Meet JFARR, the singer-songwriter, engineer & producer currently based in Los Angeles. The avid ForTunes user had a busy year 2019, releasing more than 10 singles and most recently an EP – “songs written in malibu”.
What got you hooked on producing music?
I would say being able to express myself through music was what got me hooked. I loved the process of writing a song and creating it from the ground up. A lot of artists don’t do it all themselves. So I take pride in it.
Could you sum up some personal milestones in your artist development?
Of course! Going from 100 all time streams on Spotify to well over 2 million was one of the biggest ones. Growth wise, I think this year (2019) was one of my biggest years percentage wise.
But I would say going from being “OK” with my music to being “I’m so proud that I made this” was one of the biggest ones. Being comfortable in my own skin as an artist.
What are the biggest challenges you face as an up-and-coming artist nowadays?
Constantly creating and staying focused. It’s easy to get caught up in the million other things you have to juggle. But for me the biggest challenge is literally staying focused on the dream. Don’t let success mislead you into thinking you’re content with where you’re at.
On the whole “constantly creating” aspect of it all. I think one of the best ways to grow as an artist and in a career viewpoint, you need to be constantly and consistently releasing quality content. Set deadlines and meet them.
When you start a new JFARR track – what are the first steps?
My first steps are always the exact same. I write some chords and then immediately I find a sound that goes with those chords. As soon as I find that first synth or sound I immediately start getting the ideas for lyrics in my head. I lay out a quick arrangement of the track. I don’t always follow standard pop arrangements but typically I think that’s a good place to start. Then from there I fill out the arrangement with a LOT of other things. Like drums, chord layers, pattern changes, ear candy, and a lot more.
Usually I make a song start to finish within 8-10 hours. But I need to have the inspiration and drive there to do so. If I don’t feel like it’s going anywhere within the first 2 hours I stop trying and take a break. No point in exhausting yourself on an idea that won’t make you happy!
How important are data insights for your (strategic) decisions?
Up until like 7 months ago, I didn’t use my data insights for anything other than vanity metrics haha. I used them to be like “Oh cool! X amount of people have streamed my song!”. But now I use them for
1. Encouraging myself, but most importantly
2. To see what’s working and what isn’t working.
I can release a song and see that it got 15,000 streams in the first 2 months of release which is considered to be pretty bad comparatively to my other songs. If a song breaks 100k in 2 months, then that’s great. But realizing what tracks don’t perform well is a good indicator of where to go next.
I can’t believe I overlooked analytics for so long. You can also see where you have a lot of listeners. And if you have money then run ads like crazy in those areas. I have just started using ads (like brand new to it) but I have seen some pretty impressive conversion so far. Use your analytics! Find what is working number wise, and then do that again but better and x 50 times.
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