Upcoming Shows
you have to go beyond accepting
the ugly things about yourself and your
circumstances. You have to go as far
as to find them beautiful...
the same “Waves” was used for a national Droid
advertisement.
Shut Up also became a distinguished anthem
at Forever 21 retail stores across the U.S in 2011.
A fitting match, both the store and the artist stray
from uniformity. Neither have specific qualities or
patterns, and Jhameel seems to like it that way. He
is, after all, calling all the shots.
Jhameel’s music is truly a product of himself.
On being an independent talent, he says, “I’ve got
no label. I’ve got a clear vision for my music and
my future and I can’t afford to lose any creative
control if I’m going to fulfill that.” He has been
producing his own music since the young age of
13- when he first recorded a song on his phone.
Childhood also introduced Jhameel to a
plethora of musical instruments- including the bass,
accordion, cello, drums, piano, guitar, violin, and
french horn.
He studied Arabic at the University of
California, Berkeley, where he graduated summa
cum laude. He’s fluent in Spanish and Korean,
with knowledge of Russian, Chinese, and Latin.
Jhameel is creative, multilingual, and can play
multiple instruments. His capabilities outweigh
most, and although he emanates confidence now,
he admits to a time once full of insecurities.
A few years ago, the musical genius legally
changed his name to Jhameel, translating to
“beautiful” in Arabic. “I was going through sort
of an identity crisis at the time, having just come
out of my military experience, a break up, family
troubles, and some self-acceptance issues,“
Jhameel says. “It’s to remind me that you have
to go beyond accepting the ugly things about
yourself and your circumstances. You have to go
as far as to find them beautiful.” With a knack for
turning negative to positive, Jhameel transformed
his ugly experiences into beautiful music. In the
process he’s inspired others to do the same.
“I find that the struggles in life are usually the
most inspiring and the most beautiful. Your mind is
most creative when it’s under pressure,” he says.
A fan once admitted to Jhameel that How Many
Lovers off of “The Human Condition,” stopped
him from committing suicide.
And to think, before pursuing a career in
music, Jhameel wanted to get into politics.
He and his crew did a short tour in Japan
this past summer and they’re preparing to hit the
U.S. within the next year. He’s also working on
his first album since his last two five-song releases
which, he says, “will be his best work to date. I’ve
experienced to much in the last few years, and this
is my chance to be completely honest through it
all.”
Jhameel’s come a long way from recording
songs on his cell as a teen. He understands he’s
got a long way to go but is revamping his live
shows and improving with each release.
So although he’s no MJ (yet), this “Prince of
Pop” has certainly got the imagination and the
smarts to one day attain the crown.
May 18th: Bad Viens @ The Mercury Lounge
May 18th: Tom Jones @ The Bowery Ballroom
May 19th: The Milk Carton Kids @ The Bowery
Ballroom
May 20th: Laura Mvula @ The Bowery Ballroom
May 22nd: Stones Fest NYC @ The Bowery
Ballroom
May 28th: The Thermals @ The Bowery
Ballroom
May 29th: Nightlands @ The Mercury Lounge
May 30th: Showden @ The Mercury Lounge
top 10 songs
of the month
▶
▶
“The Weekenders”—The Hold Steady
▶
“Super Rich Kids”—Frank Ocean
▶
“Murder”—HORSE the Band
▶
“Steel and Blood”—Minus the Bear
▶
“Go Back to New York”—Thick Shakes
▶
“Soeur Sewer”—Zola Jesus
▶
NEWSOUNDMAGAZINE.COM
“My Body”-Young the Giant
▶
22
“It’sNotMyFault,I’mHappy”–PassionPit
“Let’s Go”—Matt and Kim
▶
“ToWhomItMayConcern”—TheCivilWars