TURN it up!

#300 TURNing it up with JR Rhodes

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We sit down with Edmonton artist JR Rhodes to unpack the meaning behind Awaiting King and why he’s ready to share a more personal, culture-rooted sound. We talk perfectionism, faith and family, plus the real behind-the-scenes work that turns singles into an EP people can live with. 


• The idea of being “chosen” while still waiting for the moment 
• Taking control of production and mixing to protect authenticity 
• Learning when to stop chasing perfect and actually release the art 
• Drawing inspiration from South Asian heritage, God, and his grandmother Elvira 
• Journaling and writing from different perspectives to shape each song 
• Going from sports kid to music nerd to taking the career seriously 
• Balancing long-term goals with small wins like nominations and placements 
• Testing songs through listening parties and consumer feedback 
• What’s next for the release timeline and his new single “Trying” 

Tune in weekly on Mondays & Thursdays to TURN it up with Ravia on 97.9 FM or live-stream at www.theuniversalradio.com

IG: @theuniversalradio

Welcome And Artist Introduction

SPEAKER_02

Welcome back to the Universal Radio Network Podcast. This is DJ Rara Ravia, and today I get to have a conversation with J.R. Rhodes, a Edmontonian Canadian artist, about his upcoming EP, Awaiting King, and the impact of South Asian heritage on his music, his family, and more about him. Keep turning it up with us. Now let's get into the interview. Hi JR. Hey, how are you doing? Nice to meet you.

SPEAKER_00

Nice to see you again. Nice to see you. I've met you so many times.

SPEAKER_02

Wait, you're so right. Wait, am I nervous? Are you nervous?

SPEAKER_00

I'm not nervous.

SPEAKER_02

You're you look ready. Thank you. That's amazing.

SPEAKER_00

I've been immensely prepared for this. Yes.

SPEAKER_02

Alright, so I'm Ravia. I'm with the Universal Radio Network, and I get to talk to J.R. Rhodes, an upcoming exciting South Asian Canadian artist, who is here to talk about his new single, Awaiting

The Story Behind Awaiting King

SPEAKER_02

a King. Is that what it's called?

SPEAKER_00

New uh new project. New project.

SPEAKER_02

Tell me about the project, Ben.

SPEAKER_00

Uh yeah, the project is something I've wanted for a very long time. It's the title itself, Awaiting King, is is about, you know, that feeling of you know you're destined for something. And you know, I feel like sometimes you take a backseat waiting for that moment. I think this whole project is the embodiment of that thought, and a lot of it is just about like um feeling like you gotta prepare yourself for the moment, prepare yourself for you know, going through life to understand that I was chosen for this the whole time. Like it was it was a non-negotiable from the start. It was always gonna be there. It's just a matter of when. And this project is about that. I feel like we've done a lot of singles, we've done a lot of songs over the course of the last few years, but I haven't really dove into my culture and where I come from as much as I would want to. And I think this project allows me to try to do that.

SPEAKER_02

It gets you to dive right in.

SPEAKER_00

Dive right in, yeah.

SPEAKER_02

Okay, so maybe we'll take a step back because this is a project that you're working on right now.

SPEAKER_00

Correct. It's it's actually um finished, it's not obviously out yet, but it is we're planning the uh release for it, just doing the final touches and okay. It is it's almost there. Almost there.

SPEAKER_02

Okay, so you said it is getting a little bit deeper into your roots. How how are you exploring that in this project?

SPEAKER_00

Well, I

Hands On Creation With Edmonton Crew

SPEAKER_00

think the first step that I wanted to do with this project was to make sure that everything was me, like from the production to the mixing. I wanted my hands on everything, and I think maybe I'm a little bit of like a control freak in that sense, but I think that's the best way to like give my audience me in the most authentic way, is like, okay, like my hands were all over this project. It's not like just something I'm putting together just to put it out. It's I created this to send a message to show it. And I think a lot of it was just like reflection. Like, we actually came back from Toronto for Departure Fest, and I remember sitting down with Mina and we were talking about like I need to I need to give the fans something to hold on to. I feel like with the singles, it's good to gain new fans, gain new listeners. But the project, even for me as like a hip-hop fan, is like what really lures me in and keeps me there. Um, and so that's like a big part of why I started writing this project was I want the people to really understand me.

SPEAKER_02

Right. So it's very personal. Yeah. So you wrote the lyrics, the rap, everything involved. You made the music.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02

What how was that process of like making the music? What does your process look like?

SPEAKER_00

It is uh it's a very uh tedious project, and I don't want to say like I exclusively made every single thing. Like I've had a lot of help from people around me. Um, but just the thought of everything curated specifically for this was what made it fun. It was like, okay, well, maybe we'll redo the violins 10 different times. No way. But it's the thought of we get to do this 10 different times, we get to try different things that fits. And I think that's what makes it fun, and that's what makes it me is that it's um it's not just putting out music, it's it's this is like my baby. This is right. You know, we spend a lot of time with this thing.

SPEAKER_02

That's so special. It is so like did you do you have violins? Like, did you actually do violins 10 different times? Like, I'm actually curious. Were you working? Sorry, oh of question.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah, okay.

