people, brunch, and thrifting

KT: Favourite breakfast meal?

Claire: Eggs Benny

Ciccio: Turkey Dinner

KT: All great choices!