[Interview] Jhameel Spreads A Positive Message Through His Music

Jhameel recently performed at the Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena as one of the opening acts for the second night of KCON 2014. Jhameel also appeared at KCON as one of the featured special guests.

When Jhameel performed, the audience enthusiastically took notice. KCON 2014 provided Jhameel with an opportunity to extend past his original audience base into the new horizon of K-Pop fans.

The singer-songwriter delivers a positive message to his youthful audience. Many of his fans turned out to see him perform at KCON, even though he is not a K-Pop artist. His cross-over appeal was best witnessed when we met Jhameel, following one of his performances.

As we walked through the convention area, fans stopped Jhameel to take photos and pass on messages of how his music impacted their lives.

Jhameel is fascinating, in that he delivers cross-cultural appeal which extends past his music into his overall persona, in a way that many Korean entertainment companies have endlessly tried to capture but often fail in executing. His music can be heard while shopping at leading teen retailers like Forever 21 and he has developed a following which extends past YouTube.

Jhameel was also recently announced as a contestant on the upcoming season of "American Idol."

Check out Jhameel in his video for "Feisty."

Kpopstarz had the opportunity to talk with Jhameel about his future plans and the impact his music has had on his fans.

 What inspired you to pursue music over your original dream to work within the military?

It is more of a clear decision, over inspiration. When I went to boot camp in Kentucky, I saw a lot of things that I would not be okay with in terms of dedicated my life to. It was during the War in Iraq. It would have been ethically challenging and I had so music backed up in my head. I made an album and it became a natural progression from there.

You are a musician whose music has been played within public areas. What was it like to hear your
song in public, for the first time.

I go to H&M and I hear “Why Lie” all the time.

What does that feel like?

Bizarre. “Why Lie” is my most popular song and took the least amount of effort that I put into a song.
It is bizarre to hear something that I wrote and recorded in twenty minutes in a mall. I had spent months on songs before, but that song remains so popular.

The creative process is interesting. What people enjoy and what you think they will can be two entirely different things. What are your thoughts on this? 

People want the songs that come from your gut. Sometimes they may only take twenty minutes.

 As someone who is multilingual, what are your thoughts on the globalization of K-Pop?

Just being at KCON is the first time I have been exposed to how globalized it [K-Pop] is. I am seeing people from all different races speaking Korean. That's crazy. That's just cool to look at. I see White people and Black people speaking in Korean. That's a good sign. One the main things that K-Pop was lacking for a while was how it exclusive it was. The fact that it is opening up to the world, that is good for Asia, Korea, and everyone.

You have become known for delivering a positive message for the youth audience. What advice would you give for someone who is young is not quite sure about the career path they should pursue?

Don't be afraid to make mistakes. Make a lot of mistakes. Mistakes are one of the only ways you obtain wisdom. That's where you know you will get better. I wrote at least two hundred bad songs before writing the really good ones.

What has been your favorite moment at KCON 2014? 

The meet and greet was insane. I thought there would be five people there. There was a giant crowd of
Jhameelians [his fans].

 Who are some of your favorite K-Pop artists? Who are your favorite artists in American pop?

There is this Korean electronic band that I saw in Singapore called Daybreak. They are really good live. They are my favorite Korean band. I am also a big hip hop fan. I mostly listen to hip hop during my free time. I like Kendrick Lamar, Macklemore, Drake.

Describe the first time you performed in front of an audience? Do you prefer to perform before larger audiences or in more intimate settings?

The first time I performed in front of an audience, I was in band playing the trumpet, as a kid. There was a lot of pressure because you didn't want to mess up. I prefer playing smaller venues and rooms, where you can feel the audience react to your show.

 Can you tell me more about some of your future musical pursuits?

I am working on a new single. Just taking my time to craft it and make it fun. It's a funky, Prince-inspired song. There will be a new type of sound, since I have new instruments to play with. The music video is going to be cool. There is a large cast, including a fire eater, we have talented hula hoop dancer. There is also an Asian boy who resembles the child from the cartoon "Up" who is in face paint and will be singing along with the song. He will be me during part of the video, which will be fun.

Why do you think you have gained the audience you currently have?

I went through a lot of the things these kids have gone through and they respect that. They can hear it in the music. They respect me and we talk to each other. When fans reach out , we often become friends. It's that simple. I make music for them and they have fun for me.

Jhameel delivers a shout out to Kpopstarz readers.

Stay tuned for more from Jhameel, including his upcoming release. Thank you to Jhameel and his management for providing Kpopstarz with an interview at KCON 2014. 

Tags
Jhameel
KCON 2014
KCON
American Idol
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