SPEAKER_02

Apologies, did you work with local artists? Right.

SPEAKER_00

So everything curated is is Canada based, more specifically Edmonton-based, with the exclusion of one um one song that we use different production from someone else. But yeah, for the most part, like I wish I could say we hired a full orchestra and like did this, but no, like um in music, like you could do a lot with a little, and I think with hip hop and and production, you could you could get away with with a MIDI keyboard and programming different sounds, and I think that's also where the nerd in me comes out. Um, because it's it's not perfect, but you try to make it as perfect as you can and make it sound as real as you can, and and you're kind of working with that obstacle of these aren't real instruments, but we're making it real instruments. Yeah. And um, so you could do a lot with a little, I think.

SPEAKER_02

That's beautiful. So you but you were retrying and doing all the work to make sure that the project was what you had envisioned.

SPEAKER_00

Correct.

Perfectionism And The Finish Line

SPEAKER_00

I think like with the project, even just on that same point, it's it's hard to get to the finish line because it's like, oh my god, like we could change this, we could change this, and the world just keeps getting bigger and bigger, and it's like, okay, we gotta draw the line, put this out and keep it moving with the next one and the next one. Because I feel like we're all perfectionists in our own craft, and I think that's what that's what slows things down sometimes. And I think with art, you'll never be perfect with art, and I think that's something that I had to understand and I had to let go of to really like accept and and and create things like this.

SPEAKER_02

So that is that is really fascinating. So, like your artistic journey was really fueled by this like almost search for this per perfect product product for a while, yeah. And then now you're kind of like, This is this is like I could work on this forever if I wanted to, is what you're realizing.

SPEAKER_00

And I feel like a lot of musicians think like that. I feel like we all try to get this perfect product and this perfect mix and this perfect production, and we could we'll go through like there's like a a joke in hip-hop where we'll have like mix one down to like mix 45, and it's just like turn the knob a little bit to the right, turn the knob a little bit to the left. And it's like people might not hear it, but we hear it. And I think that's like with this project, as much as it's it's a very solid project, it's okay, how do we accept that this is this is authentic? This is it doesn't need to be perfect, perfect, perfect.

SPEAKER_02

Yeah, and it's probably real, it's real and it feels like it's you. So tell me about how you are talking about yourself and your identity or through the music. How how is that coming up through this?

SPEAKER_00

Yeah, so

Faith Heritage And Grandma Elvira

SPEAKER_00

I think I think a lot of the concepts on this project were revolving around like God and my grandma was a big inspiration for this project. Um, there's a track actually titled after her, and I think a lot of it was just like reflecting on things that I hold a lot of value to. And, you know, even with the title Awaiting King, like there's a lot of you know, royalty and there's a lot of like weight on certain people in my life that I draw inspiration from. And so with this, it took a lot of self-reflecting and you know, listening and reflecting back on stories and hearing stories from my parents about my grandma and stuff like that, just like really trying to understand where I come from and what they did to get me here. And I think that is like with a waiting king, it's like the whole the whole feeling like I was mentioning earlier, is I feel like I was chosen from so long and so long. And I took a back seat and I observed and I learned and I did what I had to do to get to where I am, but there's this feeling of I'm not there yet, and this project is exploring that. So it took a lot of just stepping back and observing more than it took diving into things, um, which I think adds a different perspective for sure.

SPEAKER_02

And you're you tell me about your grandma. She's your grandmother, what was her name? Yeah, where was she born? What was she like?

SPEAKER_00

Yeah, her name is Elvira. Um, she passed about 10 years ago, but um, she's born in India, raised in India. Um, they immigrated here right when I was born. So she was always like, I feel like a lot of South Asian households, like our grandparents lived with us our whole lives. So it was like that. Like they lived with us for my whole life. They were in the house, and it was just like she was always home, which is nice because like I'd get home from school, she'd be home, I'd stay up late, she's home. Like it doesn't matter. She's always there, and like that was like cool to me because a lot of my friends didn't have that. And you know, both my grandparents just being home all the time. It's like you learn to just see them as like you know, they're fragile beings, but they're they're like the the top of the hierarchy, if that makes sense. Like they're the ones everyone like will fly in to see and say hi to and make sure they, you know. So I think that was cool to see right in front of me at all times.

SPEAKER_02

Yeah. And like they are pillars of your family in a way. And it is nice when you live with your grandparents because then people do want to come see you. Exactly. And then you're like, oh sick, I get to be the one that like everyone hangs out with. Yeah. I also grew up with my grandma and it was like really fun because you also get this unique insight into your parents. Yeah. And you're saying you you learned a lot from your parents about your grandma. Like, what are those those stories, those memories, or those coming up in this project?

SPEAKER_00

I think I think a lot of it was just about how much people valued her. Like, even people that weren't our direct family, people that are our friends, or maybe even like even like four or five relations down knew her as like just the most amazing person. And like whether that was just from her cooking, whether it's that from just you know how nice she is, her adventure stories, whatever it was, like people just knew her and respected her, regardless if they were affiliated with her from like three different people down the line, or if they were direct relative. Like, I think a lot of the stories, like maybe not specifically, but they were just about like cherishing her and holding her to that high standard of she's the she's the one, you know? Yeah. Um, and she's a very religious woman, so I think a lot of a lot of it came down from that too, of of they they treated her like you know, she's she's like a saint in their eyes, like she was such a good person.

