Bren Joy, one artist, in particular, that’s had a unique road to prominence sat down with Respect My Region. As a recent signee to Warner Records, Bren Joy’s latest piece of work, Twenties, has fans anxious for what’s next. After beginning his writing career in 2018, the Nashville native has since climbed immensely in popularity and has started paving an entirely new way for himself.
The R&B, soul, jazz and pop star looks to shake up the industry with his contemporary, yet classic sound. Take a look at his latest album, Twenties, below and keep an eye out for new music to come from him in the future. In the meantime, check out our exclusive interview with Bren Joy below.
Exclusive Bren Joy Interview
*This interview was edited for clarity*
How have things been going since the release of your debut project, Twenties?
Things have been crazy in the best way. I’ve been spending a lot of time trying to lock down my team and have been doing a lot of writing and shows. I’ve also been preparing all the visuals and stuff that’s coming soon too.
What’s been the most exciting thing you can think of since the release?
Shows have been crazy. I did two in Nashville and I wanted to create my own shows and one of the biggest things people told me not to do was “don’t host your own show, just do a 150 capacity max.” So naturally, I did two five hundred capacity shows and both of those sold out. I also opened for Megan The Stallion and did New York and LA too. LA was crazy.
What do you feel like is your core sound, that even though you cross genres you always seem to end back at? If there is one?
R&B is the home for me. I grew up on R&B gospel and I love paring that with 808’s, high-hats and a lot of modern stuff from today. Lately, my writing has been a little bit more pop, but I’m not mad at it.
What sort of satisfaction do you get out of making music?
I started music at the beginning of college, so three years now. I start singing and writing two years ago and from there it’s kind of been a band-aid. It started as a crutch and was a way of speaking without talking, because if you say something like, “oh I’m in love with this person” or “oh I’m sad” or something and you sing it, it’s not that jarring to people as if you were to say it in a conversation. That and relating to actual people and hearing people sing my lyrics, that’s kind of the satisfaction I get. It’s a job that no days the same and I think that’s what the best part of it so far. I love being able to focus my mind on new things every single day.
Is there anyone who’s been a really big inspiration to you that’s helped you move forward with music?
Personally, my whole management team has been insanely great, even when I didn’t plan on them being my managers and they didn’t plan on managing me. They’ve been the ones that have always been there for me. As far as musicians that have inspired me, there’s a lot of crazy cats. I’m really big into the UK scene right now. So a lot of UK R&B, a lot of Joey Purp, a lot of Grime recently.
Where did you get your start in music?
I started singing my last year of high school and I got to college and it became less of a hobby and more of that I got good at it. I feel like I got struck by lightning. I woke up and it was a calling. From there I started arranging background vocals for different people, which I loved and eventually hated. I decided if I hate this I’m just going to try to sing my own shit and from there the first eight songs I wrote are all on the project. Everything I wrote verbatim. Every song I wrote in order is all on that project. I wanted a new perspective on music and I didn’t discover alternative rock or anything like that until college, so now that I’ve discovered that, I’m super inspired by it.
Can you talk about what it’s been like getting signed to Warner?
Surreal. I got on the cover of Fresh Finds and that’s when all of these labels start hitting me up along with all these booking agents. Now it’s crazy having a whole team behind me because now all I have to do is focus on the creative side of things.
What sort of influence has Nashville had on you and your craft?
What I’ve noticed is that LA is like if the lyrics and the melody are cool, but it doesn’t knock, don’t worry about it. Nashville’s very music-based and I grew up around these crazy pianists, these crazy saxophonists, the drummers, the bassists, like the musicianship down there is just insane and that’s where I take inspiration. If you notice, almost every song on the Twenties album, nothings looped. So all those piano parts are full takes and I think that provides a more jazzy feel to people and makes it feel more gospel-like, but that’s kind of where we come from.
I’ve heard “When Martin Died” and felt a type of way. He’s one of the most incredible human beings by the way, but like when Nipsey Hussle died I was kind of like where do we go from here? – What has Martin Luther King meant to you and your family?
Everything. It’s like he was sent down from the heavens to lead. I think your 20s are all about living your best life and the album is all about self-discovery and self-love and the issues I went through at 21 entering into a primarily white college. You noticed none of the songs have pronouns or talk about love, they’re all experience. The one thing I really did experience was figuring out my culture and Martin Luther King’s just a big part of that especially him not promoting violence and promoting more self-love. I think that was super impactful. I went to my grandmother and I had never heard someone’s perspective that lived through those times and that went through the marches. It’s like seeing Obama or another president. That’s what we went through, but she lived through Martin Luther King’s time. It was initially recorded for a school project so I didn’t intend on putting it in the album, but now I feel like its the heart of the album.
Have you been to Atlanta to see his memorial?
I have. I’ve been to all of his memorials that I can find of him. Malcom X, Rosa Parks. I try to go and do my research and stay on top of that stuff.
What sort of things do you want people to take away from your music?
It is supposed to challenge you. It’s supposed to break a little bit of the standards right now in my generation’s form of music. It’s supposed to feel a bit elegant. It’s supposed to feel a bit raw and a bit jarring. I want people to gain honesty in the musicality that I try to put into my music. I love the “devil’s in the details” phrase. If you listen through piano parts and horn parts, I try to make it where everything is its own melody and everything is its own speech. I hope people can relate to that. I’m just trying to take the baton from the older generation of music and do it in a new, fresh way.
Where do you typically find your inspiration to make the music you make?
Everywhere. A lot of it while running surprisingly. So I’m a huge runner and a lot of the album I wrote on the treadmill or at the keys. Those were the main sources of inspiration. Now I’m really big on nature. I’m a firm believer if you can’t listen to a song running, then it’s not it. Slow or fast. If you can’t listen to it in the gym, it’s not it. Sometimes I get hit with a random melody or something and I’ll throw it in my voice memo or hop on the piano and try to bring back what was in my head. I’m a big John Legend fan and that’s kind of what he does.
What do you have planned throughout 2020?
Album. Crazy songs. More visuals. We’ve got Hangout Fest, Bonnaroo, Roots Picnic. Shows in the fall that we can’t talk about yet, but this new album is pushing a lot of myself and a lot of my vocals and my limits and there’s been tears, there’s been sweat, but I’m very excited for people to hear me really step into myself and just give all of me.
Is there anything you would like to share with readers and listeners from the Seattle area?
Stream Twenties. Come to Nashville, come experience the music and the live scene and the culture of it all. That’s just my biggest recommendation that anyone should experience what I live in, the south and all it’s worth.
Bren Joy’s Twenties
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Afterward check out our interview with Los Angeles based singer, songwriter and producer Crywolf.
