TABON WARD IN SHEER ELEMENT: THREE FRIENDS CHASING THEIR DREAMS

Article By: Aya Furin-Campbell

On March 6, The Voice episode aired where the group Sheer Element made it past their Blind Audition to be on Season 23 of The Voice working with coach Kelly Clarkson. Tabon Ward is from Maryland and is one of the members of the trio that is Sheer Element. Now, as a University of Southern California graduate, he is chasing his dreams in Los Angeles with his best friends, Izzy Kaye and Jej Vinson.

Standing before The Voice coaches Chance the Rapper, Kelly Clarkson, and Niall Horan, Ward felt nervous and excited. Jej Vinson had made it to the Top 13 being coached by Kelly Clarkson on Season 16 in 2019. As a veteran contestant of The Voice, Vinson gave Kaye and Ward a pep talk to calm their nerves before the audition, reassuring them about how much hard work had brought them there.

Dreams don’t always come true overnight. Ever since he was a child, Ward has had a passion for music. While attending Holy Trinity in Bowie, Maryland he learned how to play four different instruments; the clarinet, the euphonium, the trombone, and the saxophone. “That kind of just catapulted me to wanting to do something in music,” Ward said, “Then I would do the plays at school and then after that, I was like singing is what I love.”

Growing up, Ward was surrounded by support from his loved ones when it came to working towards his goals. “My parents are my biggest inspiration,” Ward said, “They always pushed me to want to do what I wanted to do. They saw that I had a gift and they wanted me to use that to the best of its ability.”

Ward met Kaye and Vinson during his freshman year of college at USC. They formed their group as something to do for fun in 2020 and then one night in Ward’s apartment, the trio posted a cover of Ariana Grande’s “Only 1” that went viral on TikTok. After going viral, they decided to take their group more seriously, changing the name from 3D Vocals to Sheer Element in 2021 and becoming more consistent with and dedicated to their music.

Now, in 2023, Sheer Element is being nationally recognized for their music, and are soon to be on The Voice coached by Kelly Clarkson. In speaking on his hopes for the future, Ward said, “I’m excited to learn from Kelly and gain insight from someone in the industry who could help and give tips and tricks and things like that. And also once the season is over, being able to utilize the news fans that we gained and release a whole EP that’s already written and ready to go. We’re super excited to finally release original music.” While the group has yet to set a date to drop their EP (Extended Play), Ward says it will be sometime this year.