Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Jayfed (Johnny Fedorenko). We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Hi Jayfed, thanks for joining us today. What’s been the most meaningful project you’ve worked on?
I’ve recently produced and released my first music video for a song that I wrote years back. I’ve been pregnant with the idea for the video for a long time, so to finally sit down and bring it to life was truly fulfilling.
In short, I wanted a video with the full band playing the song, along with scenes happening in multiple locations, with animated sequences throughout the video.
This was not easy to organize as an independent artist, haha. The process was clunky, inefficient, and needless to say, hard. I storyboarded, directed, edited, and animated on top of the video myself. I’m showing off some of the behind the scenes on my social media for those interested in editing and animation.
But it was only through diving in and giving it a shot did I learn as much as I did. I am very proud of the end result, and happy with the connections and experiences I have made through the process.
Check it out on YouTube! It’s called “Plans” by jayfed.
Jayfed, 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?
My name is jayfed. My goal is to create songs you’ll listen in your car and think, “Wow this guy makes songs that I don’t hate. I’m going to devote the rest of my college years to obsessing over him, then when I graduate he’ll be one of the 5 bands I ever listen to because of the nostalgia attached.” Then I’ll be rich and be playing shows until I’m 60 maybe.
My vision is to create a new wave of thought-provoking creative music and visuals. I want to continue the discussion of why we think the way we think. I want to create songs that will not just tell stories, but invite someone to a new world. What that world will look like is still to be determined, but that’s the whole fun of it.
What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?
Perfect. Doesn’t. Exist. Not in this world anyways. Most things creative are completely subjective. Be true to who you are creatively, but don’t feel like you have to sacrifice your whole soul to one project just to get the bass on a track or a frame you’re animating “just right”.
Many artists (myself included) need to learn when to say something is good enough to move on to the next thing. There’s no sense in spending so much time on a part someone will digest in 3 seconds if you have 10 other projects you’d also like to be working on.
It’s a difficult balance, I’m not saying you have to lower your creative standards or sacrifice quality, but be realistic of your means and your timelines.
I could have a whole article just on this topic alone to cover all I’d want to say, because of course there’s nuances, but in short, most of the time, trying to get something “perfect” means never getting it done. Or maybe it’s just me, I dunno.
Can you share your view on NFTs? (Note: this is for education/entertainment purposes only, readers should not construe this as advice)
I STILL don’t understand them and I DARE anyone who thinks they do to argue why they make sense or why they are still relevant. I dare you. DM me on any of my social media platforms and we will debate.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jayfed.music/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jayfed.music
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@jayfed
- Other: Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@jayfed.music
Image Credits
Ally Judkins Jessica Neal Johnny Fedorenko