With the holiday season in full effect, it is time to hang the stockings and decorate the trees. Each holiday season we revisit Christmas classics, and we are also gifted with new original Christmas music. The Sharpe Family Singers are no stranger to music. Consisting of two Broadway veterans and their four children, there is musical talent running through this family’s veins. Getting into the holiday spirit, The Sharpe Family Singers have put a spin on Christmas favorites, as well as some new original Christmas songs that are sure to be incorporated into our holiday playlists in their new album, A Sharpe Family Christmas. We had the chance to sit down with the family and discuss A Sharpe Family Christmas, the family dynamic, as well as what is to come in the future.
For our readers who are unfamiliar with you and your family, introduce yourselves.
The Sharpe Family Singers: “Hi Unclear Magazine readers! We are the Sharpe Family Singers. Ron the dad, Barbra the mom, daughter Samantha, older son Logan, and our identical twin boys, Aidan and Connor! We are a family of singers that have spent the last several years performing our concerts around the US and the world! We sing all types of popular music in our family show! We also have a new album out A Sharpe Family Christmas.”
It’s a full house of incredibly talented individuals! What inspired all of you to join in and embark on the journey together?
TSFS: “Since the pandemic, we were quarantined together as a family like everyone else. All of our concerts were canceled, and since we love to sing, we decided to make some fun singing videos to pass the time. Even when we are not performing concerts, we sing together, especially on long car trips, karaoke nights at our home, and during the holidays. We really didn’t try to make viral videos, we just wanted to entertain ourselves and our friends and family while we were all stuck at home. So really the inspiration for this was simply that all of us love to sing and wanted to have some fun!”
The holidays are approaching quickly, “A Sharpe Family Christmas” dropped November 20, congratulations! What was the creative process like when writing Christmas originals? Do you have a favorite Christmas song on the album?
TSFS: “Yes, thank you! Christmas time is a big deal in the Sharpe home, and we really wanted to create an album for the holidays. We have several amazing friends Ed Kessel, David Rosenthal, and Sandy Linzer who are great musicians, arrangers, and producers who helped us put this album together. When looking for original Christmas songs, we were lucky to find two songs that had never been recorded, ‘Christmas Time is Here’ and ‘Awaken the Spirit of Christmas,’ which come to us from opposite sides of the world. ‘Christmas Time is Here’ is from a British songwriting team and ‘Awaken’ is from an American writing team. It was exciting to creatively make lyric changes and tweak the arrangements musically to match our family sound. The process of putting this album together was such a great experience for all of us and one we hope to repeat soon! As far as a favorite song on the album goes, it seems like this changes daily for each of us. Each family member individually is a strong lead singer, but we have a special blend when we sing together. We like to call it our ‘genetic harmony!’ Anytime we are all singing harmony together is when we really shine! Fortunately, there are a lot of great songs on the album that showcases our harmonies.”
The family has been crushing it on TikTok. How is the dynamic different when you’re all working on a TikTok video versus in the studio recording an album and working on original songs?
TSFS: “That’s a great question. When we put together a TikTok, it is only the family. We have a whole process that we go through to decide what song we will record and how it will be filmed. Many times with our TikTok’s, we improvise while we film and things can change on the spot. With studio recording, there are more people involved, and most ideas are planned out in advance. So, what we mean is that we are silly and crazy at home filming TikTok’s, and more professional at the studio. But, we have fun doing both!”
How do you all pull back from the business aspect and fall into family time? Are there times when you are all lounging and relaxing together, and an idea pops up and it turns into work time?
TSFS: “We really don’t feel any pressure to turn out videos. So, I would say ninety-nine percent of the day we are just a normal family doing normal things. We are a very creative family and ideas are always being tossed around the room! Everyone enjoys making the videos the best they can be, and so there is a lot of discussions before we start filming. We all do gather together a few times a week to discuss what music needs to be learned before we film. Right now we know tomorrow at 5pm we are filming our next video, but it’s different every day.”
COVID-19 has really uprooted normal daily life. Besides work, how have you all been keeping yourselves busy during these times? Family game nights, binge-watching movies, and tv shows?
TSFS: “The kids have school so there is a lot of Zoom schooling here. The rest of us have shows we love to watch. We are a board game family and recently we have been playing chess, Yahtzee, Monopoly, and Electronic Clue. Our day mostly revolves around what’s for dinner!”
