&friends

SHORT BIO

&friends is the musical concept and brainchild of San Diego raised, Dubai based Sean Thomas. Drawing the breadth of his inspiration for these musical works from global cultures, Sean had a vision to create a project embodying tradition, culture and community culminating in the coining of &friends.

Garnering well over 9 Million streams across his early Spotify catalogue, &friends has already released on marquee dance imprints, with 2023 seeing the project make its debut on labels like Armada, Tomorrowland Music and MoBlack Records. From New York, to Miami, Marrakech, Madrid, Mexico City, Egypt, London, Lebanon, Dubai, Tulum and beyond — 2023 saw all 5 creators of the collective join from around the world to share the stage in Egypt for a dynamic, one of a kind live performance.

Since inception, &friends has received support by Pete Tong of BBC Radio 1, Black Coffee, Diplo, &ME, Rampa, Michael Bibi, Blond:ish, Francis Merceir and many more. Also catching the eye of media tastemakers, he's made television appearances on LBC Lebanon and earned attention from the likes of Mixmag, DJ Mag North America, Beatportal, C-Heads, LA Weekly, Wonderland Magazine, Magnetic Magazine, When We Dip, 6AM Group, Electronic Groove, EARMILK and more.

Set to maintain momentum across 2024, &friends continues to deliver a thoughtfully produced, artfully composed compilation of works. Through a holistic, multifaceted approach, the project is set to make its way to even more dance floors around the world to unite us all.

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FULL BIO

&friends is the musical concept and brainchild of San Diego raised, Dubai based Sean Thomas. Drawing the breadth of his inspiration for these musical works from global cultures, Sean had a vision to create a project embodying tradition, culture and community culminating in the coining of &friends. Consistently finding itself at the intersection between authenticity and empowerment, &friends continues to be impassioned by connecting the common threads between different cultures through sound. The collective's work represents a spirit of commonality through a shared love of moving music for an exponentially growing group of global creators.

In 2022 Sean Thomas set out to foster meaningful connections, first with his best friend and music producer, Michael Scheinker, and a meaningfully curated group of West African collaborators. The mission of each song is to empower and amplify those voices, and tell the story of impassioned creators. Nigerian born and Cameroon raised Phina Asa and Nigerian born Oluwadamvic, and Tolulope Sodunke are the staples and souls behind the words of &friends. The project pays homage to authentic culture and sets out to create a truly global world-musical community.

Since the project's 2022 debut single, the sounds of &friends have made their way to every corner of the globe. Garnering early support from Keinemusic and &Me, the Nitefreak Remix of his sophomore single "Ode Ireti' ft. Oluwadamvic and El-Jay saw unprecedented, viral success across the back of 2022. Receiving massive radio and touring support from top names in the space, the infectious chorus "o-le-le" has become a staple in the sets of many titans of dance music.

Garnering well over 9 Million streams across his early Spotify catalogue, the strong start seen by &friends is a premonition of a striking rise to be seen from the project across 2024 and beyond. &friends has already expanded its' reach past their own Hidden Hands label to the airwaves of marquee dance imprints, with 2023 seeing the project make its debut on labels like Armada, Tomorrowland Music and MoBlack Records. With providing a platform for new and emerging artists as a primary prerogative, the collective closed out 2023 by releasing a follow up to the seminal track "Ode Ireti" by way of a 13 track remix-album. Out of nearly 400 submissions from fans across the globe, Sean Thomas carefully curated an assortment of reimaginings from undiscovered producers for the album, some of whom had never officially released music before.

Already making milestones in touring, since hitting the road for the first time in late 2022, &friends has played in major cities around the world. From New York, to Miami, Marrakech, Madrid, Mexico City, Egypt, London, Lebanon, Dubai, Tulum and beyond, Sean Thomas continues to make his mark on international dance floors and spreading the infectious spirit of &friends. 2023 saw all 5 creators of the collective join from around the world to share the stage in Egypt for a dynamic, one of a kind live performance. Until this point, project leader Sean Thomas had toured as a DJ to deliver the afro-house influenced sounds of &friends to dance floors around the globe. This electrifying, hybrid live experience radiated spiritual energy from the stage driving deep into the spirit of the audience — embodying the pinnacle of the experience &friends has set out to create.

2024 sees &friends make a permanent relocation from New York to Dubai. Sean Thomas' love affair with the Middle East runs deep, seeing him spend significant time in Lebanon, Morocco, Egypt and Dubai over the course of the year. 2023 saw the collective partner with fashion brand Milestone Paris to produce an exclusive line of merchandise that celebrates &friends deep affection for Lebanon. Proceeds of sales of the collection ($18K USD) were donated to the Children's Cancer Center of Lebanon, and purchasers were invited to an exclusive, private event in Beirut. Collaborating with viral dance troupe The Incredible Kids on video content for "Ode Ireti," &friends raised over $7K USD to support their projects. Empowering local cultures and giving back to the homes of the voices his music celebrates, &friends intention goes beyond the music it releases.

Since inception, &friends has received support by Pete Tong of BBC Radio 1, Black Coffee, Diplo, &ME, Rampa, Michael Bibi, Blond:ish, Francis Merceir and many more. Also catching the eye of media tastemakers, he's made television appearances on LBC Lebanon and earned attention from the likes of DJ Mag North America, Beatportal, C-Heads, LA Weekly, Wonderland Magazine, Magnetic Magazine, When We Dip, 6AM Group, Electronic Groove, EARMILK and more.

Set to maintain momentum across 2024, &friends continues to deliver a thoughtfully produced, artfully composed compilation of works. Through a holistic, multifaceted approach, the project is set to make its way to even more dance floors around the world to unite us all.