With powerhouse vocals, a falsetto he has made his own, and a taste for classic R&B storytelling, Cedric Brazle is an artist we knew we had to sit down with. The Florida-born singer, a TIDAL Rising Artist and BET Fresh Face, returned earlier this year with “mine.” (his first release in two years), followed by “again & again.” (sung entirely in falsetto). Both singles lead into his impressive new EP, Cologne, Vol. 1, out October 14th.
We were lucky enough to hear the project in full, beginning to end, and its sound is reminiscent of Usher’s Confessions while still sounding like his own. It’s easy to fall in love with songs like “woman.” for its lyricism and rock influence, and “casanova.” for its old-school, back-and-forth duet between Cedric and Reggie Becton.
We caught up with Cedric ahead of the release to talk about growing up in Jacksonville, his high school band days, his influences, the story behind the name Cologne, working with Reggie Becton, the website he built to take listeners deeper into his world, and what it takes to do all of it independently. He also takes on our rapid questions.
YouKnowIGotSoul: Introduce yourself to our platform. Imagine no one has ever heard of you. What would you tell them?
My name is Cedric Brazle. I’m an R&B artist from Jacksonville, Florida. I was raised by my grandparents, and music’s been a part of my life my whole life. My family’s really integrated into music. Both of my grandfathers were in bands, and I had an uncle who was signed to Columbia as a Calypso artist, touring. So music isn’t foreign to me. It’s kind of in my blood. I feel like I’m following the path that was written for me, so I’m just grateful to be doing it and spreading as much joy and inspiration as I can. That’s my goal in this life: to spread joy and inspiration.
YouKnowIGotSoul: Where do you see yourself as an 80-year-old man, sitting on the porch and looking out at the countryside? What did you do with your life?
First and foremost, I want to be happy. I see myself as happy, and I want to have done a lot. I want to have traveled the world numerous times over and sung my songs all over the world, and I want to have given back to my community. I really want to create a non-profit for young boys. It doesn’t matter who they are or where they come from or what they look like. I want young boys who don’t have the resources to be in the arts, or don’t have the resources for their education, to have a system where they can travel and see the world and get their education paid for, so their future is aligned. That’s the main basis of what I want to do, but I know there are so many other things I want to do. Music and helping the community, that’s helped me.
YouKnowIGotSoul: Who are your influences?
I would say Michael first. He’s ground zero for me. I feel like you don’t have to say him, because he’s everyone’s inspiration, but I would say him. I would say Sam Cooke, because he’s the king of soul, and I just look up to him and what he contributed to music. Donny Hathaway for his soul and his perspective, his writing and his gift. My top two contemporary are Usher and Brandy. They’re my peak. What they’ve contributed to R&B and music is something I would hope to follow in the footsteps of. And of course you have people like D’Angelo, Maxwell, and John Mayer for his songwriting and his ability to convey things outside of love, like life and perspective on growing older, or just moving through this thing. I think that’s important as an artist, and something I want to do in future projects as well.
YouKnowIGotSoul: Your manager mentioned a rock band background. I hear that rock influence in the project, especially on “woman.” Talk about that.
In high school I joined an alternative R&B hip-hop band. I try not to say the name, because I don’t want you looking it up on YouTube, since the music is on YouTube, and I don’t know if I’m ready for that to be uncovered. It was a whole bunch of guys from every background. A friend of ours, John, had a vacant house next door to his house. It was a very nice house, not an abandoned home, just one nobody lived in anymore. We would practice there, and we recorded our first album there in 24 hours. We got there at 6 a.m. and didn’t leave until 6 a.m. I’m thankful my parents didn’t freak out, because they knew where I was. We made a whole album, and I’m very proud of that, because it taught me what it was like to be an artist and to have perspective and a point of view.
One of my proudest moments was our fall talent show in my 12th grade year. No one in my high school knew I could sing, because I was very much an introvert. We had two shows, one in the morning and one at night, and the band performed a song we wrote called “Underwater.” The whole school erupted at every performance. At the end of the school year we were named the most talented and the most memorable performance and group of the year. I never forgot that, and it stuck with me: I want to do this for real.
YouKnowIGotSoul: Why now? Why October 14th? Is it a random date?
I took a two-year break. I released a song in 2024 called “Fly,” about a year after my last EP, What I Know Now. I took the break to develop and hone everything I wanted to become, and to continue this journey of becoming. I took piano lessons. I grew up playing piano, so this was me shaking the rust off. I got into movement and choreography because I wanted more presence on stage. I traveled around, New York, New Jersey, L.A., and wrote songs with different producers, trying to find that sound. People kept asking, “When are you going to release music?” and I said, “When I find it. When I find it, you’ll know, because we’re doing it.”
