Today we’d like to introduce you to Nj
Hi NJ, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
I’ve always had a huge passion for music and I’ve been singing my whole life. I was gifted my first karaoke machine with a real microphone when I was just 5 years old, and it had me dreaming of performing on stages one day. I was consistently involved with musical theatre, chorus, band, etc. I started putting covers of songs out on Soundcloud and people seemed to really like that, so I decided to take the leap and figure out how to truly become an artist. When I was 19 I fell in love with songwriting and I put out my first original song in December of 2019. I was writing to beats that different producers would make for years, and now I write everything on guitar by myself. It completely changed my approach to writing, honesty and vulnerability are what truly inspire me. My debut album is coming out in April and I think people will be shocked to hear how different and mature this sounds compared to some of my older releases. I want people to feel like they’re reading my journal and relate to what I’ve experienced. My dream is for my music to reach as many people as it can, and make real connections through performing and sharing my stories.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
I think no matter what career anyone has there’s challenges, but when it comes to having a music career there’s little to no reward when you start out. It can feel like a constant uphill battle. To this day, I have breakdowns every once in a while just questioning what I’m doing and wondering when all of this hard work will pay off. It’s absolutely worth the struggle because there’s nothing else I’m meant to do with my life. I would still do this even if I never made a penny from it. The biggest struggle I had was figuring out how to start performing. I was seeing everyone else booking shows left and right, but no one wanted to help me. Now I’ve performed 50+ shows in the past year that I booked all by myself. If you believe in yourself, the right people will too.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
I’m a singer/songwriter and I think I’m most proud of the fact that I’ve built my entire career from the ground up. I haven’t had much help and it’s been very challenging at times, but I’ve never given up. What sets me apart from others is my determination and passion. There’s absolutely no way anyone could change the confidence I have in myself and my music. The songs I’ve written have helped me heal from some hard situations, and all I want is for people to find comfort or healing from what I’ve created. You never know what someone is going through, and the special thing about music is that there’s a song made specifically for every experience. No one is ever alone in their emotions and that’s a beautiful thing.
We’d be interested to hear your thoughts on luck and what role, if any, you feel it’s played for you?
The true secret to luck in the music industry is being at the right place at the right time. Connections can be everything, especially starting out. I’ve been very lucky to be surrounded by such smart, talented, and passionate people. Networking comes easy to me because I just love meeting people and building connections, regardless of what someone could do for me in my career. I believe being authentic to you will open more doors than pretending to be something you’re not.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://instagram.com/thenameisnj
- Other: https://linktr.ee/thenameisnj
Image Credits
Katie Hart
Melissa Chilson
