J Brown R&B Singer and Songwriter Brings back that Feel-Good Music

 

J Brown R&B Singer and Songwriter, Brings back that “Feel-Good Music”

Written by Aaron Robinosn and Tocarra Eldridge @iamComprehend @TocarraMusikWorld

 

With music running through his blood with Motown legendary musicians, it’s evident that R&B singer J Brown was birthed to give music lovers a unique sound to vibe to for this generation. Having a voice like any other, the talented artist continues to hone in on his craft to release passionate and “feel-good music” for the masses.

 

Over the course of J Brown’s career, He has ranked on the Billboard Charts with several of his hit songs, such as “Moon”, “Sunrise Sunset” “2U” and “Vibe”, just to name several.

 

Consciousness Magazine was able to catch up to the R&B singer. Here is what he has to share with his listeners and fans regarding his passion for music, his inspiration and latest happenings.

 

Aaron Robinson: Hi J Brown, I just want to thank you for taking time out of your busy schedule to pursue this interview with Consciousness Magazine.

J Brown: Thank you! I appreciate you offering to interview me. I really do.

 

Aaron: Most definitely, most definitely. So, J Brown, what was your inspiration or what inspired you to become a singer?

J Brown: I would have to say my inspiration would be my mother and just my overall love for music. You know, my love for R&B and gospel. It started in the church. So that's what my initial attraction to music came from, just basically seeing choirs and performing talent shows. So that's what kind of sparked my interest in pursuing it. Once I realized that people enjoyed listening to me, I said, ‘well, maybe I can make a career out of this’, so that's how it came about.

 

Tocarra: Very nice! Your mother was a singer and was signed to Motown Records back in the day. As a youth, what was that like for you having that type of music history exposed to you in your family?

J Brown: Well, my mother wasn't signed to Motown. People always say that she was signed to Motown. I'm always like ‘no, she wasn't signed.’ She was managed by Smokey Robinson. Both my mom and my aunts were about to get signed to Motown. However, my mom ended up pregnant with my older brother. Obviously, I didn't exist at the time, but she ended up pregnant with him and then everything kind of went downhill in terms of the deal because - well they were young, relatively young teenagers and I guess that it just wasn't a good look for Berry Gordy. So, my mom gave me inspiration as well, but she never really pushed me to do music. She never said that I should pursue music because of this or that. It was more so just me – being around certain energy in terms of being in the church or being around certain friends that kind of piqued my interest in wanting to pursue music. My mom never really played a part in me deciding to become a singer.

 

Aaron: Okay, interesting. I came across where you song the national anthem at the Pistons and Lions game and you also performed for President Bill Clinton. What type of experience was this for you?

J Brown: So the national anthem, I've done that quite a few times. Considering the history behind it, not to say the history is good history...if you know what I'm alluding to. In terms of the national anthem, you know traditionally you know you don't want to mess it up. So, that was an experience in itself, but, in terms of the President of the United States, that was a phenomenal experience because it was for a black history program.  I believe I sang ‘Walk With Me’. You know, Bill Clinton is a fan of jazz and gospel. So, he literally told me he shed a tear and that right there was definitely a memorable experience. The President of the United States telling you something like that – that’s just not something that happens every day.

 

Tocarra: Wow! Yeh, that’s big! You have a new single out titled “Vibe”. Can you tell us about this song?

J Brown: Vibe is a groovy track that my team and I came up with. It's just something fun that not only mature people can listen to, but younger people can listen to it as well as families. You know, if you had a nice gathering, a barbecue in particular...it’s that feel-good music. This is definitely that record for the summer. It's something that people have been gravitated towards, because that's just the feel of it. It's something that people have always enjoyed – that particular style, but now that it's come back, it's kind of like ‘oh wow!’, you know it's like Bruno Mars. Bruno Mars is bringing back that old school groovy type. That sound has been kind of swept under the rug for so long. But, now there's certain artists like Bruno Mars, myself and other artists that are bringing that sound back. So it was just a familiar sound that I wanted to bring back, something fun for people to enjoy. Its number 13 on the Billboard charts, so it's apparently serving its purpose.

