StreamLINE Artist Feature & Interview: JISH
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Hi everybody, welcome to another installment of our Interview Series. Today’s spotlight will shine on independent recording artist and producer Jish.
We had the absolute pleasure of connecting with Jish and touching on a number of topics surrounding his intriguing path to music, in-depth stories behind his most recent releases and what drives his artistry. Read on to learn more about the budding singer and songwriter. Enjoy!
- Hi Jish, Welcome to StreamLINE! Thank you for taking some time out to speak with us about your artistry and music career. We’re looking forward to our audience learning more about you. Thank you for sharing your story. We appreciate it!
- Please tell us a bit about your background, where you’re from etc. What were your early music influences?
I was born in Gretna, Louisiana, but to say where I was “raised” is a bit more complicated. We lived in New Orleans for a good bit of my childhood, but after some heavily traumatic events occurred in our lives we relocated to Huntsville Alabama, where I stayed until mid-high school.
My mother has been a singer as long as I have walked this earth, competing in competitions and even putting a demo record out in Nashville. I remember that time period, being with her in that city and being surrounded by so many saturated musical professionals. That has always stuck with me, even though it didn’t really pan out for her.
Junior year after Hurricane Katrina we relocated back to Louisiana, where I’ve remained to this day. My brother Jason was a huge inspiration for me as a growing kid as he was in an amazing band and had access to other local and awesome bands and artists like Mutemath. They recorded in real studios and put out awesome music. They even had a song featured in a movie! This really helped cater, even if unknowingly to him, my growing passion to make music and share it with the world. He inspired me and showed me it was possible.
I grew up on DC Talk and Mutemath, Paul Meany and Kevin Max both have a very similar range and timbre to myself. Their willingness to have a new sound, an honest one where they just went for it – really helped me to embrace my naturally higher resting singing and speaking voice. I was addicted to Coldplay, Modest Mouse, Franz Ferdinand, The Killers, Switchfoot, DC Talk, Maroon 5, Sixpence’s None the Richer, Breaking Benjamin, and Lamb of God, and now more than ever – Joji. This wide and very diverse line up I believe works hand in hand with my ambiguous genre driven style.
- What was the defining moment or time in your life when you decided to pursue music on a professional level?
I have tried since college to put out music but there was always one thing or another that would stop me in my tracks and derail any progress and drive I had. I majored in vocal performance in college, as a very successful young operatic tenor. My senior year, a week before my final show curtain day, I suffered a terrible accident at a rehearsal that left my arm partially dysfunctional and changed my perspective and confidence forever.
I was bulletproof then; I was arrogant, and I believed the world was just waiting for me. Despite my shoulder slipping out of socket daily, I still performed the show in a sling. The fear, pain and lasting trauma in the months that followed that accident and the months of physical therapy after the surgery, they had changed me as a person. Fear was something I had to live with very regularly, rather than something I looked at from a distance.
My personality prior to that accident was very different than the personality I live with now. I was able to push down guilt, anxiety, depression, and the many problems I had because I knew, to be honest, I was winning and that drove me so far past my own mind. I would never know that person again. My wife, girlfriend at the time, had to literally take care of me bedridden and pathetic for months. It was a difficult time period in our lives, as I discovered a new me and we discovered a new us. She stood by me every second of the way as I paved my new path forward.
I gave up on music, I gave up on my dreams, and I surrendered to the fate the accident had left me with. My voice had changed, singing for so long with such severe stress to the body had remapped my mechanism. and it was no longer healthy and sustainable. I began losing my voice after 5-10 minute of singing. I was crushed, I lost hope and I gave up. As the years rolled on since then, I began to find a bit of normalcy, and became more familiar with my new way to be human. With this came my love for music reminding me that I’d never escape from it.
I purchased the cheapest editions and plugins I could find and began a year process of fiddling and familiarizing myself with FL studios, Fruity Loops at the time, and absolutely saturating myself with self-help YouTube videos. After feeling very confident in my ability to use the program, I found myself at a familiar roadblock. Vocal work. I reached out to anyone I knew could help to get advice and guidance, but due to the pandemic and just a changing world – the pool of folks around me just had no time to offer me. This isn’t anything new to me, I am completely used to and more than willing to do it on my own. and that is what I decided to do. I knew this would be something I would have to do for me, and by me.
In 2020, Joji released his album “Nectar”. I will say with full confidence, this album inspired me to truly commit to honoring and finishing my numerous projects I had given up on. His relaxed, willfully flawed, and conversational lyrical style encouraged me that I could make music with vocals that aren’t “perfect”, or that just sound like everyone expects them to sound. His style is absolutely an acquired taste, but I fell in love with it. I wanted to use his confidence, and his willingness to try something new, and give myself that same grace in my process. The rest is history. I released 7 singles following the Nectar album, and I had truly found my stride and my confidence in my own unique sound. I just needed to know it would be okay to be myself.
- You’ve started off 2022 with a string of single releases. Congrats! Please tell us more about “Conversation With Myself”. How did the idea for the song come about? What was the recording process like?
“Conversation With Myself” was inspired from a feeling of knowing when to let go and knowing when something is just not right for you. Unfortunately, in situations of polite dishonesty and ambiguity of intention, we are forced to read the writing on the wall and discover the truth on our own. Like this song, and in life, sometimes we just have to accept that we will never know the why, and we may not be worth the decency of honest closure. We can have conversations with ourselves and make decisions to choose ourselves over the pieces of our lives that don’t consider our best interest. Sometimes we ourselves, seek to hurt us. You gotta talk it out.
