This transcript was automatically generated and might contain errors.

[0:00] Robert Bannon: Are you ready? It's the Roundtable with me, Robert Bannon.

[0:09] Robert Bannon: Thank you. Look at these fabulous people. Broadway World, Broadway Podcast Network, iHeartSpotify, wherever you're listening to me, I'm coming to you live from Detroit. And if you're in Detroit and you are a part of the queer community like me and my husband, then you know Belle Bessie. They are. They've been around for almost, I think the voice was like eight years ago. Remember? Could it be I'm falling in love? Look at your face! Everybody's turning around, looking at each other because who are these voices? And they've been out here singing. They call themselves a kaleidoscope of music. They can sing anything. They're incredible. You know them, you've loved them, and they're right around the corner from my house. They're my new Detroit best friends. Ladies and gentlemen, Belle Bessie, welcome to the show.

[0:53] Belle Bessie: Thank you. Thank you so much. So happy to be here. I, okay, so I moved here two years ago because I met my husband. I did a gig. I did Motor City Pride. My husband books acts for a stage, and I never left because, you know, a Detroiter is a sexy, beautiful man, is what I think.

[1:07] Belle Bessie: Yeah, I couldn't agree more. And then I decided to find out about art and culture and people out here who are doing the damn thing. And y'all are doing the damn thing, Detroit Disco Jammies.

[1:18] Robert Bannon: We're trying.

[1:18] Robert Bannon: That's right. So how long have you been, okay, let's start. Let's, let's, Jerome, how long have you been singing?

[1:30] Jerome Bell-Bastien: I've been singing, literally, I know everyone says this, but like my whole life. I can't remember not singing. I grew up in a family of singers. Well, all the women could sing, but none of the men could. So I guess I kind of, with the gay gene also crossed over the talent gene as well, because yeah, all the women in my family were always singers, and I was just enthralled watching my mom sing in church. And my whole family, we all went to the same church, and it was like a family of singers. So I always wanted to be a singer as far as I can remember. So I've probably been singing since I was like two or three years old.

[2:05] Robert Bannon: And Adam, what about you, Adam, with his hair laid down over there. Come on. This is giving life over here. Well, how long have you been singing?

[2:15] Adam Bell-Bastien: I think I started singing when I was about maybe eight years old. It kind of started with me just like rooting through my parents' record and cassette collections. I would lock myself in the basement and just be by myself listening to music. And I think it was something about singing just made me feel good even at that age. So from that point on, I started just kind of like playing around the house. And then maybe when I was 12 is when I had that vision of like, I want to be a singer. That's all I want to do.

[2:42] Robert Bannon: See, incredible. So Jerome, how did you all meet? Because you're a singing duo, but you're like a like duo duo. You are. How long are you together? How did you meet? When did you know you could? I have a lot of questions. I have a lot of questions.

[2:55] Jerome Bell-Bastien: Ask them all. Ask them all.

[2:57] Robert Bannon: Let's go. Where did you meet? How did you meet?

[3:01] Jerome Bell-Bastien: In Minneapolis on a video shoot. So we both knew, we had a mutual friend who was a part of a singing group called Home Free, but he had formed another group called, a band called 7th Ave. And this is years later. It was on cruise ships that I met our mutual friend and he reached out to me just kind of out of the blue and was like, hey Jerome, hope you're well. I have this new singing group and we're doing a video shoot and I would love for you to be the love interest of our lead singer. And then he sent a picture of Adam and I was like, I think I can make it work.

[3:39] Robert Bannon: Wait, you met on a, Adam, you met on a video shoot.

[3:39] Adam Bell-Bastien: On a video shoot.

[3:43] Robert Bannon: When did you know there was something that, who hit on who? What did you do? Go to dinner? Did you slide into each other?

[3:48] Adam Bell-Bastien: Immediately.

[3:49] Adam Bell-Bastien: It was, it was really funny because I knew we both stalked each other's Instagrams beforehand. So we both knew that we were like, oh, what's this about to be? And we were both living in New York City at the time, but because, you know, gigs kind of take you all over the place. Minneapolis happened to be the place where we were filming this video. So I just had gotten off the road with the group. We were on tour shooting this music video in the middle of tour. So we showed up to this beautiful club in downtown Minneapolis and Jerome was already there, but he was literally hiding in the shadows, like just the shy person.

