We recently connected with Macahl Jett and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Macahl , thanks for joining us today. Can you open up about a risk you’ve taken – what it was like taking that risk, why you took the risk and how it turned out?

Since I was 10-years old, I always knew I wanted to be an artist. Not just a singer, but a full on, take control of the stage, artist. Music was just my groove. I could be doing anything, be anywhere, but it was a beat that made me zone into the moment. I was blessed to have the gift of writing. As all young girls, my first song was written about a crush I had at the time. I was in elementary school, It’s comical to read some of my diary entries back then, but all of the dramatic emotions I had, and still do, really help shape the places I can go when I write my songs. Doing this, “music thing”, was the BIGGEST risk I took as a black woman from Houston, TX. With me, it’s all or nothing. So I can’t just give pieces of myself when I produce or write music, I have to bare it all, so being transparent and vulnerable is something I had to learn overtime.

My first official EP was called #Hashtag. I was in High School, and had to have been a senior. It was a rocky time for me, social media was really huge at that point, and one wrong tweet changed my senior year. I was cyber-bullied by these HUGE boys on the school football team. I’m glad I have tough skin, because I wasn’t backing down without revenge. Gracefully, in the words of Destiny’s Child, “My momma taught me better than that” … so I wasn’t going “to diss [them] on the internet”. I took that experience and made a song that changed my career. My first self-written song, HASHTAG, spoke about the effects of wanting to be a trending topic. People go so far to be someone they can’t even recognize, I wanted to bring light to that. But I knew that exposing how I felt was going to create another target on my back, hint, another risk.

But for me, that’s all I needed, it was the fuel to create outside of my mind and do and go places I’ve never been.

My second project, Pink Pineapples, came while I was a sophomore going into junior year in college. I had just turned 20 and I was becoming a woman. So I wanted to be more grown and sexy on that project, which was another risk, because a lot of people from my church thought I sold my soul. lol. No worries, I still very much believe in Jesus, but I wanted to celebrate my body and my growth. Pink Pineapples introduced me to a very unique style I didn’t know I had. It intertwined hip-hop and soul, and gave me the platform to perform at South x Southwest the next summer. WOW, what an experience!

Then… my dad was diagnosed with cancer, and my world crashed. I had an identity crisis and was done with music. I had my manager delete all of my songs on every platform, I wanted to be erased from history, I didn’t want any expectations from anyone… I thought I had given up on my only tool for healing. I was ready to throw it all away. Being the fiery ball I was, began to fade…

People started dming me, asking for my music, I had a lot of friends wonder if I was ok, and truth be told, I wasn’t. I didn’t realize at the time, but music meant my father, it was something he really instilled in me and really trained me up in. So when I backed out, it was because I didn’t want to feel the pain.

When my dad was finally Cancer -free, a weight lifted off my shoulders, but I still wasn’t ready to go back to my first love.

UNTIL… the end of 2019. Ha. I had the biggest betrayal of my adulthood. A relationship I was so involved in turned sour, unexpectedly. To be completely honest, there was so many nights I cried, and didn’t know how I’d get out of bed the next day. I felt like a fool because I invested so much of my time and emotions into someone else. I remember I sent multiple, long messages, begging it to not end. Toxic relationships can really be addicting. I asked him to give me another chance, and he sent a text and said, “I need you to love yourself”…
At the time, I didn’t understand what was going on. But eventually…

I decided to BET ON ME. I took that as fuel and it sparked a flame to write like I never have before, while I was dealing with the mix of emotions I felt, and trying to find solitude in places that didn’t help… I wrote song, after song, after song, after song, until I ended up with a plethora of new music. My father, literally, FORCED me to start producing my own music. My father and I got in the studio and curated organic sounds together and the rest is history. I finally stopped fighting my Dad, and let him help me fully, it was the best decision I’ve made thus far.

I am finally about to drop my songs again. And this time, I am more confident than I’ve ever been before. I have a great feeling that this is about to shake up some things. Every song is just GOOD MUSIC. I’ve poured my soul into this and literally sat and cried writing some of the songs. I’ve been through absolute hell in my life, and this picture-perfect image everyone sees when they look at me, I want to shatter. Like ABSOLUTELY tear down the walls. I’ve been overlooked for so long, and you hear some of that on the album, you get to hear my side of the story, and I want everyone’s ears to be open wide, because it’s about to be some things you wouldn’t expect to hear from me. Ha. But I am grown, very grown, and I just stopped caring about everyone’s opinion, I am ready to show the world how to just do what’s true to them.

I’m so excited to share this RISK I took and let you hear my heart. So tune in. Because Houston’s finest young lady from the S.W.A.T is ready to break down the door. This is a collaborative effort with the greatest engineers, Dj’s, and of course, my bestest friend, my Dad. This project is dedicated to my parents, for all of the sacrifices they’ve made, and their many investments into my career. Having someone believe in you is all you need to take a risk.

Macahl , before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

I got into the industry officially at 12-years-old. I worked with two great artists at the age of 16 and took time to develop my gifts. Which I think is really missing from the music industry, if you are gonna be a singer, learn to sing better than you can. A dancer, get into more dance lessons. Don’t stop developing your gifts, because we need artists who are serious about their craft.

I sing (and sometimes rap) R&B music, with a twang of Hip-Hop. It’s very Houston, lol, so you will hear a little bit of everything from my roots.

I’m from Alief, Texas. This part of the city is very close to my heart because it’s where I had all my best memories as a child. We used to do some very hilarious things as children, but oh the fun we had. There, the music was filled with freestyles, dance moves, and skating at the roller rink at Houston Fun Plex.

I’m so proud of following my dreams, because I just can’t put a limit on my mind anymore, anything is possible. I want to do this not just for myself, but for everyone who feels stuck. I’ve always had a heart to teach, so being able to give back to children/teens of color and underprivileged communities plays a major role in why I do what I do.

What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?

The most rewarding part of being an artist and creating music is seeing all of the hard work my father and I have put in, come together. When we first took one of our songs to our engineer, Josh Applebee, I was in total shock, it wasn’t even Mastered yet, but the vocals that were recorded with Russell Guess, made it super easy to mix. Then, we met an amazing DJ, named IV, who added an extra drip. I mean, dang, it was a great feeling to see it come together. It was one of the best parts of the process.

: Is there a particular goal or mission driving your creative journey?

When I first wanted to be a music artist, my drive was to just do what I loved, and what came natural. But, as I’ve grown, heard stories, and experienced life, my goal transformed to inspiring and actively helping young people do what they love. I want them to let their purpose pay them. A lot of people in my generation and the next are obsessed with being millionaires, and rightfully so. So many of us don’t come from wealth and privilege. But I want to show them, yeah, you can become a millionaire with hard work, dedication, and commitment. You need to be committed to whatever you are passionate about, and I promise, you will see the fruits of your labor. I love my teens, and have such a huge heart for the next generation. I would love to help other young artists with development one day.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.macahljett.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/macahljett/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/macahljett/
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/macahljett
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCBjIt0e9HPK2bjxZD9fgNjg

Image Credits
Ciara Boniface Boluw