Much like their ballad “No One Comes Close” suggests, there’s no one quite like Infinity Song. The soft rock musical group– consisting of siblings: Abraham, Angel, Israel, and Momo Boyd– has a nostalgic sound that’s been compared to the likes of The Mamas & The Papas and ABBA. But, the Detroit-born, New York-based crew still have a sound that’s uniquely their own, thanks to cheeky viral hits like “Hater’s Anthem.” And this especially shines through on their new album, Metamorphosis Complete, with relatable lyrics atop cheerful guitar melodies on songs “I Want You Back,” “Lotus,” and more.
“This is probably the first project we’ve made where we actually do not care too much about what anybody else thinks,” Abraham tells ESSENCE in Central Park– where they performed for many years growing up and where Roc Nation’s Jay-Z discovered them. “Not because we didn’t make it for people,” Abraham continues. “But, because we’re our own worst critics and we overcame so much to get to the point where we can say, ‘I am happy with this.’”
And, since dropping the album, they’ve continued to stay busy. This includes everything from touring in Europe to performing at the Culture Creators event last friday. Of course it was a time to not only showcase their new music and engaging performance skills, but also their captivating style. And, mirroring their music, it effortlessly blends timelessness with the new and now. In this case? The group showed up and out in neutral tones.
To top it all off was a soft rock-inspired beauty look by makeup artist Kierra Lanice. “Angel and Momo have very different aesthetics, but there’s so many similarities between them,” she tells ESSENCE. “I wanted Angel to look glowy and grungy, with luminous skin, sculpted features, and a bold lip.” Meanwhile, Momo’s look centered a baby doll-like radiance. Both were brought to life thanks to products Pat McGrath’s foundation and Charlotte Tilbury wands for dimension. As for Abraham and Israel, “they are handsome and clean cut, so clean skin was plenty,” she says.
Complementing the makeup was a hair look inspired by “old school, natural Black beauty,” as Anittria Wicker, aka “The Hair Architect,” explains. “To me, they embody all things textures and shapes from hair in the ‘70s,” she says. “I’m a natural hair stylist so it excites me that the group isn’t afraid to play with their natural hair textures.” Making the looks happen meant reaching for Pattern Beauty-Hydrating Mist, Cécred’s hair oil, and Fenty Hair’s edge gel.
But above feeling aligned on the hair vision, Wicker says she’s most excited to be working with Infinity Song because “I love the energy and vibe they bring,” she says. “They’re like a breath of fresh air.” Lanice echoes these sentiments. “I love that they have their own voice,” she says. “The group knows exactly how they want to show up in the world, and they aren’t afraid to advocate for themselves.”
Alongside exclusive BTS images of their Culture Creators getting ready process, Infinity Song chats with ESSENCE about their newest album, prepping for BET Awards, touring, their biggest inspirations, and so much more. Read on below.
ESSENCE: What excites you most about BET Awards weekend?
Abraham: The BET Awards are one of the most important platforms showcasing and celebrating Black art and culture. We’re excited to attend, for the first time, such a historic and legendary tradition. There’s a tangible energy in Los Angeles that’s impossible to escape. It’s electric.
Dressing up, being rockstars, putting on our “Superhero Capes”, getting cute, getting fly, that’s a feeling that’s priceless. It’s all about being happy when you look in the mirror, not so much about comparison. It’s a great art form to be able to express oneself through fashion. It’s freeing. Getting ready for the The BET Awards is super exciting.
How would you say growing up in Detroit has influenced your musical styles?
Abraham: Detroit is all about Motown, and it’s also the origin of techno and EDM. It also has a big jazz scene and massive gospel scene. So many of the greats are from Detroit. And so we have the privilege of at least partially being born and partially raised in the great city of Detroit. And that essence and that energy and that foundation is integral to our musical practice. It’s a huge part of who we are. Our dad was a choir director in Detroit, he taught at multiple schools and we were section leaders in all of his choirs. Really there’s no us without the city of Detroit.
What have your musical journeys been like leading up to this point?
