Rising Stars: Meet Jico of Gwinnett

Today we’d like to introduce you to Jico.

Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
I was born and raised in Gwinnett, Georgia. Growing up, I quickly developed a love for music and instruments, starting with the drums. I got good enough to play at church, and soon after I picked up the guitar—my first performance was at my fifth-grade talent show. Fun fact: the first song I ever wrote and produced was with my guitar teacher, Mr. Rob.

I’d always dreamed of being in a band or group since elementary school. I spent a lot of time jamming with my close friend Royce, who played drums. My Congolese parents only allowed Christian music in the house, but in fifth grade I got an iPad and discovered music for myself. I fell in love with everything from Coldplay to Kanye, and by middle school I was deep into artists like The Weeknd, Travis Scott, Tyler, the Creator, and Frank Ocean.

Middle school band only grew my love for music and connected me with artists and producers I still work with today. Toward the end of middle school, I got into music production—making beats for fun in GarageBand on my phone—until I saw friends like 10k Jay and Sunmags making beats in FL Studio and recording songs. That pushed me to start producing in Ableton.

Around the transition into high school, Royce told me he wanted to start recording music and asked me to be his producer. We made a ton of songs together. I eventually got a microphone, and his older cousin Brandon began mentoring us and teaching me how to mix. From there, I basically became a mobile studio.

My cousin Joshua, who lived in Clayton County, saw what I was doing and brought together some of his friends for me to produce and mix. We formed a group called WDSD. I’d go to his house weekly to record them and even charged classmates for sessions. The group didn’t last long, but I still make music with some of its members—Chicocurlyhead, Rayy Blank, Kutthroat Oso, Gap God, and IceCream,.

Throughout high school, my production skills kept growing. I made various projects with Royce, members of WDSD, 4Tunat and NOX!, Sunmags, and local artists like Saint Zuko.

I eventually transitioned into college, but I wasn’t content with where my music career was. I had a strong love for R&B but couldn’t find the right artist to work with—until one day during freshman year (2021), when I searched “Frank Ocean cover” on TikTok. After scrolling for a while, I found a singer from Houston named Bōlají. I emailed him some beats, and he replied saying he loved them. We connected quickly, bonding over being close in age, having African parents, and loving similar music and fashion. Not long after, I became his official producer.

After releasing our first song, “Intentions,” in 2021, I told Bōlají I’d always wanted to start a group. I played him some ideas I’d been saving, and he immediately understood. That’s how **Palace Floor** was born.

We met in person for the first time in March 2022 and made about 11 songs in a week—the first two being “Brighter Dayz” and “Girl R U Home?” which became our fastest-growing songs ever. Since then, we’ve released three EPs (*inHale, exHale, Paradise in August*), one LP (*System Sounds*), and multiple singles—including our biggest one, “Out of Mind,” which has passed a million streams.

Palace Floor grew from just me and Bōlají to include our good friends Chris aka Twophonechris (writer/rapper), Prince aka Yungprince (keys player/producer), Tae Hollow (producer/writer/engineer), and our label team 3229 (Tyler Shuler, Jude Bagara, Karl). Through Palace Floor, my sound evolved into a multi-genre identity—blending alternative, R&B, jazz, rap, and pop.

I’ve been blessed to produce for upcoming artists like Lance Londyn, MiLEs, Destin Laurel, Akira Rae, and more. This year, I’ve released my first solo producer project, *Cause & Effect*, featuring many of these artists and others, and I’m continuing to build with my manager KG as we work to make more history.

We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
It hasn’t been a smooth road . My biggest struggle has been trying to finish my degree at Kennesaw State University and keep my music production career alive at the same time. I have also had to deal with being ignored , scammed or treated weird by other producers and upcoming artists.

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 specialize in music production , songwriting and audio engineering. I’m most known for my work with Bōlají , Palace Floor and songs I produced for Destin Laurel, Chicocurlyhead and more. What sets me apart from other people in my field is my versatility, my love for collaboration, my creativity and itch to create new sounds people haven’t heard before, and my genuine love and passion for music.

Any advice for finding a mentor or networking in general?
What I’ve learned when it comes to finding a mentor or a manager is to be patient and work hard until they come to you, because 9 times out of ten when you reach out to someone in that position they will use you or treat you like an option . You have to wait until someone recognizes and respects your craft enough to prioritize you. When it comes to networking with other people in your field, it’s best to be authentic and genuine, and reach out to people who will inspire you. As an introverted person that always isn’t easy for me, but once you let your guard down and showcase to them that you are passionate about your art, if it’s meant to be they will respect it.

Pricing:

• Don’t lowball yourself. If you know you produce quality price yourself as such.
• Don’t give freebies to all of your friends. If you are providing them with a service you have every right to charge them.
• Don’t overcharge. The more you do, the less work you get if you aren’t big name with credits under your belt , it’s best to have reasonable prices consumers can work with , so you can gain more customers.
• It’s okay to negotiate/ make deals with people purchasing in bulk.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/c.blues_/
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jico-manayala-bb0941213/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@C.Blues_
• Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/jicomanayala

Image Credits
Ozzymadeit, Twophonechris, Jasonfromvn