We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Cecil Jones. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Cecil below.

Hi Cecil , thanks for joining us today. Do you wish you had waited to pursue your creative career or do you wish you had started sooner?

From an early age (around 5 years old) I would sing popular songs around the house that I had heard on the radio. My Grandma Carolyn heard me singing and took action. She would find and place me in numerous talent shows, fashion shows, church choir, weddings, etc and I would win them. This was all fun to me, i did not think anymore of it. I can honestly say that I give credit to my grandma for helping lead me to my passion for singing and music in general. This was not a coincidence because my aunts, uncles, and cousins sang as well. In fact, my family had a singing group called “the baldwins”. My grandma, Carolyn, would keep my sister and I, Tianna, up countless nights until about 1am telling us to “sing it again”.

I didn’t take singing serious until about sophomore year of high school. Although the interest was there I didn’t truly began to pursue my career in music until 2014 when I landed a role in the stage play “Howlin Wolf” at the Black Ensemble Theatre. This experience gave me an amazing foundation for a professional career in music and acting, an extensive network of other artist, and the inspiration to do what I do today; SING.

I can’t help but think; where would I be if listened to Grandma Carolyn and took my career seriously when I was younger.

Cecil , love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

I began my professional career in 2014 when I landed multiple roles at the Black Ensemble Theater in Chicago. My uncle Ray was on the Board of Directors at the time and told me they were holding auditions. The rest was left to me.

The audition felt natural; I looked, fit and was the best option for the roles. There I was casted for the roles of “Young Howlin Wolf” and “Young Curtis Mayfield”. Shows ran over a year; the longest run Black Ensemble had seen.

Today, I have a songwriting and jingles company called “Power Circle Music Group” and a debut album on all streaming platforms called “Validity”.

What sets me apart from others is my energy and the God that lives within me. Im most proud of never giving up, even when I feel like progress is slow. I truly believe that if I work hard and stay consistent, I can have anything I want; as long as I keep God first.

How can we best help foster a strong, supportive environment for artists and creatives?

The best thing society can do for artists is like, share, repost, and support. Social media is king and if you can master it you can gain it all!

As creatives we work hard on our craft and we should be able to take constructive criticism but criticism can also be delivered in a kind and respectable way. With that, I urge supporters to remember that artist are humans just like them and deserve empathy. So be constructive but also be respectful.

We often hear about learning lessons – but just as important is unlearning lessons. Have you ever had to unlearn a lesson?

A lesson that I had to learn was to stop letting love blind me. I would be madly in love with women, want to marry them, and God would be sending me all of the signs to say “let this person go, I have the one for you”. I let love and most importantly, lust, dictate my decisions. When all along, the key was loving myself first, which inspired my song “Blind”. This favorite and many others on my album “Validity” truly tell my story.

Contact Info:

• Youtube: https://m.youtube.com/channel/UCfUTsbutiENZnm4ofaUP36g
• Other: https://linktr.ee/cecilejonesjr

Image Credits

Robert smith photography