Momo: We’ve always done music together. Like Abraham said, our dad was a choir director in Detroit. When we moved to New York, my dad let the choirs go and started focusing on teaching us what he knew about music. We’ve been singing together, alongside our five other siblings, since we were toddlers.
We sang together here actually in Central Park for several years as a family, just working on our craft, working on getting better and also using it as a way to support ourselves financially.
When did you realize you wanted it to be a career?
Momo: It’s definitely a choice that you have to make every day. But, we realized we wanted to when we had the ability to write songs and had a certain level of confidence. That was about 10 years ago.
Who are your biggest style and musical inspirations?
Israel: Music-wise, I’ll always say Michael Jackson. I also love Kanye West. I love Stevie Ray Vaughan. I’ve also been listening to a lot of ’70s rock, like Black Sabbath. I also listen to a lot of The Beatles and Prince. I have a whole lot of inspirations, it’s hard to say all of them.
Momo: I guess my musical inspirations have been firstly family. I think it’s easy to brush over that because we’re so close to each other, but I truly wouldn’t be the musician or thinker or mind that I am without them.
Other than that, I studied a lot of Ella Fitzgerald when I was 14 and was obsessed with her, Lauryn Hill, Donny Hathaway and Erykah Badu. More recently, I’ve been into the Rolling Stones and Pink Floyd.
When it comes to fashion, I love the ’70s. I love Diana Ross, Cher, Mick Jagger and just those classic beauties that you see with a touch of grunge. That era is very inspiring to me.
Angel: Musical influences growing up were a lot of gospel and classical. CeCe Winans is a big one for me. I also love Charlotte Church. She is a classical voice that was introduced to me very young, and I recently started listening to her again. My more recent musical influencers are really broad: anyone from Stevie Nicks and Fleetwood Mac to Radiohead, The Cranberries. I’m also a big fan of Corinne Bailey Rae, Tracy Chapman, Solange, Beyonce and many others.
Style-wise, New Yorkers are the first people that inspired me to have style. More recently, having stepped into the soft rock genre and really being able to interpret what that means fashion-wise, I would say Stevie Nicks is a fashion inspiration for me and really just a lot of people who are comfortable in their skin. And sometimes it’s not just an aesthetic that inspires me, it’s the personality.
Abraham: Musically, I’m inspired by so many people coming from Detroit and growing up in the church in Detroit, people like Fred Hammond, the Winans family, Mary, Mary, The Clark Sisters, etc. We grew up in the church and so we didn’t listen to music outside of gospel, jazz and classical. And then there was some soul music in there as well. So those are definitely big inspirations.
As I got older, I discovered Brandy, Erykah Badu, Miss Lauryn Hill, Jay-Z, and Destiny’s Child. A lot of the cultural jewels of the nineties. Also Whitney Houston and Mariah Carey. Of course the seventies is a big inspiration, too: Stylistics, The Dramatics, the OJs. Obviously Marvin Gaye. It’s a long list of people. And then being soft rock, Bob Dylan, Joni Mitchell, Joan Baez, the Beatles, and the Rolling Stones.
On the fashion side, I don’t really think about it as much. Everything is a feeling for me. Like Angel said, New York taught us a lot about fashion. New York is one of the most fashionable places in the world. I thought it was the most fashionable place in the world, then we went to Paris and it was very clear that we weren’t number one.
What are the most important self-care lessons you’ve learned thus far? Especially as things are getting busier for you all.
Momo: Something I decided I’m going to implement more often in the last 24 hours is making it a priority to keep my space clean and organized. I just typically have the most cluttered room. We’re constantly on the go; packing and unpacking. But having a clean room really helps with stress.
Israel: Self-care. What is that?
How you take care of yourself.
Israel: I’m kidding haha. But knowing when to go to sleep has been important. On the road, you’re in different cities. It’s tempting to stay awake, but it’s good to use your time off to rest and recover. What else? I guess don’t stink.