SPEAKER_02

She had a strong faith. Yes. Yeah. And that relationship was given also to you, like this faith relationship and this relationship with her. Um, what do you think her impact on you is?

SPEAKER_00

Uh, it's it's hard to say because I think the the number one thing I always draw back to is when I was at my parents' house and she obviously are like our family house, and I'd be up late recording all night, and she stayed on the main floor of the house because we like she couldn't go up down the stairs. And I would record in the basement right underneath her room, and so she'd always say, I heard you're singing, I heard you're singing, keep singing, keep singing. And it's like I'd get a little embarrassed because at the time I'm just like having fun experimenting, you know. Like I'm just a kid, just you know, I I don't really know how to explain hip-hop to my grandma. So I'm just like, I'm a little embarrassed, but just the thought of like, keep singing, keep singing, like I heard you're singing, like it was just like at the moment I didn't realize how much weight that had on me. But now, like when I reflect back, I'm like, wow, like imagine I just stopped. Imagine I like didn't have that little bit of positive reinforcement from her, and it was just like a bond we had because every night, like I would feel a little bad because maybe I'm keeping her up, or like my parents would be like, Oh, you're being so loud, but then she'd be like, No, no, no, keep singing. And I'm like, it was just like a very cool relationship I had with her. That's very in that sense, yeah.

SPEAKER_02

That is so special, and having that support from a grandmother, I feel like it really can just propel you.

SPEAKER_01

Oh, yeah, right.

SPEAKER_02

Like, you just feel like you probably hear that voice. Yeah. When you're like, have any doubts, you know that she's thinking about you, or she is.

SPEAKER_00

That's really special. One cool thing that also like is a part of this project, is my sister named her first daughter after my grandma. So I think like obviously that's my niece, but it's like I think that also re-sparked the idea of okay, I need to really dive into that relationship more because it's it's never leaving, it's never gonna leave.

SPEAKER_02

No.

SPEAKER_00

Um, so that was also a big part of this project. Was when my sister did that, it kind of made me think about it more and and brought it back into my regular day thinking. So that was very important.

SPEAKER_02

Brought like bringing in your whole family into this project. Are there any other like family members we'll hear about or like maybe influences we'll hear into this?

SPEAKER_00

Not necessarily like I think a lot of it as as navy self-centered as it sounds a lot of it about me. Like, I think a lot of just how I'm feeling in the moment. You know, there's moments where I'm I'm feeling down, there's moments I'm feeling like, you know, I took a back seat for so long in this, even in my career, in the early stages of my career. I felt like I took a back seat because I'm an observer, and I think that set me up to be good, but I feel like it also cost me certain opportunities because I was maybe timid in the moment. And so in this project, I reflect on those moments and I'm like, why did I feel that? And how does that impact me now? And I think that's that's a big part of it. Like it's it's about me, but the impact of the family is also prevalent.

SPEAKER_02

It's all like tied into it, right? Correct. That's really good to hear. So,

Journaling Lyrics And Finding A Voice

SPEAKER_02

this reflective process that you have, these moments that you're talking about, when you're writing, like, are there times where you're just like you just write on the go? Like, what does your writing process look like? Like, or do you sit down and have a process?

SPEAKER_00

I'll um I'll like write throughout my day. Like anytime I think of something or something catches my eye or my ear, I'll I'll write it in my notes. And then, you know, I journal a lot too. I think that's a that's an underrated thing. Like, I feel like most artists need to start journaling because my mind is just so jittery that I'll just be writing things and it might not make sense on the paper. I might not be able to read it later, but I'll know what I wrote. And then when I look back and I'm like, okay, like this is how I was feeling in this moment, like there's something here. Like I could, I could rewrite this and re-word this into something that makes sense to to most people. And like, yeah, for me, I I write a lot in my notes, and when I come down to like making a song, I'll be like, what do I want this song to be about? And how do I want to say it? Like, do what perspective do I want to take? Do I want to take? Am I the antagonist? Am I the one that's like causing the problems? Or am I an observer? Am I the victim? Like, it kind of just depends on the framing. I want to go about it. And a lot of that, there's not a lot of time spent. It's more of a in the moment, how do I feel? And if my feeling fits into one of those, then it helps me write. But I think um, yeah, it's just writing throughout the day and just like making sure it's uh it's it's part of my routine.

SPEAKER_02

That's really, that's really like a solid process you have, it seems like you, even though you are writing throughout the day, you think about what you're doing, yeah, and you have that. When you were, let's talk about you as a kid. I'm fascinated. Because I'm like, what were you like as a kid? Were you always like, yeah, were you a waiting king when you were a child? Were you musical? Were you uh the musical child entertaining your family? What was that like?

