You may know Q Parker from the R&B quartet 112, straight out of Atlanta- but at the latest edition of SiriusXM + Pandora’s Playback listening session, held right in the Pandora streaming service’s offices in Midtown, we got to see a totally different side of the former Bad Boy Entertainment superstar.
Q Parker got real with an intimate crowd in an evening filled with a night of brotherhood, truth, and the connection between those gospel roots and R&B music. He also let us in on “The Bridge Project” – a thought-provoking body of musical work that the Grammy Award-Winning Singer/Songwriter has put together to ignite a social movement, bridge the gap between cross-generational brothers, and unite men across America.
The irony in it all is that Q Parker shared with us that as early as the age of 10 he saw the impact of giving back and the effect that it had on him. He told how, as a young man, his community pulled together to provide him with the opportunity to travel across seas to do something he’s always loved to do-sing.
That very experience resonated with him again later in life as he began to ask himself what he could do with the level of influence he has. In other words, how can he help the next young man just as so many people helped him along his journey?
Many of those people were his church family which is why he has allowed God to lead him back to where it all started- in the church. A place where most R&B singers begin their musical career.
Q Parker knew just who to call to jumpstart “The Bridge Project,” which is why today, 55 men who represent both the gospel and R&B industries have bridged together to make one common union. Collectively they have committed to showing the world that men are united, unified and have agreed to stand with Q Parker to rehabilitate the minds of men and start a cultural movement.
A movement that his brothers, Wingo of SoSo Def’s hit R& B group, Jagged Edge, Willie Moore Jr. of Praise 104.7’s The Willie Moore Jr. Show, singer/actor Jor’Dan Armstrong, singer Bobby Valentino, and singer/songwriter/actor JK Howells shared with us during a panel, moderated by Atlanta’s very own social and entertainment enthusiast, Satchel Jester. They discussed everything from starting in the church, leaving the church, and returning back to those spiritual roots, thus aligning their visions with God’s purpose over their lives.
Throughout the discussion, the audience was able to hear tracks from Q Parker’s forthcoming “Bridge Project” album, including the leading single “Made For” which is now available on all streaming platforms. The new project is a collective musical journey – highlighting the arcs and gaps between R&B and gospel music.
In addition, Q Parker confirmed that the album is simply one part of the journey of “The Bridge Project” and soon the visual aspect will be unveiled to the world. Part two will be a documentary to really embody the new journey that he has embarked on to portray to men that they have the power to lead, to be vulnerable and ultimately to lean on one another to step into the calling that God has over their lives.
Head over to ALL digital platforms such as Tidal, Apple Music, Spotify, etc. to listen to “Made For” today!