[4:24] Adam Bell-Bastien: And we, you know, we, we met and he was very kind and like open, but also that it would retreat back into the shadows. I mean, shadows. This was literally like a dungeon type club and probably an 1800s building, just like giant, like flocks of,

[4:40] Jerome Bell-Bastien: It was like an old bank I think or something.

[4:42] Robert Bannon: Not you just being the creeper in the corner, just hiding in the corner.

[4:46] Jerome Bell-Bastien: I was the creeper in the corner like.

[4:47] Robert Bannon: And you know, the thing is I love creeps in corners. It worked out really, really well for me. But no, we were filming and it was a bar and there was a bartender there, even though they weren't open. So they were serving us drinks and I could see, you know, with every IPA, he's getting a little bit more courage to be a little bit more talkative.

[5:01] Adam Bell-Bastien: A little bit more courage.

[5:06] Adam Bell-Bastien: He's like, have something, have something. So, got through the video, you know, our entire first meeting of each other is on HD quality video. Like our first scene was us like cruising each other in the bathroom. So, you know, there was no acting involved, which is great because I'm not an actor. So, yeah, so that's how it started. And we were both, we were both in relationships at the time, so we didn't cross any boundaries, but it was just the chemistry, the energy was so intense. Spent the next three days creating together. We recorded a couple songs. The only, you know, the farthest, the only line we crossed is that I held his hand when I took him to the airport and I was like, I'm going to see you again.

[5:49] Adam Bell-Bastien: And I went back to New York and I told my best friend, I met the person I'm going to marry. And then I called the guy that I was dating at the time and I was like, we got to meet up and we got to talk because, and I told him the same thing, like, you know, it's been great, but I met the person that I'm going to marry. At this point, we had never kissed. I hadn't even asked him on a date. I didn't know his situation or what that would turn into or what would come of it. But I felt so strongly that it was like, this is it. Like, this is, this is the person. This is my person.

[6:24] Robert Bannon: You know, not that this is about me, but when I flew here, I had a relationship. I did a gig here and I met the guy who organized it. He asked me to go out for a piece of pizza. I was in Detroit for a night and I said very clearly, like, don't, I know you gays, don't try nothing here because, but that one slice of pizza turned into a four hour walk. And then I went home and called my boyfriend at that time. And I said, you know, like, I, the way you should make me feel in my head is how I felt with this other person.

[6:56] Jerome Bell-Bastien: Wow.

[6:57] Robert Bannon: Yeah.

[6:58] Robert Bannon: We've been married and I've moved here and the rest is history. When did you, so, see, they're my new best friends over here.

[7:04] Jerome Bell-Bastien: That's beautiful. We understand that so well.

[7:07] Jerome Bell-Bastien: That's the way, that's when you know it's right. So how many years, Jerome, are you guys together? I'm not trying to get y'all in trouble like it's a quiz. A bunch of years.

[7:15] Jerome Bell-Bastien: Nine years together. Seven, seven years married. Seven years married.

[7:21] Robert Bannon: So when did you know that you both could, like, when was the idea to, like, we should sing together?

[7:26] Jerome Bell-Bastien: It was kind of immediate because, you know, we, since we were brought together in the, like, performance space, I knew that he was an incredible vocalist. And so after we did that first video shoot, the next day we did like a vocal collab with the band. So he sang, we sang Water Runs Dry by Boyz II Men. And even filming that video together, it was like, we went the whole video, like, performance mode. And then there was one moment that is also captured on video. We turn and look at each other. And it was like, you could feel the tension. Like, it felt like Fourth of July. Like, it was explosive. And that was when it was like, okay, this is like, what? And I never wanted to date another performer or be with another, you know, singer.

[8:16] Adam Bell-Bastien: We're the worst.

[8:20] Robert Bannon: So and then look at that. Now you both get to be performers and be the worst together.