 

Aaron: That's great! I've been checking you out for like the whole week since we knew we were going to interview you. I was. I’m feeling your music for real.

J Brown: I appreciate that!

 

Aaron: No problem and you also have a sophomore EP coming out this summer. Can you tell us about this amazing project?

J Brown: Yeah, it's kinda like that old school feel because I'm a fan of old school music. I'm not an old school artist. A lot of people say you have an old school sound. I'm like, nah, I just love R&B, so I sing whatever feels good. But, this new project is going to be more of that mid 2000s R&B, you know, like Jagged Edge, 112 and Dru Hill. Even though they came out in the late 90s, but, it has that mid 2000s kind of sound. It's definitely one that I hope you guys support. 

 

Tocarra: With your music you capture that “old school feel”, however staying relevant to today. Why did you choose to go that direction with your music?

J Brown:  I felt like it is something that's been missing for a while, and that's where it all started. You know, a lot of people have this new sound; I can't even refer to it as R&B. I don't even know what a lot of this stuff is out here. Some of it is really good, but things that I grew up on that I consider R&B is something that I've always wanted to put out there – something that I've always been a fan of, whether I was listening to it or singing it. So that's why I decided to go with the sound that I've been kind of flowing with for a few years now because it's just something that I grew up on, something that has been familiar for quite a while. I knew there was still a fan base for that because a lot of people who say, oh R&B no longer exists, well now we're bringing it back so it's kind of like you can't say it doesn't exist anymore because it has now resurfaced. So I just knew it was a familiar sound that a lot of people would gravitate towards.

 

Aaron:  That's great, that's great! I read where you attended Grambling State University on a full academic scholarship.

J Brown:  I had a baseball scholarship and a choir scholarship.

 

Aaron: Wow wow, nice nice! So in terms of music, how important was it for you to receive your education?

J Brown: Education is always key. Some people say you shouldn't refer to it as a backup plan. But let's be realistic here. You need a backup plan. I don't care what anyone says. You need one, you know. So, education has always been near and dear to my heart. My parents were both educators and having a long list of educators in my family, so I knew that I had to go to school and finish my degree. I felt like if I was ever gonna pursue music I wanted to have something to fall back on. School is obviously important. It helped me too in a sense of promoting myself at a university campus because I would do a lot of talent shows and from there people would gravitate towards me and gain popularity and pledge fraternities and all of that stuff. School was definitely worth it.

 

Aaron: Great and I know you have had a very interesting music journey. Would you like to share any inspiring words or words of encouragement for upcoming and inspiring singers or musicians?

J Brown: Yes, for those who are planning on pursuing a music career, I would just honestly say as cliche as it may sound, keep fighting a good fight and never take no for an answer. There may be a few “no’s”, but there's always people who will say “yes”. So if you believe in your dreams and you are progressively trying to figure out a way to make it, I would say continue on no matter what, because at the end of the day it's your dream. If you're passionate about it, if you believe in yourself and if you find someone who believes in you, that's like the icing on the cake. Just always stay focused because at the end of the day, there’s thousands of individuals like me out there, but you gotta figure out a way to stand out amongst the crowd. So just keep working diligently, perfecting your craft, staying hungry and remaining humble always.

 

Tocarra: That's great advice. J Brown, this concludes your interview. Would you like to share anything that we haven’t discussed?

J Brown: Thank you! So you guys who are checking this out follow me on Instagram. Check out my new single entitled “Vibe” available on all downloadable platforms. You can also check out my EP “Forever Yours”.  I'm dropping my new EP this summer so y'all follow me and support me. I'll support y'all back. Support black people. Let's rock.

 

Aaron: Absolutely J Brown!

J Brown: I appreciate you. May you be blessed and stay safe.

Tocarra: You too, have a great rest of the day.

 

 

For more information about J Brown and to keep up with his Latest Happenings visit: www.jbrownmusionly.com

Follow J Brown:

https://instagram.com/jbrownmusiconly and https://twitter.com/jbrownmusiconly