Following the release of the beautiful When I Find You (Feat. Hazel), we caught an interview with artist and songwriter Jeshua to find out more about the song and his approach to music in general. Here’s how it went.
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Hi Jeshua – congratulations on the single, what inspired you to write a song of this nature?
Well thank you. What inspired me was the contentment of being single but also the inner longing to find someone to share life with. It was also the feeling of being tired of going from one broken relationship to another.
Who do you hope hears the song?
The people that I hope hear this song are the ones who continue to find themselves single but desiring to find that special someone.
What do you hope people take away from it?
What I want people to take away from this song, is hope. Hope that as they can wait patiently and stop being so quick to jump from one relationship to another, they will one day come across that right person for them.
What advice could you give to people who find it hard to hold on to optimism – this idea of ‘when’ I find you over ‘if’?
Wow that’s a great question. I would say that it’s all about your mindset and perspective towards being single and wanting to find love. For me, my personal faith in God is what helps me stay balanced and hopeful despite my many hopeful yet broken relationships. I feel that once someone can see their situation from the right perspective, that it will give way for the optimistic attitude to carry them in their journey of finding the right one or Love.
In what ways does your faith affect your songwriting and your approach to life?
Well for me, I was brought up and raised in a Christian-based home. I am also a member of an amazing church in Creedmoor NC called “Christian Faith Center”, where my pastors are Tim Timberlake and Brenda Timberlake. I am also closely affiliated with a ministry in Oxford NC, called “Huntsville Baptist Church”, where Gerald Latta is head pastor. In addition, I was raised in a family where almost everyone sings and plays instruments. They call us the Yancey Family!
So as you can see I could not really escape the legacy of music that my family carries, so I chose to embrace it and run with it! So in saying that, my upbringing and lifestyle of faith has greatly impacted my style and even my reason for writing the way that I do. I am thankful for that. I am also thankful for the way that I was raised by my lovely parents Willard & Carolyn Yancey.
How did you come to collaborate with Hazel?
Good question, me and Hazel were actually Facebook and social media friends for a few years, and I knew that for the month of February I wanted to release a special song. So, I was closely stuck between writing this song or just putting out another song I already had called I Do. I was also stuck between making this single a solo, or a collaboration. In addition, I decided to send Hazel a message on Facebook about the song and I sent her the demo version I created. After listening to it, she said yes! I was excited because I knew deep down inside that she had the perfect voice for this song!
On the other hand, due to me being in the US and she in the Philippines, I had her simply record her voice on her cellphone and send it to me. When she sent it, I was amazed at the kind of quality you can get from just a cell phone and no pop filter or studio environment! So I took her vocal, placed it on the song and boom! Lol I was excited about this.
Is there a longer project on the way, and if so – what other topics or values do you aim to represent with it?
Yes definitely! As a matter of fact I plan to release my first music E.P in July of this year. On this project I plan to do a lot of collaborations. The topics I plan to cover in my next release or in releases to come is, never giving up on your dreams, learning lessons from bad relationships instead of staying or remaining bitter or let down, and more!
Is live performance an important part of your plans?
Yes, I do plan to begin incorporating live performances into my artist career. I think that live performance is a great way to began to build a loyal fan base who have been able to spend time with you in person as they watch and listen to you perform songs that relate so much to them.
Is there anything else we should know?
Last, I would like to share that I own a Music and Multi- media Production business called “JYM Productions”, and out of it I will also be producing many artists this year. We will be releasing great music from a boy band called “The Briz Boyz”, an awesome solo artist and vocalist “Shekinah Thorne”, creative inventor and legend songwriter “Willard Yancey” and many more!
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Find & follow Jeshua on Instagram or visit his Website.