[8:25] Adam Bell-Bastien: Yeah.

[8:26] Robert Bannon: Exactly. Adam, do you, why Detroit? Like, are you from Detroit? Who's from Detroit? Why do you want to?

[8:33] Adam Bell-Bastien: I'm from Michigan. I was born in Flint, Michigan. We're gonna go just a little outside of the thumb there.

[8:40] Robert Bannon: I went there for the first time last weekend.

[8:43] Adam Bell-Bastien: To Flint?

[8:44] Robert Bannon: I went to Flint. And then I came home. No shade to Flint. It's just very quiet.

[8:51] Adam Bell-Bastien: Yes, it is. It's smaller than ever. You know, there's Michigan, all of our cities really went through a lot in the last several decades. And Flint is no exception, especially with the water crisis. And the last time I was there, I was really just so pleasantly surprised at all of the work that they put in. You can tell the community is rallying to get the downtown core back to something healthy and vibrant. And like the farmer's market, for example, I was able to perform at the Capitol Theater, which is this beautiful theater downtown that had been closed my entire life from, you know, birth basically until probably sometime in my 30s. The way they revitalize that theater is just insane. But anyway, beside the point, so I was born in Flint, and then grew up 30 minutes outside of Flint in a little village called North Branch, population of about 1,000 people.

And yeah, I had these little dreams of being a singer in an area where there wasn't a whole lot of resources for that. So I would go to Flint often for like youth theater, some singing programs. They had enough to offer that kind of kept you like engaged in wanting to grow forward towards your visions. And then, yeah, moved away for 15 years. I was in Nashville for five years, worked on cruise ships for a couple, and then New York City for 10. And about maybe two or three years into my time in New York City, I realized that it wasn't the place that I wanted to stay forever. And not only that, but I always had a dream of having my own home and having my own piece of land, a yard or anything just to be able to put my hands into.

And so halfway through my time in New York, I really started looking back at Detroit really seriously, because I just, I think moving to New York, especially from such a small rural area, I didn't know really anything about cities and how they operate and what the community feels like in a city. And after experiencing New York, it just changed the way I looked at every city I ever visited. So I started seeing Detroit through this fresh perspective and fell in love with it immediately. And I was so energized by just seeing what the community was doing here when the whole world was talking shit about Detroit. And my family is still in the area. As an artist, I could afford to have a home here where I couldn't afford that in New York.

And I just really, really wanted to be a part of this forward momentum and creativity that's happening in the city. So that's why Detroit, I bought the house here in 2017, just like six months before we met.

[11:31] Jerome Bell-Bastien: Oh, Jerome, pack your bag, move on in. Listen, he was like, hey, babe, so I'm going to visit my house in Detroit. I don't know if you would want to come in and visit. I was like, well, you know, I've never been. But the only thing that I know about Detroit is from a show that I watch on A&E called The First 48. But to be fair, they're in Dallas, too. I'm from the South. But when we came here, I immediately fell in love with the people, the heart, the vibrancy here. It's just such a cool city. So it wasn't a hard sell. Once I got here, I was like, oh, yeah, totally. And we have bonfires almost every night. You know, it's just it's so peaceful and perfect. I love it.

[12:21] Robert Bannon: I'm from New Jersey. I'm a mile from New York City. And when I moved, when I came here, everyone has their thoughts about Detroit. You know, they all are afraid of Detroit or the revitalization of Detroit. The one thing is and the art and culture that's in the city, because people say you left New York, you're going to lose art and culture. There's so much music and joy and art and culture in this city. It's a city that built this country. From the car to the music. And I'm so proud to be a Detroiter. You know, talk about Flint. Darius, he went to Flushing High School. He lived in Flushing and went to Flushing High School. And it's a weird state because once you leave Detroit, you're in the woods out here.

[12:59] Jerome Bell-Bastien: Oh, yeah. You're out there. Follow God. Vote Trump. Buy guns. Somebody get me back in the house.

[13:14] Robert Bannon: And I thought I'd left that behind in the South. So when we the first time we took a road trip in Michigan, I was like, am I gonna be harassed when I go into this gas station to buy my hot tamales? Like what is happening?