SPEAKER_00

I, you know, funny enough, I was the only one in my family not musically inclined. My brother grew up, he got you know guitar lessons, he played guitar, he played other instruments, my sister, piano, like all this stuff. And I was I was a sports kid. No way, I was always into sports, I was playing sports, and like I was never really involved with music until like high school is when I kind of started liking music. And like, because you know when you have older siblings, I feel like you take, you just listen to what they listen to. Yeah, you know, you don't really have your own opinion. You just kind of my sister's putting me on all these artists, my brother's putting me on all these artists, and I just listened to it because I thought it was cool. I'd go to school and be like, Yeah, this is what my brother put me on. But yeah, I was never musically inclined, but kind of as I got you know through junior high, high school, I was like a nerd. I started becoming a nerd for music. I was like, oh, like I like how this sounds. And I would, I would go to the I'd go to the bus and I'd be like, yo, yo, listen to this verse, listen to this verse, and I'd write it down, I'd write down the verse, just trying to prove my friends, like, yo, this is really good.

SPEAKER_02

This is really good lyrically, guys. Look at these lyrics, yeah.

SPEAKER_00

I remember like all of high school, that's like that was my personality, was like I was such a nerd for music. Like I'd be on the Reddit forums, like anonymously just chiming in, like just having fun, like discourse like that. But um, I think the sports persona took over for most of my life until I committed to like, okay, no, I actually really love doing this. Like, why am I why am I putting this on the back burner?

SPEAKER_01

Like, yeah.

SPEAKER_00

Um, but yeah, I was a sports kid. I was I was always like an entertainer though, I will say. My family, I was always entertaining, always the one to try to make people laugh and like have fun and dance, whatever, be silly just to make them laugh or make them have a good time.

SPEAKER_02

I think that's like still translates into those influences still are yeah, part of that. That's so good. I love that.

SPEAKER_00

My family still views me like that. Like, whatever. It's it's fun um because I accept it now, like you know.

SPEAKER_02

But when did you find um yourself like taking on that entertainment role, turning it into something like that music role and taking it more seriously? Was there a moment there for you?

SPEAKER_00

Yeah, for sure. I think

Taking Music Seriously In Edmonton

SPEAKER_00

like right after high school for me, I started meeting people in the music industry. And Emmitton's music scene at the time was was not anywhere where it's at now. Like I feel like it was such an unreachable thing at the time. I thought it was just fun, like whatever. But then I was meeting people and they were working with people and they were like showing me how they networked and and how they got placements and doing things like that. And I was just kind of around it. Like I was saying, I took the back seat on a lot of situations. So I was just around it. Like I was in the rooms, I was learning from these people, like I was just being coached by these people, and I kind of felt like, you know, I'm here for a reason. They believe in me. Maybe I'm not ready yet, but I was sitting there in these rooms and I was like, okay, like this is cool. This is like the moment where there that was like the moment where I was like, okay, I need to like take this seriously because everyone around me is taking this seriously, and I can't be the only one faking it. You know, I can't like I can't not be 100% locked in right now. And so I think in that moment was, yeah, that was probably like 2018 of being around these people, doing really cool things in music, and and realizing like I want this for myself, so I need to take this seriously.

SPEAKER_02

That is awesome.

SPEAKER_00

Um, and then yeah, obviously, like kind of throughout COVID, like it was it was all, you know, it was all fun and games, and then after COVID, when it was like, okay, we gotta really do this. We gotta really do this. Cause like I said, it's a lot of learning as artists. I feel like a lot of artists get in their head about they gotta make it early on in their career. But most artists do not make it until like maybe 10 years in. Like it's it's a very long game you have to play in this industry, and even if you do make it early, it's how do you sustain it? How do you sustain it and how do you like really build on what you want to build? Because you can have a hit song, you can have a good moment, a viral moment, whatever it is, but that doesn't really mean success as a career.

SPEAKER_02

Yeah. So yeah, I'm even thinking back. So we met for the first time at the Telgito Assange concert, right? So I I really appreciate you bringing this up because it is such a real journey in this industry. Um, when I was a young kid, Telgito Assange came to Edmonton and he was performing at the Millwoods Grounds. Um, and before him there was another artist, and he was like the secondary artist, and it was a bit the the concert had gone late. And it got to the point where people were starting to leave because it was like 8 p.m. or something. And he started, he jumped off the stage and started asking people to stay.

SPEAKER_00

Wow.

SPEAKER_02

And he was like, no guys, we're gonna have fun. Like, let's keep doing this. And then flash forward like 15 years, he's selling out Roger's place.

SPEAKER_00

That's great. I did not know he's been Edmundson before.

SPEAKER_02

He's been Edmondson before, and then like he came to Jubilee Auditorium when I was in high school. Um, and like back then he was like uh being this like a Punjabi artist who's very localized to people that were like from the culture, like specifically, right? Like it wasn't as big, but just seeing that growth, I really respect that you are having this perspective because I think that perspective is so important for the work that you're doing, and you have this like propel this propulsion from like you know, your ancestors. So it's it's all coming together for you, and that's really exciting. Yeah, I want to talk about your recent nomination. Tell me more about that. Okay, yeah.

