It’s been much anticipated, but finally…it’s here!!!  The drop of Jarvis The Artist’s brand new project, Heartache!  He’s a major player in the Atlanta music industry and is getting so much recognition off of his hit, Make a Little Room.  He’s worked under Jermaine Dupri’s label, SoSo Def, as well as, Ludacris’ Disturbing the Peace and is taking the industry by storm with his latest and greatest!  Originally from Tulsa, OK, Jarvis relocated to Atlanta at a young age and has been non-stop ever since.  Now signed to Def Jam’s Starstruck Entertainment Group, he’s no stranger to major artists such as, Pitbull, Ludacris, Gucci Mane, Bow Wow, Waka Flocka and more!  I had an amazing interview with Jarvis and to say that he’s one of my favorite new artists, would be an understatement.  Check out what Jarvis shared with the Dreamworld!  He dives into how he started in the music business, what it was like to part ways from SoSo Def and what to expect on his latest album, Heartache!

How excited are you for the drop of Heartache?

It feels GREAT! On an excitement meter, from 1-10, I’m like a 20!  It feels really, really great, just because this is my first full body of work that I’ve been able to give to my fans. SO, it’s amazing…I love the feeling right now.  I love the feeling that we have a lot of strong records on the table, as well as, the single Make a Little Room…it’s out on radio stations across the country.  That just has me super excited really…sky’s the limit right now for what’s really about to take place

Aside from your excitement being on a level 20, what can fans expect to see from this new project? Are there any surprises that they can look forward to?

Well, some of the surprises have been given out; we just dropped a Lil’ Scrappy video for Wait Till You See Me.  A surprise is the Waka Flocka situation…they know the feature is there, but they haven’t seen the actual video yet, so that will be a bit of a surprise.  But, I think the biggest surprise will just be exposure…the new-found exposure that I have!  And just getting back out there to the public in a way that I’ve never been before.  There’s such a consistency with everything that we have going on right now….that’s the reason for a lot of my excitement too.  I can just feel it in the air! Things are just going to be really, really great!

What types of sacrifices have you had to make on your journey?

Wow!  The journey is the real deal. There’s definitely a whole lot of work and mine started at a very young age, in the church.  Singing was my first love…I started to learn, not only being a singer and a vocalist, but this business.  There’s so much that goes on behind the scenes…Before  I even had a deal I was in a bootcamp.  I was in school, right when I got out of school it was choreography, PR training and then writing, then in the studio then from the studio at 4, 5, 6 in the morning, back to school 7-8 o’clock.  It was a full-time job at a very young age just to prep everything that I’m doing now.  I went through a lot of different situations. I had different management…having to find the right people and the right fit for not only my situation, but my personality and just knowing how to find that person that’s going to be as passionate as I’m going to be.  I’m able to be on a label (Starstruck Entertainment Group) with a very good partner of mine.  You just have to learn to roll with the punches.  Being as though I signed my first record deal at 15, I had no clue about any of these things!  Everybody’s journey is different.  Some people get in and record a song and it becomes a hit overnight and they’re successful, but 90-95% of the artists that’s not the journey that they take.   I’m at a point where I’ve paid my dues and I’m blessed to still be young and talented and still have the love and passion for what I do, but also just have a whole lot more understanding of what it takes to take everything to the next level.

You mentioned different management and different labels.  After it not working out with SoSo Def, how did you manage to push through that?

Wow! In that particular situation I was still a kid when “label things” happened. Jermaine Dupri had another situation at another label and he kind of just picked up and left. He had other obligations (artists wise) on the roster.  It wasn’t just me…it was other artists like 3LW, Bone Crusher…he had a full roster of artists at the time that were left to fend for themselves.  At that time, a lot of artists had already been established.  People knew them, they had hits out before so, though they were left alone it wasn’t as bad.  For me, at that very young age, I hadn’t had a chance to get my start yet.  When that happened, it was heart-wrenching.  Every emotion that I couldn’t explain, I didn’t know what was gonna happen…I didn’t know what to do.  The way I got over it, first of all, was having faith and believing.  But also, the music.  At one point in time I was so discombobulated.  I wasn’t being creative anymore.  I wasn’t in the studio.  I was just out of it.  So when things kicked back into gear, that’s when I started being creative again.  It was like a new found love.

A lot of artists relocate to Atlanta.  What is so special about ATL and why is it such a great place for artists to be?

