By Steve Perrett
20-year-old singer/songwriter from Raleigh, NC (USA). Jessi recently completed her debut album and is working with New York management. Music is a pop/rock blend with ambient overtones, haunting and memorable melodies, rich harmonies, and driving beats.
You can view Jessi's Songstuff page here:
and Jessi's site here:
TheQuestions
1/ How long have you been playing/writing Music?
I've been playing the piano and singing since the age of 4. I wrote my
first piano piece when I was 10 (it was very classically-oriented) and
seriously started writing music at 14.
2/ What is your primary instrument?
Piano and voice. I've been taking piano lessons since the age of 4 and
voice since I was 8.
3/ Do you record in a studio? Or do you use a home based setup?
I have a home-based setup that I use for preproduction and writing. I use MOTU's Digital Performer and my Kurzweil PC2X keyboard in a MIDI
setup. Then I take my ideas to my producer, Chris Stevens, who has a great studio set up in his friend's house. Chris and his friend, Jeff, initially had the studio set up to do music rojects for various corporations.
4/ Tell us about you the songwriter/musician/singer...do you write alone, with others etc.
I write alone and collaborate with others. Three of the songs on my album are ones that I wrote by myself. Then, on the other songs, I collaborated with Chris, my manager Bruce Pilato, Virginia Beach rapper Ghetto Prince, Raleigh singer/songwriter Johnny Orr, and my dad.
5/ Do you play live or is the project for recording only?
I do perform live as well. I recently formed a 7-piece band (keyboards, drums, bass, guitar, two backing vocalists, and myself) in Rochester, NY. We have several shows scheduled in the New York state area and will be booking some shows at colleges and clubs in North Carolina (where I'm from) in the next couple of months.
6/ Do you start with a finished product in mind or just let it morph as you go?
The songs definitely go through a metamorphosis. I usually start out with a basic chord progression, melody, and lyrical idea. Then I take it to the studio and my producer, Chris Stevens, helps me find ways to improve on what I have. I never have any clue as to how the song will sound until it is finished. I have my ideas of what direction I want to take a song in, but usually Chris and I end up taking it in a different direction and I like it even more. Leaving your mind open to different
possibilities helps a lot.
7/ Where does your inspiration come from?
Lyrically, I'm inspired by things that have happened to me, things that I see, and things that happen to people who are close to me. The music
just comes to me naturally. I just sit down at the piano, start playing, and then I start singing a melody. I usually come up with the music before I write the lyrics. A lot of the time the music sets a mood that makes me think of lyrical ideas.
8/ Where do you see yourself in 5 years time?
I would like to have several albums under my belt and be traveling the world performing.
9/ What is your ultimate goal with your music?
I want to be able to make a good living doing music, share my music with others, and be happy.
10/ What gear do you use?
When I'm performing, I use a Kurzweil PC-88 keyboard, a Shure SM58 microphone, and a wireless in ear monitor system with Shure E3 earphones. My band supplies a lot of the other gear.
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About Steve Perrett
A Songstuff staff member for sveral years, Steve plays guitar, writes songs and records his own material.
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