Hope you had a wonderful and relaxing weekend and ready for the week ahead.
Thank you all so much for your amazing response to my recent interview that I posted today with JD Smith. It’s so awesome to see your support to all the artist’s I have interviewed over the years.
There are a few more artists that will be a part of the Artist of Week series.
So stay tuned for updates!!!
Now back to the entry.
If you enjoy tonight’s compilation you can purchase all 12 tracks now on ITunes or you can listen to my complete playlist on Spotify.
Hi everyone and welcome to another Artist Of The Week series.
It is always a pleasure to interview my next artist JD Smith who is a singer, songwriter, and actor from Melbourne Australia.
James was the first artist I interviewed when my blog launched back in June 2014 and one of the first posts I wrote when I had a previous page on WordPress which is now closed.
I have seen this artist flourish over the years seeing him in musicals such as Wicked and Dirty Dancing to working on his own music, releasing his first EP “Sunlight”, album “Invite Me Places” to seeing him perform live and joining the Ten Tenors in 2015.
As an artist, JD Smith has shown that he is capable of doing just about anything that he sets his mind to. He is passionate about what he does and that shows within his music he has released in the past and present and most when he performs live. He makes his music sound like his own and not like someone else’s. Which is an amazing trait to have.
Vocally, he has set the limits to the highest in any artist I have known over the years, which is a rare gem to come by.
We are truly blessed here in Australia to have such talent as this artist.
Recently, I had the privilege to interview James to talk about what he has been up to, his new album “Sea Of Tears” which you can now purchase on ITunes and you can listen to the album on Spotify, the process behind the album, who he worked with and much more.
I will have all the links posted below!!!
Here is an audio to one of his songs off the album “Sea Of Heartbreak”.
I truly enjoyed listening to “Sea Of Tears”. They are amazing cover songs, and what makes it stand out is that its nothing like the original, it’s raw and it’s real and it sounds like he wrote it himself.
An album truly worth listening to and as stated earlier you can now on Spotify and you can purchase the album on ITunes via the link below!
While you are on the artist’s YouTube page make sure to check out past and present music videos and live performances!!!
Enjoy this exclusive interview and happy listening xx
Please tell the readers what have you been up to since our last interview?
J: I joined “The Ten Tenors” at the end of 2015 and have toured extensively with them across the United States, Australia, and NZ. We also performed in Buenos Aires for a one-night concert, which was one of my highlight shows with them. I sang on “Wish you were here”, the latest Ten Tenors album. It was such a fun album to record and full of some fantastic songs including the title track “Wish you were here” that I feature on. We recently sang in Berlin-Germany, which was a huge buzz!
You released recently a new album ‘Sea Of Tears’. What inspired you to do a cover album? And what was the process in making the album?
J: I recorded this album in Sydney at Church Street Studios with Sean Carey, he produced my last album “Invite Me Places” as well as my EP “Sunlight”. Sean is such a great guitarist, but he also knows my voice and he knows what I want to achieve in the studio. This album was perfect for him to produce. I’ve always wanted to record a covers album, but I didn’t want to just put songs on an album for the sake of it. I knew I wanted to record songs that meant something to me, but I also wanted to make it as “Live & intimate” as possible.
I brought in some extraordinary musicians to play on the album. Some who I have played with before and some who I hadn’t. We had everything from, a string player to a Pedal steel guitar player. I had my amazingly talented friend Shandelle McGennisken sing most of the backing vocals. She sang with me on my song “The Green Light” on “Invite Me Places” album.
I grew up listening to Country music. It’s one of my favourite genres, I knew I had to record an album with a country feel. The songs aren’t necessarily country songs, but we’ve given them that feel.
I absolutely love the album and all the songs on it. What is your favourite song to perform live?
J: Thank you! It’s one of those albums that I always seem to change my mind on a favourite song. I love the first track “Waiting In Vain”, a Bob Marley track. We really shook that song up and I totally changed the arrangement, it’s simple, I love it. I think it sets the listener up on what they can expect for the rest of the album. As far as my favourite one to sing live, the album was only released in August this year, so I’ve only sung the songs live a few times. The one that I have sung most is “Bed Of Roses (Bon Jovi)”, I think “Hit The Ground” is definitely a great one to sing.
You have come a long way over the years from musical theatre, performing with The Ten Tenors to having a solo career. Is there something you have always wanted to pursue but haven’t come around to it?
J: I reckon my best work is yet to come! I know we all say that. I haven’t recorded my best album yet, I have a few songs on me that I think are pretty darn great, and I’m writing a lot these days to put an original album together.
There are also some great producers out there that I’m eager to work with.
Besides music, I have always wanted to own a little café/bar, I’m a keen cook and love great food and wine. So a little wine bar in the eastern suburbs of Melbourne is on the cards I think.
Will there be a future tour to perform your songs past and present nationally?
J: For sure. This year has been a little more difficult than most to get out there and tour as I have a 1-year-old boy that takes most of my time. I’ll be doing shows in most capital cities next year to promote the new album and also play some old and new originals.
What should we expect in the coming months?
J: Hopefully a music video and I’ll be playing a few gigs around Sydney for the remainder of the year. Folks can check out my Facebook page “Jdsmithmuso” for more info on gigs.
To all the singer-songwriters out there who are still trying to break it in the music industry, what would you give them as advice from your experience?
J: Being an independent singer-songwriter is tough. It’s not glamorous as some may think, most of the time you are working harder than the money you make. You gotta really love what you’re doing to be able to have a sustainable career in showbiz. Let’s face it, it’s a dream that thousands have, yet it’s so difficult to get a foot in the door.
Believe in yourself and work hard.
And what would you like to say to your fans?
J: Thanks for the support. I love hearing from you and I love seeing you at my gigs.
Thanks for believing in me and allowing me to live my dream.
Thank you, James, for being a part of the series always a pleasure to interview.
As mentioned earlier you can purchase the album now on ITunes and you can listen to the complete album on Spotify.
Don’t forget to follow on all social media via the links below!
