We recently connected with Jazlyn Epps and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Jazlyn, thanks for joining us today. What’s been the most meaningful project you’ve worked on?

Thank you so much for having me. It’s always such a pleasure and honor to be asked to share my story and be recognized as an artist! The most meaningful project I’ve ever worked on was my single, “Storm” that I had on my EP “Next”. I think this is one of the hardest songs I’ve ever worked on, from writing the lyrics, to helping produce and create the sounds. Storm is about the realization that it’s time to end a relationship, no matter how much love is there, or the memories that are held, the toxicity and heartbreak have taken over. It’s symbolizes the lead up and conversation to the breakup and the “heartbreak”. I added the sounds of rain, thunder, and tornado sirens to really make the listeners feel like they are going through the storm with me. Each chorus the thunder claps and the rain get louder, until the quiet of the storm, then it becomes complete silence. I chose to have the bridge unaccompanied because for me it symbolizes that moment of sadness, and silence as you realize there is no other choice but to let the storm sweep you away.
Ending a relationship is never easy. Accepting that it’s over is never easy either. I created this song as I was making the choice to step away from something I felt was no longer good for me. I became a shell of myself, I had poured so much of me into the other person I had left nothing for myself, so when I realized things had to be over I was afraid I’d never be okay again. How is the person who makes you the happiest also the same one that makes you the saddest? What do you do then?
Music is my gateway to being vulnerable, to vent, to feel every feeling and expressing that through the dynamics of my voice and the impact of my words.
Once I released the single, I felt a weight lifting off my shoulders, being able to say what I couldn’t say in the moment but felt so deeply in my heart. Every time I perform it at a concert or a show, I find myself getting choked up because when you love someone that strongly, you’re willing to stay no matter how bad the storm may get, even if it means getting swept up in the clouds. A love like that doesn’t go away. A pain like that will always linger.

“Can you hear the thunder? It’s getting close. The storm is coming, the heartbreaks getting worse. Our ending has come, but it’s not the happy one. The storm has come, the storm has come.”

Jazlyn, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

Yes, I’d love to introduce myself. I’m Jazlyn, a 25 year old singer, songwriter and actress in KC, Missouri. My name is Jazlyn, I’m a singer, songwriter and actress in Kansas City, Missouri. I started singing when I was little, being in the church choir, performing in my talent shows throughout school, singing at family reunions, making dance routines and performances with friends during recess and I was cast in my first play at age 9 and have been in 34 productions since then. I ‘ve always known I wanted to be a performer, I just didn’t know how to fully accomplish it without making sacrifices to the other hobbies I had. I started getting into songwriting when I practiced turning my poems into songs, by plunking random chords out of my ukulele or making the lines flow and rhyme while adding a tune. I started heavily focusing on being a recording artist when the pandemic began because there was no theatre going on, I was spending so much time alone and I spent majority of the lock down listening to music and decided to create my own mini studio from home. I started sending my friends little clips here and there and finally said “screw it” and released my first single, “Birds” which got over 1,000 streams. From that moment on, I knew this is the route I wanted to take. I struggle with mental health and learned that the best way for me to get through those rough days was to put it into a song, which is why I write all of my experiences rather than have someone else write it for me. Every song I release comes from a real life situation that I either went through or am currently going through whether that’s heartbreak, falling in love, getting “nasty” or feeling like getting “lit.” but you will never hear something from me that I have never went through. I want people to hear my music and feel it in their soul, to be able to escape reality and go on a trip with me through my ups and downs, to listen and have it transport them to a time where they felt how I felt and can reminisce, even if it means it hurts. I want to help people FEEL again and know that it is okay, even though our society tells us that we should be numb, not care and say screw it.

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

The most rewarding aspect of being an artist to me is seeing how my music has impacted them. Having a random stranger stop me out in public and saying that they have my song on their playlist. Knowing that I’ve made music for all to enjoy will never get old. It validates that I am doing the right thing and that I am making a difference. I’m not in this for the money, I love being able to share my emotions and knowing that people feel the same way.

Just the other day I was playing my unreleased single out loud and someone asked me if it was Kehlani, that’s one of the biggest compliments I’d have ever gotten and I swear my eyes watered. If this is something you want to do, and you feel like you are stuck, hold onto these moments. It will change everything.

We’d love to hear the story of how you built up your social media audience?

When I was in the process of building my audience I really focused on sharing things about me, making interactive posts to get a better understanding of what people wanted to hear from me or making little polls about things that they prefer. I also stayed true to who I was and showcased myself as such, rather than having a bunch of random photos I definitely made my page look more professional to showcase how serious I take my craft. Engaging with your audience and posting snippets of songs, or snippets of music videos, or cover photos to make them want more. Don’t be afraid to promote yourself, share facts about you, SHOW YOUR CONFIDENCE. Build your brand. Interact with your audience. No matter how exhausting social media can be, in this day or age it will make or break you. I also learned that having an easily accessible link in my bio that takes people to all of my music on all platforms made it easier for them to find what they were looking for. Don’t be afraid to reach out to other influencers and shop your music to other people. Post regularly and consistently so they don’t forget who you are.

Contact Info:

• Website: linktr.ee/JazlynE
• Instagram: _jazlynepps
• Facebook: Jazlyn
• Youtube: Jazlyn Epps

Image Credits
KennyDidThat Corey Weaver Raphy