I have been writing lyrics for song ideas that I had since I was a little kid, but I started taking music seriously around October 2018. So a little over a year now. I released my first song “So Alone” on November 1st, 2019. I wanted to make music to create something for people to listen to when they are going through rough times in their life. I wanted to use my musical abilities to write songs to inspire others like I have been inspired by my favorite artists and musicians. So I just started to write lyrics from my past experiences and moments in life and tried to make it relatable to other’s past experiences and moments in their life. So you build this trust, this connect with people who can relate to the words you are singing and know they aren’t alone. It’s a pretty amazing feeling when you see it from this angle. Knowing you were able to help someone through music. It doesn’t get much better than that.
Music has made me who I am today. It has given me some life long friendships and some life changing moments. My father grew me up on Rock and Roll, Classic Rock, and even some Folky music. So my musical influence started early in my childhood. As I got older, I discovered Hip Hop/Rap, R&B, Pop, and even some Progressive Metal. My whole life I’ve been surrounded by music. So the range of influence and the amount of appreciation I have for it is pretty large.
Easy. The Zephyr Song by the Red Hot Chili Peppers. They also happen to be my favorite band. I’ve been listening to the Chili Peppers for as long as I’ve been able to speak. They have always been an important part of my life growing and they are a huge factor in why I love music so much. It was the first music I ever recall listening to. As for some other artist that influence my style a little more, I look up to the likes of Post Malone, John Mayer, Chance the Rapper, Finneas, and many others for musical inspiration. But the Chili Peppers will always hold a special place in my heart above the rest.
There is a lot of things that inspire me to pursue music as a career. I would say the biggest thing that drives me is my Grandmother. My grandma passed away when I was around 13. This was the first death I ever experienced in my family. I didn’t talk to her as much as I should’ve about her life. Cause it turns out my musical talent comes from her. She was in a bunch of church choirs as a teenager and her and my grandfather, who was a painter, had their artistic talents rub off on my dad, which then transferred to me. Also, when I was in high school I was the lead role of Harold Hill in the musical, “The Music Man”. After getting the role my father told me that “The Music Man” was my grandma’s favorite musical ever. So getting the opportunity to embody that role knowing it was my grandma’s favorite made doing that show so special to me and made me discover that everything I do in music is for her. I feel guilty for not talking to her more about her love for music, so for her forgiveness, and to forgive myself, I want to live out my dream of being a musician, for her and for me. I owe it to her.
I listen to music as much as I possibly can throughout the day. As soon as I wake up I’ll put my headphones and put on some upbeat music to get me out of bed. I save some of the chiller music for when I want to go to bed. In between I try to look for new artist to listen to and become and fan of, and maybe even draw inspiration from for my own music. That’s one of the greatest things about music. The more you listen, the more you get inspired to try new ideas and methods of creating art. It’s truly amazing.
I’ve been to many concerts before so it’s hard to pick out the craziest show I went to. Back when I was 9, my father took me to see, “Pink Floyd’s: The Wall” at Nassau Coliseum. That show was insane for me to witness as a child. It definitely changed my life and the way I thought about music. Besides that show, I have seen Travis Scott twice in the past year and his concerts were total chaos. He is one of the best live performers out there and a huge influence on me. Never disappoints.
When making music, you have this amazing opportunity to touch someone else’s life in a unique way. You can save people’s lives with the music you chose to write. You can change someone’s shitty day into a best day of their week. You never truly know what the impact of your music is going to be on people. Thats what makes music so unique.
Music makes me feel a lot of different ways. Depending on what mood I’m in, I can pretty much find some type of music to go with it. You can usually find some music that relates to any emotion you are feeling. Music is definitely a way that people can express themselves. It makes you feel liberated and free. You can get a good understanding of a stranger based off of what music they listen to everyday.
My favorite quality of music would probably be the bass line, or the 808s. You can rap or sing about literally anything, if you got a juicy bass line that hits you when it comes in, its a bop. That song like that will always have a place on my playlists. Doesn’t matter how stupid the lyrics are, if that bass line slaps, it slaps. Simple.
I honestly don’t think I could ever think about what my life would be without music. It has always been a part of my life. I think I would be a completely different person without music, and I think I can say a lot of people would agree with that.
The World would be a lot darker of a place. Life would be monotone as hell. I think the World without music would just be gray like that “Pixies Inc.” in “The Fairy Odd Parents”, if anyone remembers that haha.
Doing a collab with LiveLikeDavis was awesome. The way it happened was I was always in his DM’s about collaborating, and one day he hit me back and said he was down to do a verse for me. SO we cut the track and then he came down to Long Island to shoot the music video which was great. LLD was a dope dude top meet and collaborate with, but unfortunately I have taken the song featuring him down for personal reasons. There is no beef involved I respect LLD and I hope he has a very successful career. He is extremely talented. Shoutout to DQE Music for producing the track as well.
For 2020, I just want to improve as an artist and a musician. I want to try and discover the sound or genre that works best for me. I hav a lot of amazing things planned and I will most definitely release a project before the year comes to an end. I just need to find out who I am as a person and artist before I start releasing music again. It’s only a matter of time before I get back into the swing of things.
I usually try to complete 4-5 songs a month. Whether they come out like hit singles or really crappy, I try my best to finish them, look back at my creation, see what I did good and what I need to work on, and then I move on to the next song. Sometimes you have to turn on the faucet a bit and let the dirty water run through before it starts to get cleaner. The only way to get better at your craft is too keep writing and creating. That is a philosophy I have been working very hard to make a part of my mindset, and I love the results I have been getting from it.
Music is the only thing I want as a career. Music is the only thing that I love to do as a job. I look at music as my way of “changing the world”. That’s my input to society. Some good vibes that make you think a little about life, love, or whatever. That’s how I want to be remember. That’s what I want people to think of when they think about Jack DeNicola, no matter what.