“I love being in a creative industry. At the end of the day it is “business,” and I think that’s the hardest part for artist to handle. We all love music. Music is fun! But the music business is the commercial trading of your art. It is not as fun, because you are the product. It’s a very personal profession, which can cause struggles. ” – @iamzimri

Listen to the Interview
Episode #292 : A.V.A Live Radio Behind The Music with Jacqueline Jax : http://www.blogtalkradio.com/avaliveradio/2016/01/27/episode-292-ava-live-radio-behind-the-music-with-jacqueline-jax

GETTING TO KNOW ZIMRI
by Jacqueline Jax host of A.V.A Live Radio

Music Business…
I think that it is harder for females. I think there is good and bad in any job you have or industry you pick. I’ve already learned too much about this one to leave. I think it’s not for the faint of heart, and it’s not for people that need security. However, I love being in a creative industry. At the end of the day it is “business,” and I think that’s the hardest part for artist to handle. We all love music. Music is fun! But the music business is the commercial trading of your art. It is not as fun, because you are the product. It’s a very personal profession, which can cause struggles.

Pros and cons…
It’s a flaky business. Artists are great to work with as far as inspiration, but it’s frustrating when people don’t respect business protocols. Talent also isn’t directly correlated with success. You have to keep learning and strategizing to create whatever career is best for you. Also, as I mentioned earlier.. trying to figure out the ‘business’ approach to your art is complicated. It’s a completely different dynamic.

The pros are…
that there is opportunity for everyone. You can find and create your own audience. You have freedom of expression. It’s not a 9 to 5, it’s a 24/7 gig. That in itself has pros and cons. It’s a beautiful place to be though, because I do think it allows you to live a full and fascinating life. We all get to share our story, if we want.

Overcoming hurdles and pitfalls…
I do it everyday. I just do it. You have to.

Social media…
gives you direct access to your fans. It puts more of the power into our hands to reach audiences, get feedback and monetize our business.

Challenges of social…
I am not that big into posting everything I do. I don’t really FOLLOW people on social media. I don’t really care about their lives, so it’s hard to try to beg people to care about mine. I buy people’s music, whether they post everyday or not. I’m an artisan. I’m a hippie. I just want to make incredibly awesome art by dedicating time and investing my efforts. I would hope that THAT would be what fans are interested in. The fact that I have worked hard to create something they will enjoy.

I live my life. And it’s very interesting. I just don’t think about posting until after the fact. I just need to get into the habit of it, and it’s definitely a weakness that I need to strengthen.

Singles vs an album…
I believe in both. I think that a single is a great way to prepare people for your album. You have something to promote, that shows your style and abilities, and allows people to start getting to know you. It opens to door.

I think coming out with an album before you have a fan base is a waste of product. If you have spent a lot of time on something you want to make sure you can get the most out of it. Nobody cares enough about you to listen to 10 of your songs. Give them 1 and make them want more…. but eventually, give them more. Have some sort of album in the works. From there you move forward to the next project, but you have at least started identifying your brand.

Content creation is key…
Also, I would advise not to hold onto your product in hopes of a record deal or whatever. Put it out. You can’t hype one thing too much. If you are as talented as you think you are, then you can do it again. You can keep creating. You will also grow and have new things to write about. Release your content and keep creating. That is what will really stimulate your audience and keep them attentive. They know you’ll continue producing.

I would love to have 5 minutes alone with…
Honestly. I could maybe mention a few successful people, but I don’t admire anyone more than Jesus. I’m not inspired by anyone more than Jesus. It’s my only mission in this world is to praise Him whole-heartedly in everything that I do.

I ask Him to inspire me everyday. The life I live is inspiration. The world we live in is inspiration. The people we meet are inspiration. What else do we need? I am just a vessel. I was given a talent.

Otherwise, I’d say Dolly Parton, Bonnie Raitt, Debbie Harry, Tracy Chapman. Just strong, talented women. With great careers and great respect. That’s a huge accomplishment.

