What is your background? tell us where you grew up and some information about your upbringing/experiences as a youth:
I am from a Jamaican descent and grew up in West London from a single parent home, you know the typical hood story. I went through a lot when I was growing up treading that fine line of being troublesome and not getting into trouble lol . Staying out of trouble on the road and growing up in the hood made me see the struggles of real life without any money and having a passion for something to get me out.
At what moment did you know that music was part of your life and what feelings did you have towards making an active impact with your music?
I knew from a very early age, about 5 or 6 I would say, that music was a large part of my life. Being a 90s baby, I grew up in the era of TV where R&B was being played like mad it was the in thing at the time. The feelings I had towards making an active impact with my music were positive. I wanted to lead by example and show people that it isn’t all about where you are from to get where you would like to be and at the same time telling my story of the things I have been through. Everyone has a start regardless if it is good or bad.
What artists inspired/influences you and if you could collaborate with any artist (alive or passed) who would it be and why?
Lets start from the beginning. Music has changed over the years but for art form and content, the artists that I base myself on are Usher, Donnel Jones, Joe, Bobby Valentino, B2K, Ty Dollar $ign, of course Drake, J Cole, Kendrick Lamar, Biggie, Jagged Edge, 112,Trey Songz, Chris Brown, Bryson Tiller, Tory Lanez, Jay Z and Tupac just to name a few. The list can go on forever but you know, nobody ain’t got time to hear me babble on like that, lol. As for my ultimate collaboration, dead or alive, that’s a real hard one because I would love to feature with Drake, definitely J Cole and Kendrick Lamar, Jay Z, Tupac, Biggie, Jagged Edge, 112, Trey Songz, Chris Brown, Bryson Tiller, Tory Lanez, Haile (WSTRN) and Tinashe. I chose these artists because one, it would be a new era of music, a collaboration that the world has never heard before and two, these are people that I highly respect for the music that they create.
What do you think about the current state of hip hop/mainstream music?
My view on the current state of hip hop/mainstream music is that the scene is very healthy right now. The music that both America and the UK are coming out with recognition wise is very up there, where people are taking notice of the culture and noticing unsigned artists as well as established artists.
Currently, what projects do you have in the works that you are most excited about?
I have a few videos coming out off of my Crown EP, release date soon tbc and I am also working on another project but all in all I am just loving creating music right now.
What are your short term career goals within the next 6-10 months?
My short term career goals are to stay consistent man make as much music and shoot as much visuals as I can release my my EP and do hella performances. Shows all of the time.
What are your long term career goals within the next 2-5 years?
My long term career goals are to carry on making good quality music, grow and mature. Put out an album and nail some features from some of the people on my list of artists I would love to do a song with. Also, you can’t forget a world tour.
If you had one song out of the catalogue you have created to show a person what song would it be and why?
See this changes for me everyday, because certain days I feel different songs so it depends on my mood. As of today, my answer to that question would be “NO” produced by Shakey Biz, my tune that I sampled off of a classic TLC song called “No Scrubs” My reason for this is everything from the beat, to the video just rolls hand in hand. It’s a story that I love to tell, giving the male’s perspective of a relationship gone sour.
To the person who had never heard of you what is it about your music and story that you would tell them to entice them to be a supporter?
I would tell them that my music is something that sometimes you can just vibe to, or be really hyped to etc. This is me saying that almost all of my songs are completely different to the next, meaning that my album wouldn’t be something that you would hear and expect to know what the next song would sound like. I like the fact that I am not predictable and that I keep my music honest and vulnerable, meaning that I show the personal side of me within my music.
If your music could be described in five words what would those five words be?
Unique
Honest
R&G
Inspirational
Original
What do you bring to the game that is unique and different?
Vulnerability, honesty and vibes that you have never heard before
To the aspiring artist who is considering a career as a musician what lessons or advice would you give them to inspire them or to uplift them in the journey?
To keep working hard and to keep working on their craft, whether that is songwriting, singing, rapping, producing etc. I would also tell them to be stubborn, if it is what they believe in then they should keep fighting and never take no for an answer.
What are your social media profiles and where can people purchase/download your music?
Twitter: JokshanOfficial
Instagram: JokshanOfficial
Facebook: JokshanOfficial
SnapChat: JokshanOfficial
What are your final words you would like to say to people that you have left out?
Fight to make your dreams reality.