Quantum Split Band Members:
Soleil Laurent: Lead Singer and Guitarist
Anthony Anderson: Drummer, and Percussion
Adrian Read: Lead Guitarist
Ivan Hardy: Bassist
Who is Quantum Split?
Quantum Split is a movement that will reach the masses! We pride ourselves on authenticity and to showcase the world the beauty (and BadAssNess) of being yourself and loving what you do.
Our music is dynamic and intended to uplift our listeners with a raw intensity that will reach the souls! We are a melting pot embraced with a multicultural undertone of music that will attract all people regardless of what genre they are attracted to. We create music for anyone and everyone. The imprint that we strive to create is a band that has a platform for people to stand up and be motivated! It is okay to be yourself! No effs given to people that can bring negativity into your life.
Music is universal, everyone loves to rock out! Own your Power! Say What You Got to Say! Be A Boss!…those are just a few of the mottos that are reflected in our music.
Where are you all from?
Soleil Laurent: Born and raised in Long Island, NY.
Anthony Anderson: Born and raised in the Bronx, NY. Currently living in Long Island, NY.
Adrian Read: Born in the Dominican Republic, Living in the Bronx in NY.
Ivan Hardy: I was born in the Bronx. Grew up in Washington Heights, NY.
What or who are some of your musical influences? Who inspires you? Describe your upbringing?
SL: My main musical influence and inspiration is my father. He has trained me to be the best musician I can be, as well as a performer. He was exceptional at pushing me to attain my greatest potential through tough love.
As far as musical artist (s) who inspires me, I’d say Janis Joplin, Beyoncé, Rage against the Machine, Jimi Hendrix, The Beatles, John Lennon, Bob Marley, and more.
But my parents are my biggest advocates and have supported me and this dream in every aspect. They are my greatest inspiration.
AA: Some of my musical influences come from many genres but mainly Rock and Hip Hop. My favorite drummers include Travis Barker, Tony Royster Jr, Chad Smith, Taylor Hawkins, and the list goes on.
They’ve inspired me throughout the years but my main inspiration to me is also my father. He was a bassist and a drummer. I have been playing the drums since the age of nine. My father was the main reason why I started to play. He showed me how to hold the drumsticks, striking down on the drums and even creating drum beats.
The first rock band he had me listen to was the “Red Hot Chili Peppers”. My father passed away that same year. Ever since then, the love for drumming became even more real. From working in concert bands, marching bands and even playing in countless others bands out of school. It is the main and most long lasting memory that I have of him…our connection through and with the drums.
AR: Growing up, I hated music until I was 14 years old. I started listening to Linkin Park, and that blend of rap and rock stuck to me. Then one day, my guitar teacher presented me with a song and a band that sparked my want to become a Rockstar…it was Guns N’ Roses’ “Sweet Child of Mine”. When I saw Slash, the guitarist, I saw the epitome of what being a “Rockstar” represented, and I knew that I would be next. As I got older and my skin got tougher, I started listening to more Hip Hop and even Trap music. Tupac and Eminem are two of my favorites.
IH: The roots to my musical influences include Punk, Hard Rock, Reggae, and Metal. I will soon be the face of a new type of music I call “Reggae Rock!”
Band-wise: Pantera, Metallica, Mudvayne, Avenged Sevenfold, Korn, Ozzy Osbourne, Fall Out Boy, The Ramones, My Chemical Romance, Guns N’ Roses, Motley Crue, Aerosmith, Led Zeppelin, Stone Temple Pilots, Bob Marley & the Wailers, and Alice in Chains to name a few.
Bass-wise: Jason Newsted, Robert Trujillo, Cliff Burton, Geezer Butler, Ryan Martinie, Rex Brown, Fieldy, Luis Johnson, Jaco Pastorius, Johnny Christ, Tim Commerford, Michael Anthony, Toshiya, and Paul McCartney.
If you were to take our readers on a tour of where you come from, what would we see? What experiences can you share with us that led you down this path of chasing your dreams?
SL: I would take you to two places that I consider my refuge, my home in Long Island and my grandmother’s oasis in Brooklyn. If you went inside my house you would see that my family is vision driven. Our home has literally become the Quantum Split Headquarters. Served as the space for team meetings, hour-long rehearsals, and our vacation home to relax and take a dip in the pool…when we are given the chance to!
