Jamie Passewe operating under the alias ‘J-Mo On The Beat’ is a talented Minnesota-based artist who recently released his latest EP “Love Letters” that was recently released on the 30th of June 2023. Along with his band the J-Lighters, Jamie has brought the 50s and 60s to life with his 6-track EP. A lifelong musician and performer, he recently took the time to chat with us and give us insight into his musical journey.
Hi Jamie, thank you for taking the time to chat with us. Could you tell us about yourself and your journey with music?
Hi. I'm a singer-songwriter, born and raised in Saint Paul, Minnesota. My music genre is a blend of 50s-early 60s rock n roll with a indie rock pop vibe. I started playing music around 2017 during high school through my choir. My music inspiration comes from many artists, including Michael Jackson, Elvis Presley, Cliff Richard, Little Richard, Ricky Nelson, and Billy Fury.
Tell us more about the J-Lighters and your relationship with them.
The J-Lighters is the name of both my community and my backing band. With the community, we are just a group of people who always try to push each other more through the day, with inspirations and motivations. My band have the same push for me, and the band consists of a lead guitarist, bassist, drummer, and saxophone player. The lineup was different about 2 years ago when I first thought about having a band together. But these guys I got now are the best upcoming group yet!
What and who are your biggest inspirations? Tell us more about your creative process.
As I mentioned earlier in my introduction, my inspirations behind my music comes from such amazing artists, mostly from the 50s era, but definitely some modern ones too. A few to name: Elvis Presley, Michael Jackson, Cliff Richard, Little Richard, Ritchie Valens, etc. And the way I listen to these artists, I end up taking some time to write some words, or when I'm messing around on my guitar, I come up with a melody that I like and record it for later.
Your latest EP ‘Love Letters’ is out now on all major streaming platforms. What can you tell us about this EP?
Love Letters is a special project to me as it showcases a bit of my musical interests as well as stories that are always seen but never told. The topic love itself is told to be overrated, but yet we still talk about it, we still experience it in many ways.
What were the challenges you faced unique to crafting an EP? How do they compare to the challenges of crafting a standalone track?
The challenges I faced making this EP were mostly just trying to figure out the story I wanted to be told. The tracks could just be put onto it and it'll become just another J-Mo release, but I wanted it to be different this time. So, carefully thinking, I decided to arrange the tracks to make a little love story. Whenever I would release singles, there's no issue as I would want my community to make sure they enjoy it as well as hear from them any thoughts from it.
What is the track you are most proud of on ‘Love Letters’? Which track are you the least happy with?
I have to give it a tie between I Wanna Call On You and Dear You as my favorites. Both are up, and especially with Dear You, it's the first song I ever did with my band, The J-Lighters, while I Wanna Call On You was my first time recording in a professional studio. My least favorite would have to be Teardrops Everyday, as I wish I could have said more as well as done my vocals a bit more differently like how I sing it now. I still love the song a lot. It's truly a personal song.
What is an emerging trend in the indie music scene you despise? What trends do you see that you’d like to capitalise on?
I believe one trend I see every so often I sort of don't care for is lack of meaning behind one's words. Maybe that's their way of expressing themselves, but there are artists who sing, but they are saying nothing. But luckily, I'm close with friends and fellow MN artists who are always inspiring each other to write more, be creative within our genres. Be more real and consistent with the content you put out is something that's becoming more known now and I've always followed it since I started music more officially.
As someone who has been performing since the age of 10, what can you tell us about the unique challenges you faced as an artist? Did you feel social pressure either to get into or abandon a career as a musician?
One unique challenge I faced and still often do with my music is my music itself and my inspirations. A lot of friends often wonder why I love the 50s music so much, especially since it was hard for the African American artists like Little Richard, who while popular, still struggled to sell as much recordings as Elvis Presley. Now, I like both artists very much and understand that the times are different now, but it's the energy that made me drive towards the music. For example, even though people claim stuff like Elvis stole black music, many black artists actually liked Elvis, even if they were in competition with him in the charts back then. Many respectable artists treat each other that way. But without people doing the research about that and sometimes use outside sources to tell me how I should or shouldn't like someone, it usually brings me down, but I always push myself to make sure I am doing what I love, because it's artists like Elvis and many others, regardless of race and gender, that makes me who I am and what I represent into the music world.
How do you nurture your creative process? Have you ever experienced creative burnout? If so how did you overcome it?
With creativity, I usually do stop myself from doing more. It's sometimes hard to just write. But it really depends on how much time you put into it. So like to push themselves a lot, others like me know when it is okay to rest and try again later. or me, my writing and music usually comes from my experiences, thoughts, or even random ideas that come either at the best or not so great moments. Love Letters altogether was an idea I had for almost 2 years, just needed to know what I wanted to say before saying it.
What does the future hold for ‘J-Mo On the Beat’?
For now, my future consists of living life the best way I know how. Just writing and recording more rock n roll music for me and my band, making more online content for those who have yet to see me in person, and of course, sharing more opportunities and doing more shows to get our name out there, so no one overlooks J-Mo On The Beat and The J-Lighters.
Discovered via https://app.musosoup.com #sustainablecurator