Duwendé (Doo-WEN-day) is a six-person a cappella band best known for their fiercely original, bass-and-beatbox-driven funk/pop style of music.
In 2011, Duwendé released Remember: The Music of Michael Jackson, gaining them widespread acclaim, and leading them to performances for the Java Jazz Festival in Jakarta, the United Nations, Save The Children Benefit dinner hosted by Hoda Kotb and Kathie Lee, the Bill Clinton Global Initiative, World AIDS Day Event in Amsterdam, and the Sundance Film Festival. With their successful YouTube channel (over 10 millions views), the band has a growing fan base that circles the globe, and their music and arrangements have been used on TV shows internationally.
Duwendé consists of J. Aaron Boykin (baritone/tenor), Derrick Leonárd (tenor), Abbey Janes (soprano), Tomás Cruz (tenor), Edward Chung (vocal percussion) and David Lane (bass). Each member adds their own characteristics and talent to the group, giving them a cappella credibility along with band persona.
Duwendé is the perfect band to get you dancing, as Deke Sharon (The Sing-Off, D-Cappella) writes, “These guys (and gal) know how to make music, and they know how to make their audiences get up on their feet and move. If you’re looking for a true a cappella original, you don’t have to look any further than Duwendé.” Duwendé’s music has made avid fans of tastemakers Jermaine Dupri and Perez Hilton and earned them multiple Contemporary A Cappella Recording Awards for Best Pop/Rock Album and Best Pop/Rock Original Song. They were featured performers on NBC’s “The Winner Is”, hosted by Nick Lachey, and were featured presenters for TED TALK x for Johnson & Johnson. From sold-out shows across the lobe, including 2 consecutive tours to Japan in 2018-19, Duwendé is fast on the rise to an exciting and dynamic future.
