Andrew Omar Grange; Determined, revolutionary and unstoppable

BY SIMONE J. SMITH

Imagine my surprise when well-known Canadian publicist Sasha Stoltz approached me about an interview with Andrew Omar Grange (aka DRU), another member of the popular R&B group In Essence, whose debut album The Master Plan earned a JUNO Award, Much Music Award, and a SOCAN #1 Award (for the club hit, You Will Never Find) in 2004. If you have had a chance to pick up a July edition of the Toronto Caribbean Newspaper, you would find that I actually had a chance to speak with Sean Jones, so this presented another opportunity to gain some perspective on a prodigious group that has managed to produce some of Toronto’s most renowned artists. This interview will provide our readers with some insight on a man who has withstood the test of time, and has made a name for himself both as an artist, and as a leader. I would like to present to you the classic man we know as DRU.

At the age of nine, DRU discovered that he had an extraordinary talent; well more so his brothers discovered that he did. DRU remembers singing along with his older brothers to Jackson 5 and New Edition. One day, his older brother Rick caught him singing when he was by himself and said to him, “Ang (DRU’s childhood name), you have a good voice.” They suggested he perform in the church talent show, and DRU who happened to really look up to his brothers, began to practice. After months of practice he went to do the show, and unfortunately, this was a fail. He was just too shy and could not bring himself to go on the stage and perform.

His next opportunity came in grade nine when he was asked to perform at school. This experience, like the last one, was looking to turn out the same. “My face was shaking, my legs were shaking,” DRU tells me laughing, “But that actually helped out because the vibrato ended up being nice.” DRU recalls that it was the first time that anyone outside his family had actually heard him sing. He remembers the energy that he felt from his classmates, and to this day it remains one of the best experiences of his life. “Everyone was blown away by the fact that I had such a range in my voice. It was at that point that I knew that I wanted to be a singer.”

Touch (former member of In Essence) came to DRU and asked him if he would consider becoming part of a group that he wanted to start. Michael Pope had told him about another crooner (Sean Jones), who happened to be making a name for himself as well and DRU recalls his first encounter with Sean. “We met Sean at Square One bus terminal in Mississauga, Ontario. He was a tall, good looking guy, and when he sang My, My, My by Johnny Gill, that was it; we had our group.”

Even though DRU was the youngest member of the group, he quickly showed his leadership skills and became the vocal and musical arranger. The group did very well and were active from 1993–2007, but after BMG dropped their entire urban roster, Andrew decided he had to take control of his career and he decided to bravely start a solo project. This terrified DRU because you have to remember; he was a naturally shy individual. It was still much easier for him to perform with a group of peers because then he was not alone. Some people were supportive of his decision, and naturally some people were not as supportive; regardless DRU stepped out on his own and began the journey of a solo artist.

At first, one of the difficulties was untying his name from the group. Everywhere he went to perform people would always introduce him as “DRU from In Essence.” He grew tired of this, and asked people to just start referring to him as DRU. It took a while, but his work ethic and drive allowed him to distinguish himself as the star that he was becoming. What many may not know about DRU is that all of his music since In Essence has been independently released. The One, Dru’s first solo album was released in 2008, and his first three singles: The One, Stay with Me (Always), and Seasons garnered strong positions at CHR/Top 40 and Hot AC radio across Canada and also did very well in Africa.

His first solo performance was at Nathan Phillip’s Square, which happened to be a 2008–2009 New Year’s Eve performance. “My face was shaking again, but this time it was because it was so damn cold,” DRU say’s jokingly. “It was the first time I had ever performed with a full band, back up dancers, and backup singers. Although it was freezing, it is another performance that will always stick out in my mind.”

After his New Year’s Eve debut, things started to die down for DRU musically. As one can imagine, it was not a good time for DRU, but he did what he had to do to keep his dream alive. He was presented with other recording opportunities that didn’t quite work out, but he did catch a break when one of those opportunities allowed for him to get a licensing deal with Universal for his 2014 Album On the Brink, which included his smash hit singles: She Can Ride, and Getting It In, which both sold over 50,000 digital downloads each. His third single Love Collision earned DRU another JUNO nomination in 2014, and he received yet another JUNO nomination for his single Déjà vu in 2015.

His determination and resolve have brought him to this point in his career and he is excited to be releasing The Rebirth 2020. His fans got a taste of his upcoming work at the TDOT Fest, which has allowed DRU to reconnect with other great Toronto artists, and his Toronto fan base. DRU is looking forward to his upcoming 2020 Tour, and it looks like for right now, there is really no stopping DRU.