Nominations Goals And Small Wins

SPEAKER_00

So uh yeah, I got I got nominated for Rab and Hip Hop Artist of the Year by um Western Canada Music Awards. I thought that was really cool because I went last year as a as an attendee. I just wanted to see what was going on. And I was like, it's cool. I was actually meeting people, I was networking, and then the day I got nominated, I actually slept in that day. And I looked at my phone and I was like, I got congrats text. I was like, huh, like people I don't really like I'm talking to all the time. And I was like, congrats, and then I looked at my looked at my Instagram, I was like, tagged in a couple things. I was like, okay, what's going on here? And then I look and like they posted a video, and I was like kind of towards the end of the video, and sometimes I get tagged in shit that is not really meant for me.

SPEAKER_02

Right, right.

SPEAKER_00

But so I kind of stayed, I was like watching the video, and then I was like, oh, oh, oh, that's me. And then I was like, oh my god, and then I realized I was like going through the comments, I was like, that's that's me, that's me on there, and that's literally how I found out. Like I had no heads up, I had no email saying, Hey, like, we're gonna go live at this time, or like nothing like that. And so that was it was like really just an in the moment like shock factor, and I thought it was really cool because on that list is is really high caliber artists and to be put in consideration with them. It's really cool, man. Like, I admire all those guys on that list.

SPEAKER_02

That's so awesome. Just to be having your name out there, getting that recognition after all the work you put in.

SPEAKER_00

Exactly.

SPEAKER_02

It feels that feels really good. And are you do you have any hopes in the future for other kind of like awards or things? Like, is that a thing that you're working towards?

SPEAKER_00

Yeah, uh I think you know what, even unbiasedly, like after last year's award show, I realized like I need to put out a project, I need to put out like a body of work that can be considered because like with singles, yeah, even for myself, it's not like I get I can nominate apply or like be nominated. For a lot of these categories because it's just singles, it's just you know music throughout the year. But with the project, I think even with a waiting king, I really want the focus to be on okay, this this should have enough weight where I could maybe hopefully get a Juno nomination or get like whatever nominations that we seek out, I think a body of work really encompasses that as like an opportunity. So I think that's like what our goal is for this year. We talk about all the time, like we talk about small wins, like all of these nomination stuff, like in the grand scheme of things might not mean anything, but it's a small win. We celebrate, we keep moving forward. And I think that's um this one thing we want with this project is we know we just gotta take it as it is, do the best we can and keep pushing forward, keep pushing forward, keep pushing forward, because that's that's all we can do. That's that's all it's in our hands.

SPEAKER_02

Sometimes I always find that like even going to those spaces, it opens up your mind to the possibilities of oh, I actually I have a project in me, I can take this out, like I can get I can build this up now. Yeah, and now I have something that can, you know, I can strive for. Like having something to strive for is always a nice thing. And sometimes it is finding that inner self, like you're talking about digging a little bit deeper into you, or even being like, ah, maybe I can send this, set this up for a Juno or something.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02

Oh, I really hope that that happens because that's so fun.

SPEAKER_00

I think it's cool because like a lot of my music early on, or like not even early on, a lot of my music in general is is based on feeling and vibe. And you know, I like to I like to make people feel something, feel happy, a little bit more upbeat, whatever it is. And I think with this project, I kind of just did it for me. Like it's not it's not about I want to make you dance, I want to make you party, I want to da da da da, I don't want to make you, you know, reflect too hard on yourself. I just want you to hear my story. And I think that was something that was hard for me because I'm not used to writing like that. And like hopefully, God willing, in the future, if this does get any nominations or we get any opportunity to tour and do stuff with this project, it's that's the feeling I want to give. It's like I want you to understand me. Like, I don't I don't need this to win awards, yeah. I don't need any of that because this was for me, but just the thought of that's possible is is what is like really cool to me.

SPEAKER_02

That is, that is. You're talking about small wins. What's a recent small win you're excited about?

SPEAKER_00

Uh oh, what's we got our first audio Mac editorial placement, like for our last single. So for this, for this project, we put out a single a couple weeks ago called All I Ever Need. Um, very self-reflect uh self-reflective, you know, introspective, that kind of feel. And like when we put it out, this is kind of like one of those things where like ah, a little bit like nervous in the sense of it's not a traditional single I'd put out. It's not like a, you know, it it fits in this body of work, but I think it's you know, it'll stand on its own too. And so when we landed these placements, it was like, it was like cool, man. Like people, people are people are watching, they're watching, they're listening, they're paying. So that was that was a really cool small win. Audio Mac is honestly amazing. Like they do so much for upcoming artists, and it's definitely a platform that we're trying to like build a more relationship with, especially after that uh placement. But that's awesome. Yeah, there's there's a lot of small wins, like it's hard to even keep track of what's going on. Like, I consider a lot of things a small win. We had a couple posts go viral in the last few days, and it's like it's such a weird thing to me because you work so hard, you work so hard, and then the worst TikTok of me just freaking in Victoria walking around with my audio playing is going crazy.

SPEAKER_02

Yeah, you never know. Like, why is this one the one I put the least effort into it into that's a maybe that's a part of it too? It's like people want to see the real kind of version of you is what's not.

