Jason White Talks Leading the Sunday Service Choir, Holiday EP
Jason White Unpacks His & Kanye West’s Creative Process for Sunday Service Choir’s Christmas Album
Source: Rich Fury / Getty
Award-winning producer, composer and musician Jason White has lived many lives. He has led the music departments at large African American churches and managed choirs with hundreds of singers. Now, he’s at the helm of Kanye West’s Sunday Service Choir.
Before White transitioned to lead the Sunday Service Choir as a choirmaster, he thought he was done with Gospel music. But God had bigger plans for him.
“When Kanye called, it was just like ‘Woah,”’ he told Elev8 correspondent Jeff Lewis in an exclusive interview. “I’m thinking I’m done with Easter productions and just to know that Coachella was nothing but an Easter production. I believe that God uses it all.”
However, while God was using White, he feels there was a season where people felt the choir was null and void in churches. There has always been praise and worship, but he said the performance element fell to the wayside.
“Major churches were just doing praise and worship, but that was all of the music,” he said. “They kind of got rid of choirs and people. It’s what I do, but it’s really what Ye wanted. Ye wanted a choir.”
White said West understood he’s the guy that makes choirs great. When the rapper roped him into building the Sunday Service choir, he wanted 100 singers in under a week’s time. But he called White because he knew he could get it done with the encouragement to explore a deeper side.
“He is pushing everything inside of you,” he lamented. “Whatever you done, he’s letting you know there’s more inside of you. He’s letting you know that what you’ve done is nice, but there’s more. Go deeper.”
The Sunday Service Choir hit the mark with their latest project, a holiday EP called “Go Tell It,” which features a fresh take on “Go Tell It on the Mountain.” White said West loves Christmas and wanted to capture the simplicity of the season. He also barred the choir from singing in studios in order to capture that raw and natural sound so it’s palatable to a diverse audience. He hopes that message comes across on the tracks.
“Keeping things simple that everybody can sing, everybody can take part in and then you elevate it with the voices and the stacking,” he said.
“Go Tell It” is available now wherever you stream or buy music. For the rest of our sit-down with Jason White, press play above.
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