It’s like one of music’s meccas!  This is where everybody is.  This is where a lot of young, prospering musicians, artists, writers, producers, they’re coming here and they’re finding their stride.  This is where a lot of magic has been made over the past 8,9,10 years in music.  They just wanted to throw me in the mix! Everyone knows that if you’re in the midst of a lot of great talented people, you can kind of just get in where you fit in…ride the wave.  Also, it’s a lot of young, African American success out here. It’s a city for that!  I’m happy to be here! I’m blessed and it was one of the smartest moves I made in my life.

Do you think that you can remain a universal artist so even people in NY or even people in LA can relate to your music?

I think the main  key is to do what’s true to you!  Sometimes you can’t conform to what everybody else does cuz that may take you away from your element.  So, we just try to go in and make music that we feel will touch people.  The heart and your feelings and just natural things like love and emotion, those types of things are universal, no matter the song, no matter the genre.  I try to instill that in my music so that no matter what coast you’re on, no matter what walk of life you’re from you can feel these different emotions that I put into the song.

Do you plan on breaking out into other endeavors within the industry or is music the one thing that you know you’re hear to do?

Absolutely, music is the one thing I know I was put here to do, but also to help others.  At heart, I like to help people out so when I can lend a hand and have other artists up under me that will be the next step.  I went to LA for a while and was doing acting, but got pulled back into the music, but I kind of learned a lot and found another passion for the acting.  That will probably be something that I start to do a lot more of in the future.  All in all, music is my love and pride and joy so that will be first and foremost.

If there’s one thing that you could change about your journey thus far, what would it be?

Honestly, hindsight is 20/20, but for me I’ve embraced this journey and I wouldn’t change anything.  Everything that I know right now and learned, I can apply it later in life and not make the same mistakes.  I’m just happy and fortunate and blessed to still be around and be relevant.  I wouldn’t change anything…they weren’t detrimental to put me out of the game so I can’t be that mad at any of the mistakes or the wrong turns or the short comings…I’m better because of them.  (GOOD ANSWER!)

Off the serious stuff for a second, what’s something funny about you that we don’t already know?

Awww man!  I’m like one of the goofiest, funniest, craziest people to be around!  People kind of get this persona of me and they see the pictures and they’re like “oh, he’s a sexy guy or he’s a cute guy or he’s a serious guy!”  (Me: You’re pretty confident lol!)  I don’t mean it like that lol, but off of first glance they have their own opinions and the first thing you don’t think is “oh he’s goofy!”  I have a really bubbly personality and I like to have fun and you know joke around a lot.  For whatever reason, I’m taken as such this serious guy lol! I’m a huge sports fan!  Oklahoma City Thunder fan.  Dallas Cowboy fan!  (Me: Ohhhhh, we need to end this interview now!  Dallas? What?)  AND I REP MY TEAMS TO THE FULLEST!  (Me: Oh gosh! Just don’t ever wear a Cowboys jersey…I’ll be your fan as long as I don’t ever see you wear a Cowboys jersey lol!)  OH, YOU’RE GONNA SEE IT A WHOLE LOT! (Me: Well, then I’ll make sure I have my Eagles jersey on lol) OHHH, not the EAGLES! WOOOOW! (Me: So, when we beat you, I’ll make sure I Tweet you! lol)  Yeah, you make sure you do that!

Back to your project, how can fans support Heartache?

The main thing besides downloading it is word of mouth! Tell a friend to download it…if you are lucky enough to get a hardcopy in your hand, show somebody, Tweet it, Instagram it, I’ll retweet it!  Word of mouth will really grow the music for me and take everything to the next level.  Beam in on me!  Hit me on Twitter, @JarvisTheArtist and hit up the website, jarvistheartist.com.  Just be vocal about the music, what tracks are your favorite…you gotta support great music.   A lot of the stuff that’s floating around, it may get support not because of the music, but because of the hype or popularity.  I think it’s time to support artists because of creativity.

If you could speak directly to your fans, what would you tell them? How much does their support mean to you?

The support means everything!  Even over the years, the true fans have been their since the beginning since Radio (SoSo Def days). The support is greatly appreciated!  When it was rough, I would see comments or positive words from the fans and that would make me want to go that much harder so their support has kept me in this and that’s who I do this for.

Specific links or sites where the fans can actually download the album and your music?

Yes, the mixtape will be out on livemixtapes.com as well as my website jarvistheartist.com.  Also on YouTube (Jarvis The Artist TV)!  Also, shout out to Gorilla Promotions and Starstruck Entertainment Group.

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There aren’t many “new” artists that I support, but I genuinely love Jarvis’ music!  It’s so refreshing to hear real R&B music and his amazing personality is addictive!  I can stand behind a grounded artist!  Thank you for joining the Dreamworld, be sure to download his new album, Heartache!

http://www.livemixtapes.com/mixtapes/18772/jarvis_heartache.html