This was the first true single I released that I put extensive vocal work into… the beat process for me comes so naturally, as when you’re expressing a feeling, I am able to do that best with sounds and pictures – not so much words. The lyrics are very vulnerable and specific, and it is hard with my particular expression because people who actually know me are wondering “what the heck is going on with Josh? who is he talking about? are you okay?!”, while someone they wouldn’t know with the same music they would accept at face value. Maybe this interview will clear some things up? I’m good guys! I’ve just got a lot of feelings, and I’m not really worried about anyone’s interpretations of them.
I learned the majority of what I know now about vocal mixing, for better or worse through this song. There were many things I did wrong, that enabled me to record at a higher caliber as my singles went along, but there were also a lot of trust moments where I opened myself up for rejection. In the end, I found the specific sound I wanted, and I felt the feelings that had rotted me were properly represented. Something clear in concept, but hazy in existence.
Conversation With Myself
Listen to Conversation With Myself on Spotify. Jish · Song · 2022.
- “Another View” and “Back to You” are other 2022 releases that caught our attention.. What’s the story behind the songs? Do you envision all these releases as parts of an upcoming album or are you looking to drop more singles as the year goes on?
“Another View” was a bold step in a different direction for me. Most of my music naturally gravitates towards dark and broody. Hey, it’s just who I am inside, but I hit a point in my life where I found some new core beliefs that I could use to inspire the change in tone and energy that is felt in this song.
Contrary to wounded reflections, “Another View” is more of a response to me rather than a recollection of past or present pain. The ultimate take away I wanted to express in this song was really the last line, “love isn’t charity!”. Happiness isn’t a mystery, it’s not an impossible feat to feel okay, but you will never be okay while you have people in your life who are there for any reason other than love keeping them there.
You and I, we owe ourselves more than that. In the end of the day, we will all be left to our decisions and things will end up exactly as they mean to… how will you feel then? Because they will probably long have forgotten you, or the life and dreams you imagined. I don’t want to look back on that, so instead I’ll try to give my eyes another view.
Another View
Listen to Another View on Spotify. Jish · Song · 2022.
“Back To You” is more of a glance into a memory, rather than a recollection of feeling like “Conversation With Myself”. When I imagined the color and vibes of the song, it was from a top-down perspective. The lyrics a verbal representation of two possible outcomes in a given situation, where obviously things had not panned out desirably. The chorus in this song is important, because the listener should be left with the question… what do I always find my way back to?
Maybe at one point you would think it was a person, maybe as you look deeper into yourself and less around you, you’ll discover sometimes we always find our way back to a feeling, or a habit.. good or bad. Perhaps self-inflicting emotional wounds, thought processes, maybe just self-loathing. All things I can understand, and all have so much more power than a person ever could. I hope all of my songs can lead people to self-reflection – you will find so much more gratitude in coming to peace with yourself, than you ever would expecting it from others.
I think ultimately all of my current releases will be roped into my first album; it is fitting as my sound is currently evolving a bit past my current singles. and they deserve to be a fam.
Back to You
Listen to Back to You on Spotify. Jish · Song · 2022.
- Another track “10oclock” just dropped last week! How do you maintain such a prolific and consistent approach to your artistry? You have an incredible work ethic and passion for your craft.
THANK YOU! If I’ve ever been known for anything, I hope it’s for my grind man. I am extremely excited about “10oclock”, I feel I’ve really hit a higher level of skill with the production quality on this track – it’s sexy as hell, and everything belongs and fits. Consistency is a fickle thing; I am really only left with a few hours in the day between my other jobs and taking care of my family. I use that time wisely – making music! The rest is easy. I think that’s the perk of authenticity in this process. I’m just being me and expressing who I am, what I’ve been through, what I feel, and what I’ve learned.
10oclock
Listen to 10oclock on Spotify. Jish · Song · 2022.
- What’s the best advice you’ve been given; either personally or professionally?
“Do it for you, and no one else. There is no authenticity in external craft for others, that is commission, it has to be in your heart to be yours”
- What is the best concert or theatre performance you have ever attended in person and why?
Believe it or not – I’ve only been to one concert in my life, KC and the Sunshine Band when I was a kid. It was cool lol, nothing I was really crazy about. I really enjoyed Peter Grimes at the Houston Grand Opera, it was a very moving and memorable performance.
- What activities do you enjoy outside of your music endeavors?
Gaming! I’m a literal pro Rocket League player, I love Minecraft, I write a lot of poetry, I really enjoy hanging out with my family and just taking in the little moments. My head is always so lofty, it’s nice to come back down to earth sometimes.
I really enjoy flying drones and run a small aerial photography business that mainly works with real estate. I spend a lot of time with my church and enjoy serving in various ministries there.
- We love to hear what other recording artists are vibing to. What are a few songs that are personally on repeat for you or at the top of the pack in your personal playlist?
I vibe to Joji every day. Afterthought is my favorite song, Normal people, Daylight, 777, Like you do, Slow dancing in the dark, I mean I could list most of this dude’s music.
I binge listen to Poppy’s music, I disagree, Sick of the Sun, Nothing I need.
Begin by Shalou, Passionfruit by Drake, lots of Muse.
Mutemath will always be on my playlist.
- What’s next up musically for you in 2022? Any projects, features or live shows on the horizon?
I actually would love to perform at a festival, so I have began reaching out to people who would potentially be able to play for me! I doubt that would be 2022, but maybe ’23?
As for 2022 I want to collaborate, get media exposure, and I have 3 singles already in mid-production. I should be dropping a song near the first of February! I am working on getting more videos and photos, and I hope to film two music videos this year. So much stuff to look forward to this year – so please stay tuned!
Connect with Jish
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rootsareveins
- SoundBirth Link: https://soundbirth.lnk.to/Jish
- Soundcloud: https://www.soundcloud.com/thejishmusic
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