Rising Stars: Meet Jagger

Today we’d like to introduce you to Jagger.

Hi Jagger, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstories with our readers.
When I was younger I would sing all the time. I started singing shortly after I started talking. My mom told me that even when I could barely talk because I was so little I would just always sing. When I got a little bit older and I was in early elementary school, I started watching shows like Hannah Montana and listening to a LOT of Lady Gaga. I would dress up in my Hannah Montana wig, and black sunglasses, and dramatically sing “Paparazzi” and “Alejandro” from the top of the stairs for my grandma. That’s really where my passion started; singing around the house to people I loved not knowing any of the real words to the songs, and having fun.

As I got older my parents signed me up for this music program called School of Rock. I spent 7 years there, learning how to perform and collaborate with other musicians. Eventually, I got into social media and posted covers of myself singing, duetting people, and finding other musicians. After a little while, a team in Nashville reached out to me.

That’s how I became Jagger. I flew down to Nashville 3 or 4 times for co-writing, and recording sessions. Every flight down here felt surreal and I was so proud of myself for pursuing my passion so strongly throughout my life that I was able to get to this point of recording music in Nashville.

Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall, and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Growing up I was extremely shy. It was really hard for me to make friends in elementary and middle school because of how shy I was. That’s a big reason why my friends and people around me were shocked when I began performing and singing on stage. It had never been a characteristic of mine to put myself out there and be able to make myself vulnerable like that in front of others.

When I’m on stage it feels like I become a different person. I am able to move around, talk to the audience, and sing my heart out but in reality, it used to be really hard for me to be that way off-stage. That’s why I chose to go by Jagger. I felt that the way that Mick Jagger performs so confidently, embodied the way I felt on stage. I was able to step into this sort of alter ego and be myself in a way that I used to not know how to be. Music has helped me become the person I am in so many ways.

Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I always write music that feels personal to me. I am never able to write about an experience that isn’t mine or that I don’t completely relate to. I feel that what sets me apart from others is just being able to be myself. If you put your true emotions into a song or feel that you’re completely being yourself when performing, it automatically sets you apart from others in a way. A lot of my songs are about love and uncertainty.

The line in my song “I Go Crazy”, “I go crazy with or without you” embodies that uncertainty that I had always been feeling; or the line in my song “Melancholic”, “This one man army’s weighing on me” relates to that feeling of being alone and not knowing how to cope with it. I think that those kind of things are what makes music meaningful; when you write to capture your emotions.

Who else deserves credit for your story?
There are so many people that have helped me grow on this journey throughout the years: various music teachers, other musicians and instrumentalists that played with me, friends that supported me, and family.

I think my biggest supporters have always been my parents, who always came to my shows to cheer me on, especially early on, but even today. Another big part of my musical journey was a music school I attended growing up, where I made great friends and met other amazing musicians and teachers.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://linktr.ee/Jaggerofficial

Image Credits
Keridan Skye Photography