From Nashville TN, the soul/folk trio, The Magi, is back with their second single’s music video “Lovely Ways”. The Magi is made up Damien Horne, Kenny Carter and David “DJ” Lee.
“Lovely Ways” is an upbeat and fun song about ‘love at first sight’ written by the Magi. The music video was shot individually by each member but edited and directed by lead singer Damien Horne.
“There are a lot of songs out there that objectify women in ‘explicit’ ways, so we wanted ‘Lovely Ways” to be a light and fun narrative that not only highlights outer beauty but inner beauty. And we wanted the song to do that in way that honors women, while giving everyone a song they can relate to and sing along to. So for the music video, I had an idea of using some video editing tools to make us almost animated. We all recorded individual selfie videos and then with the magic of technology, I was able to edit together a really fun video,” says Horne.
“Kenny’s bass playing along with his production really drives the song. There’s a lot happening with the lyrics and the groove but there’s still a lot of space in the production of the track itself,” Lee explains.
Carter adds, “We want the song to kinda say to the women of the world, ‘This is for the beauty in you.’ The intrinsic value and brightness that women are created with, we felt was worth celebrating. And that’s what we attempted to do with ‘Lovely Ways.’”
Lyrics from the song state: “You’re so kinetic. Must be genetic. You’re so magnetic. Hits me so hard I need an anesthetic”
“Lovely Ways” is available digitally everywhere and you can watch the music video right here:
The Magi are a gift. A musical gift that blends emotion, rhythm, and positivity into a special mix of love, soul, and R&B.
After years of performing in colleges, clubs, and churches, Damien Horne (The Farm), Kenny Carter (Waterdeep, Trump Dawgs), and David “DJ” Lee (Scratch Track) have merged their individual talents as artists, songwriters, and producers into a supergroup to uplift and inspire a wide variety of audiences.
DJ tells their story, “It all started with a co-write. We were supposed to write with a mutual friend, but she ended up missing it. So we ended up writing a song while we were waiting and just decided to run with it. The three of us individually tend to be ‘the guy that our friends call when they need good advice or just a listening ear.’ I think The Magi is like combining our solo powers to create something more powerful like Voltron.”
Kenny Carter agrees, “We each bring our own ‘gifts’ to the table to create something greater that is spiritual, organic and original.” Damien Horne ties it all together, “We are a brotherhood. We want our music to unite people. The Magi is all about inspiring and encouraging souls with a positive message that the world desperately needs in this present time.” Damien’s the lead singer and acoustic guitar player in the Magi. He was one of the original members of Nashville’s infamous Muzik Mafia founded by country superstars Big & Rich. He has also toured and shared stages with artists from the likes of Hank Williams, Jr. to John Legend. Damien eventually became one third of the country band, The Farm Inc, who were signed to Warner Brothers and toured the globe with multiple Top 40 hits. Damien also travels and speaks at prisons, homeless shelters, and youth organizations.
Kenny Carter has been a professional musician for 25 years. He has toured the US with folk/rock band, Waterdeep, and led funk/rock supergroup Trump Dawgs. He’s shared stages with Gavin Degraw, Gym Class Heroes and King’s X. Through his career he’s contributed production and deep bass grooves for many independent artists on their recordings and live performances. He’s the creator of Gruntwork Music, a mixing and mastering lab that specializes in writing, producing, recording, mixing and mastering music. Kenny is The Magi’s musical director and is responsible for the band’s recording and production work.
David “DJ” Lee is a beatboxer, singer, songwriter, and producer. He spent 11 years in the indie band Scratch Track performing more than 1200 shows domestically and overseas, including tours to Europe and Japan. Their music appeared on CSI:NY, Sony Playstation’s MLB: The Show, MTV, and various independent films. Scratch Track recorded seven albums and independently toured and shared stages with The Roots, Zac Brown Band, O.A.R, George Clinton and Parliament Funkadelic, Jurassic 5 and numerous other national acts. DJ also specializes in artist management and tour managed Folk/Americana phenomenon Madisen Ward and Mama Bear for several years. Along with contributing vocals and harmonies, DJ’s live beatboxing and looping is the rhythmic backbone for the Magi’s live performances.
The three members of the Magi are solo artists, songwriters, and producers who believe they can be stronger together. Like Aristotle said, “The whole is greater than the sum of its parts.” Meaning, when individual parts are connected together to form one entity, they are worth more than if the parts were by themselves. The Magi come together, as brothers, to collectively write honest and real songs in a unique format.
DJ: With almost all of our 2020 shows cancelled, we’ve really tried to use this time to write and really dig deeper into who we are as a band with our sound. We have done a few virtual performances but have focused on releasing singles and videos.
