- J!NNA on his musical career and more
His career was supported and made possible by Revealed Recordings, owned by the well-known artist Hardwell for the track Ceylonely (Digital Empire Records).
We at Brunch had a chat with him on his career and more.
What inspired you to get into music?
Well, I have been a fan of music since I was very small and my whole family was into music despite the genre or language. Just like other kids in my school I had a very interesting hobby which nobody my age would ever think of, which was collecting songs and sorting them out in different genres. I had a good collection of songs where I used to play them when friends came over or during small parties and everyone liked them. This paved the way for me to become a DJ later even though I started learning music production before starting to DJ professionally.
What was the biggest challenge you faced in your career?
As I am an electronic dance music producer, the major problem I faced was the lack of professional colleges or academies that teach electronic music production for beginners. I’m a self-taught producer; I learnt everything through YouTube tutorials, web articles, and by experimenting on my own, which was a bit of a challenge I faced. Moreover, when considering the social status or recognition given for electronic music producers/DJs in Sri Lanka, I’m very disappointed because people here really underestimate them.
Which song of yours is closest to your heart and why?
The song which is really close to my heart is Rhythmo which was my very first song to be released on a record label called Electronic Future Records based in Sweden which polished me as it made me learn all the procedures behind song distribution and I learnt a lot through that song.
What is the procedure behind your song making?
I’m a musically driven artist. I care a lot about my melodies and chord progressions. Therefore, I usually come up with a small melody in my head or any vocal idea and I build my track around it with my own unique sounds. There’s no exact procedure to my song making. Sometimes I start my projects straight away from the drop and then continue to complete the intros and breaks but sometimes it goes the other way around. It all depends on the first idea in my head.
How important do you think it is to write original music?
I think writing original music is a crucial part for an artist as it is the thing that symbolises the specific artist’s style and his/her sounds. Writing original music can help artists’ growth since he or she can take it as their own property and that will help people remember them through their originals. Covers and remixes can be considered a good chance to experiment different sounds but at the end of the day I think a successful artist should always have their own originals.
What is the message you want to send out with your music?
There’s nothing specific but I make music to make people happy. I usually make happy/uplifting songs which will help people get through their day. In fact, if I can bring up a single smile through my music, I think I’m successful.
What is your opinion of the music industry in Sri Lanka?
To be honest, I’m really pleased with the evolution of the music industry occurring right now in the country. People are exposed to different types of music and their taste for music is widening compared to years back, which helps various types of underrated artists show up. Furthermore, Sri Lankan artists are getting worldwide exposure, which they deserve, by being signed by international record labels, performing in international shows/concerts, etc. I think every artist deserves recognition and support as I know how much effort they put up to bring out something unique.
In terms of Covid, how do you think this third wave will affect the music industry and do you have any suggestions or plans on how to keep it alive?
Well, the pandemic era and the lockdown have unfavourably affected the music industry a lot. Most of the artists couldn’t perform in live shows and all the planned events have been postponed without any due date. But on the good side, I think this is the perfect time for artists to develop their skills as they have plenty of time to experiment and learn new things. Virtual events have been introduced to the music industry, but in my opinion, I don’t think it’s a success. For me, I have been producing a lot of music and trying new things to get exposure so that I can use newly learnt skills in my future projects.
What is 2021 looking like for you? Any future plans?
I’d say 2021 was really successful for me as I was able to achieve some accomplishments such as releasing a Sinhala electronic dance music song called Madhahase alongside with the vocalist Jizzy, which was released on Senter Records, owned by DJ Mass (a big shout out to him). Moreover, I released another track called Ceylonely, which has traditional Sinhala vocals with a powerful drop which was released via Digital Empire Records based in Peru and gained a lot of popularity on Beatport and Spotify, and also the track Turn it up Loud with my best buddy KYZE via Digital Empire Records. When talking about future plans, I have a couple of releases in the coming months with artists such as BLAXE, The Tedy, Chehara, and Mophyne. My effort is to bring out Sinhala pop vibes along with a twist of dance music, which I think is becoming trending nowadays.