SPEAKER_00

It's not even any different version, it's just a bad video. In general, in general, I went through a night out and I was like, why did this one take off? Because we do a lot, we post a lot and a lot and a lot. A big thing has been consistency with posting and just do it because why? Why not? If I don't do it, someone else is gonna do it. There you go. And um, we've been posting and posting and posting and posting, and it's like there's so many ones that I'm like, oh, this one could take off, this one could take off. And I I've learned to detach from it and not worry about the outcome because regardless if it's 300 views or 3,000 views or 30,000 views, like there's new people, there's new people listening and seeing, and they may not engage the first time, but maybe they'll see the second time or the third time and then start liking it. And so I kind of learned to detach from the outcome and just just create and create and create and be in their face as much as possible. And so when, yeah, one one takes off, it's kind of like of course this one, man. Of course, this one took off.

SPEAKER_02

That's so funny. Oh my god.

SPEAKER_00

So it's it's a cool feeling though. Like, I think we me and Mina and all the people around me, like we're very much nerds for this. Like, we're very analytical. Yeah, he'll send me screenshots. Yo, you went up this many followers, this many followers, this many people are engaging. And it's like, this is cool, man.

SPEAKER_02

That is really cool.

SPEAKER_00

It's cool to just like feel that in real time.

SPEAKER_02

Feel that real time. Yeah. It looks like you have a really great team like supporting you, and you have a good community around you. That's so myself. That is awesome. Do you want to give any shout outs to anyone?

SPEAKER_00

Uh he's gonna not be happy if I don't. Shout out to y'all know Mina, man. If y'all not filming with Wina with Mina, what are y'all doing? If y'all not filming with Mina, what are y'all doing?

SPEAKER_01

No pressure.

SPEAKER_00

And uh, he's gotta make that his videotape. Someone else already said it. Uh Adam?

SPEAKER_01

Sorry.

SPEAKER_00

Oh, god, even hear you, man. I couldn't even hear you. But no, there's a lot of people around. Like, like Covey. Um, he he uh runs Starlight Studio. I've been recording all my stuff there. Like, he's been such a helpful hand, jug, same thing. He's one of the engineers out there. Like, just sitting with him late nights and and mixing this project until my ears are bleeding. Like, I'll just invite him in. I'll be like, yo, dude, like I want to mix a song. Like, can you just sit with me? And he'll just sit with me and be like, Okay, you need to you need to take a break. You need to go for a walk, man. I was like, Yeah, you're right.

SPEAKER_02

Maybe you've been in here for doo long.

SPEAKER_00

You go crazy, you're just like when you're in the zone, you gotta do this. Yeah, sometimes you literally just have to walk away and come back with fresh ears.

SPEAKER_01

Touch the ground.

SPEAKER_00

So it's like literally, so it's nice to have people that are. I trust their creative vision, I trust like their ear or their eye with certain things, and that's really it takes a lot of burden off of me because like we talked about earlier, like perfectionism is so hard to fight past. You just have to learn to trust other people's opinions too.

SPEAKER_02

Yeah, for sure.

SPEAKER_00

Um yeah, I did a yeah, I got I got a little fortunate.

Listening Parties Release Plans And Singles

SPEAKER_00

I was just in Victoria, and I did a little bit of like a private listening party with some people out there, and I just played on the project. I've never played it in full for anybody, and so just invited it. It was a small room, just had a couple people I just played the project top to bottom, got to explain a little bit and just get their feedback. And I thought that was really cool because having someone not in the industry, because it's one thing to show my music friends, yeah, and one thing to show my director, my manager, whatever. I I could show these people and they'll have their opinions. But showing someone that's not in the industry that's just a consumer, that's just a fan of the music, and ask them questions about like, I don't like to ask questions that I already know, I don't like to ask surface level things like, oh, did you like this song? It's like that's not gonna help me. It's out of these six, which one did you not like? Because then it's how do I reverse engineer that and just be like, okay, if that was the weakest song and this person's saying and that person saying, maybe it doesn't belong here. And luckily there was no consistent answer in that, like there wasn't anything that stood out as needs to be fixed or needs to be removed, but it was different perspective. Like, there's one somewhat upbeat song on the project, and the first listen, um, one of the guys was like, Oh, like maybe it doesn't fit in, or maybe you need to transition it better, or maybe put it lower in the set list. And I was like, Okay, I was listening to that, I was writing it down, and then this other girl on the second listen was like, I really like that song, and I think it's perfect there because it kind of invites you in before all the vulnerable stuff, and so it's like getting these perspectives of okay, maybe maybe that is true as a consumer. Like they view it differently. They might, you know, they might feel like they need to connect with you or like trust in you to make good music, like with a song that catches them before they are ready for the intimate, slower stuff.

SPEAKER_02

That is really cool.

SPEAKER_00

And so I thought that was cool.

SPEAKER_02

Yeah, that is really cool. It's like doing a focus group. Yeah. Like you're doing your research.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02

Are you doing gonna do any in Edmonton?

SPEAKER_00

We're gonna do one in Edmonton. Um of course you'll be invited. I'm we will get those details out soon. That's something we we gotta work on right away.

