New Heist or Hit signee JWestern has just dropped his debut single, ‘Call You Right Now’. It’s a smooth jazz and hip-hop-influenced summer bop about a relationship rough patch, and all the insecurity and uncertainty that brings. “I wasn’t sure what I fully wanted,” he says, “but I knew I needed to give myself time and space away from everything and anything.” Give it a listen below, and get to know him a little better too.
How’s it going, what are you up to today?
Hey! I’m all good thank you, just eaten some avocado on toast and I’ve got a completely free sunny day working on some new demos/watering my plants.
Did music play a big part in your life while you were growing up?
Yeah, music was a huge part of my childhood. Both my parents were really big on me learning to play instruments from a young age, so I started playing guitar at the age of 6. Music was always playing in the car and in the house so I was introduced to so much different music from my parents going from new wave to jazz and this really allowed me to build up an eclectic taste going forwards!
What is it about being a musician that first sparked your interest?
Well my dad used to be in loads of bands, and he would always play me his tapes and demos, I would think that they were so cool and it made me want to make my own. My mum is also a really creative person, so being surrounded by a lot of different arts really inspired me to find my own thing. When I started learning guitar I remember very early on getting such a buzzed feeling which nothing else has ever given me, I knew straight away that I wanted to work in music in whatever capacity I could make possible.
Are there any subjects you particularly enjoy writing songs about?
The topics I cover in my songs can range quite a lot as it really depends on how I feel in that moment. A lot of my songs are extremely personal as I mainly write about my past experiences in life; I find working on my songs really helps me process various situations. I really want people to relate to my lyrics and help them see past a difficult time or find clarity and a way forwards as that’s what I often look for in my favourite songs.
What can you tell us about your debut single, ‘Call You Right Now’?
When I was in the process of writing ‘Call You Right Now’, in my mind, it had gotten to a point where I just couldn’t bottle up how I was feeling anymore. I wasn’t in such a good place in a relationship, and this song was the catalyst for me accepting that deep down I knew I wasn’t as happy as I could be. When I was writing the lyrics, it was as if each word was just flowing naturally from the one before and I remember feeling like a weight had been taken off my mind getting all my thoughts down onto a piece of paper. The core of the song was pretty much done in that one day, and from there I began producing the song on Ableton and refining everything else around the lyrics!
Are there any musicians around at the moment that you’re particularly into?
I’m listening to a lot of great musicians at the moment, so this is a tricky one, haha. If I had to narrow it down to a few I’d have to say Oscar Jerome is up there, his new album is amazing, I would recommend him massively. I can’t stop listening to Arlo Parks at the moment either, just such an amazing musician and a huge inspiration for me. The new Kamaal Williams album Wu Hen has also been on repeat recently, some songs on the record actually blow my mind a bit.
What else do you spend your time doing, music aside?
Making music is a huge part of my daily life, and my main go-to no matter what mood I’m feeling. But if I’m not chipping away at some demos in my room, I love spending time outside and travelling to new places, especially if the weather’s feeling kind. Still music-related unfortunately, haha, but I love finding new artists on Spotify while doing a bit of reading here and there and of course got to get some time in to catch up on some Netflix!
Have you spent much time gigging yet?
Unfortunately due to lockdown and Covid, I haven’t had a chance to do any live gigs yet, but it’s definitely something I’m really looking forward to doing when the live circuit starts up again!
What would you most like to achieve with your music career?
I’ve got a few targets that I would love to achieve through my career, but one of my main ones would have to be playing Reading & Leeds festival. I’ve been to Reading a couple years, and I’ve seen some of my favourite acts on those stages, so playing a festival of that sort of size would be an absolute dream of mine. Another big one for me would be playing in Europe and the US, if I got an opportunity like that knowing that my music had travelled that far would be quite an emotional one for me!
Is there anything else we should know?
Black Lives Matter, check up on your mates, be kind to one another and keep your mind healthy.
JWestern’s debut single ‘Call You Right Now’ is out now.
