Singer-songwriter and producer J. Adams hails from the historic Selma, Alabama. Currently, he works out of a home studio called, “Evan’s Room,” in Prattville, Alabama where he resides. His passion in music started at a young age, riding in the car hearing timeless songs from the likes of Donell Jones and Joe. His musical ability in production, singing, songwriting, and engineering are all self-taught from videos, practical application, forums, and trial and error, focusing on topics of relationships and the trials of self-realization.
With his single, “Always Me,” out now, we took some time to hear more from J. Adams. Read below to learn more about J. Adams, the story behind his single, and what’s to come.
Hi J. Adams! Let’s start with how did you get your artist name?
Well, my artist name is really just my first initial and last name. I originally started using it in that fashion about a decade ago when I first began dabbling in music.
What city are you from and where are you based now?
I’m originally from Selma, Alabama. I’m based about 40 or so miles up the road from there now in Prattville.
At what point in your life did you decide to pursue a career in music? How did you get started?
It’s funny that I’ve been doing music for a good while now. I started around 2009, and I really just started pursuing it a couple of years ago. I originally used to get beats from Soundclick and recorded them on a Dell laptop with a USB Guitar Hero mic in a free program called Audacity haha. We used to record everywhere, even on the porch, where we had to wait for cars to pass by to redo a verse haha.
Has your upbringing played a role in shaping who you are and defining your sound today? If so, how?
Yeah, my upbringing definitely has a lot to do with who I am today. I was raised by my mom in a single parent household. We didn’t have it all, but she definitely grinded hard to make sure that I never went without anything that I ever needed. The older I’ve gotten, the more I respect that type of upbringing and watching hard work pay off in the end. As far as my sound, I think me being from the South, there’s definitely a Trap element engraved, but growing up listening to R&B during the 90’s definitely still has a major influence on my sound. I think I kind of have a blend of the two, with some other elements that may have inspired me in later years.
How would you describe your sound to readers who may not be familiar with you?
I like to think of my sound as light vocals and beautiful chords, with a little bass haha. Just chill vibes, really. I usually prefer a certain type of bounce and lowend character when I choose beats, as well as a certain complexity in the chord progressions. I rap on a lot of my songs because I really just enjoy adding a different dynamic to the music. It also allows me to play with words more freely.
Do you have any hobbies outside of music? What do you do to stay creative?
Outside of music, I like to hang out with my 4 year old son. He’s the best fasho. I recently just tapped into poetry though. I’m not a professional, but being a songwriter, I naturally have a way with words, so I enjoy writing some poetry these days – kind of like an extension to the songs that I write sometimes, to expand deeper on those ideas and thoughts.
Who are some of your main musical influences?
I think my main musical influences, right now, are probably Frank Ocean, Rick Ross, The Dream, and Pharrell. I really respect how they all do their own thing and go beyond the mainstream sound. All of which have done it over a sustained period of time.
Who would be a dream to collaborate with?
Dream collab would be Rick Ross, like an Aston Martin music or something like that.
What are some of your future music career goals?
Honestly, I make music for therapy, for enjoyment, and for people who feel the way that I do. My goal is to build a following of people who desire my type of music, and my perspective and approach to expression. This way I can continue to make music that matters, music that helps people through different aspects of their life ya know. Accolades and achievements are nothing without the fans and purpose behind the music.
Now onto your release, “Always Me.” What inspired this song?
“Always Me” was inspired by a past relationship.
What is “Always Me” about in your own words?
You know, just being with a person who can never accept their own faults, every issue is always me, not them. No matter the facts of the situation, they always try to spin a situation back to you instead of accepting that they’re wrong.
What is your favorite lyric in “Always Me” and why?
“Cause dealing with you like walking through minefields, tryna get through our lil situation but you up on your mime skills.”
I think that really it’s just the essence of the entire situation. The minefields line is an expression meaning it just turns to chaos out of nowhere really over minor things, and the mime skills line is really just the loss of communication. I can’t read your mind.
What message do you hope fans take away from your music and from “Always Me?”
I think for me, that song was really just about letting go of all of that. You can’t argue logic to a person who doesn’t think logically, so if what you believe is what helps you sleep at night, then I’ll let you believe it.
What’s one of your proudest moments of your music career so far?
I think my proudest moments really are just the love that I receive from people. You don’t really know how people will receive your music until you put it out, so it’s always rewarding to know that your ideas mean something to people you don’t even know. It’s also pretty cool when my kid is walking around singing songs or telling people his dad is on YouTube haha.
What would you say are the greatest lessons you’ve learned so far?
I think the greatest lesson that I’ve learned, so far, really is to just stay working. It’s a marathon for sure. I don’t think a lot of people really understand how much work goes into doing music. It’s really a full-time gig with no set hours, just constant working and learning. I enjoy the process though.
What’s next for you? Are you working on any upcoming projects that we should be on the lookout for?
No dates at the moment, but I do have a project that I’m working on, currently, that will be put out this year. I do have a couple of singles ready, in the meantime, just looking into strategies for those.
Where can we follow you on social media?
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/1jadamz/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/1jadamz
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/JAdams1
Read more music press releases at ClichéMag.com
Image provided by Carl Adams
