Check Out Jerius Duncan’s Story

Today we’d like to introduce you to Jerius Duncan.

Hi Jerius, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
Greetings! My name is Jerius Duncan and I am a R&B/Soul singer and musician from Greenville, South Carolina. My music career started at the end of my football career. I broke my leg my sophomore year of college, and I had to decide what I was going to dedicate my time to next. The first thing that I got into was theater. I studied theater in high school, but it wasn’t until I got to college (Presbyterian College) that I really started to take it seriously. After musical theater, I quickly got introduced to opera. I worked as a professional actor for one season with glow lyric theater. During that season, I was an actor for “The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas” and “My Fair Lady,” and I was an Actor/Opera Singer for “Carmen.” It was through the many music workshops and professional actors and musicians that I was around on a day-to-day basis that helped me realize, the entertainment industry was something that I wanted to continue to be a part of.

Shortly after my time with glow lyric theater, I released my first EP, “R.U.N.” This project was my first attempt at making a name for myself in the music industry. I wanted to experiment with the different elements of popular music. “R.U.N” caught positive attention from the student body and music department at my college. I, alongside my Voice Professor Dr. Christian Elser were able to convince donors and administration to allow me to have a class called “The Jerius Duncan Experience”, where we would work on creating a live studio album. This project is called “The Played Fool” and is available on all streaming platforms.

“The Played Fool” was recorded in June of 2020. After the rough draft was given to me by the audio engineer, I teamed up with one of my best friends Ryan Burgess, CEO of Verse Management to help me get it into people’s ears. We were able to set up a meeting with “Streamcut at Doppler Studios.” At the meeting, I played some of my original music (R.U.N., The Private School Negro, and Me or U (2020) ); they then asked me what did I have that was unreleased. I then played them a few songs from the rough draft of “The Played Fool,” and they liked it. They then allowed me to come record at their studio once a month and work on a project with producer Drummaworld.

Shortly after the meeting with the label, I had to fly to San Diego, California, where I auditioned in front of the celebrity judges on American Idol. I auditioned with my original song, “I Can’t Breathe ”. This song is available on all streaming platforms. I got three yeses, a Golden Ticket, and Lionel Richie told me that, “you check the box for cool… you are a great songwriter.” This experience shaped me as a person and as an artist. Though I did not get as far as I had hoped, my time on set was life-changing and gave me knowledge and experience like nothing else.

After I got back from Hollywood, I reconnected with Drummaworld and we got back to working on the project. I wanted to focus on the things that the judges told me to work on, which was primarily my guitar. My guitar is played with 5-strings in a guitar scale that I created. The judges said that the guitar was holding me back. Katy Perry then told me, “now is not the time to play catch-up and the guitar is not on the same level as your voice.” I listened to the judges and started playing my guitar in different tunings until I found one that I was satisfied with. The first song I recorded under the new scale was “Ghost ”. This song is available on all streaming platforms.

“Ghost” gave me a new direction as an artist, and I have to thank the judges for that. Without the judges’ critiques, I probably would have never changed my guitar style. Now, I try to change it up every week and try new things. I am still a growing artist, and I am sure I will be for a while. “Re-Issue” is my first project since American Idol, and it will be available everywhere on June 5. This project was produced and engineered by Drummaworld, and I play the guitar on every song. I hope that the growth and development is apparent, and I hope that you give it a listen.

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
The road has never been smooth, but it has always been manageable. Every artist should know that getting into this industry is not gonna always be pleasant, but you have to learn to make the best out of each opportunity you are given.

As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
I am an Actor, Singer, and Musician. I specialize in R&B/Soul, but I enjoy experimenting with different genres. I am known for my versatility in my vocals. Since I come from a classically trained/opera background, my voice has many different pockets. I try to utilize different parts of my vocal range in each song. This gives each song its own texture and style.

What were you like growing up?
I am an introvert who learned how to be an extrovert. I was very much to myself as a kid. If I had toys and a bike, I was good. I played football for most of my life, so growing up, I was definitely more of a jock. I always enjoyed being a part of different organizations and clubs throughout school. I usually was the type to try to run for an executive position in each club I was a part of.

Contact Info:

• Email: Jeriusduncan@gmail.com
• Website: www.jeriusduncan.com
• Instagram: https://instagram.com/jeriusduncan?r=nametag
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jerius.duncan
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/jdunc52/status/1371241143661367298?s=21
• Youtube: https://youtube.com/channel/UCL_SXqxsN_lnstSUPmaAWKw

Image Credits
@dammitdeniz @americanidol