#jmystr

How would you describe JMYSTR in three words?

JMYSTR in three words: dark, alternative, R&B

Who has been the biggest influence on your music and why?

The biggest influence(s) in my career have got to be The Weeknd and BANKS. Simply for their individual sounds, the vibe they portray in their music, attitude towards social media, all of that is inspiring to me. You can hear tinges of the ‘Kiss Land’ era and the 'London’ EP vibe in my album.

How would you describe the development of your music since your first demos?

I've not been producing/writing songs for that long (4 years) but already I believe I have improved significantly and developed my own style, which I find important. At the start back in college I would just be looking to get used to the software, create simple melodies to fit borderline mainstream music. Now I'm more into making darker music, with several synths, repetitive melodies and sounds with an overall eery vibe, that's beautiful to me.

What plans do you have in terms of releases and playing live?

For releases, my debut single, 'Better' which features Luchana Shaw, is out on SoundCloud now and will be available on iTunes/Spotify/Google Play within days too. The whole album, It's Taken A While, is out April 22 and while I still have 1-2 tracks to finish, I'm proud of how it's sounding as I've been working on it for the past 18 months. Live performances are something I really want to get into! There's not really been any opportunities for me as yet, but I will be looking to find venues, maybe even sign up to an opportunities company to get a set or two. I'll probably have more luck once the album comes out!

Are there any small or local artists would you tip for success?