Do you find that there is to much emphasis on being current and trendy…
I think that when everyone is telling you what is current and you copy it, then you aren’t current. The trendy people are the ones that don’t follow the pack and do their own thing. That eventually becomes the new trend. You can’t try to be something cool… it’ll never make you cool. Also, nothing is current, nothing is new. Everything has been done. It’s all about taking your own spin on it. And again, not really caring what people say. Find your following.

I think taste is something that can’t be taught…
So you do need to have taste, meaning you can’t just make music that sounds bad and think that will sell. There are some rules. There are things that are technically correct, elements that must be learned and applied. Then, you can have artistic freedom around that. Just like you don’t wear shoes on your hands… some things don’t work. Once you learn the rules, you can learn how to stretch them.

I am most afraid of…
Having my career be in other people’s hands.

Success is…
accomplishment. Accomplishment is setting a goal and achieving it.

I’ve had several success stories…
big and small. I think that every door that opens is a success. Our job is about knocking down doors, and many never open. So, when someone responds to you with interest that is a success! That means your hard work is seeing some sort of reward or the opportunity for it.

A success story in particular is that I was chosen by BeatPort an ID&T to sing the theme song of their Mysteryland USA festival. I had been singing and writing for a long time, connecting with different people in the industry. Finally, one night we were at someone’s house and my friend played my music. If I hadn’t already had some sort of product and proof that I could sing, I would have never gotten the opportunity. Anyway, a producer was in the room and he heard my voice. He wanted to collaborate with me, so we stayed in touch. When he got asked by BeatPort to find a singer, he called me. Then it was the follow through. I had to sing the song and submit it to them for approval. When they chose me it was such a victory. It was reassurance that I am a professional and earned the shot. I proved myself. When push came to shove, I delivered. You never know when an opportunity is going to come or how often. You can be in a dry spell and then get a call. But when the opportunity comes…. be ready and give it your all! If it falls through… don’t worry. There will be more. You can’t get EVERY opportunity. It’s just be too much.

My over all goal for my life & career is…
I want to help be an example of a Christianity by sharing love and happiness.
When you are happy, you can’t help but share it. It is an endless river. By giving away happiness, it doesn’t make you any less happy. No matter what level of success I’m at, I will be happy. That’s not what indicates happiness. It’s being appreciative for what you already have. And love. I love love. Everyone needs love.

3 Ways that I challenge myself…
1) Perseverance. The best thing I have learned is quitters never win.

2) Patience. Gosh, the whole ‘timing is everything’ is really annoying… but work hard and be patient. A lot of things are out of our control. And forcing something to happen will never feel right.

3) Always learn new things. Time is going by and you need to be learning and gaining competitive advantage. People out there want your dream as badly as you and are working while you sleep. Don’t just settle for being skilled at one thing. Learn as much as you can. Then you are capable of more, have more to offer and feel more value.

I grew up as a competitive dancer…
so I always loved expressing myself on a musical platform. At a certain age though, I started to feel like dancing wasn’t the form of entertainment that I wanted a career in. I wanted to connect with the audience in a different way.

I started singing around the dance studio and was encouraged to pursue it further. At 15 years old, I was ‘discovered’ by Brady Seals of Little Texas. He was looking to take on a mentor-ship role, and I needed a coach. He helped me learn a lot about the business. I practiced songwriting, had live performances, took meetings with executives, and gained studio experience. Brady was generous in opening up doors for me and helping me find opportunities. It was a great start to my future as an artist.

REM…
In Los Angeles, I was connected with an incredible songwriter, Daphne Willis. She actually lives in Nashville now, too. At the time, we walked into a studio and were pitched a few different pre-made Pop/Dance tracks. Our job was to ‘topline.’ We chose a track that felt like our style (the track used in REM today). A producer, AV, was in the room and mentioned to us an idea that he had about seeing someone in your dreams, but it didn’t develop into a “man of my dreams” kind of song. It became a “it’s hard to live without you” song. Daphne and I then spent the day figuring out how to tell the story and what to draw inspiration from. https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/rem/id1038731662?i=1038731663

Daphne is great with hooks and came up with the line REM. I started drawing memories from a past relationship to be able to convey a genuine emotion.

