The JUSTICE DER Interview - Vision Vocal

Where are you from? How has your hometown influenced your music and career?

I am from Saskatoon Saskatchewan, which is a medium sized city in western Canada. The city isn’t a massive music hub but had the community I needed to learn a lot about music throughout elementary and high school. Culture wise the city is definitely growing and has some great food and music at the right times of the year.

What got you into music?

Growing up there was always music playing in the house in some capacity. My sister played classical and later jazz piano, while my dad would play a lot of 80s music like Michael Jackson and Dire Straits. I think a lot of musical seeds were being planted in my early years.

Do you play any other instruments?

I play a bit of bass and piano and can sort of play the drums. I program a lot of drums but would love to get a real drum kit and begin incorporating it into my music.

Describe your youtube success, what has it been like? Did you ever expect to gain this many views and followers?

The youtube success has been completely unexpected. Both the fact that it has grown so quickly and that it caught on period. I have been playing in the style of the videos I post for 4 or 5 years now, so what I am doing doesn’t feel like some wild new experiment to me. I feel like I finally presented the music in a way people liked and the time was right.

Proudest moment as a musician?

Definitely a tough question because I feel like there is so much more I want to accomplish, but looking back and being proud sometimes is probably good. There was one particular opening set that I had at the only real “jazz club” in my hometown that was pretty memorable. I had this six piece jazz and rnb influenced group going called Underline that was basically just my friends and I jamming. We landed an opening set at the club in my senior year before I left for school in Toronto and it was a proud moment for sure. Attaining any form of success with friends out of pure passion is a good moment in my books. Also releasing my first actual project last year Nostalgic for Things to Come was a big moment. It doesn’t get the streams or the views of the covers but it felt amazing releasing it because I knew it was honest and captured how I felt last year.

Do you have any advice to those working to become a musician?

Persistentence, consistent hard work and set yourself apart in some way

Which song of yours are you most proud of?

I am really proud of this track called “9” that I did with two of my good friends Rachel and Marley who are both vocalists. I really like how all of our individual styles sit together in the track. Collectively we go by Call More and plan to do a larger project in the future.

Favorite collaboration so far?

Collaborating with my internet friend George Muncey for the Nostalgic for Things to Come album cover was a great one. I had been a fan of his content for a couple of years, so having him reach out was very cool. His style speaks to me, plus it was cool having a friend in the UK.

What artists do you listen to?

Consistently I listen to a lot of Frank Ocean, Daniel Caesar, Charlotte Day Wilson and Badbadnotgood. This summer was a lot of the Beatles and Pink Floyd. Recently I’ve been listening to Aphex Twin, Brockhampton, Kamasi Washington and Dylan SInclair.

What artists inspire you?

I have taken a lot of inspiration from things I grew up listening to like George Benson and Dire Straits. Recently Frank Ocean and Brockhampton have been big inspirations. The DIY approach to a work ethic are inspiring to me.

What artists would you like to work with?

Obviously I would like to work with my idols but most collaborations are exciting to me.

Favorite album of all time?

Blonde.

What are your goals for the future?

I would love to tour and play on some projects that I am passionate about.