Studio Journal Entry 001.

SherreePatriceBrown
Jul 16
5 min read

Updated: Jul 17

Welcome, Sherree Amours! 🤍

If you’re reading this…Welcome to my very first blog. I’ve spent years behind the microphone telling stories through music. Now time to tell a few of my own. If you’ve followed me on social media,

@sherreepatrice you know I’ve been anything but quiet. But I wanted a place where I could slow down, pull up a chair, and invite you into the moments that never make it into a 60-second reel. That’s what Studio Journal is.

It’s my little corner of the internet where I’ll share the stories behind the music, the people who shaped my journey, and the moments that reminded me why I fell in love with creating in the first place.Some stories will make you laugh. Some may surprise you.

A few might even make you pull out your favorite album and listen a little differently. So…Thank you for being here.

Now… Let’s press Record

STUDIO JOURNAL

Entry 001 | Sweet Reunion

“Sometimes the music brings you back to where the story began.”

Earlier this year, I attended The Underdogs’ 25th Anniversary Celebration, where I reconnected with Grammy Award-winning engineer Paul Boutin and caught up with Jason Edmonds. We laughed, took a few photos, and reflected on just how much life had changed since those early studio days.During the evening, Jason pulled me aside. “ I would be honored to get you on some Bgvs for Kevon’s new project would you be down?” It didn’t take much thought. Absolutely! We agreed to reconnect later and work out the logistics.

Jason Edmonds and I first met decades ago at Edmonds Tower. While many knew him as Babyface’s nephew, I came to know him as someone who earned his place in the room. There were no shortcuts. Like the rest of us, he put in the work.

Over the years, I watched Jason grow into a respected producer, songwriter, and musician in his own right. Today, he also carries on part of his family’s musical legacy as anhonorary member of After 7, stepping into the role once held by his father, the late Melvin Edmonds.

One thing I always admired about that circle was the culture Kenny “Babyface” Edmonds created. Family may have opened the door, but it never exempted anyone from the work. From where I stood, everyone was expected to earn their place.

It would be a few months before Paul and I reconnected to start transitioning in collaboration where all the dots would soon connect. I accepted the invitation to the studio only to find it would not be Kenny’s personal studio Brandon’s Way, it would be Paul’s new private studio. Walking through the door, I smiled. The room was different. The years were different. But somehow…..it all felt familiar. Seeing Paul instantly transported me back nearly three decades. Back to Edmonds Tower. That’s where this story really begins.

Back then, I had been hired as part of the choir for two very special projects: “You Were There” from the Simon Birch soundtrack and “Silent Night” for Babyface’s Christmas album.I was simply one voice among many.

https://youtu.be/dnnmIGsMC9E?is=widTv_KsMey5B8F0

What I didn’t realize was that several producers in the room had quietly begun encouraging Babyface to bring me back for other sessions. Soon afterward, I received an invitation to Brandon’s Way Recording Studios. Not to sing with the choir again……but to add the finishing touches. Those finishing touches……included me!

One of the first sessions I remember was Shanice’s “Fall for You.” The choir had already recorded their parts. I was invited in afterward to add the intimate background vocals that gently introduced the choir, adding another layer of warmth and emotion to the record.

Listen Here:

https://youtu.be/GuoJvadGBVA?is=kFz7EO8Of5I0GFpQ

Walking into Brandon’s Way for the first time was unforgettable.

If you made it from Edmonds Tower to Brandon’s Way…you’d made it!

The hallway stretched on with Gold and Platinum records from floor to ceiling.

Pebbles
Bobby Brown
Toni Braxton
Karen White
Whitney Houston
Mariah Carey
Boyz II Men

The walls seemed endless. I remember standing there quietly, taking it all in. These weren’t just records. At the time, they were dreams. I had spent years singing along with those albums, studying every harmony and every vocal texture, never imagining that one day I would become a small part of that same musical legacy.

It was also at Brandon’s Way that I met the man behind the glass. Paul Boutin. A Grammy Award-winning engineer whose ears helped shape some of the most recognizable recordings of that era. While artists stood in front of the microphone and producers shaped the vision, Paul quietly captured performances that millions of people would eventually hear.

One memory still makes me smile.

Before one session, I started singing the operatic opening from Bobby Brown’s “Don’t Be Cruel.” I had studied that intro for years because I absolutely loved it. I had no idea that one day I’d be standing in the very room with the people who had created it.

Paul stopped what he was doing. Babyface listened too. They both smiled. I proudly told them I’d spent years studying that opening and how surreal it was to be standing in the same room where so many of my favorite artists had recorded with the hitmaker himself. I’ll admit it, I couldn’t keep my fan girl moment from emerging. That’s when they shared something I’d never heard before. The voice I’d worked so hard to imitate wasn’t a singer at all.

It was a synthesized choir We all laughed.

Looking back, I realize that moment quietly introduced another side of my voice.

My classical training and love for those cinematic choral textures would eventually find their way into projects for P!nk, Usher, and the Save the Last Dance soundtrack. What began as curiosity became part of my musical fingerprint, allowing me to bring a different color to the records I was blessed to help create.

From there,I never really left. Between 1997 and 2002, Brandon’s Way became a second home. Session after session, Paul was often behind the console while I stood behind the microphone. Together we crossed paths on projects including :

Toni Braxton
George Michael & Mary J. Blige’s “As”
Coko
Joy Enriquez
The Soulful Series featuring Al Green, Babyface’s productions, and many other unforgettable recordings.

Looking back now, I realize those years were never just about making records.

They were about building relationships, learning, listening, growing, and creating.

**Paul and I at Brandon’s Way Recording Studios during my BGV’s session for Toni Braxton’s The Heat album. Just weeks later, the album was released on April 25, 2000.**

As I sat in Paul’s studio all these years later, I realized something. The studio had changed. The technology had changed. We had changed. But the music…

The music still knew exactly where to find us.

I settled into my headphones, adjusted the microphone, and smiled. I had no idea that the next person to walk through the door was about to make this reunion even more meaningful.

But…that’s a story for the next journal entry.

Until then…

Thank you for stepping into the room with me.

We’ll press Record again soon.

🤍