We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Aimee Jo. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Aimee Jo below.
Aimee Jo, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today We’d love to hear about the things you feel your parents did right and how those things have impacted your career and life.
I’m so incredibly blessed to have both my Mom and Dad as my biggest cheerleaders. They raised me and my younger sister in a household of abundant love and overflowing encouragement. When either one of us wanted to pursue a new activity or sport, like ballet or karate, my parents worked extra hours, drove countless miles to practices, and were at every major event and milestone. Throughout high school and even college, I reflected what it would be like if my Mom or Dad were musicians. I used to envy other talented kids that had a mom who could accompany them on the piano or jam along while their dad played guitar. But I’m familiar with working harder than most of my musical friends and colleagues. From a young age, I grew more independent because I was constantly in discovery mode, and paved my own path with music. Honestly, I think my parents expressed more enthusiasm and provided more resources for my singing and making music because it had always been my choice. They fully supported my desire to be a singer and made extra efforts to find the right teachers and mentors that would ultimately shape the musician I am today. Just to emphasize how much my parents care about my music even to this day, they listen to my music non-stop every time they go golfing– and they go golfing a lot.
Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.
I’m a wholehearted kind of woman, brought up by Midwest manners, married 8 years to an incredibly supportive husband, and am still learning how to be an artist in 2022. Music had always been a side hustle for me ever since I earned a bachelor’s degree in Music Education. When teaching ended up not being in the cards so to speak, I shifted my focus by working full-time in finance but was still figuring out the “singing thing” on the side. Singing is and always has been my necessity. It’s my “grass is always green” kind of love and I longed for the days that it would consume my daily life. It took about 10 years of playing piano, singing in church bands and cover bands before I really landed solidly in songwriting. Slowly I taught myself guitar, which finally brought my songs to small stages in 2020. Granted, it was right as the Pandemic hit, but I learned the ropes of gigging by performing solo. My songs motivated me to keep playing on new stages, and quickly became my favorite music to perform. Writing was a therapy during what felt like a quarter-life crisis, and was the medicine that healed my mind and made the hard days become better ones. Entering 2021, I made connections with a couple music producers from Nashville that would eventually help record my first EP, “Yeah No, For Sure.” We chose 5 of my freshest songs and collaborated with other Nashvillian studio musicians to help me make my first impression as an artist. Recording and releasing my music for the first time taught me that being an artist today in the digital age means a lot of DIY. I’ve quickly learned to be the person that wears many hats and be my own CEO of my music. The biggest lesson I’ve taken from these past couple years is that no one will advocate for your craft more than yourself.
Learning and unlearning are both critical parts of growth – can you share a story of a time when you had to unlearn a lesson?
My early singing background is mostly rooted in classical music so I had always taken my voice very seriously. I went to Western Michigan University for Vocal Performance and learned how to sing Opera. My voice was a fragile instrument that had limitations and ton of “to-dos” and “to-dont’s.” I struggle to this day to unlearn some of my classical habits– tall, sustained vowels, consistent vibrato, and articulate diction to name a few. One of the compliments I still get to this day is that my listeners can really understand the words I sing. Most times, I take the compliment graciously and other times I think to myself are my classical tendencies still haunting me? I’ve longed for the type of voice where I could find the perfect belting-mix voice and sing a C5 or D5 without switching into my head voice. It’s taken endless days of experimenting and unlearning to get a step closer to the more Pop and Soul vocals that I’m trying to embody. The fun part about practicing with the voice, is you can’t spend countless hours in one day because of fatigue. So, I’ve learned how to practice and explore my vocal range and capacity in short intervals by being intentional of my use. Nevertheless, my voice is still my favorite instrument, so I’m going to take good care of it.
What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?
I can’t speak for every artist or creative person, but I found that my outlook on my musical journey has enhanced exponentially once I found a community of other songwriters. Being an artist can be a lonely journey, but I have so much joy in what I do because of my friends in music who are like-minded and share similar journeys. While I have plenty of non-musician friends, many of which are my life-long friends, my songwriting community and musical buddies connect with the passion side of my brain. I could talk music all day, which can make me sound like a broken record. But the bonds I’ve made with other writers in Cincinnati have been so worthwhile because they can relate to the same indie artist struggles. We all go through the same trenches of releasing music, playlist pitching, campaign ads, and dear God the necessity of posting content on Instagram and TikTok to promote ourselves. It’s easy to have imposter syndrome when there’s so many other talented people around, but these folks lift each other up with best team spirit. I’m forever grateful for their friendships.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://linktr.ee/aimeejomusic
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/aimeejomusic/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/aimeejomusic/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@aimeejomusic
Image Credits
Kaden Lucas, Shawn D Fulcher, Cody Smith