Late last year, my team and I went to Paris and filmed the music video. Then around May of this year I released my first single, “mine.”, and in September, right before my birthday, I released “again & again.” I think now is the perfect time, because I want to bring people into this world. This is going to be a journey we go on for quite some time. This is the starting point, and it’s only the beginning. It isn’t going to be the precipice of this experience. The year is ending, and I think next year is going to be the greatest chance for me to open the door wider and let people see who I really am as an artist today. So it’s important that this gateway is open now, so we can get the show rolling.
YouKnowIGotSoul: Why break the project up into volumes?
This is a fast-paced industry, and I kind of wanted to not spoon-feed, but give people enough that they can digest now. I’m a developing artist, working toward being an established artist, and I don’t want to give them a whole album all of a sudden so it becomes a blur. I want to give people enough that it sticks with them, so that after they’ve digested it we can give them something else. We can feed the monster a little bit more after that. I think it’s going to be good, because the further you get into this story, the more intimate it gets, and that’s what’s really special about this music. It’s cohesive, and everything is going to feel very intentional. It’s going to feel as though we’re going deeper into my journey in a way I don’t think people are going to expect at all.
YouKnowIGotSoul: Why call it Cologne?
When my grandfather passed away, he was my male representation of what a man should be, what a father should be. When he passed away, I was gifted a cologne set: the aftershave, the cologne, all the lotion. It was a Canadian brand. Ever since he passed away I would use it and buy another one. It’s not the most extravagant brand ever. It’s really cheap, but it reminds me of him. I always keep it with me. I even have it in my bag back at the hotel. It represents men, and relationships.
I always wanted to name my first album Cologne. Around 2020 I was talking to my team, saying I want to name my first album Cologne, and then COVID hit and things happened. Eventually I said, “I don’t know when my first album will come, I don’t know if it will come, so let’s just do it now.” Over these last two years, fine-tuning it and figuring it out, I’ve come to see cologne as the invisible presence. It’s something that lingers and lasts long after you’ve left, or long after the person’s left. It brings back memories and feelings. I can go into a room and smell something and it takes me back to a moment. To me, that’s what cologne means, and it’s me reminiscing on relationships and moments in my life.
YouKnowIGotSoul: I saw in another interview that you called this project a film, in a sense. Why?
I wanted people who listen to this project to feel like they’re transported into a movie. I wanted it to feel cinematic in every way, and dramatic in the best way possible. I want it to feel like something that could eventually be a score, or be turned into something bigger, and I want that sound to run throughout the whole experience. I’m a cinephile, so whenever I’m listening to songs I love, I’m instantly thinking of the music video and how it goes, and I want people to do that. I want them to go into their own space.
I always explain it like this: when you go to an art gallery, you might see a painting of a dog sitting on a cloud. It would be beneath me, as the artist, to say, “This is what I mean, this is how it is.” I like when one person can look at a piece of art and see themselves in it, reflect on it, and imagine. I’ve always wanted to make music that people can set their own movie to. Even as a kid, we all did that. You’d go into your own world with the songs, and I wanted people to do that with this music. So the bigger the better, the more cinematic the better. Shout out to Dolby Atmos for helping with that, because that definitely helps bring people into the world.
YouKnowIGotSoul: Tell people about the website you built for the project.
When I was younger I was really into coding, as a lot of people were, and I was really into websites. One of my favorite artists ever, and I’ll say this a few times, is JoJo. I discovered her at about 13, and I used to go to her website. She had a really interactive website, with a journal and all these things, and I thought, when I get a website, I want to do something like this. So when it came time, I was sitting in my room one day and thought, I want to create a website that’s interactive. I want to create something that gives people an experience and keeps them in this world even further.
The website is really special to me, and it’s ever-building. It’s evergreen, and I’m consistently thinking of new ideas. It’s going to have a journal, and I’m writing in it in real time about things I’m thinking and doing and where I am, so people can have a relationship with me. It has a phone section where it’s going to ring and I’ll leave messages for you, maybe do breakdowns of tracks. You’re going to be able to take quizzes with colognes and find out which fragrances are for you. There are music videos. I kind of nerd out about that kind of stuff. I think it’s important to be a visual artist as well as a sonic artist, and to have other touch points that people can enter and leave, so they understand my perspective more. The more they understand my perspective, the more we can connect, and the more people can see themselves in this. My whole goal is to inspire people and make them feel not alone in this perspective. You’re the first person we’ve talked about it with, so I’m excited for people to dive into this, because it’s one of my favorite things about this rollout.