SPEAKER_02

Whereas also, like, I feel like that's such a good way for you to kind of preemptively look at okay, here's here's like what I'll be receiving, yeah, maybe in the future. And here's what I can see, what this like will be listened to as. Yeah. And kind of be ready for it. Because as an artist, you're probably anticipating that.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah. Right? I think there's a lot of value in just like raw opinion too, um, which is why it's like a little bit of a fragile state because I don't want to show them something not finished, but I don't want to show them the finished project in case we need to finish like move things around because I do value their opinion. And so it's like a little bit of a dilemma. Do I show them when it's uploaded, ready to go, and just have like a release party, or do I do like an actual, like you said, like a focus group or like invite some people in to just listen and we could fix or address what needs to be addressed to get the best product. Like that's a little bit of a dilemma I'm having, so it'll it'll happen though. It'll happen.

SPEAKER_02

I'm so one way or the other. Uh perspective date for when this project's gonna come out.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah, ideally, I mean, I can't say anything definitive, but ideally end of July, okay, um, slash maybe early August. Kind of depends on just our timelines and and how we kind of roll things out. We have the next single coming out actually next week. Um, not sure when this will air, but it'll be June 30th.

SPEAKER_02

Okay, exactly. June 30th, we'll be listening.

SPEAKER_00

Yes. And that is more of like a so the song is called Trying. It's a very stripped down, vulnerable, kind of just letting myself speak and sing in a way that I'm talking about pretty much being pushed to the side, like it's not the right time in a relationship, and I kind of just express like how I feel about that. And it's it's weird because you know, as a single, like throughout the years, we're putting out these high-energy singles and they're doing really good numbers, and like I always fear putting out a slower single, but I think it will attract people in the sense of like okay, he's being vulnerable on this project, like that's what he's here for. He's not here to like sugarcoat things, yeah, he's not here to make things, you know, to forcefully bring things upbeat. Like, I think with this song and and in general with this project, like a lot of the time was put curating it. So you'll hear the violins on this thing, you'll hear me playing the piano, you'll hear me doing all these things. This was the first one, like when I moved to my apartment. This was probably the first song I started working on. And so when I did the drums, I did them super unorthodox because well, I it's kind of technical, but when I programmed them, I didn't program into like a sampler, I just literally dragged them in place, and my project file looks so ugly and so like unorganized, it's like a little bit of a kick here, like I was just dragging things around, and so I had so many issues of like latency and like CPU issues when I was making this, but it was a very unorthodox approach to how I was making the song, and I think that's also what also like makes me so attached to it is that there's a story behind it, even if it was just for me. Um it took me so long to make this, and I had some help from outsiders to like how do I bring these strings in naturally without it sounding too like harsh, but I want this orchestra feel without like a choir feel, and like it was it was cool like trying to balance that, and I think um it came together perfectly, and I think like this single is probably one of my favorites that is so from the project. So it is really fun. I hope I I know people will relate to it in some way.

SPEAKER_02

I'm really excited, I'm really excited, honestly. Like, I feel like I really will I'm excited that you're opening yourself up to the art audience, yeah, and to get you know better, get to know you better through your music. I feel like it'll be really a really fun and like intimate way to hear your voice.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_02

Thank you. Thank you for giving us this project. I'm really looking forward to it.

SPEAKER_00

I'm excited to share with you guys. Like, I think I've wanted this for so long, and like it's not it's not an album, it's just you know, it's it's an EP. Like in music, I feel like there's a lot of weight to certain terms and certain certain like you know, how you say certain things, but this project is like a taste. If if the audience, not even if the audience, like it's for me. If if I feel confident speaking on this on like a smaller body work, now I'm way more comfortable and confident to bring it to a full album and and explore way bigger options with it. And so it's almost like testing it for myself to see am I capable of doing this on a small scale before I take it big. Um and I think that's a that's a cool thing musicians get to do that. That is really cool.

SPEAKER_02

So this project is setting you up for a lot in the future, which is really exciting.

SPEAKER_00

I think uh it's been a it's been a great year musically, and I think now it's just just full sending it. Amazing.

SPEAKER_02

I'm so excited. Take your throne, yeah. It'll be fun. I'm looking forward

Rapid Fire Collabs Food Coffee

SPEAKER_02

to it. Okay, one last, a few like little like last second questions I'll ask you. Um, who would be your dream collab?

SPEAKER_00

Uh, I mean, I feel like the answer is obvious. If it was a dream collab, would probably be Drake. Like, that is I grew up listening to Drake. I love Drake. I think he's done so much for Canada. And even like a lot of artists that I never have heard of will come out on a Drake song. I'm like, this is crazy.

SPEAKER_02

It is fun. Um, that is fun.

SPEAKER_00

So I don't know. I think Drake, I think Russ is up there. Russ is another independent artist that is like just the best of the best in what he does. And I think that would be like a sick dream collab. Um, a left field one would probably be like like maybe like Jesse Reyes. I love her voice. Yeah, I think that's like a really cool, like, you know, Canadian connect that it's like I think we can make something really cool. Yeah. Um I like that. But yeah, I think there's a lot of collaborations I would like to seek out in the future, but those are definitely three that are okay.

SPEAKER_02

What's your favorite food spot in Edmonton?

SPEAKER_00

Oh my god.

unknown

Food spot.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah, we've got a great spot in Edmonton. Now I gotta think of Okay.

