The-Dream shares the soundtrack and stories behind his acclaimed career as a singer-songwriter and producer.
The event marks Soho House’s Wax Tales debut in North America, offering an intimate look into the artist’s creative process.
The-Dream’s impact on R&B and influence on other artists is highlighted, showcasing his visionary status in the industry.
Atlanta recently got an intimate look inside the mind and musical journey of The-Dream as the Grammy-winning Radio Killa joined Soho House’s Wax Tales for a special evening celebrating the songs, stories, and memories that helped shape his career.
Source: HANNA MIDD PHOTOS / SOHO HOUSE WAX TALES: THE-DREAM
Held at SCAD Film Studios, the event marked a major first for Soho House, bringing Wax Tales to North America for the very first time. The program originally launched in the United Kingdom as a listening experience designed to give artists the opportunity to share the soundtrack of their lives and the stories behind the music.
For the Atlanta kickoff, The-Dream selected a 14-track playlist representing different moments throughout his life and career. Guests listened to samples before hearing directly from the artist about why each song mattered and how the music impacted him, the genre, and culture.
The timing was fitting. The evening came on the heels of Love / Hate II, released this summer as the long-awaited follow-up to the album that introduced The-Dream as an artist and helped define an era of R&B.
Source: HANNA MIDD PHOTOS/ SOHO HOUSE WAX TALES: THE-DREAM
The-Dream sat down with five-time Grammy Award-winning producer and songwriter Tricky Stewart, his longtime collaborator behind several notable songs and albums, and Stewart didn’t hesitate to give his friend and creative partner his flowers.
“He is more than a songwriter, more than a producer. I truly believe he is one of one. I think he is a visionary and a completely different alchemist and in certain ways in a class all by himself.”
That praise is difficult to argue with. The-Dream’s catalog stretches far beyond his own hits. Throughout his career, the Love King has written and produced era-defining records for Beyoncé, Rihanna, Jay-Z, and many more.
During the conversation, The-Dream even broke down one of the most recognizable elements of his music, his signature “Eh-eh!” vocal tag.
“It’s just an exclamation mark, I guess,” he said.
Source: HANNA MIDD PHOTOS / SOHO HOUSE WAX TALES: THE-DREAM
He also took attendees back to the creative mindset behind “Shawty Is Da Sh*!” and explained why he felt R&B needed a different kind of energy at the time.
“To sum it up in that. It was just really… It was one of those things, I don’t know if some of us remember 2006 and 2007. And I felt at the time, you know, I’m trying to say this in the right type of way. R&B and in that particular space, it was just super lame to me at that particular point. Like I didn’t get it. I didn’t get how people were dressing at that time. Something happened and I came from the ’90s. I’m thinking about Jodeci I’m like, what happened to the coolness? What is going on? And that’s why even the song was more rap-leaning. There was something I felt like I needed to do and the song just had to be done a certain type of way and for the culture.”
Source: HANNA MIDD PHOTOS / SOHO HOUSE WAX TALES: THE-DREAM
The room itself felt just as special as the conversation. The crowd was small and intimate, with notable guests including Quality Control’s Coach K, rapper Akeem Ali, and DRAM. Before the discussion, attendees mixed and mingled during a cocktail hour and took photos before settling in for the listening experience.
Guests also left with vinyl copies of The-Dream’s latest album and the full tracklist from the evening.
After the conversation wrapped up, The-Dream spent additional time speaking with SCAD students, connecting with fellow celebs like Coach K and DRAM, offering encouragement, and sharing advice about navigating the creative industry.
Atlanta was only the beginning. Soho House plans to continue the North American Wax Tales tour with Kevin Liles in Detroit, followed later this fall by Durand Bernarr and Dixson in San Francisco.
For a career filled with hits people know word for word, Wax Tales offered something different. It gave listeners the stories behind the soundtrack and a reminder that nearly two decades into his run, The-Dream is still helping shape what R&B sounds and feels like.
