Interviews

Published on August 2nd, 2019 | by Percy Crawford

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Blossoming R&B Young Gun Jovanie Releases Summer Heat With New Single, “Magic!”

Jovanie provides a little, “Magic,” to close out the summer!

Brooklyn born, Jovanie is a blossoming young R&B artist who seems to get better each time we hear him. Jovanie got his start using social media to put out cover versions of songs which eventually generated a lot of attention and elevated his following. He made his debut at the tender age of 12 when he put out his single, “Heartbreaker.” By age 14, Jovanie was signed to a major music label [Atlantic]. That same year [2015] he released 3-singles and his debut album, “What’s The Move PT.2.” He had shared the stage on tour dates with, Jeremih, PartyNextDoor and Ne-Yo. His single, “Two Seater” has a feature from, Lil Yachty. Jovanie is involved with, Jordan Brand and recently performed in Paris, France under the brand. This NexxWave Music phenom will be releasing his EP, “Major Minor” later this year. His looks, his talent and his vocals are undeniable and he’s positioning himself to be a major player in the game for a long time to come.

In my recent conversation with, Jovanie, he breaks down the making of his single, “Magic,” and explains his usage of social media to build interest from fans.

How are you doing, Jovanie?

Jovanie: I’m so blessed, man. I just feel like everything is coming together.

To be so young and traveling the world and being embraced by so many, what has that been like for you?

Jovanie: It’s been like a movie. It’s almost like a dream. I am truly so blessed to be in the position that I am in and I want to keep the momentum going.

You are involved with, Jordan Brand. How did you link up with them?

Jovanie: My management team is very close with the brand. Nothing really happened until they thought it was the right time. Everything just pieced together at the right time, you know.

You recently performed for, Jordan Brand in Paris. Could you even begin to explain what that was like?

Jovanie: I know this sounds corny, man, but it was magical (laughing). I got up there and performed for industry playmakers and athletes and it was nothing but love. It just felt great to receive such blessings from people that I look up to.

You were around some elite athletes and entertainers. Were you basically just a sponge soaking up how they maneuver and go about their business?

Jovanie: Man, I’m most definitely a sponge, man. It’s so amazing. You see these people on TV and you look up to these people and when you’re able to get in a room with these guys, it’s kind of unbelievable. You’re always star gazing, but it’s like, whatever they bring up in a conversation it’s like, I’m here to learn it. I’m trying to learn how I can get to that level where kids could look at me like that.

Were you nervous before the performance in Paris or did it flow pretty smoothly pre-show and you were able to get through it nerve-free?

Jovanie: It’s actually pretty funny because I have always been really nervous performing; always. For the first time in my life… that was the first time where I wasn’t nervous at all. I was confused to why I wasn’t nervous. I just felt like I was in the moment. I was telling myself, “This is kind of a once in a lifetime kind of thing to get to perform in front of all of these amazing people who are the best at what they do.” I was just living in the moment. It was an amazing experience to be there and not be nervous and really give it 100%.

Do you feel like you turned a corner in terms of being nervous before performances or do you feel like that was a one-off where it just went perfectly?

Jovanie: I think that I took a turn in performing. I realized that, as long as you give it 100% and you show that you’re having fun, the people in the crowd will gravitate towards that and they will have fun as well. I never really understood that before. I can go out there and be great at what I do, love what I do and be happy and content about how I performed… that’s all that matters.

You are being pulled in many directions and you are getting a lot of attention right now. What keeps you grounded and humble?

Jovanie: The key to staying humble for me is, I have a lot to look forward to. I have a long way to go. I have a really good family. There’s plenty of people out there that’s most likely better than you at what you do, so how I look at it is, just be grateful for all of the moments that I’m able to have in the music industry. I just feel like I’m always so blessed to be able to be put in certain rooms and be able to travel the world. Just realizing that God’s blessings come and go. And I realize just by watching the industry that, as fast as you can make it is as fast as you can fall, so just be grateful for what’s going on in your life.

I love the single, “Magic.” I truly love the song. Your timing is perfect because it’s an end of summer/back to school kind of joint. As soon as the beat comes on, it has the feel and the sound of one of, Chris Brown’s older joints. What was the thought process behind, “Magic?”

Jovanie: Man, usually when I get into the studio, I sit down, I listen to a couple of beats and it depends on how I’m feeling, you know. It was summertime though, so when I was recording it, I was just in a good mood. I just went in the booth and just had fun. It was a summertime vibe. It was real positive energy, summertime fun and I just wanted people to enjoy the song when they hear it as much as I enjoyed recording it.

You also had, Flipp Dinero on the song. How did that feature come to fruition?