YouKnowIGotSoul: Who did you work with on this project?
The first single, “mine.”, was produced by one of my really close friends. He’s produced a lot of my past records and most of my last projects. His name is Justin Wiggins. He’s really great, a stickler for R&B, and really knowledgeable about it, so I had to bring him back. We got some studio musicians and made it our own vibe. I wanted to make a song that was one of one, whatever we create would be very difficult for other people to create. It was written by me and a really close friend who wrote some of my other records. We always have a great vibe, all three of us, and I wanted to see if that synergy would continue. I remember asking her, “What should we write about?” and I said, “What would you like your guy or your man to tell you?” She said, “I want him to say you’re mine.” I said, “That’s it.” We wrote a song about your lover telling you everything up front, being honest and open.
“again & again.”, my second single, was written with Tracksion. I’ve seen him in passing in Miami and always wanted to work with him. So we got in the studio, me, Tracksion and my manager Dre, who helped co-write the song. We wanted to push the boundary of what I could do, elevate my own gift and show people what I’m really capable of, and I think we captured that. I love the intimacy of that record, and that it’s something people can run back again and again and again, no pun intended. It felt like a modern-day classic, and I’m thankful it’s mine.
“woman.”, “casanova.” and “playing with fire.” were all produced by a really good friend, Obie. He’s a touring musician, he’s toured with Leon Thomas and Steve Lacy, and he’s a Berklee-trained musician and vocal producer. I wanted to meet him where he was, and he elevated my gift and showed me I can make songs I don’t feel I’d ever made before. If my sound was 3D before, it’s 4D now. I’m really grateful to all these people, because they pushed me past the boundaries I thought I had, to a whole new echelon.
YouKnowIGotSoul: My favorite is “woman.” Lyrically it’s one of the songs that stood out to me most in a long time. Talk about making it.
Funny enough, this is one of the first times I’ve ever had someone submit records to me. A talented songwriter named Solomon sent me a group of songs while I was in the mix of making my project, and out of those, this one stood out. It was very different from the version you hear now, but I could hear myself on it. The song wasn’t in falsetto, it was very much in head voice, but the sound of my project was already becoming falsetto-based, and I want to coin that style for myself. Of course there are artists who do it, but I want to do falsetto in a different way. So we pulled it up to falsetto, and I also wanted to add a riveting guitar solo at the end. A lot of my songs in the past have had that, even my first single, “mine.” I always want to pay homage to that part of me, because eventually I do want to do other styles. I love R&B, but I want to bridge myself. My goal in life is to be a rock star. I should have said that earlier, in answer to your question about the end of my life.
The song felt intimate, and I want it to feel that way. I want you to be able to set the scene and see it in your head. Shout out to Solomon for writing such a beautiful record, and to Obie, one of my main producers on the whole project, for spinning it in our own way and making it unique and special.
YouKnowIGotSoul: Was there a song that almost didn’t get made?
I think Obie would agree it would be “playing with fire.” It was going to be sketchy only because at the time it was different from the others. And we have so many other records beyond these. We even have songs for volume two, or the next volumes, rather.
I had just gotten to L.A. It was one of my second trips there, and I was feeling really down about this music thing. I’d been gone for a while, and people were telling me, “You’ve been gone too long, you’re going to have to start over.” They were telling me all these things, and I started to have self-doubt. I remember sitting in the studio with Obie, and he said, “We should just write about it. What do you want to say?” And I said, “I just really want to get out of my own way.” That stuck with me.
When it came to the track list, I knew it should be in volume one, simply because it’s my love letter to music. It’s a double entendre. It could be about a relationship, but it’s also my relationship with music, and me saying, “This is something that might be unrequited love, something that hurts me, and I love it. It brings me up, it brings me down. It does all these things, but I’m going to stick with it, and I’m going to get out of my own way no matter what happens.” So it’s really special to me.
YouKnowIGotSoul: Tell me how “casanova.” with Reggie came about.
I first heard of Reggie around 2020, 2021. He released a record called “Listenin’,” and I was obsessed with that song. It was a hit record in my house, platinum in my house. Still, when I listen to it, I go back to wherever I was. I knew then I wanted to work with him. Later I found out we’re probably in the same fraternity. We’re both from Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Incorporated, shout out to my fraternity. I thought, this is perfect, this is even more aligned.
