Brad Daymond remembered for Love Inc. and ’N Sync work
TORONTO — Canadian songmaker Bradley Daymond scaled the charts as a member of dance trio Love Inc. — co-creating their hits “Broken Bones” and “You’re a Superstar” — but his passion for music aspired to even greater heights, which included working with ’N Sync at the peak of their popularity.
The Barrie, Ont., native, who died Friday at 48 years old after complications due to cardiac arrest, was a consistent source of energy and humour, said longtime friend Jeremy Wright. His traits often found their way into his zippy pop songs and remixes made for acts like Britney Spears and Ricky Martin.
But many will remember Daymond best for his contributions to Love Inc., the Juno-winning outfit rounded out by DJ Chris Sheppard and vocalist Simone Denny. The group delivered a number of chart-topping dance singles that played in heavy rotation on MuchMusic and were unexpectedly embraced in Europe several years later.
Daymond’s interest in music took shape in his early teenage years, his friend Wright said, around the time he began taking drum lessons with Martin Deller, a former member of Toronto progressive rock band FM.
After high school Daymond met former MuchMusic VJ Michael Williams and joined him as a composer on the 1992 Nylons album “Live to Love.”
The job opened doors in Toronto’s dance music community, which eventually led into the arms of label giant BMG Music Canada, who wanted Daymond to give his magic touch to their project Love Inc.
Love Inc. rode the popularity all the way to the 1999 Juno Awards where “Broken Bones” won best dance recording.
But Daymond’s time with Love Inc. was brief and shortly afterwards Denny said he was “removed” from the group. “And for me, it never felt the same.”
Instead of slowing down, Daymond took the separation as an opportunity to look stateside for work, moving ahead with his production duo Riprock & Alex G, alongside Alex Greggs, and began to ride the wave of teen pop.
Together they produced an array of cartoonish remixes for stars like Britney Spears, Ricky Martin, Jessica Simpson and Christina Aguilera that often appeared on their CD singles.
Remixes of ’N Sync’s early singles caught the ears of the group, and he was hired to co-write two songs for their second album “No Strings Attached” in 2000. A year later, he helped create three more tracks for their next album “Celebrity.”
Daymond continued writing pop music for years, on projects including “Schizophrenic,” the debut album of ’N Sync member JC Chasez, and as a judge on U.S. singing competition “Popstars 2.”