Actor/singer/songwriter Jesse Corbin has been spending his time in isolation productively. In addition to his weekly appearance with The Boy Band Project in the group’s brunch-time Digital Get Down on Sundays at 2 pm, and on their latest single and video “Back Here” (a steamy cover of the 1999 BBMak hit), he has also created a new ‘quarantune’ that is scheduled for release on Friday, June 26. “Dance (On Our Own Together)” offers a positive message on the power of the arts to help us get through this difficult time of social distancing by joining each other, virtually, in uplifting music and dance.
I had a remote chat with Jesse about the genesis and purpose of the song before its upcoming debut (which has been postponed from its original date of June 5, in support of Black Lives Matter).
What inspired you to write this song now?
Jesse: About a month ago, in the thick of quarantine, I was reflecting on how much more difficult it is to love and to share joy, as we all feel so secluded. I created this song as an expression of the triumph we can experience in spite of our struggle. It acknowledges that these current times are not easy, but we can still celebrate and dance together, even when we are far apart.
Tell us about your creative process in developing the work in isolation.
What started as a little ditty in my head turned into a personal project/challenge. I wrote the actual song in only about two hours one morning, but I have spent the last three weeks trying to bring it to life in GarageBand [an intuitive software tool for home recording]. I’ve been doing everything completely from scratch and learning A LOT – how to record, edit, produce, and mix, with no budget!
What was the most challenging part for you?
It was hard to fight my desire for perfection. Since so much of the production and recording process was new to me, I wanted to make it PERFECT. I have much more experience with writing than producing. I’m proud of what I created, but I had to be okay with just doing my best instead of it being perfect.
What’s been the most rewarding?
I’m releasing the song first, and then an official video soon after, featuring a bunch of friends and performing artists (including boy-band brothers Chris Messina, Travis Nesbitt, Jesse Johnson, Patrick Elliot, and Sam Harvey, to name a few) jamming out with Tik Tok-inspired dance moves. They are all in their homes, on their own, but still connected by the common experience of the song. As a performer and songwriter, it excites me to create something relevant, fun, and inclusive of the people I love, and I’m so excited to share this love (from a distance).
What do you hope your fans will take away from it?
Hopefully this song makes a few people who hear it smile and get up on their feet to boogie around!
Many thanks, Jesse, for filling in the background and giving us a sneak peek at your timely and inspiring song!
You can follow Jesse on Spotify. To pre-save “Dance (On Our Own Together)” before it drops on June 26, go online. And you can get a preview of it here (but note that the previously scheduled release date of June 5, as seen below, has been changed to later in the month):