[13:31] Robert Bannon: I get it. I love what you both do. So describe what your journey has been. I talked about The Voice and obviously and all of that, but from then you've created a lot of music, original music, put out music, done a ton of shows. How do you describe what your experience is when you hit a stage or hit a recording studio? What do you do? Oh, so much of the great question. I'll say just to kind of like give a little bridge between The Voice and where we are now.

[14:00] Adam Bell-Bastien: So we did The Voice and immediately started releasing original music, which is something that is really close to our hearts because we do have a lot to say and we do love to say it through music. But it's a challenging world to be in. It's a very saturated world to be putting out original music. So between writing and recording and working with producers will take a lot of time off. Number one, save money back up to be able to afford to do it again because it's very expensive. But in between, we've always focused on the live experience. That's where we thrive. We love to be on stage and really connecting directly with people. And I feel like that's always been our biggest response. And when we do write original music and when we perform it, you see the light bulbs go off in people's brains like, oh, that's what they're... Okay, I see. I get it.

[14:55] Jerome Bell-Bastien: So our main gig when we were still living in New York City, we worked our way up to the top of one of the best private event and wedding entertainment companies. So we were... Shout out Element Music.

[15:05] Adam Bell-Bastien: Element Music. We had a really good career there, but we had done it for so long that we realized that with that, as long as you're good at it, you're going to continuously get more of that. And it's like, you have a choice to make. Are we happy just getting more and more of these wedding gigs, or do we want to branch off and to do something different? Which was a part of our reason for relocating to Detroit when we did because we thought, well, we can stay in New York, keep doing the same thing that we're doing and have less opportunity to create our own thing. Or we can extract ourselves from that world, go through a real rough period because we're going to be willingly losing work to be able to create the next level of our dreams. And we moved here two months before the pandemic hit. So we got here. It was like, okay, let's do it. And then it was like, oh, just kidding.

[15:55] Jerome Bell-Bastien: Just kidding. But the beautiful part of that was that we then had all that time to incubate, like we continued writing and we continued working remotely with our producers that are in New York City. But we also had a couple years to just really sit back and observe and become a part of the community here in Detroit and figure out like, what all is existing here? What pieces of the art community are already thriving? Because we didn't have a laser focus at that point. We just love to sing. We don't really know. Our first time performing together was our blind audition on The Voice. Literally, that was our first time stepping onto a stage together and performing.

[16:36] Robert Bannon: So it was very... For real?

[16:43] Adam Bell-Bastien: Yeah. Yeah. That was our first time performing together.

[16:46] Jerome Bell-Bastien: Hey, puppy. Say hi, Diamond. You were not really, like, you didn't have 10 years, five years? Well, you're not wearing together that long, but you didn't have a couple years under your belt?

[16:56] Adam Bell-Bastien: Nope. No, no. We had a few months that we sang Instagram videos, but never did anything on stage. They reached out to us from an Instagram video and basically, like, flew us to L.A. and we were like, okay, so we're actually doing this. But what are we doing? With an homage to Detroit with your song choice and shout out to the spinners.

[17:16] Jerome Bell-Bastien: I know! And the Motown sound of it all. Your energy, your connection, and aside from your personal energy and that feeling of familiarity and the love that you have that it translates to the audience, the blend you guys have with your different voices, how unique they are individually, but how gorgeous they are together is something so special. Like, it's literally a puzzle that was meant to be and pieced together that works so well. So what is the next phase for you all? What is something that, is it live gigs? Is it, what is the dream?

[17:51] Adam Bell-Bastien: This is the next phase right here.

[17:54] Jerome Bell-Bastien: This is it. I love it. We have, we've, go ahead. So, I'm sorry, after the world started opening back up, a friend of ours had just opened a disco bar like a mile down the street from our house and said, I really want you guys to do the music. And we, while we were in New York, we were working with a disco band called the Disco Nights, which is kind of where we started really diving deep into the disco catalog, but immediately fell in love with it.

[18:21] Adam Bell-Bastien: Is this real? Please don't tell me you're going to do this here and somewhere near my house.

