Bringing back the classic R&B and pop sound from Newark, New Jersey, is an artist by the name of Janockeil. Originally from Charleston, SC, he grew up singing in church, as many fine artists have. More recently, Janockeil shifted his talents into genres of more interest to him — R&B, pop, and soul. Currently, Janockeil has two projects out: Only Temporary (July 2016), and his EP which he released last year. Not only does he have a smooth voice, but he also has songwriting and production skills as well. His new single, “Be Mine” is what we expect from an artist with Janockeil’s background and talent.
“Be Mine” opens with a nostalgic nod to Michael Jackson’s #1 hits on the radio. Angelic chords played on the synth, and mixed with Janockeil’s smooth vocals have listeners falling back into an easier time. An 80s synth bass makes the tracking pump. In terms of production, instrumentals are set in place to create the perfect atmosphere. His vocal performance is impressive. He can sing hooks without overdoing it and losing the groove of the song. He also knows the right times to allow his vocal range to dominate. His vocal performance reminds us of the artist “Maxwell.”
With this song only being 2 minutes, listeners have the chance to play this song over and over again without getting tired. Janockeil thought about this and executed his project with skill and forethought.
Listen to "Be Mine" here.
Hey Janockeil! Welcome to BuzzMusic, we are very proud to be representing your latest track “Be Mine.”
My first listen through this song, I had no question in my mind that you have damn good vocal chops. Your upper vocal range is very tight and powerful. Who were some of your favorite groups and artists growing up? Did going to church affect your options of what you were allowed to listen to? Hello! Thank you, I really appreciate that! I'm constantly inspired by a myriad of artists, but my all-time favorites would have to be Mariah Carey, Whitney Houston, and Prince. Gospel music and singing it in the church was definitely the beginning of my love for music, but my mom exposed me to every genre as a child in addition to Gospel, so there were constantly all types of music playing in my house. My family always supported my diverse tastes in music, so there was never any shame there.
Part of your various skillsets is the skill of songwriting. I know a lot of different artists write in different ways, whether that be freestyling as soon as they get to the studio, or sitting on lyrics for months perfecting them. Do you have a variety of different writing styles, or do you mainly stick to one? Did you do all the songwriting for all of your projects?
For the most part, I write pretty much the same way each time. Once I connect to the beat, I let the music guide me to what the song is going to be lyrically and melodically. The timeframe it takes for me to write varies. Sometimes it'll take minutes to write a song, other times days or months. Depending on the song and how I'm feeling at that moment, sometimes I'll obsess over the lyrics, changing a word or two. And other times, I'll just write down the first thing that comes to mind and I won't change a thing. It all depends on the mood and what is it that I'm trying to convey ultimately. I do write everything on all of my projects. I think a part of me is probably a little self-serving when it comes to that. I guess I feel like I have something to prove to people and to myself. Since the recording of my After EP, I've become more confident in my songwriting abilities and that confidence is steadily rising and I'm getting to a place where I'm comfortable saying that.
“Be Mine” is sort of an up-tempo, pop and R&B song. On your EP that is coming out this year, do you plan to keep all of the tracks upbeat, or do you have plans to throw a little slow jam in there? Maybe we will see some soul music as well?
I don't know yet, I'm in the middle of recording it now and in the beginning, I had a concrete idea of what I wanted the new EP to be musically, but I'm living and experiencing life at the same time, so my original idea is being amended slightly. So we will have to see, but what I can say is that I'm working very hard to make sure that it's great and it will be!
With your newest project in the making, do you have any plans to try and perform live?
Yes, absolutely! I miss the stage and am looking forward to performing again, especially songs like "...Be Mine", "Definitely", and "Do It". It'll be great to relive these experiences and feelings on stage.
What can we expect to see from you throughout 2020?
Quite a few things! "...Be Mine" is out now and I'm very proud of the song and am excited for people to hear. I also have a new club mix song called "Real Fantasy" with Electronic artist Paul Michael coming out on February 28th, so please check that out! My new EP is set to be released later this year and I'm thinking of writing and recording an original acoustic project with just me and my guitar to showcase more of my talent as a musician. I'm so excited for what this year has in store for me so far and I can only go up from here, so stay tuned.