Jovanie: It’s actually an interested story, after we recorded, “Magic,” me and my team was like, “Who would be a dope to get on the record.” Flipp was playing on the TV in the next room and my manager was like, “What about, Flipp?” I was like, “Yeah, that’s crazy. Let’s do it.” I found out later on that he was from Brooklyn and he was Haitian just like me, ya know. It’s just crazy. My management is really close with his team, so we sent over the record and we got it back in less than 2-hours. You know in the music industry; you don’t always get it back that fast (laughing). He really messed with the record and it was just crazy how everything happened so fast.

You also had Doramus product the record and he is a dope producer. It seems that even at a young age, you understand the importance of surrounding yourself with some great musical minds.

Jovanie: Yeah! It’s actually pretty crazy. I’m just super grateful and super blessed to be able to be around such creative people and creative minds. They have their own thought process on what they like, and they have their own creative process. I’m able to sit in the room with them and just be a sponge and just learn and grow as an artist and a creator. It’s just amazing to be in the room with these types of people.

What makes “Magic” so special in your opinion?

Jovanie: It’s so special to me because when I was singing it, I was really enjoying myself. I’m at a very happy point in my life right now. I’m very blessed and I’m very happy. While I was recording it, I had a very deep emotion to the song where it was deeper than the song. The record touches me in all aspects. It’s amazing that I was able to record this song because this is actually the first song that I recorded when I started the engines back up. It was a joy for me to be able to record the record and I feel like when you hear the record you could feel the happiness in the song.

The EP, “Major Minor” is on the way as well, can we expect the same upbeat tempo as, “Magic” throughout the album, or do you slow it down on some tracks and created a diverse album?

Jovanie: Throughout the EP, it’s like a rollercoaster. It’s the different emotions that I have been going through throughout the years. I just want to say it’s a rollercoaster and my fans get a chance to get all sides of me and really see what’s going on. Because I’ve never had a chance to drop music that I felt emotionally intact with. So, now I’m able to take my fans on that rollercoaster of life.

You are able to use social media in a positive light and in a way that really pushes your music and yourself out there. Could you elaborate on the ways you have used the social media platform to help your brand?

Jovanie: I just think it’s really dope now because in the past, artists never really got a chance to do anything themselves. Now we have all the resources that we need. We have everything that we need. And the way that I’ve been able to do it is, I posted covers and tagged the artists who I covered, and I’ve been able to get fans from their fans. I did a Justin Bieber cover. I done a couple of covers. For example, when I first started doing the Instagram and Facebook scene, I dropped the cover, “You Got It Bad,” by Usher. That was my first cover. And it went on the Explore page. That’s when the Explore page was going crazy. It went on the Explore page and my followers jumped from like 20 followers to like 13,000 which was crazy… in the first day. We never really knew what that meant. Me and my family decided, let’s do more covers. We got on that Explore page a couple of more times and it started growing. People just started reaching out which was crazy. It was a blessing in disguise. I want to say; I didn’t know that I could sing until I started doing covers. It was more like, “Let’s just throw it out there just for fun,” and it just became serious. I used Instagram and Facebook posting covers, man and people somehow just got engaged and then my music career became more of a reality instead of a dream. So, that’s how I got my start.

Since then, it allows me to stay engaged with my fans directly in many different ways. From sharing everyday moments to going live and answering questions in real time. It helps authentically connect with them. I have also used Facebook and Instagram to continue to build my fanbase. I recorded a rendition of, Happy Birthday for the launch of, “Birthday Stories” on Facebook which continues to get great feedback from fans. Since December I have seen an awesome growth in my fanbase on both, FB and IG. My number of likes have increased on Facebook by almost 300% and my IG followers have increased by more than 20%.

I’m really excited about the release of, “Magic.” This week I am using some of Facebook and Instagram’s music features to get fans pumped up. I am using the countdown sticker on IG, so that we can all countdown the official release together. On Thursday, I hosted a Facebook Live to answer fans questions and to talk about, “Magic.” I love the Live feature because it feels like I’m just hanging out with fans just like I hang out with my friends. I think the fans feel that way as well. It also allowed me an opportunity to give my fans early access to the single before it officially is released on Friday. Starting on August 1st, “Magic” will be available as a music sticker on Facebook and Instagram and I’m pumped to see how many people will use it.

I expect big things from you, when people hear, “Magic” they are going to love it. I hope this is the first of many interviews with you. Is there anything else you want to add?

Jovanie: You can find me on all social media outlets @Jovanie. I just want to say, to all the artists out there, keep your head up, man. You never really know. Be consistent, always put out quality content for your fans and do what you love, and God will send the blessings your way.

 



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