A few years later there was an event in L.A. that we were both at, and I didn’t know he was coming. I caught him in the hallway and said, “Yo, I want to do a song with you.” He said, “Okay.” We exchanged numbers and talked about it, but the timing never lined up. Then one time we were coming to L.A., me and my manager, and we set up a studio session with Reggie. A producer was supposed to do the record, and at the last minute that producer canceled on us, so we went to Obie, and luckily he was available and had a space. I tell people all the time, that’s one of the biggest blessings of my life. At the time I was so bummed the producer canceled, but Obie made that record what it is.
I remember sitting in the studio with Obie. He asked, “Okay, what are we going to write about?” This was the first song we made for this project, and I hadn’t even started it. I knew it was named Cologne, and I knew what I wanted. I wanted to make international R&B. I wanted something I could take to Spain and have it feel right, something that doesn’t feel like it’s in one place. He put up a big-screen TV with an image of Spain and started playing guitar, and we were just going at it. We said we should go back and forth, not just isolate it to verses, because I don’t hear anybody doing that, especially in the male R&B space.
When we started, I asked who should go first, and I said, “Honestly, I know it’s weird, but I want you to go first.” I wanted to feel like, in a way, he was introducing me. He’d already made major space for himself. We’re all growing and developing, of course, but I wanted him to introduce me sonically, and I think that was one of the best decisions. His verse is so dope, I love how our voices match, and I love feeling like we were in a group together. When I listen to that record, I feel like I’m in a boy duo, and I feel so dope, because I don’t know anyone who’s done that. I’m really grateful to Reggie for that. His genius is all over it. And shout out to Obie for vocal producing and putting some backgrounds in there. If you didn’t know, a little bit of Obie’s backgrounds are in there too, so it’s three people with vocals on there. That’s a nugget. I don’t think I’ve said that yet.
YouKnowIGotSoul: Is there anything holding you back as you try to break through?
Of course. As an independent artist, my manager and I are the only two people investing in this. We’re really putting our own pockets into this. I think what would really be great, and I’m calling it, is having some kind of entity that helps us. I don’t want to say sign, or label, because it doesn’t have to look like that, but whatever it is, because we always try to do things at the highest level of quality. I always say that if we can do all of this at this high level with what we have, imagine what we could do with ten more dollars. Going into this, we always say I don’t want to just compete with the people around me, I want to compete with the people at the top of the game, and I want to show people that with little, I can do so much. I’m willing to build it brick by brick. I think a lot of other artists can agree: it’s always about budget, and that’s a ceiling a lot of people have to fight against. I really refuse to let that be a ceiling for me.
YouKnowIGotSoul: What do you want to accomplish by the end of this year? Something you can cross off the list.
I want to do way more live shows. I want to perform in front of people more, and do more connecting with people in my own community. I really want to continue to build my own community so I’m not relying on other entities to help me. I want to build the community and the people who support me, make them feel special, do more special things and more activations in real life, and find other ways to show people this world. I truly feel that if they just become aware of it, they’ll be willing to dive in.
YouKnowIGotSoul: Tell the people where they can find you and when it drops.
You can find me everywhere at C-E-D-R-I-C-B-R-A-Z-L-E: Spotify, Apple, Instagram, X, Threads, YouTube, all of it. My new EP, Cologne, Vol. 1, drops everywhere on October 14th, so make sure you check it out. Thank you so much, YouKnowIGotSoul. I’m a huge fan. I’ve always wanted to be on this platform, and I’m thankful to share the same space.
RAPID QUESTIONS
YouKnowIGotSoul: Favorite song of all time?
“Doin’ Just Fine” by Boyz II Men.
YouKnowIGotSoul: One song you wish you wrote?
Usher, “You Make Me Wanna.”
YouKnowIGotSoul: Best vocalist alive?
Brandy Norwood.
YouKnowIGotSoul: A John Mayer song you’d cover?
If I can’t say all of them, I’m going to say “I Don’t Trust Myself (With Loving You).”
YouKnowIGotSoul: Favorite Brandy single?
“Almost Doesn’t Count.”
YouKnowIGotSoul: An R&B song that feels like how love feels?
“Love” by Musiq Soulchild.
YouKnowIGotSoul: Dream feature for your next project?
Joyce Wrice. Put that out there.
YouKnowIGotSoul: One word for volume one of Cologne?
Intimacy.
YouKnowIGotSoul: A fun fact about you that no one has ever asked?
I’m addicted to space facts.
The post Cedric Brazle on the Cinematic World of ‘Cologne, Vol. 1’ and Forging His Own Path in R&B (Exclusive Interview) appeared first on New R&B Music, Songs & Interviews | YouKnowIGotSoul.com.