Jamie Alimorad was attending Northeastern University in Boston where in the underground music scene he found a spark that lit his musical fire a blaze. Jamie started dedicating himself to becoming a singer-songwriter as well as multi-instrumentalist and perfecting the art of both. After graduating, Jamie released two albums which lead to the start of his first nationwide tour to cities like New York, Las Vegas and Los Angeles. With a large amount of attention following his tour’s success his single “Beautiful” gained over 2 million views on YouTube and Jamie has spent the past four years writing and recording new music for an upcoming album release “This Is Tomorrow Calling” that is in collaboration with Gino Vannelli and Ross Vanelli. The album delivers the story of Jamie’s younger years and his evolution as a songwriter, musician and vocalist.
“Not Ready To Say Goodbye” starts off with a passionate guitar riff and funky electric like tones that create an ominous vibe followed by Jamie’s soothing and soulful vocals. This song right off the bat reminds me of the stylings of Enrique Iglesias where the guitar adds definite to the story being told, and also has a little bit of a Latin Pop flare, in my opinion. Diving further into the song, the melodies in “Not Ready To Say Goodbye” are really a beautiful combination of genres that accompany the meaningful and emotion-filled lyrics which are extremely well compiled by Jamie to tell this heartfelt story. I personally love the tone of voice that Jamie has as it really draws a listener into the song, and you can hear him embed himself into the lyrics to help more effectively deliver the meaning behind “Not Ready To Say Goodbye”. Jamie showcases his ability to glide over a large vocal range with ease, as well as his talent in writing and creating music as “Not Ready To Say Goodbye” is a breath-taking combination of instruments and vocals.
Listen to “Not Ready To Say Goodbye” here and get to know more about the artist in our exclusive interview below!
Hey Jamie! Fantastic to catch up with you! Can you tell us a bit more about yourself?
Great to speak with you! Well let's see... My parents will tell you I was born musical, always bopping to a song as a baby. The first band I ever got into was Go West, when I was four, but it was The Tubes, when I reached the mature age of five, that really made me fall in love with music. I've been playing piano since I was seven, and I have a Bachelors of Science in Music Technology from Northeastern University. Music is my life. I definitely have a nerdy side with my love of Nintendo and all things Super Mario, and my encyclopedia knowledge of the Boston Red Sox.
What first inspired you to start creating soulful music?
I wrote my first song when I was nine years old, shortly after my grandpa passed away. We were very close and something just made me want to put my feelings into song. It was a natural reaction. I've always been a rock guy, but rock comes from blues and R&B, which comes from jazz, which comes from classical. Everything is connected somehow. As my chops have improved, so has my writing, and it's made me want to dig deeper. You don't have the same message at 15 as you do 25. I think the soul you're referring to is who you are.
Is there a specific story behind “Not Ready To Say Goodbye”?
"Not Ready To Say Goodbye" started as a songwriting exercise. I was in between recording sessions and in one of the previous tracks we stumbled upon an accidental key change, that we left in the final recording. It sounded awesome! Key changes used to be very common in pop music, so much so that they became cliché. I want to write a song with subtle and unexpected key changes, that was my intention. I had the title, "Not Ready To Say Goodbye", scribbled in my notes, and I happened to be playing with two riffs that were various keys that coming out of the transition, the title fit the melody. I wrote it about a year after a breakup, so I'm sure there was a cathartic nature to it, but in the moment it didn't feel that way.
From an artist’s perspective, what do you feel sets you apart from other artists?
We are all a product of our environment. The people, places, and things around us help shape who we are, and that maturation is who we become. I was raised on good music. Period. Whatever the genre, whatever the feel, the music is good. Those influences, along with my own musical and personal experiences have shaped me into the artist I am today. We're getting further and further removed from a time where people played live in the studio, where the computer couldn't fix your mistakes. The guys I listened to nailed it in the studio, and I've always aspired to be like them. Working with Gino Vannelli on my upcoming album, This Is Tomorrow Calling, really helped bring that aspiration to life. He would not accept anything but quality. There were no shortcuts, no letting the machine do the work. It was me. Whatever you hear on the recording, I can duplicate that live, the way it should be. Put that with a killer band, and you have something that, in a world where a guy with a MacBook is on stage, you have a live act that will blow you away.
Tell us what we can expect to see from you in 2019!
"Not Ready To Say Goodbye" is now available on all streaming platforms and digital stores. As I mentioned, my album This Is Tomorrow Calling releases this September, and you're going to love it! Love it! This is an album you can listen to from start to finish. There's no filler. Go old school, put it on, and get lost in it. I'll be playing some shows in LA throughout the year, and hoping to get some nationwide touring going sometime after the album release. I also have a joint project with an organization, that I'm not sure if I can go into too much detail yet, but it's for a very good cause, and is something I want to get a lot of people involved with. So stay tuned, and while you're waiting, come along for the ride.
Connect with Jamie Alimorad on social media: instagram.com/jamiealimorad