She’s got jazz personality, g mentality…and can hum a sweet melody. R&B industry freshman, J. Pride, is serving it all up; from the studio, to the stage.
I recently had a chance to chat with the artist about the root of her talent, and the moment that sparked her momentum, as well as her musical inspiration.
Conversation with J. Pride is easy. Speaking with her feels like kinship. You believe her, because well…you know her. You’ve worked with her, partied with her, even chilled with her around the way.
It is this kind of familiarity that J. Pride conveys through her music. She sings about what she knows, infusing her lyrics with vulnerability to create relatable tracks.
“I have a hard time writing music that I can’t relate to”.
What makes you so comfortable being that vulnerable with the public?
“Because I know that I’m human just like every other female . . .I’m really like a free-spirit. I don’t really care what people think, because . . . we’re all human”.
The songstress fell in love with music as a young girl, exercising her vocal capacity and stage presence at the grown-folk’s parties held in her home.
“My dad, he used to have parties in Detroit, in the basement. And we would do Karaoke. We would hop on the mic and take turns doing our favorite songs”
Pride continued to nurture her gift beyond the basement and, soon, noticed a domino effect taking place in her life. It became clear that her childhood dream, was now a very conceivable and tangible goal. One particular studio session set things in motion.
“I did this record a few years back called Aquafina Flow, and somehow…it got on the radio and everything took off from there. Everything happened so fast.”
The confident voice that once rocked the karaoke mic, was suddenly riding radio airwaves from state to state. People began inquiring about who J. Pride was as an artist.
Pride spoke candidly about her artistic identity and influence. She concedes that she is heavily influenced by 90’s R&B; specifically citing the intoxicating tones of artists like Aaliyah, and Tweet.
A more recent source of inspiration came when, Close to You, a record by Interscope artist, Dreezy, caught Pride’s ear. The vibe was so dope, and a remix felt only right.
[Cover] Close to You Remix – J. Pride
Pride is currently working on a mixtape to be released soon.
-What can we expect from the project?
“You can expect J. Pride . . . and I have a dope feature from Irene the Dream that I’m so looking forward to”.
Pride’s most recent work features the diamond princess herself, Trina. The song is an anthem, produced by Super Jay, called FDN. Visuals for that collaboration are on the way. But, in the meantime, check out the track below, as well as another up tempo, crowd-rocking, J. Pride joint titled You Already Know.
#FDN – J. Pride, Feat. Trina
You Already Know – J. Pride
Fast Four:
- Name your dream collaboration?
- “SZA, I love SZA”.
- Perfect way to spend a Saturday:
- “I would shop the day away”.
- What does your ideal life look like?
- “Stress free, financially stable . . . my family is straight”.
- And who are you listening to right now?
- ” SZA, Kehlani, Rihanna, Bruno Mars . . . I try not to get too wrapped up in what other people got going on though; I listen to my own music too. That’s any artist”.
Catch J. Pride as @jpride2u across all social media platforms for a peek into her life, and updates about her music.
