With his successful single 'Tempted', making Barack Obama’s Summer Playlist, the young talent talks about the importance of TikTok, signing for a UK-based label and more
J'calm, obsessed with creating music
A popular trait amongst the new artistes of Jamaica’s music industry, is their ability to possess natural talent. The same can be said for rising talent Jovane Gayle popularly known as “J’Calm”, a new and upcoming artiste who has taken high strides so far in his musical career. Discussing the success of his 2022 break-out single “Tempted”, being selected as the only Caribbean artiste in previous U.S president’s Barack Obama summer playlist and working on his new EP, J’Calm in an interview with Kaboom Magazine.
Diving into the start of his musical career, Gayle expressed his obsession with creating music. "Music has always been an obsession for me as early as five years old", the self-made artiste zealously explained. "When I was younger RnB was very popular. In that era, we had artistes like Chris Brown, Rihanna and the legendary Michael Jackson who sometimes I’d even imitate", he jokingly added.
Giving us perspective on his passion for music, the 18-year-old described the pandemic as the peak of his inspiration. "When Covid hit I was obsessed with music production. I definitely took the time to perfect my craft", the talented singer shared. "I was just fascinated with everything in the industry. I got bored making beats and instrumentals. Now I’m inspired to do vocals and it has really been an experimental exercise especially with sounds I grew up listening", Gayle added.
Acknowledging inspiration from artistes such as Chronix, Protoje, Chris Brown and Michael Jackson, J’Calm describes his musical style as a compilation of fusion music. "Honestly, it’s a fusion mixture of all music I listen to RnB, Dancehall, Afro Beats and a touch of reggae. It’s pretty much a combination of multiple genres", He keenly explained.
Revealing his desire to go further in the industry, J’ Can explained his contentment with his success while yearning to do more. "Honestly, I really feel good however, I still know that I am not where I need to be", the rising talent humbly explained. "I’m blessed, hungry and appreciative of how far I’ve come and I am ready to go further", Jovane added.
With his 2022 single 'Tempted' most recently gaining recognition on past U.S president Barack Obama’s highly anticipated Summer Playlist, the articulated young artiste expressed his deep appreciation for the success of the single. "It was a moment that was both magical yet very unreal", Gayle shockingly revealed. "It was just amazing and I was seriously in disbelief. The comments were flooded by people and to know I was the youngest and only Caribbean native on the list was just a crazy experience", Jovane added with gratitude.
Gaining millions of views on social media app TikTok, J’Calm advised his audience on how the platform can help to boost their career. "This is a platform that was made to help people be discovered", the intellectual artiste explained. "Marketing and Advertising is very important, sometimes even more than talent. The key to an everlasting career is being consistent with a marketing strategy and a dominating social media presence", J’Calm revealed.
Adding to his groundbreaking achievements, J’Calm has also signed a deal with UK-based label "5K Records", being young and from the Caribbean, the teenager highlighted his experience and hopes it will elevate his career. "It has truly been a blessing that people can internationally see my talent and they want to invest in me", Jovane explained. "As a record label, I believe they will really push and teach me, the relationship is amazing," the young talent happily added.
"It’s the start of something new and I’m ready as it’s only the beginning"
With hopes to work with artistes such as Chris Brown, Burna Boy, Shenseea and Jada Kingdom, J’Calm aims to exude greatness as he continues his musical career. Working on his new EP, fans will be excited as J’Calm plans to highlight who is while introducing himself to the world. "This EP will highlight who I am and introduce my sound and my style to the world. It’s the start of something new and I’m ready as it’s only the beginning", he concluded.
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