Let me start by explaining this personality flaw that I have. For some reason, I get things done so much more efficiently if I know people are waiting on me. It's not enough for me to have a self-given deadline. I need the public to know the deadline. If I know other people are expecting something from me, I'll get it done. When I'm left to my own devices I get sidetracked, bored, or talk myself out of whatever I'm supposed to be doing. It's a flaw I haven't been able to shake since like 7th grade. For this reason I'll be blogging about my music career. If I know people are waiting on a weekly blog post about what I've done that week in music, I'll actually get things done. The pressure of having to give the people what they want will make me do the work I'm supposed to be doing during the week. 

So I think the format for these posts will be giving an accounting of what I've done this past week, and what I plan to do next week. Then the next post I'll let you know if I hit my goals, why or not. I'll keep writing until I win a Grammy. Which brings me to my first and really only goal. I want to be nominated for a Grammy. I figure if I'm nominated for a Grammy the rest of my life must be going pretty well (assuming I haven't lost sight of everything that matters, lost my family, friends, and sense of self while in the process of pursuing this Grammy). So the plot of this blog is me trying to figure out how to get nominated for a Grammy. That's the goal. That's what we're working towards. Every week we'll see how much closer (or further) I am from being Grammy nominated. 

I'll introduce the characters in my life as we go, but for now let's just jump in. Last Tuesday I performed at Hillcrest High School's Hope Assembly. It's an assembly aimed to promote hope and prevent suicide. Honestly, since I've been out of high school for 9 years now I forgot how emotional of a time high school is. That's where we really start forming our opinions, and deciding how we view the world. High school kids have a lot of wisdom that I think gets clouded sometimes by the insignificant things like who didn't like their pic on Instagram, but there's certainly a lot of high level thinking going on down there in the trenches os adolescence. Performing at Hillcrest was great. It gave me the idea of contacting other high schools and seeing if I could speak and perform at their assemblies. It's a really a win-win. Speaking to a young impressionable audience, hopefully being an inspiration, and gaining some new fans/followers. So this next week I'm going to figure out what type of assembly I could offer schools and then reach out. I don't know what types of budgets high schools have for guests speakers/performers, but even if it's nothing the experience will be worth it. 

Some of you may have heard a cover I did with James VIII, Weight In Gold. That's probably my favorite cover I've done so far. Anyway, this week he and I got in the studio to do a follow-up record. We're doing a cover of Lay Me Down by Sam Smith. I love working with James. He's crazy talented, and just super cool. I think we'll release this one with a video at the end of this month. I'm excited for you all to hear it. I posted a little sneak peak the other day. I'll link it HERE. This next week I'll be planning and scheduling the video shoot. So I think this is the last cover I'll do for awhile. I'd really like to focus on original music in 2018. That's not to say I'll never do another cover, but I definitely want to get out these original jams. 

This week one of the dopest pianists I've ever worked with moved to Utah. Joe Latu is from the Bay area, and I met him while serving as a missionary for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. He's one fo those guys that hears a song once and can just start playing it perfectly. I'm crazy excited that he's out here now. We've already planned to get together this next week to start writing some new music. I want to release an EP this year, and I think you'll get to hear a lot of Joe's work on it. So next week I'll let you know how our writing session goes. 

On Feb. 8th I'll be on Park City TV doing a live performance and giving a short interview. So this week I got together with two of my buddies to practice a quick 3 song acoustic set. I think we'll do Weight In Gold, Fall Asleep With You, and Closer. Sean Rooney (keys) and Will Kim (guitar) are two of my good friends from back home that are both amazing musicians. We've been jamming together for a few years now and always have so much fun when we perform together. I think it's cool to be able to bring your "day one" friends with you on the journey. As it get's closer to the TV appearance I'll post about it, so you guys can tune-in on-air or online. 

The last notable thing I did this week pertaining to music was a phone call with my manager Haley Conley, and a brand developer Tori McClellan. Right now we're really trying to hone in on my brand messaging so we can put together a brand guide. Tori asked me a lot of questions about what I want to communicate to the world and it was a really introspective activity. We came up with a mission statement that I think sums up who I am, and what i represent so perfectly. 

"Life is hard, but it's worth it."

Over the next few days and weeks we'll be developing a really clear snapshot of my brand and then we'll move on to how to visually represent that. I'm excited to have a cohesive look and feel to my entire brand. 

Well, I'll let you guys know how everything goes next week, and if we're any closer to getting nominated for that Grammy. 

- J