Rising Stars: Meet J. Marshall

Today we’d like to introduce you to J. Marshall.

Hi Jay, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
Hi! Born March 5, 1999, in Nashville Tennessee I was given up at birth, adopted shortly after and raised in Murfreesboro, Tennessee. I spent most of my early years in church. That was pivotal in establishing a spiritual foundation in life. Church and family were a reoccurring theme growing up; my dad was head of the Usher Board, and my mom made sure my sisters and I were in the choir regularly, which is where I first developed a voice for myself.

Not long after I started singing choir, I was getting called to do solos and create my own stage presence and this was the first time people cheered for me, so it was a significant moment. At an early age, people would tell me I should be a model, and some would assume I already was. I fondly remember one of my older cousins calling me GQ. As a kindergartener, I didn’t know what that meant, but it did something for my confidence. I was a pretty shy kid, but my mom would force me to communicate at church constantly, so it demanded I get out of my comfort zone. Long story short, I grew out of that phase pretty quickly.

I noticed pretty early that I wasn’t getting a lot of support for anything not associated with church and even less if money was involved. It made middle school and high school difficult because I saw myself doing great things, and getting outside support from my family was minimal to none for those years.

I was 12 years old when a modeling agency came to the local shopping mall and set up a 36-foot stage. Walking past the platform, one of the scouts approached me and said I should try walking on it, so I did, and nothing else gave me that same amount of confidence. I knew I was a natural, but the distance to receive training was too far for Mom to travel on a weekly basis. I got another break when I was 16 when I went to an audition for another local agency and got a call back. I thought to myself “This is my big break”. My hope quickly evaporated when I realized it would cost my family nearly $3,000 just to get started. These two events taught me that young talent is most effective when it’s given an environment to develop known talent will maintain the position. Instead of letting these frustrating moments define me, I channeled these experiences into creating an environment to cultivate those young people like me in Jay Marshall & Company (JMC). Our slogan is “Building More Than Dreams”. We had the official launch event in 2021 with ROLL CALL- a networking event for models, and annually on the last Saturday of July.

JMC is a creative safe space with the goal of cultivating community through talent and professional engagement; that means producing fashion shows, art galleries, open mics and listening events and everything in between.

I’m a hands-on learner, so I have a collection real-world training to help people build a skillset for business and media world, such as; resume writing, public speaking, and model coaching.

It was through JMC I started building my professional modeling portfolio and flushing out my discography as a recording artist under Certified Legends Entertainment. In late 2022 I dropped my first music project, Marshall Law EP.

Fast forward to 2023, and I have the same drive I did when opportunities fell through my hands. I have the vision of a visionary, so while I’m building my own brand and completing projects, I want the next great talent to have the resources and community to build more than a dream regardless of where they come from.

We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
I didn’t receive much support for things I was interested in. I remember joining the choir in middle school, and I had a lead part in our first recital. I felt good to be doing something productive outside of church, and not a single person from my family showed up. I never went back to choir after that.

I spent most of my young life as a spectator in other people’s lives, my middle sister specifically. She ended up playing D1 basketball, so I had to watch from the sideline (no pun intended) while she was chasing her dream. It was hard knowing I had so much potential that wasn’t being harnessed. I had resentment for a long time and had to grow through that.

I found out the week after I graduated high school that I had a baby on the way, so you know what I was doing. I had sworn into the Air Force by that time, so I knew I’d be able to take care of her in the long run, but it was a drastic change I was not expecting.

I found out I was adopted in court trying to get access to my daughter. She asked my mom under oath if I was adopted, and that’s how I found out. It was shattering information. I spent almost two years in therapy working through it. It’s affected my relationships with my family in ways I can’t express right now. My relationship with her is tied to my daughter, so learning to make peace with someone who knowingly set out to hurt me when I just wanted to build a relationship with my daughter is… one of the many challenges of my life.

I was a victim of poor health care when in the Air Force. I was labeled with a mental health diagnosis (conversion disorder) when I was dealing with a burning pain in my foot only to find out later that it was arthritis in my foot. I spent nearly 6 months on a boot and crutches while people are trying to convince me there was something mentally wrong with me. I know now that this is not an isolated incident, but when it happens to you is a different kind of pain. Because of my spiritual upbringing, I did not believe mental health was real until people started telling me I was dealing with it. It was never even a conversation we had growing up. Now I’m dealing with physical pains from wearing a boot and walking on crutches for 6 months.

All of these things individually would be a lot for one person, but not for me, they are only mountains I needed to climb to see the person I’m becoming, and I’m proud that no mountain I’ve faced has conquered me.

Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
2021 – I dove feet first into modeling, finding shows, mastering my craft in runway walking and studio photography, and building a name for myself through, and got my first publication by way of APEX Magazine.

2022 – I released my first music project, Marshall Law EP, through Certified Legends Entertainment, and rolling out new music.

2023 – I am expanding my discography to be solidified recording artist. My first project was released with a fair reception, and I intend on capitalizing on the traction. It was a culmination of time and energy I was devoting to other areas. Modeling is a passion of mine, and I will continue to do it, but music is my purpose. I’ve since released a string of singles, Jugga Man, Thoroughbred Freestyle, and most recently Face to Face. I’ve been booking shows and gathering some traction in others so it’s exciting. I’ll also be making an appearance at the 2023 BET Awards in LA so I have a lot to look forward to that.

I want to stay connected with my fans people who rock with my music, so I’m doubling down on social media content this year with more video content.

Can you talk to us a bit about the role of luck?
What some call luck I call good fortune and discernment. There are always things out of my control, so I choose not to devote too much energy to those things.

Good fortune because sometimes knowing the right people, or (even better) the right people knowing you are the only thing between you and your goals and in those moments I dust my shirt and fix my pants because sometimes good fortune is just now blowing it.

Discernment because when you lack the connections and relationships, etc. You have to believe that you are doing the right thing at the right time in hopes that the stars align. Either way, you still have to know how to act when those opportunities show up, and I don’t disappoint.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.jmncompany.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jmarrshall/
• Other: https://linktr.ee/jmcproductions

Image Credits
ShotbyCee, Tonya Osborne Photography, Thomas Brennan Photography, J Johnson Photography, Eye of Fatima, Nimstay Photos, Johnny Cam Photography, and Vash Roy