[18:25] Jerome Bell-Bastien: Oh, we were just in Brooklyn.

[18:27] Adam Bell-Bastien: We were just there. Yeah. For Arts, Beats, and Eats, we just performed at, um, five foot five in Pronto. Yeah.

[18:34] Robert Bannon: You were outside Pronto in Royal Oak for Arts, Beats, and Eats singing disco music.

[18:39] Adam Bell-Bastien: Yes.

[18:40] Jerome Bell-Bastien: And I wasn't there.

[18:41] Adam Bell-Bastien: You weren't there. We won't forgive you until we see you at a show.

[18:46] Robert Bannon: I'm coming to a show.

[18:49] Jerome Bell-Bastien: But yeah, so after our friend opened that bar, we did our first night at the bar. They were actually at the moment, not sure if they were going to open it or not, because there were some issues happening just with the building in general, and the owners were ready to maybe move on to a new project. We went one night just to check out the vibe. They had a YouTube playlist of disco music going with breaks in between every song, and everyone was still just loving it and vibing. And they're like, listen, I know you're not sure you're going to stay open. Just let us do one show. Just let us do one.

[19:18] Adam Bell-Bastien: Yeah. And that just turned into now three years of doing this Detroit Disco Daddies, almost monthly, sometimes more. We're now releasing our original music through Detroit Disco Daddies, because what's happened is that we realized that the kind of energy, because we do thrive in the live space, our energy, we're both scattered people, like both very scattered brain. We need to find anything that can bring us focus and bring us into a center. And somehow this just came into focus.

[19:53] Jerome Bell-Bastien: It was a no-brainer. Now this is the joy of our lives, honestly. And speaking of the voice types, the way that we can sing disco music together, it's like we can sing anything. Between the two of us, we know exactly where our voices sit with songs and with ranges. It's just been so much fun. Also, it's freeing, too. We put on these wigs and all bets are off.

[20:21] Adam Bell-Bastien: I don't know what you mean.

[20:22] Jerome Bell-Bastien: Oh, yeah. This is natural.

[20:25] Adam Bell-Bastien: Right. I love the natural. I think disco music is some of the most fun, joyful music. You can bring your grandma. You could bring your babies. It's for everybody. Everybody knows it. They love it. It makes you automatically want to get up and dance. It's a party. It is perfect for pride. It's perfect for your family reunion. It's for everyone.

[20:47] Jerome Bell-Bastien: Yes. Absolutely.

[20:49] Adam Bell-Bastien: If I come see a Detroit Disco Daddy show, you're going to hear the songs you know, some deep cuts. You put together a show show of disco hits.

[20:57] Jerome Bell-Bastien: Yes. We have original, like the original tracks. We have a remix set. We do Euro disco, which is always like something that takes the audience off guard. Like, oh, wait. Oh, shit. Oh, all right. Because we really dove into finding out the history of disco in its entirety. So there's something for everyone there. We leave no stone unturned. We leave no notes unsung. It's probably the hardest singing that we equally have ever done. But it's so easy because you see the joy on people's faces and it just you forget about the notes and the high notes or whatever. It's just we're all in there together and we love to connect directly with the people. And it's been going, I mean, better than we could have ever hoped or dreamed. So we're having the time of our lives in my natural, newly grown.

[21:57] Robert Bannon: I have done twelve hundred and fifty interviews on this show and I am very rarely speechless. I am speechless because I love this idea so much and I love what you all are doing so much. How can people out here hear you, see you, follow you or stay up to date on the Detroit Disco Daddies and the whole experience?

[22:14] Adam Bell-Bastien: They can go to social media on Instagram or Detroit Disco Daddies. TikTok is a little bit different.

[22:24] Jerome Bell-Bastien: Oh, yeah. Look it up, honey.

[22:26] Adam Bell-Bastien: Yeah. Detroit Disco Daddies there. TikTok is the Detroit Disco Daddies. And we're working on a lot of new stuff right now. We're working with our manager to get a tour on the books. So you never know. It feels like it's evolving every day.

[22:44] Robert Bannon: I love this so much.

