He's well versed in all things hip-hop and R&B, while her folk roots have developed her into the confident alternative artist she is today. Four years ago, the two artists, S1 and Sarah Jaffe, met over a small project that turned into one of Dallas' best collaborations known as The Dividends.
The Texas-born, Grammy-award winning producer and artist S1, born Larry Griffin, Jr., recalled remixing one of Jaffe's songs with his other band, The Cannabinoids, and hearing her voice for the first time in a recent phone interview.
"We remixed one of Sarah's songs, 'Glorified High' about four and a half years ago. That was my first time ever hearing her voice," he says. "I remember saying, 'Man, who is this?' They told me it was Sarah Jaffe, so I looked her up and told her I really loved her voice and would want to write with her. She was ecstatic and came in one day; since that first session, we've been writing together ever since."
The Cannabinoids, which features another R&B star and multiple Grammy-winner, Erykah Badu, isn't the only thing on S1's impressive resume. He's worked with the likes of Kanye West, Jay-Z, Beyoncé and Madonna. After they got to know each and other recorded some tracks, S1 realized this material could be more than just an experiment.
"When we first got together, we didn't have a purpose to do a group thing -- we just wanted to create some songs," explains S1. "I work with a bunch of people so I gave these songs to them to see if anybody bites. We were able to get the very first song we did, called 'Bad Guy,' to Eminem and he loved it."
The track showcases S1's ear-catching combinations and Jaffe's graceful vocals on the chorus and was released on Eminem's 2013 album, Marshall Mathers LP2. After their initial success, the duo began recording more songs and decided to put a name on it, so they became The Dividends.
S1 says he loves working with Jaffe because there's no pressure to create something specific or make a deadline.
"There are no boundaries or limitations, we work with whatever we're feeling at that moment and see where it ends up," says S1. "We're not trying to make this type of joint or create this type of genre ... it's whatever we're feeling."
This creative freedom helped bring the textured and cohesive stylings of their debut album, Far From Away Volume 1, to life. Tracks like premiere single "Sign Off" and "Rain" reveal layers swimming with eclectic sounds and combinations and Jaffe's cool, echoing chords that are chopped and mixed to perfection.
And the seven-track release is the only the beginning; S1 announced they have enough material for two more volumes, which won't sound anything like Volume 1.
"We have some really big, stadium pop-sounding joints we didn't put on Volume 1, so we could do it for the next volume," explains S1. "Volume 3 will be another sound so everything kind of feels the same. Each volume will have different moods but still have that Dividends sound."
If you didn't snag a copy of Far From Away Volume 1 at their release party last month, S1 promises it will be available online soon. The Dividends are also playing a few more shows in the area in the coming months; look for more information on their Facebook.
Scroll through for photos from the recent release party at Trees:
