Naturally 7

Naturally 7 was founded in 1999 in New York City by brothers Roger and Warren Thomas. The brothers, from Rosedale, Queens, recruited five additional singers. Roger Thomas, having been involved in various traditional male vocal groups, developed his vocal quality over the years. The group gained early recognition by winning a major a cappella competition in New York City, which led to two more national competition victories. This initial success prompted Roger Thomas to conceptualize the group as both an a cappella ensemble and a traditional band, creating their unique ‘vocal play’ style where voices simulate instrumental sounds through vocalizations and distortion effects.

The group released their debut studio album, “Non-Fiction,” in 2000, followed by “What Is It” in 2003, and “Christmas… It’s a Love Story” in 2004. In 2006, they released “Ready II Fly” through Virginia Records. A turning point came with their partial cover of Phil Collins’s “In the Air Tonight,” titled “Feel It (In the Air Tonight),” which included original lyrics. A performance of this song in a subway gained significant viral attention on YouTube, accumulating over four and a half million views and introducing the group to a global audience. This single achieved Top 3 chart success in countries such as France, Belgium, and South Africa, and also charted in other European nations.

Building on this momentum, Naturally 7 released “Wall of Sound” in January 2009 as an exclusive album for the United Kingdom and Ireland, coinciding with their participation in the Royal Variety Performance. This album, featuring new tracks alongside existing material, entered the British Album Charts at number 29 in its first week. The group performed with Michael Bublé on The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson, singing “Stardust.” In November 2009, they participated in Quincy Jones’s 2009 Bermuda Music Festival. Their 2010 release, “Vocal Play” (CD/DVD), included original songs, a duet with Michael Bublé, and live HD footage from their Madison Square Garden performance. That same year, they contributed to Quincy Jones’s album “Soul Bossa Nostra” alongside Ludacris and provided several songs for the soundtrack of the film “Animals United.”