Q&A with Jimmy Nevis
WE had a few questions for Jimmy Nevis regarding his album “The Masses” this is how the Q&A went down
BOS: Jimmy congrats on the release how does it feel knowing a piece of your art is finally accessible to the whole world?
JN: Well, it feels amazing, Obviously its good to know the things I have been working on the last couple of months are now out there and available to everybody and they can hear what I have been up to, so I think it’s really awesome. I am so relieved actually, because as an artist, you are cooked up in your studio and in your room and in your own ideas and thoughts and you feel a little crazy, so it is nice to know that it is out and people like the music and you actually are not a psycho person.
BOS: Why The Masses as the album title?
JN: This album takes on quite a wide social political frame and I wanted to do something that really stands out and which speaks about our people not only in the collective from, but also in the individual form. I always tell people this album was written for the masses by the masses, because the album is about us. The songs are about me, but through me they are also relative to you. The masses allows me to speak about things which go beyond love and hate – I got to speak about abuse against women and children, I got to speak about minority, I got to speak about the industry – so there are a lot of different topics which come into play which I think is quite relative to society.
BOS: Who designed the album artwork and what is the artwork inspired by?
JN: It was designed by myself, and it is an equal sign. For me, I felt like it really put the album into perspective and describe what I was trying to put out there in a visual form. Everyone being accepted and everyone being on the same level. Looking at individuals and society – we may all be different people, but we all feel the same thing when it comes to the basics. Love, hate, being rich – we can all relate to the themes. I wanted the album artwork to communicate that.
BOS: How long has this project taken to materialize?
JN: Recording and writing took about a month and a half, but all the pre-meditated ideas and concepts before recording, took about 5 months. I’ve been wanting to talk about some of these things on my first album but it wasn’t the time, but now is the time in which I can express my ideas and opinions.
BOS: What inspired the sound and in general the body of work?
JN: The sound was inspired by cultural and judicial influences, like communities. A lot of oriental sounds. A lot of different elements come into play for a world music feel, which is so important because the masses are there not only through lyrical content, but through every aspect including the production. But at the end is still pop music – pop music for me can take on any form at any time and that is the beauty of it.
BOS: What was the writing process like?
JN: Daunting, especially when you are on deadlines, because it is tough to rush or box creativity, because you never know how things are going to turn out. Some nights you are feeling it, others you don’t. I found myself in studio every night, really investing all my time, health and energy into it, almost as if I was in a parallel universe. I was 100% committed to really making sure that I covered all bases of who I am right now and converting that into musical zones.
BOS: Who produced the record?
JN: Myself and Ashley Valentine – a great producer.
BOS: what is your favorite track on the record?
JN: 7764 – it is my area code where I grew up in in Athlone – I only recently started seeing it for what it was, the good and the bad. You can’t have the one without the other. That song is about how I was raised and the people who have grown with me.
BOS: Do you feel that you could have added more tracks to the 10 on the record?
JN: There were a lot more tracks available, but the purpose here was to put out 10 amazing tracks. I didn’t want anything mediocre of anything that I was unsure of. And these 10 tracks to me were the perfect sentence. From the opening capital letter to the full stop at the end – short and sweet and to the point and direct and that was something that wasn’t easy to do.
BOS: Are we to expect a nation wide tour anytime soon?
JN: Yes, I am doing a Musica For The Masses tour at the moment until mid December, and then I will be touring around with my band visiting different cities and performing the album around the country.
photo cred: Earl Martin