[22:48] Jerome Bell-Bastien: I can't wait to party with you.

[22:49] Adam Bell-Bastien: Oh, I will. Look at these pictures. Look at this party.

[22:54] Jerome Bell-Bastien: Oh, yeah. We're full on. And, you know, the thing that we love about this is like also on the fashion side, we wanted to be we didn't want any part of this to feel cheesy or like kind of kitschy. We want Studio 54 fashion, like over the top looks. And that's one of the best parts when we walk out. I mean, we went to New York. We had a there was a Studio 54 party downtown and we left the apartment in full disco fit. And everywhere we went, like the train, like just people immediately smiling and happy. It's just like, you look amazing. You look incredible.

[23:37] Adam Bell-Bastien: That's our favorite part is the joy. It's all about the joy and the freedom. And the fantasy. It's all a fantasy. And I think really our goal with it is to when we bring people into our space during the show, we want them to feel like they have entered a fantasy without even realizing it and leave feeling happier than they did when they came in and meeting new people. We have a friend that is now like deeply in love with someone that she met at one of our shows. Yeah, that's like, you know, the most incredible feelings in the world to know that you're connecting somehow.

[24:07] Jerome Bell-Bastien: Yeah. Hosting an environment where people feel that free and open and loving. And it's just a huge tribute to the music. You know, the music creates that feeling and we're doing our best to steward it.

[24:22] Robert Bannon: Yeah. Well, you guys, you all need to do this. The world is on fire. So we all need we all need this joy. We all need somewhere safe. We're inclusive. Everybody can come. You can love who you love and dance with who you want to dance with and find your hustle and your tribe. And that's what they're doing. I'm pinky swear, promise you that I am your next show. I don't like you. I am that watch ring is fun. I promise you that I am going to be me and the husband are going to be there.

[24:52] Jerome Bell-Bastien: Yes. Halloween. It's on Halloween. Yeah. Yeah. Which I know is kind of a tricky day, but that's the next one. But we'll have many more.

[25:01] Adam Bell-Bastien: Oh, yeah. We'll be around. My birthday is on Halloween. Maybe we're going to have a birthday party.

[25:10] Robert Bannon: You know, I love this music because. I do a pride show in New York every year at 54 Below and I celebrate 54 and I do a divas show and I end the show with disco because there's something about the lineage of queer culture, the lineage of music and the lineage of joy. Like it's just music that makes me smile.

[25:29] Jerome Bell-Bastien: Yes. Yes. Joy is the new protest in 2026. No joy is the protest. And I can't dance to new dance. I don't know how to I don't know how you all dance to this. I'm too white to have good rhythm. I need some good. I need some disco. Tell me the beat, please. So I'm ready for you all. I'm excited. I owe you lunch and a kiki because they're my new Detroit people. And if you're coming to Detroit, you need to see Detroit Disco Daddies. You need to listen to their music, no matter what their name is, no matter what they're doing, no matter what their gig is. They're singing down, y'all. They're singing and your representation and what you mean to the community as artists. But as people, you know, when I see you all and you reflect me and my husband and I see you're in the neighborhood and I know there's a community here and people that are here fighting with me and for us and our rights and to have the chance to do what you do, it is very moving and meaningful to me. So I'm so honored and excited that you got to come on and chat with me. It means a lot to me.

[26:30] Adam Bell-Bastien: Oh, thank you so much. This is awesome. And we can't wait to hang out with you.

[26:33] Jerome Bell-Bastien: I'm hanging out. I don't know. We're going to be. I'll see you. I'm tacos on me. Adam and Jerome come to Detroit and see them. Adam and Jerome are here, everybody. You got to make sure you check out Detroit Disco Daddies. This look. I came on here and was gagged. They're going to gag you with their show. You need to see it. Thank you for hanging out. Thank you for everything. I'm ready for the vocals and the looks and the show.

[26:56] Adam Bell-Bastien: Oh, we got it. We got it all for you.

[26:59] Jerome Bell-Bastien: Thank you so much for being here.

[27:01] Adam Bell-Bastien: Thank you.