I clearly am influenced by Michelle Branch…
because the chorus line “I feel you everywhere” reminds me of her song “Everywhere.” There’s something so epic about it. I felt like I was floating, when I sang it. My eyes were shut, arms out wide, just thinking of the word ‘everywhere.’

The demo vocals that I recorded are the vocals still used in the REM track to date. I couldn’t recreate the energy that we had in that room. It was inspirational. I could feel it, when I sang. I also had Daphne hop on the background harmonies. She’s the best.

The song is almost a contradiction, because it has a mix of happiness and sorrow. I didn’t want it to be too specific to the details of my relationship; I wanted it to be able to be applied to the listener’s story, as well. There are many ways to lose love, and I just wanted to let people know that I could relate to that. The feeling. All of my songs are about the feeling shared more than the story shared. The lyrics aren’t the only significant part. The music plays a big role in the presentation.

I ended up being the final producer of the song, when I added Country instruments. REM now has dobro, acoustic guitar, and mandolin to really put it in a category of it’s own.

My music is Pop, Dance and Country combined…
I am proud of the way this project has been executed, because it could easily have become a mess. Since I am from Nashville, but developed a lot of my music taste and style in Los Angeles, I can’t help but be a combination of sounds. I was lucky to have had a producer, John “J-Hi” Hiler to help translate my preferences into a solid product. It takes a great relationship in the studio to be able to communication and emulate your thoughts.

The album is a project…
It is 7 songs and takes a new approach on the concept of the 7 sins. REM is sloth. Each song feels like a different sin. I’m almost narrating the actions. One of them feels like lust, and the other feels like wrath. The goal is to relate on the most primal level to human nature, while still sending a strong message about our choices and consequences. I have literally lived through it. I initially just wrote these songs about my life. It wasn’t until after the fact that I took a different perspective and realized this could be an opportunity to share something greater. It’s like fate. I mean I happened to write 7 songs and they are the exact identity of each sin. I clearly needed to make some life changes, but it makes for a great, relatable story. The purpose is not to offend anyone, but to challenge them… cause them to think. I can only tell my truth, and I think this is a fun and interesting approach.

I am very passionate about this project…
I just want it to exist… to put it out there in the world. This product will outlive my life and reach people that I may never have reached.

I plan to market it…
the best that I can without having a major budget behind me. I hope that it eventually becomes a word of mouth sale, instead of it being pushed in people’s faces through marketing. I will have it play on radio and do my best to share it, but, if people come across it, my hope is that they like it, appreciate it and pass it on.

 

I am back in Nashville now…
but I have spent the past 4 years in Hollywood. I loved soaking up the culture and putting myself in a unique environment. It caused so much growth. I was such a part of that scene, that I feel blessed to have the ability to share it with people that haven’t been and may never get the chance.

In Los Angeles…
the music scene is a lot about the nightlife. In Hollywood, I loved going to nightclubs; however, I can say people go for different reasons. For me, I was able to research current songs and trends, and see how the crowds responded. I was also able to meet other talent in my industry. You have to maneuver, though, because it’s all about who you know. Sunset Strip is a cool area as well.

In Nashville…
Broadway is like Hollywood Blvd. It’s where all the tourists go. It’s fun and there is live entertainment, but I would say that East Nashville, Midtown and 12 South are the areas, where locals hang. Except for ACME. ACME on Broadway is a cool spot. They don’t play Country and it’s a young, hip crowd.

I love going to church at the Belonging Co….
It is literally the best. My home church in Los Angeles, is Mosaic. Either one of these are incredible experiences. I also love getting tattoos and piercings.

Website: www.iamzimri.com