We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Deshaun Jay. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with DeShaun below.
DeShaun, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today We’d love to hear about a project that you’ve worked on that’s meant a lot to you.
If there was a project I would label as the “most meaningful”, it would be my latest project “Then There Was One”. A couple years ago, one of my closest friends gave me a piece of advice that stuck with me since the moment he said it. He told me “You’ve lived a hell of a life to be honest man, you need to speak about it more through your music”, I was determined to reach that objective ever since. After Phone Calls 4, my most recent R&B project I had a clean slate for the most part creatively so it felt like the perfect time to provide a quality project that can be enjoyable but tells my story simultaneously.
Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.
Honestly, I’ve been involved with music for as long as I can remember in almost every way possible. Music was a passion of mine far before any sport or game I’ve played. I started writing verses in middle school but I always kept it to myself. Once I made it to high school I found a way to record and post my own music on MySpace so I’d post freestyles from there. After high school, after dealing with self-doubt, insecurity, and fear I finally decided to take things serious in 2015.
I provide enjoyable vibes while painting pictures of moments that can be found relatable to the general population. You don’t have to live an extreme or top notch life, but you don’t have to go through the worst situations either. You’ll hear a rather fair balance of stories about the ups and downs but either way you’ll love it. To “flourish” means to grow or develop in a healthy, vigorous way…and while you do so, you’re bound to see tough times…but the brighter moments always follow.
For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?
For me, the most rewarding aspect of being an artist is the feeling when new spectators/listeners enjoy what you bring to the table. I’ve never been the type to NEED an entourage with me at all of my shows, never cared to have 20-30 people on stage with me because I feel like as an upcoming artist the mission at every show is to gain NEW fans and followers. So when I finish my set, walk off stage to handshakes, questions, pictures, even Instagram notifications of new followers, I feel like my night and mission is complete.
Do you think there is something that non-creatives might struggle to understand about your journey as a creative? Maybe you can shed some light?
I would just emphasize how tedious the process can become when you really care about what you do. In the era we live in today, the accessibility to music everywhere you look, the quantity of artists with the same passion and dreams can make it difficult to stand out. But while you want to do what you can to avoid looking like just another “rapper” you still want to stay true to who you are and make sure every piece of art you show to the world makes sense. So as far as things go for non-creatives, just understand the love, time and effort put into what we provide.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://linktr.ee/deshaunjay
- Instagram: https://instagram.com/deshaunjayfrvr
- Facebook: https://m.facebook.com/julian.d.smith.5?mibextid=JRoKGi
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/deshaunjayfrvr
- Youtube: https://youtube.com/@deshaunjayfrvr?si=gxsiF9BMbPHrKVC0
Image Credits
Major Minority Films
Eyeland Shots
Shannon Bowen