Abraham: I think eating healthy food, salads, vegetables, fruit, nuts etc. is important. I should probably implement some of those things. Also exercise. Another challenging thing, but very, very important to self-care. I also find myself very much a new connoisseur of facial skincare. My wife put me onto a face regimen. If I take a break from it, I notice a difference. I used to have super dark spots on my face, and they’re gone. I’m like, “Oh, snap.” So I’m a big fan of benzoyl peroxide, double cleansing, and SPF. I’m learning that skincare isn’t about spending a lot of money. It’s one of those things that basically anybody can do to make themselves feel like a million bucks.
Angel: I think, for me, it has stages and evolution. So it’s also a practice of constantly renewing your mind, and growing as a human being. It’s about getting in touch with your actual feelings, and learning yourself, and studying yourself, which is self-discipline.
Okay ladies, you’re both always giving effortless and classic in the beauty department. What are our tips?
Momo: I think it really is more about the philosophy, like what you said, effortless and classic. That mostly informs the decisions that I make and I know Angel makes. But, it’s different for every person, so I can’t give a blanket statement of, “Oh, you should do this.” But I’ve really studied my own features and face shape and I try to do what compliments them.
I use a lot of bright blush. That’s really the main thing. I like to use hot pink, and mix that with a darker pink and then bright orange. It creates just this really glowy face and brings so much color. Then I use a brown liner with a hot pink gloss.
Angel: I would say the same thing. It’s not about what you use, it’s about how you use it. There are some days where I might not have access to my makeup bag. Maybe I’ll have to use a cherry to do my makeup. But, as long as I know what I’m going for, what my intention is, I can achieve the look. It’s going to be elegant, it’s going to be playful and feel like me. I realize when I experiment too much with beauty things, whether it’s lashes or lipstick, I feel so fake. I feel like all of a sudden I don’t know who I am. It’s so important to just feel more comfortable in my skin.
Abraham: I think we have a high level of commitment to being leaders and not followers. It’s more fun to just be adventurous. I hate to look around and see everybody wearing the same things. There’s something special about charting your own course and having a good time. For us, it’s all about letting nothing limit your expression or what you want to do as a person.
Tell me about the inspiration behind the new project
Israel: It’s the same as it was for the first project. It’s the desire to express ourselves in a way that other people can understand and identify with. To express not just the low moments, but also the moments where you’re growing. The inspiration was the desire to be understood and to understand others. It was really to continue on our path and our own metamorphosis.
Momo: I would also say the intention of Metamorphosis Complete was to explore the vast genre of soft rock even further. Soft rock is really a very expansive genre, and there’s so many different sides to it in terms of what it can sound like and look like.
Abraham: Metamorphosis Complete was our best attempt at articulating what we were going through, what we were learning, and the wins and the losses over the years. We attempted to make them into musical masterpieces, and some people would say, we accomplished that. Only history will tell the impact of Metamorphosis Complete. But we expect it to get out to the world, and we stand behind it 100%.
You mentioned this is a culmination of all the things you’ve learned. What’s the biggest lesson you’ve learned thus far that is reflected in the album?
Abraham: I think to not conform, to not shapeshift. Tell your story. Tell your story how you want to tell it.
What are you excited about coming up?
Momo: I’m excited to continue building our synergy as a group. That always feels great when we’re on the same page. Otherwise, we have some exciting things coming up like tours and magazine covers. There are no bounds to what we can accomplish and that’s so exciting.
Israel: I think I’m just focused on this post album-release phase. It’s all about what we do and how we push people towards the music.
Abraham: I’m excited about our North American tour and then we’re going back to Europe and Australia. That’s super exciting. We just came from Europe and the fans were crazy. Actually to be on stage in London and Paris and in the Netherlands, there were some moments where it was euphoric. I’m excited to recreate those feelings across the country and around the world.
Angel: I don’t know why, I just have a feeling I’m going to be falling in love this year. So I’m excited.
I love that. I’m excited for you. I’ll be waiting for the updates.
Angel: I sense an interview part two.
Literally. I’ll be back in a year to ask, “So Angel, how’s it going in the love department?”
