Having carved out a unique lane in music with his band JNBW, lead singer and front-man Jesse Posis now sets out on the solo road for an entirely new project.
Drawing vocal inspiration from the likes of Frank Sinatra and Michael Bublé, his style is distinct and evocative, and will no doubt draw in listeners with both originals and covers alike.
We caught an interview with Jesse to find out more about the music and the decision to embark upon this new journey. Here’s how it went.
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Hi Jesse. As the lead singer and front man of JNBW Band now you are branching out as a solo artist, what drove the decision to pursue both?
It was interesting for me, while focusing on the band work which was very personal and exciting, scheduling events, organizing practice times, throughout I have been having this growing sense of adventurous creativity that I was desperate to find an outlet for.
It started really when I was organizing all the great covers we have done so far as a band and we began adding “New” songs to our repertoire. I kept thinking, wow, wouldn’t it be great if I was playing my own songs in front of people? This is what drew me to thinking a lot around what kind of solo artist I want to be outside of the band format and what kind of music excites me the most.
Why are you releasing your first single in Filipino? Or your also doing an English release?
As a Filipino in United Arab Emirates (UAE), based in Dubai, we perform mainly in international communities away from home, I kept coming back to that sound I missed most when doing the covers and my mind’s eye has always been about that sound when I imagined myself in front of everyone. Even beyond this, as I was going through the creative process, I felt a deep connection to the Filipino Music OPM (Original Pilipino Music), and I found all this energy for pushing forward. This allowed me to use that strong motivation as an exploration of my vision to fullest extent.
With the different challenges faced when in a band versus the solo effort, what has been the main difference in terms of the music creation process?
Honestly most of the difference has come from the practical processes of releasing the music. I found with the band the challenges are mainly in the form of organization of the different events, the schedules and the upkeep in terms of practice and the group’s coordination. Helps to have friends as bandmates because it makes the journey fulfilling.
The Solo efforts I have been cultivating though have been challenging when it comes to the distribution and physical media creation. As an independent artist with no label I had to figure all of this process out myself, you know with YouTube guides, web info, word of mouth, and I am indebted to being able to have the time to focus on the doing of it because it was a lot to learn, so having the space to find the right path for me, really hammers home the support structures I have in place like my wife who has been supportive throughout.
Once all of the logistics are in place now and I have been going through the creative side of the representation of the music like how to best display it for people with lyric videos, video shorts, key imagery, what I wanted people to really see from me and feel from the song should be able to get out there in the best way I can manage as of now. Hopefully I am just getting started and I can connect well with the audience I have and will make so they all come with me and I can share the successes going forward.
The Song AKO AT IKAW Magpakailanman... you mentioned has a feeling associated with it, can you go into that like what will people take away from the song or what will they notice when they hear it?
AKO AT IKAW Magpakailanman... is really about getting started, that first line about not knowing where to start, very self referential and personal. It is also about connection, from each verse to the hook to the chorus it should all blend smoothly together, with a little break for the guitar to take centre stage before easing people back into the lyrics.
I want people to come on a journey with me, the imagery I chose for the cover is an intimate venue of me on stage singing to an audience, that’s what this song is, me singing you through a day in the life type song that is a lover’s fable. Think almost skipping through the streets having just seen the love of your life tell you that the feelings you feel are mutually held, think about dancing together in a bar or a club; think about chilling the faux ’60s / 70s vibe of the melody and rhythm will take you off into an imaginary sunset.
The lyric video gives that filter from an old projector and the coloring is red / orange hues under bold text that bounces along to the beat. It is also a personal experience, the chorus will come on and I want people to feel I am right there with THEM, specifically at that time individually serenading them.
As the first single releases, finally gets out to the world, and people start reacting to it, what are you most hoping for from your new / existing audience?
It may be all of those things I just said, to me; what I am interested in the most is the feedback, how is it received, how is it felt by that audience. I am excited to see and hear about that. It was a lot of work and I am just getting started really, I have a strong pipeline of behind the scenes clips I will bring people into the process, but mainly about the music and its reception.
Like I mentioned, I am on this journey and it will be like a rollercoaster with ups and downs and sharing that all will be the challenge, you know, I need to find a way to get through any challenge as it comes up whether with logistics or how I take it forward with the following I may or may not develop at this time. Maybe it takes two, three, a whole album of releases before the audience gets bigger, even so, if it is just the small group of people I start with and they get what I was going for then that will be enough.
What does your journey look like going forward? Where do you see the music evolving and what can we expect to see and hear in the future?
Effectively I start from zero, I had the space and safety to start of course and I reflect on that privilege often when I am indulging in the flashier creativity I have been able to utilize for this release, but where the wider array of music consumers have not had the chance to get to know these efforts. I am continuing in the footsteps and pathways or others who have been able to break out with their own hits in swing and soul music and have already created a foundation I am hoping to stand on and to build on.
The future is bright as I already have new song ideas and new feelings I want to drive for my supporters. I think for now it is going to be mainly focussed on this style until I find a new avenue to pursue creatively that pushes what I want to connect with the listeners with forward further than before.
It will be key to master where I am get that following and bring them the happiness I want to convey or the emotions the music can evoke. Who knows, maybe I blow up fast, that’s ultimately the dream, and I will if that happens, for which there are no guarantees, I will be able to grow and improve. If I am still making music and building releases into full albums and having a number of opportunities to continue on from there it will be what I love doing and that passion is what will sustain me even if the success doesn’t materialize or come up for me.
For those who are new to you and your music where can we discover you?
My Socials are still under construction, right now you can find me on Youtube where I will bring my new releases and the original content, I have TikTok and Instagram accounts [Jesse Posis] so I am searchable and consumable on Apple Music and Spotify through my Distributor.
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