Wheaton News

Daniel Alexandre ’19 gets engaged and married on national TV

Daniel Alexandre ’19 purchased the ring. He planned a memorable proposal, but changed his mind. Good Morning America (GMA) had a better idea.

Alexandre and Chaseedaw, his girlfriend of two years, got engaged on GMA on February 14, and about an hour later in front of several family members and friends and a national TV audience, they were married.

Selected from hundreds of applications, Alexandre believes that when he agreed to get married on the show, that made a difference. “It was just supposed to be the engagement,” he said, but he was told ‘at GMA, we like to do things big.’”

A music major at Wheaton, Alexandre works in accounting, managing a grant program and is also an accomplished musician. He met Chaseedaw while they were performing at the same club and has  released an EP of songs called Peace and Property under his stage name, ALXNDR. Today, the couple writes songs together under the artist name Black From Home and they hope to have a full EP to share this summer.

“Ever since we met we’ve enjoyed playing music together, being in each other’s company and doing fun things together,” he beamed. “She helps make life interesting, for sure.”

Alexandre credits the things he learned in music and business management at Wheaton with helping to shape his career. “I’m practicing all the things that I’ve learned while navigating the music business industry,” he said. “Wheaton certainly helped me learn how to divide my time in a way that was beneficial to me, where I could focus on my studies. I was a part of so many different clubs and groups on campus—including gospel choir and several different bands—that I learned what I was capable of in a 24-hour period.”

He recalled being taken under his wing by Emeritus Professor of Music Matthew Allen and becoming friends with him during a trip abroad to Ireland. “He taught me a lot about patience and the value of listening in a musical context.”

While the Music Department faculty members were all helpful, according to Alexandre, “Jeffrey Cashen [former assistant professor of music] helped me make sure I had my charts in order, and that I was prepared for every gig,” he said, grateful for the opportunity to play with the Phat Police (jazz band), a student-led group that Cashen oversaw. “He instilled musical professionalism in me.”

Alexandre looks forward to honeymooning in the Cayman Islands (courtesy of GMA) later this month, and possibly collaborating with Montell Jordan. The singer performed a version of his No. 1 hit “This Is How We Do It” at the newlyweds’ reception, incorporating the couples’ names and part of their story into their first dance.

“Montell told us he’d be interested in writing a song with the band,” Alexandre said. “We’re working with him to get something on the books, but for now we’re going to make some more music and see where it takes us.”