SPEAKER_02

Well, you can think about like late night, you're at the studio, who are you gonna order?

SPEAKER_00

Okay.

SPEAKER_02

Or like where do you want to go out when you're celebrating? Those are kind of the two categories I'll give you.

SPEAKER_00

Uh there's a late night spot that is uh it's actually close to here. It's called uh Sui Ye. It's a Chinese late night spot. I like there a lot. I actually know the owner pretty pretty well. He's invited me in a few times. I think it's like perfect for my type of food because it's I'm like a I like to snack. And it's like a late night. I get a snack or get a cocktail, whatever it is. Um if I'm celebrating, uh, it's tough. It depends what time of day it is. Me and my friends, we go to the keg so often, like maybe at least twice a week, like just to eat. Um, but I also like hot pot. Like, I don't know, it depends. Depends what we're celebrating.

SPEAKER_01

I don't know what the feeling is.

SPEAKER_00

I'm good, I'm a foodie, I like to eat everything. And I'm glad like my friends are foodies.

SPEAKER_02

That is true.

SPEAKER_00

Um, ramen, always a good option. That's more of like an afternoon thing for me, is a good thing.

SPEAKER_02

Afternoon, especially on this rainy, like flood weather we've been having.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah. So that's been yeah. I don't know if there's a definitive this is my favorite space or favorite place to eat, but a lot of good options. And I think the the the food scene's actually getting way better.

SPEAKER_02

It is so good.

SPEAKER_00

Way better than it was.

SPEAKER_02

So good. I feel like Edmonton's food scene is so underrated. So good.

SPEAKER_00

I love seeing the TikToks of like people reviewing local foods because I'm actually like, okay, like I want to try this.

SPEAKER_02

I want to try this now.

SPEAKER_00

And I think that's like such a good thing.

SPEAKER_02

You guys do the research for me. Yeah, I know. It's nice, it is good. Okay, last one. What is your coffee order?

SPEAKER_00

Oh my gosh. Okay, so I think I'm getting old.

SPEAKER_02

Oh.

SPEAKER_00

Because I used to be a double double, just regular, whatever. Oh, yeah. I've dialed it back a little bit, cut my sugar out, but in the ideal world, I would do like a hazelnut latte half sweet. Like that's probably my go-to in most places. If it's just like a like a McDonald's or Tim Hortons order, I'd probably just get like a regular, like one cream, one sugar, whatever. But hazelnut latte.

SPEAKER_02

So good.

SPEAKER_00

Probably the best. I had a biscoff latte once, really good.

SPEAKER_02

So good.

SPEAKER_00

I'm a latte person for sure, more than just regular coffee. Like I love espresso. But yeah, hazelnut latte.

SPEAKER_02

Sick.

SPEAKER_00

Can't go on.

SPEAKER_02

I gotta get one of those now.

SPEAKER_00

Half sweet. I don't know. Sometimes it's too much.

SPEAKER_02

Okay, yeah. I feel that. Okay, thank you so much for having me, yeah. This has been so fun. This is fun. I really appreciate it. Yes. Um, anything else you want to talk about?

SPEAKER_00

Um anything else I want to talk about? Uh no. I think uh I think that's it. I think I'm good. Yeah, it's been great.

SPEAKER_02

Well, thank you, JR, for joining me and Radio Network.

SPEAKER_00

I do just want to say thank you to Universal, man, like been supporting me for so long. And like it's been it's been great growing with you guys. Like, I think that's that's something I do not take for granted. And I do just want to say that.

SPEAKER_02

So I'm I'm thankful you want to like hang out with us too. We get to, you know, invite you and bring up your voice. Like, I have I feel like it's such an honor to even like have this conversation, to be able to be the one that's like, tell me more about who you are. Like, I feel like that's such an exciting place to be, and sharing you to the world is really exciting. Yeah, yeah. Thanks for being in Edmonton because that helps us out. Yeah.

Edmonton Future Thanks And Follow

SPEAKER_02

I guess actually, do you think you're gonna be leaving Edmonton? Is that like I always wonder this with artists because being local is kind of it's like one of those relationships you have to kind of wage a little bit.

SPEAKER_00

I've explored it many times. It's hard to definitively say because I feel like as music, like you could you could do it from anywhere, but I think just the ability to travel is what's most important because even if you're based in XY City or whatever, you're still probably gonna have to travel for opportunities and do things. So, like I don't not see myself being an empty, but obviously I would like to to move um or explore living in a different city where music is more of a hub. But in this day, it's so digital and it's so universal online that if you're traveling and you're just exploring life, like you can probably make a career out of doing it. Yeah.

SPEAKER_02

Um yeah, and you have like your family here, so you have a bunch of connections, they'll keep you connected. And honestly, I do have to say I do appreciate that you were at Bedmonton. Yeah. Because that is really special and important for us. So shout out.

SPEAKER_00

Shout out to you. Yeah.

SPEAKER_02

Yeah. Thank you.

SPEAKER_00

Thank you.

SPEAKER_02

And that's a wrap on my conversation with J.R. Rhodes. Give us a follow at the Universal Radio on Instagram. Thank you for listening to the Universal Radio Network Podcast.