We live, eat, and breathe Quantum Split, so being in an atmosphere where we are surrounded by each other every day breathes comfort when we are at my house. My mother and father’s passions went into the creation of that house. Surrounded by glass to showcase what you see is what you get. That is our motto: BEING YOURSELF, LIVE FREELY!
My grandmother is the root of all the musical talent. Her living room was our stage complete with a karaoke machine that every family member would have a turn to “Rock the Mic”.
Her prized possession is the piano that has been there for generations, touched by every musical family member to create his or her own tunes. You could hear my grandmother’s dreamy opera voice at every family event. My cousin CeddyJay of rap group “RAAA” is a hard hitting lyricist proud to represent his Brooklyn roots! We are a family of creatives, dope at what we do, with the intention to make ourselves known…if we haven’t already!
AA: I would take them on a tour to where I grew up. The raw and grittiest…and actually another inspiration of mine…The Bronx.
It is where I was raised, where I grew up, and what I have stride to leave one day to explore the world while showing people no matter where you come from, through poverty, there is a richness that you can attain. I intend to be that example. Where I come from, humbles me, it is my strength that serves as a constant reminder to give my all with my artistry and position in this band. It pushes me to inspire other young boys (and girls) that where you come from may be where you were raised but it does not define you.
The ghetto to me is my greatness because I know what it’s like to have nothing and deserve everything simply by continued hard work and dedication.
My circumstances and surroundings also pushed me to better my life and live my dreams. Hanging out with the wrong crowd or people that could have influenced me to choose a different or even more dangerous path would have stopped me from focusing on my craft. Roses have come from concrete thus Rockstars can derive from the wreckage. My passion for drums became my profession, so I packed my bags at 15, changed my surroundings, and was blessed to be given a place in my Aunt’s House in Queens, another place that I believe served as my inspiration and refuge. I then finished school, got the opportunity to learn how to read music and embrace as well as participate in other bands.
AR: You would not see white picket fences and rainbows from where I am from. A neighborhood full of supporters for your hopes and dreams…NAH! What you’ll see is liquor stores on every corner, crime, poverty, and mayhem. Make no eye contact walking down the blocks, plug in your earphones and keep on truckin’.
A Five-year-old kid getting shot in the head in plain daylight; that happened in front of the building next to mine. I am from The Bronx. Where sounds keep you up at night and you are waiting for the day to change your life. This is where music became my haven and my inspiration to turn down the noise of the streets and make music with my beats.
The tour would make you always remember where you come from and where you are going. It’s the motivator, the survivor of the fittest mentality that will prepare you for everything. I chose to get tougher in the neighborhood that raised me so that I could one day come back and change it!
IH: All the boys are from THE BRONX…can’t you tell? A place where you would see many areas filled with poverty but strong people. People who do NOT give up! You’d see communities filled with many broken dreams and promises but also rays of light in the eyes of those who wish to aspire to be something and either make it out of the “hood” or help it. Growing up seeing the struggles of what my parents went through to raise the family was a tough pill to swallow.
To see my father wake up early every day for a 12-hour shift (at least), while my mother stayed home to raise my brother and me was a hard thing. As a child, I didn’t understand the hardship but as I got older, I began to understand how much my parents have sacrificed in order to give us the opportunities they didn’t have. Whether it was in the hood or not. Wanting to live my life differently without settling for mediocre jobs or anything that would make me feel stuck were probably massive factors in helping me chase my dream.
Even when I graduated from HS, I still wasn’t sure of what I wanted in life. I got into acting shortly after that. I always had an interest in music but couldn’t muster the courage to pursue it as I was growing up. Then around when I was 17 I attended my first festival. Bamboozle 2009! I saw many bands I liked, but it wasn’t until I saw Fall Out Boy, who headlined that year, that I was inspired to pick up a bass as that was my interest as a musician. I felt this calling to overcome my fears and travel to the festival. I’m glad I did because if I hadn’t, I probably wouldn’t be having this interview right now. Ultimately, the chance to live the dream that I want and to be able to give back to my parents for everything they’ve done as well as helping the world are what continue to push me to go further.
