Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to June Griffin. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Hi June, thanks for joining us today. When did you first know you wanted to pursue a creative/artistic path professionally?
The first time I knew I was going to pursue being an artist professionally was when I was a senior in High School. I had disconnected with my peers and my surroundings altogether and it made me neglect going and ultimately I almost didn’t graduate because I literally didn’t have enough seat hours because I had spent so much time at home. I had got accepted into 12 colleges and I knew neither was the school for me. It wasn’t that I didn’t like doing school work or learning, I guess I just didn’t like school because it felt like a place where you HAD to be a certain way or else you just wasn’t nobody… and when I started recording my music I had finally felt like I had purpose and like I was bigger than being just a student, or anybody’s student for that matter. I just knew I was destined for more and I had accepted music was more for me than anything I had ever pursued in my life. From sports to relationships to jobs, the only thing that ever stuck was my artistry and nobody could ever take it away from me.
Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.
My name is Kennedy Griffin but I go by June or “The Real June”. At 18, my father started an entertainment label “Griffstar Entertainment”, so that my brother and I could pursue our dreams with the love and protection from the ones that love us the most. It hasn’t always been peaches and cream though. Being that I’m technically signed to my parents, it comes with a lot. There’s no pressure to be perfect however there is a standard that always has to be met. I like that though. It has helped me grow into the 21 year old artist I am today. Overtime my sound has developed so much but I’ve always stood firm on being a singer that raps. The reason I say that is because I don’t like to be categorized as just a “rapper” because I’m literally a singer who is just able to put lyrics together in a very hard way that it’s almost rap-like. I’ve been singing my entire life though. From the moment I could hold a note, my father would have me perform in church on Sundays alongside him and my brothers. When I was in 3rd grade, I played the role of Billie Holiday in my school’s Black History Program and performed her hit song “God Bless the Child” where I received a standing ovation for my performance and even after seeing an entire room full of parents, teachers and staff clapping & cheering me on, I still didn’t know then that I would be where I am now. But music has always been a part of me and my parents knew it early on. They always encouraged me to sing and use my voice when I was younger but when I became a teenager I became more self conscious and it got to a point I had stage fright so bad that I stopped wanting to sing. My teenage years is when I started rapping and writing because singing was something I was now afraid to do because I couldn’t find my voice. I mean growing up hearing singers like Beyoncé, Christina Aguilera and Miley Cyrus had me intimidated and thinking if I didn’t sound like them then I was no good. Once I finally found my voice after high school, I really couldn’t be stopped and that’s another reason why I’m so big on making sure it’s known I am a singer first. Other than music, my personal life as Kennedy consists of me working a full time job, maintaining my sanity, while balancing my inner circle relationships. I’m most people’s go-to friend because I give the best advice and people trust me and my opinions to come to me. I take pride in that. Now that I’m 21, my values have changed immensely and I realize now that my true calling is helping people whether it’s through music or something else. It genuinely pleases me to make others happy or relieve them of stress and instill positivity into their lives. Music helps me do that in a significant way which is why I love it so much. If 1 song can help 1 person get through 1 thing, I’m good.
In your view, what can society to do to best support artists, creatives and a thriving creative ecosystem?
As an up and coming artist watching other artists come up and become successful it can sometimes feel like a slap in the face. I mean we feel as though we put in so much work and time and time again, it goes unnoticed and we feel overlooked or unappreciated. I feel as though people don’t really give up and coming artists a real chance until they’re up and that’s very unfortunate because so many talented, hard-working artists get treated as though they aren’t good enough due to the lack of attention on them. I feel like if people would start to fall back in love with the art instead of the artist then a lot more artists would be successful too… and if not as successful as everyone else, at least they would be heard.
Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?
In December 2021, I had a total of 6 projects out and I had been advised to take them all down by my team. Years and years of work was deleted and taken down for my betterment of course, but it hurt me as an artist in the long run because I had lost the momentum that it took me so long to build off the stroke of one click. I had supporters constantly DMing me and asking me what happened, why did I delete my music, when was I going to drop again, or would I ever drop again? I dropped a single in January 2022 and then for another 7 months I dropped absolutely nothing. I was in between situations and obviously had my reasons, but it costed me greatly. Nobody knows how many fans I lost because of this, not even my team and that was something I had to deal with. I didn’t let that stop me though or discourage me. I know in the back of my mind that the same way I gained those fans I could re gain more. I know that my real fans are still right here beside me, waiting and understanding! As much as it sucks that I had all of this good music out and the moment I started having traction again… nobody could listen, it didn’t take the love that I have for music away. I personally think it’s taught me so many lessons and has prepared me immensely for the path I’m on now. And most importantly, never let your right now determine your later. Because no matter how many losses I’ve had to take, I never gave up because I know my big win is coming.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.iamtherealjune.com
- Instagram: IAmTheRealJune
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100068033051779
- Twitter: TheRealJune4L
- Youtube: https://youtube.com/channel/UCX5JLfEBJvGCTmHxicIcq5Q
Image Credits
@Certified_Solid