Interview: New Jersey Pop Artist/Producer Prince J+R Talks About His New Single/Video "Heart"
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“These are the perks of being a pop star! You cannot put me in a box, I simply create music that is popular, relatable and appealing to everyone, regardless of race, age or gender, and I am so proud of that!”
If you had to describe your music or brand overall to a stranger in three words, which ones would you choose?
POP MUSIC WITH SUBSTANCE! ...Ok technically that's four words but you get the point! =)
Tell us what the designation of yourself as this generation's "The Prince of Popp" represents to you?
Yes! I know it's a pretty bold statement and bold moniker to claim, but I'm not going to front, that's who I believe myself to be! Everyone knows the "King of Pop" is undoubtedly the legendary Michael Jackson, who is one of my biggest influences and inspirations! His music is so iconic, universal and immensely popular, you will not find one person who doesn't know or hasn't heard at least ONE Michael Jackson song!
He conquered all genres of music whether it was R&B, Hip Hop, Blues, Soul, Jazz, Rock, Country, Alternative, Reggae, Dance, Electronic etc. and he impacted people of all ethnic or racial backgrounds. He was so diverse in his appeal and musical style, I do strongly believe I am the same! Which is why I place myself in the category of "Pop" and being a "Pop Star" because my brand is all about universal appeal and connection.
To be a bit more unique, I simply added an extra "p" in "popp" which I feel is very millennial and very next generation and innovative! It also just means I'm POPPIN! My body of work backs this up. I can perform, sing, write and produce any style of music that doesn't appeal to one cultural group over the other, but it appeals to everyone all over the world! Your Jamaican grandmother, Latina little sister, Asian best friend, White school teacher, African American boyfriend and your uncle who loves old school throwback jams, WILL ALL LIKE AT LEAST ONE SONG FROM PRINCE J+R!
These are the perks of being a pop star! You cannot put me in a box, I simply create music that is popular, relatable and appealing to everyone, regardless of race, age or gender, and I am so proud of that!
Congratulations on the release of your incredible music video for "Heart"; tell us about how you came up with the treatment for the visual and how long the shoot took.
Thank you! I am honestly so blown away by how the visual came together. It was SUPERNATURAL; God blessed it! I shot this video in only four hours, with one camera-man and four dancers!
I consider myself a visionary and a VISUAL music artist. I am extremely passionate about art, imagery and visual storytelling. Every song that I have created, I almost always see a visual for it. "Heart" was no exception.
The song is so moving, so powerful, so complex and meaningful; I wanted the visual to capture those same adjectives. I've always wanted to have a video that had smoke bombs in it but specifically COLOR smoke bombs because visually it's such an amazing aesthetic to see. I also feel smoke bombs or just debris and smoke effects in general, makes me think of WAR and battle.
As soon as "Heart" comes on, I feel like I'm in battle. Without giving too much of the concept away, the concept of the visual is inspired by themes of war and the reality that matters of the heart are complex. Love truly is a battlefield! Given the social, emotional and political climate we are in as a country right now, there are so many images portrayed in this video that serve a mirror to our current "ethical state of emergency".
Regarding the song itself, which appears on your album "The Perks of Being a Pop Star", why did you decide to shoot a music video for it?
In the past year and a half, I can humbly say that I've built a brand as Prince J+R: the visual artist. In just that short amount of a time, I have produced and directed 14 music videos! Some of my colleagues, peers and even other music artists that I look up to in the music industry don't produce as much visual content in even a 5 year span! So I do believe my fans and the people who know my brand know that if I shoot a music video for a song, it must be a pretty important, meaningful and creative concept.
"Heart" is by far one of my most favorite songs from my album "The Perks of Being a Pop Star" and so I knew eventually I would produce a visual for it because it is such a grand, epic and extremely powerful song. I just knew the song would be "felt" more, with an accompanying visual. Plus, to be honest, it is sonically and aesthetically different than anything else I've ever released and it's a pleasant surprise from me.
When someone listens to or watches "Heart" for the first time, what do you want them to take away from the experience?
I want people to take away, whatever it is they CAN take away from the experience! I feel as an artist I don't necessarily focus on what I want people to "get" per say from my songs or visuals, I think whatever their response is, that is a part of the beautiful process of art.
Childish Gambino aka Donald Glover is one of my favorite artists of all time! I love how still, to this day, my man has never really explained or explicitly told people what he wanted them to take away from his iconic visual, "This is America". He just created the song, created the visual and maybe thought it would speak for itself, but also I think he believed that people can draw WHATEVER it is they can draw from watching the video or listening to that song.
I'm not sure if there's ever a right or wrong way to respond to art, everyone is different and sees the world differently because of their personal experiences. I will admit though, I do personally love hearing and reading people's reactions, reviews and responses to my art because it's just fascinating to see them take away certain things from the art that I actually never thought of or intended, so it's really dope!
With the video and album now released, what are some of your goals musically for the rest of 2020?
Great question! Well I think for me, and for most artists, ONE of the main goals is just to simply keep CREATING! I always tell people how successful and accomplished I feel, simply by the fact that I CREATED "something" and released it to the world!
My ideas and the visions I have in my mind don't stay on the shelf, I love to execute and create! That is why I find it hard to not feel empowered, successful and accomplished as an artist because my essential goal is to create, which I do all the time, even when I'm actually not trying!
Now for the rest of the year I sincerely want my music to reach, inspire and entertain more people! I am not really pressed about the views, likes, comments and esteem in the sense that it builds my ego or gives me validation as an artist. I know my content is dope with or without that external validation and appreciation.
Views, likes and large engagement for my art work actually signifies that more people are actually being exposed to my work and being given the opportunity to digest, examine and use my art work for entertainment, reflection, inspiration and connection! That is the power of art and entertainment!
I have more amazing music and visuals coming for the rest of 2020 and I just aspire to continue sharing my art with the world!