Believe it or not, I actually tested positive for COVID-19 back in late March when information on the virus was still very scarce. Luckily, I only had mild symptoms that didn’t last very long, and my condolences go out to any families that have lost loved ones to this stupid, annoying ass virus. I hope we can all come out of this on the brighter side. It’s gonna take some time for things to return to normal but that doesn’t mean everything is “normal” again. On the other side of things there’s a lot of hate in the world right now, both domestic and worldwide. Personally, I believe most humans are inherently good people but we let the media, politics, and other things divide us too much. That’s just my opinion though and everyone is entitled to their own. Either way, there is still more work to be done to make this world and country a more loving and accepting place to live. Complete world peace is a little far fetched, but any situation can always get better than it was. That’s what I’m hoping for at least. It all starts with us building each other up, not tearing each other down.
I used this extreme down time to really focus on my craft as an artist and to start working on my first ever album, mixtape, whatever you want to call it. I think all of this has benefited people more than anyone realizes. I believe there’s a lot of people just like me who viewed these unfortunate times as a sign to get off their ass and start doing things that are gonna help you succeed when this is all over. At least that’s how I took it after I recovered and didn’t know what was to come next. I just kinda put my head down and pushed through as much as I could. And I think I have come out of this with a very special work of art.
I would describe my music as open minded and something you go to when you need it most. Growing up, my favorite artists were the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Pink Floyd, Post Malone, Travis Scott and more. When I was feeling anything but happy, I would use their music to make me feel better, but these artists truly spoke to me in a different way. It’s like they allowed me to feel what I needed to feel at that moment in time, and I do it till this day. I mean Posty and Travis Scott pretty much got me through high school. I love my favorite artists because of how much I can relate to the stories in their songs and how their music heals me in a way other methods of healing can’t. Music is a great form of therapy and I just want to be that beacon of hope for whoever wants to listen. Just like my favorite artists have done for me time and time again.
Oh absolutely. My whole album was inspired by the emotions I was feeling during this past year or so, which started at the top of the pandemic. It’s hard not to feel any type of way about what’s been going on since we’ve mostly been locked in our houses and such. When that’s the case, you need to find ways to keep yourself motivated and somewhat sane. I mean no one in today’s world has ever experienced anything like this. We have never had to shut down the world for an extended period of time, not even during the plague. So yeah that definitely takes a toll on your mental, physical, and emotional health. It’s all about how you push through it, so I just did that with my music. It’s definitely helped me become a better writer. Like I always say: while this might suck right now, it will make a great song one day haha. All jokes aside I just try to look at the brighter side.
To be real it’s kind of all over the place a little bit. Usually it starts with a beat or any chord progression. From there it can take me anywhere from one night to one year to write a song honestly. I had a progression sitting for a whole year once before I wrote any lyrics that I thought were worthy enough to go over the chords. But I’ve also wrote about 2-3 songs from my upcoming project in a night for each one. It more so depends on how creative or emotional I’m feeling at a given time. But as I keep writing I notice the things I get done the quickest usually end up being the best because I don’t allow myself to overthink it.
Well first and foremost I want to shoutout the super talented producing duo who made this album possible, Bobby Castro and SÖREN. They helped me see my musical vision much clearer and I’m so grateful for all the hard work and long days they put into making this project what it is so all I want to say is thank you to them and they deserve any recognition as much as I do. Best producers in Boston, set it in stone. The name for the project is “Act I: Doomsday”. The project is 11 tracks long and serves as the first installment of the story I’m trying to convey through my music. The album follows my character “Moon”, who is a young adult just trying to find his place in the world. It’s a cautionary tale of love, lust, and loyalty I wrote for my myself and anyone else you will find comfort and healing in my music. I’m super excited for it to see the light of day.
What people should expect is not just a story, but a show. During my high school years I was involved in musical theater a ton. I’ve been in the ensemble and I’ve had multiple lead or supporting roles during my time in theater. Now that I’m more focused on my songwriting and artistry, I don’t have the the theater in my life anymore. It’s kinda sad because I loved it so much and it taught me a lot about myself. It really gave me the confidence to even be an artist. So while writing this project I started to view it like I was writing a play or musical. I want my songs to act as different scenes or characters or emotions or all of those things at the same time. I think there’s a lot of great aesthetics within the theater world that I can bring to the table with my music.
It’s funny because I really started writing this album when I got COVID back in March 2020. That’s where it all started and it’s taken pretty much a year to complete so I’m very excited to see it all unfold and get some reactions from my peers and more. It’s been a pretty long time coming and me and my team are ready to celebrate, then get right back to work on the next thing.
I have a decent amount of collaborations on the project that include a wide range of artists. My guitarist Jrao has two featured solos and writing credits on the song “TRIALS” that also has an amazing verse from Boston rapper Lil Xay. Other features on the project include two more Boston rappers that go by the names Funder and Aristotle Jones, and lastly the talented Ms. Taylor Kiesel who I think puts my verse to shame on my own song to be honest with you. All these features have only enhanced the greatness this project and I can’t thank them enough for their contributions to the story.
There isn’t too much meaning behind the cover art itself, it’s just really freaking cool. It was inspired partly by the show “Stranger Things” with the purpleish-blue sky and me just standing on a hill looking into it like some of the poster arts they have for the show. It’s a picture of me in San Fransisco on a hill close to my roommate’s house which was graphically designed into this apocalyptic type scene. The giant flying robots are just cool, nothing really do them. Shoutout to Thisisjamieson for the amazing work he put into this cover art.
Post Malone. Hands down. Anyone who knows me knows how much I love Posty. Definitely my biggest inspiration for music. To me, he is a great example of what I’m trying to accomplish like many others in the music world today which is genre-less music. Popular music today is becoming a lot more diverse than people think, which I believe is a great thing for musicians. I don’t want to be tied down to one genre or emotion or stay in one lane. Plus I just think me and Posty could make an absolute banger of a song. I hope I get the opportunity one day and don’t blow it haha. Other people I would love to collaborate with would be The Weeknd, The Kid LAROI, Jack Harlow and John Mayer just to name a few.
Yes. I’m definitely trying to get my music out to live audiences as soon as everything is safe enough to do so. Until then I will keep working tirelessly on my craft and musicality.
Honestly, just trying to figure out how to be my own person with all these new obstacles we are facing at the moment. I graduated high school in 2019 and didn’t even get a full year out of my parent’s house before the whole world shut down. It’s been very interesting learning to become a young adult through all of this. I have no one to guide me, my parents never dealt with this at my age, my older brothers didn’t either. The world is very different right now and I’m just trying to roll with the punches. Every day is so unpredictable but I know I have a good head on my shoulders and a great support team of my family and friends behind me.
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Check out Jack's new album 'Act 1: Doomsday' here : https://vibe.to/DOOMSDAY
Shop the Limitless Culture x Jack DeNicola Collection Here : https://www.limitlessculturex.com/shop
