Q: Can you tell us a bit about yourself and how your childhood impacted your musical direction?
A: Growing up, music had always been a part of my life. However, during my childhood my mum was really sceptical about the music we listened to and watched in the house. We were only allowed to listen to gospel music which I still listen to this day but as I grew older my cousins introduced me to more diverse music like hip-hop and rap and I fell in love with it. Apart from that during my childhood I was part of the church choir, and this also influenced my passion for music.
Q: How are you planning on growing your fan base and sharing your music with the world? What message do you have for anyone who is about to discover “James CN”?
A: Currently social media is one of the most effective ways to share music. So, with the beginning of a new year, I’m going to do my best to consistently post on all my socials like Instagram, Facebook, TikTok and engage more with different people on and off the platforms.
To be honest its more than just a passion for me, music has always been that one thing that builds me up and makes me feel a certain type of way it’s difficult to describe but when you feel it you know it. The main inspiration behind my music is because I want to be a “voice to the voiceless”. A voice to the people and for the people. As I sing and rap, I would love whatever I’m conveying to get to someone’s soul. So, people can see how I view the world through my eyes.
Q: Who is the most inspiring artist for you right now? And where do you find inspiration for making music?
A: I have many artists that I look up to and get inspiration from for different qualities like Eminem for his lyrical genius, Drake for his incredible diversity, Juice WRLD for his creativity in freestyles and realth but currently I’ve been hooked onto The Weeknd, I love his music and how his invested into his musical persona and how he performs his music and connects with his fans when his on stage.
Q: Can you tell us about the story or message behind the song, “Never There.”?
A: I was done working on the tracks that I had planned were supposed to be on the project I was working on last year “Home Isn’t A Place But A Feelin”.
As I was listening to the unmastered tracks on my way to the studio, the tracklist I had just felt incomplete. So, I decided to look up for a beat, crazy thing was I didn’t know which feel or genre I was looking for exactly, so I was just looking.
I went through a tone of beats and when I was about to give up, I came across this one.
The intro of the instrumental just got me hooked, and so I saved it.
After I was done with everything I needed to do at the studio, I remembered I had an instrumental chilling for me.
I told myself let me freestyle on this, but this wasn’t like “Juice Wrld” off the top level ‘cause at that time I wasn’t in that deep, I would go 4 or 8 bars, record, cut, hear and repeat it.
I started with the hook, I would record maybe mess up with a certain key and re-do it again or maybe change a few words to get the right emotion on it.
I was finally done with the hook but trust it took like the whole day and yet its only got two layered vocals to it (the leading voice and back up voice).
After playing the hook back-to-back for like 30 mins I knew exactly the message I wanted to convey.
Thing is I don’t regret any of my past relationships, I’ve learnt from them and I’ve grown out from them. So yeah, this song was a product of self-reflection.
Q: How would you describe your sound in one word for potential listeners?
A: Undescriable
Q: Did you face any challenges while writing or recording “Never There”?
A: Not really, as everything I’ve described is part of the musical creation process and I enjoyed every step of it.
Q: What is the message of your music? And what are your goals as an artist?
A: Like I said earlier, being the “voice of the voiceless”. I want to be an outlet for many people as a lot of people go through many different things.
The greatest goal I have as an artist is to bring a multitude of people from all over the world together see them relate with each other and help each other grow through my music that would be a blessing.
Q: Who is your dream artist to collaborate with? (dead or alive)
A: Dead I have two Juice WRLD and XXXtentacion. Alive I look forward to collaborating with Drake and The Kid LAROI.
Q: What is your advice for people interested in pursuing music as a career or for those trying to enter the industry?
A: Do what your heart is telling you, never give up on your dreams and passion even if you’re the only one who believes in them.
Q: If you could go back in time and give a younger you some words of wisdom, what would they be?
A: Keep doing what you’re doing.
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