Seattle-based singer-songwriter Payge Turner and Colorado musician/philanthropist Jace Allen release their new collaborative single “Underwater” today. The single is the first of two releases from their joint project that benefits The Clean Slate Initiative, a non-profit that raises money for social justice reform and clears the records of those formerly in the prison system, who commit to staying crime-free. “Underwater” is lush and soulful with dashes of funk-fueled basslines, complex vocal harmonies and colorful jazz piano instrumentals. Allen and Turner’s fellow bandmates included industry veterans such as Divinity Roxx (Beyoncé) on bass, Brad Hargreaves (Third Eye Blind) on drums, JUNO (Camila Cabello, Bruno Mars) on guitar, Akie Bermiss (Lake Street Dive) on keys, and Dave Immerman (Avril Lavigne) on guitar.
Payge Turner
The accompanying video tells the story of how Allen and Turner came together to break down barriers with music. The video begins with their first encounter, which happened to take place the day they sat down to record, and dives into clips of the dynamic recording session.
Jace Allen, describing the collaborative environment, says, “Getting to create music to support impact organizations is an amazing gift. But getting to do this with an all-star cast of musicians, along with the incredible, Payge Turner is truly beyond. When Payge brought an early version of ‘Underwater’ to me, I just knew together we could take this song to a whole other level.”
All “Underwater” Bandcamp proceeds will go to Clean Slate, and for every 100 purchases, Allen will donate one $1,000 up until 500 downloads. Allen will additionally donate $1,000 per every 10,000 streams until a cap of 50,000 streams. People may also directly donate at www.cleanslateinitiative.org.
Further detailing how the song came together, Turner says, “When I first wrote ‘Underwater,’ I recorded it for a Tiny Desk submission, and I knew something was missing. I had no idea where I wanted the song to go, but I knew I didn’t want to do anything with it until I had the right pieces. With Jace’s ear and insights, as well as our team’s help, the song came alive in a way I didn’t think was possible. I’m very excited for the world to hear it because it’s evolved into a dangerous force.”
Jace Allen
The duo found common ground in wanting to give back to the community, and this shared belief blossomed into an effortless creative partnership on the track. The music video, shot by Stephen Albanese, takes place in Los Angeles’ Lucy’s Meat Market and captures the joyous recording experience with an introduction that explains the social impact of the song combined with clips of the band laughing, smiling and dancing throughout the recording experience.
Speaking to both the creation of the track and its social justice impact, Allen adds, “Releases like ‘Underwater’ remind us that camaraderie among people can be as easy as staying open to life’s possibilities. With dynamic influences cemented by a great cause, we believe this team created something refreshing, exhilarating, and real.”
As a writer, singer and philanthropist, “Underwater” is one of many of Allen’s charitable releases. Previous singles Allen released raised money for the Colorado Relief Fund and Breakthrough (formerly Defy Colorado). Jace Allen’s new collaboration with Payge Turner is not their first humanitarian venture, nor will it be the last. However, this permission slip to be an agent of change gets more powerful each time, and within this collaboration, Allen and Turner show the world the impact of combining music and social justice in a way that is truly their own and that everyone can benefit from. Stream “Underwater” today and be part of the movement for a better tomorrow.
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