Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to B. Jareal. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

B. , appreciate you joining us today. What’s been the most meaningful project you’ve worked on?

Although I have been singing, writing, and arranging music for many years, before the release of my debut album “No Holds Barred,” I would consider this project to be my most meaningful. Growing up in a singing and musical family, it was inevitable for me to take on such a strong passion for music. I began singing around the age of 3, doing local church programs, etc. but then I began writing songs and even musical plays around the age of 9. After my father’s passing in 1992, right before my 6th birthday, I found that music and writing were my outlets and coping mechanisms. Although I was so young, there has always been a level of maturity I possessed and understood maybe more than I should have, being so young. Nonetheless, my father’s death was a driving force that motivated me to pursue a music career because all I wanted to do was make him proud.

After many years of developing my talents, including being classically trained vocally in high school, it really wasn’t until around the end of 9th grade that I realized I wanted to push myself more and to really focus on developing myself as a professional artist. I got even more into writing songs around this time and even rewrote and rearranged my school’s theme song.

Post high school, the very first project that I had written and recorded was entitled “Revealed,” a project I never intended to be officially released, but instead, the album (consisting of 18 songs) was intended to serve as a demo for a future album that I wanted to record and release officially. However, the demo ended up gaining local recognition from others and was well received because musically, despite the quality, showcased many of my musical vocal styles and unique arrangements.

Following the Revealed project, a few years later I began recording a follow-up project and ended up releasing an “unofficial” EP entitled “Realistically Speaking” (2013) and then “My Greatest Gift” (2015), an unofficially released Christmas album a couple of years after that.

After taking a break from music for a few years, I finally decided in 2019 that it was time for me to not only begin writing and recording again but officially release the music as well. Before I started writing, I really felt that it was time for me to tap into a place within myself that I had never gone to before. I really had to think about who I was as a person at the time and the kind of messages I wanted to share with the world. I believed that for so long I had held back when it came to my music and was writing to appease others, versus really allowing my creativity and versatility to shine. I had often been put into a box of being this “love song, early 90s sounding R&B singer” and this time I wanted to be free to express myself musically in a way that would shock those who had already followed my music.

Once I began working on my album, not only did I change my artist name from Brandon J. to B. Jareal, but I also changed my entire vibe and sound. I realized that I had grown and matured significantly personally and musically. I was writing from a different perspective with this project, a more “mature” and grown and sexy type of sound. I wanted to make each song on the album tell its own story and have its own sound so that as a debut artist I wouldn’t be labeled or grouped into being an artist with one type of vibe or sound. I wanted to show the world that I was versatile with my music and could give different vibes and sounds within the R&B/Soul realm.

I decided to name the album “No Holds Barred” because I wanted to let my audience know that this project was like freeing myself in a way and I wanted to be able to speak my truth without being restricted or held down by other people’s negative opinions and thoughts. I wanted to share my journey into maturity from the artist I once was, into the artist I was becoming. I believe that I delivered the message loud and clear because many people responded to “No Holds Barred” in the way I intended them to, shock, satisfying shock.

I believe that this project was both demanding and liberating at the same time. Outside of creating the music, I had to learn the ins and outs of being an independent artist and what that looked like and consisted of. It took a lot of researching and self-teaching, which I often felt took me away from my artistry, but it was necessary, and I believed that it was an essential part of being an artist overall. There were many learning curves with this album, inside and out of the recording process.

I recorded the entire album myself, after upgrading studio equipment and after having to learn a new DAW to record in. I wanted to be able to work on the project whenever inspiration hit me, versus having to wait on studio availability. I worked on this project day and night for almost a year, and it took a lot of discipline, dedication, and sacrifice to complete.

In the end, I believe the entire process was all worth it. I really believed that I had a solid project on my hands that I could say I was proud of. The biggest setback was that I released the album in August 2020, amid a pandemic. I was very limited as an artist on what I could do promotional-wise, so it was very hard to get my name out there and to be heard. I felt like I had this amazing project that got slighted because of the times we were in. I could have waited to release the music, but then I thought to myself there would be no telling when the pandemic would end, and I may have been waiting a long time.

Nonetheless, despite being released in trying times, many people embraced the project and love it, even to this day. Seeing people enjoying something you’ve worked so hard on is an amazing feeling. No matter how many other albums I put out, “No Holds Barred” will always be my first and will have a special place in my heart because it was written and delivered from my heart.

Currently am working on the follow-up album to “No Hold Barred” and will be releasing the 1st single. very soon. The single will be released in early 2023. I am excited to be releasing more music to add to my catalog and to be able to share my new experiences with the world once again. This new album will definitely give listeners the same B. Jareal sound but on a different level. I am excited about this project and hoping and praying for much success after its release.

What do you find most rewarding about being creative?

I believe the most rewarding aspect of being a creative artist is being able to share your gifts with others so that it may help inspire, uplift, or just make them feel good when hearing something they can relate to. I believe that sharing my own pain, happiness or struggles could be just the thing that someone else may need to hear to get them through their own situations. I like to create music that people can relate to because I want to let my listeners know that they may not have been the only one who has gone through or is currently going through any given situation. I truly believe that music heals, and it can be very useful and beneficial to someone else’s experiences. I have always wanted to give back and help people in any way I can, and to me, my music is a way of doing so.

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

I believe that my family and supporters are what drive me in my creative journey. There is nothing like someone who believes in you and supports you in your endeavors. I want to be able to make all these people proud of me. Having a successful creative career is very important to me but not because of fortune or fame. To me, those two things come along with the territory, but I am more so concerned with reaching and touching people, musically and creatively, in ways that others may not be able to. Many of us may suffer in silence and I know about this oh so well, so what drives me is being able to share my stories and hoping others can really hear me. I want a successful creative career for the people who feel invisible and unseen, and/or unheard and feel like they don’t have a voice or a space to fit in. I want these people to know that I do see and hear them because I have been there. I want my music to speak to these individuals and I want to know that they see and hear me as well. This is the force that drives and motivates me.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.bjareal.com
• Instagram: @Bjareal
• Facebook: www.facebook.com/bjareal
• Twitter: @Bjareal
• Youtube: www.youtube.com/bjareal
• Other: Link to find my music here: https://distrokid.com/hyperfollow/bjareal/no-holds-barred