Interview with Jaymellz

Jun 20, 2023

What got you into music, and if you had not gotten into music what would you be doing today?

Encouragement from my late aunt peaked my interest in music, but I come from a musical family, so it’s always been around me. If I wasn’t doing music I would probably be playing basketball. That was my first love before music.

What do you like to do when you are not playing music and how does that influence your creativity?

When I’m not doing music, I like to catch up on TV shows, and I do a little gaming. It keeps my mind sharp and helps me come up with relevant metaphors. I’ve been in the industry about 10 years now, just learning and sharpening my skills as I go.

Where are you based and how did that influence your music?

I am based out of a small city in South Carolina, called Aiken. There’s really not much to do here, so music keeps me from doing things I probably shouldn’t.

How did you come up with your artist name and what does it mean to you?

Originally, my name came after my first talent show. It’s a combination of my first name and a comment that came from one of the judges who said I had a mellow voice. So it was J_Mello, and being that I can sing and rap, I decided to drop the O and add a Z to give my name more mystery so it didn’t sound too much like an R&B artist. My name represents versatility.

Tell me about your most memorable shows.

My first show was the talent show I mentioned earlier. What made it so memorable is that was my first time performing, and it was in front of 300 people… very much stage fright lol. My second most memorable show had to be at the Apache café in Atlanta. The crowd responded way better than I thought they would, which boosted my confidence even more as an artist.

What is your favorite venue to play at, and do you have any places you want to play that you have not already?

My favorite venue has to be Apache café. Just the energy of the crowd makes performing so much easier. I would really love to play a stage at Rolling Loud.

If you could play any show with any lineup, who would be on the ticket?

I would love to do a show with J. Cole, Big K.R.I.T, Kendrick Lamar, Curren$y, and add Jhene Aiko! That would be amazing!

What is some advice that you would give to someone who is just getting into playing music and some advice that you would give to your younger self?

If you could go back in time and give yourselves advice, what would it be?

If I could go back in time, I would tell myself to put the music out, don’t worry about peoples opinions.

Of your songs which one means the most to you and why?

The song that means the most to me is titled, “Mama.” It’s just an encouraging and deeply personal song recognizing my mom’s sacrifices.

Which songs are your favorite to play and which get requested the most?

Some of my favorite songs to perform are “Call me,” “Get the Dough,” and “High Hopes.” “High hopes” is the most requested.

What is your creative process for making music, and what inspires you to write your music?

Inspiration strikes me at different times. I don’t like to force my music. I like to let it come to me so that it’s genuine and authentic. It really just depends on what mood I’m in, I’ll make a voice recording beatboxing, and then I’ll produced the beat and the lyrics just to flow.

What kinds of messages do you like to get across in your music?

I like to spread positive messages in my music for the most part, just encouraging people to follow their dreams and never give up. I also make a lot of real-life music…I talk about situations that people go through daily.

Tell us about your new song “Sugar Coatin’.”

“Sugar Coatin” was inspired by a situation where I wanted to talk to this girl, but I didn’t want to be too blunt until I heard her say “I wish men would just be honest about what they want…” so I said, challenge accepted lol.

What are your plans for the future, and do you have anything that you want to spotlight that is coming up?

My plans for the future are simple, just keep making dope music for people to vibe to. I’d love for more people to hear my sound. I have some upcoming projects for sure music-wise, and I recently played a small part in an independent film, so I’m excited about that.

Sugar Coatin': https://distrokid.com/hyperfollow/jaymellz/sugar-coatin-3