The Debut of J. Holiday | UB Archived interview
This day June 19th, in 2007 a fire new bedroom track was released, entitled “Bed.” The song was from a hot new singer/songwriter J. Holiday.
The song peaked at number five on the Billboard Hot 100 and earned J. Holiday a Grammy Award Nomination for for Best Contemporary R&B Album for his debut album “Back of My Lac.” Since then Holiday has gone on to release two additional studio albums, including “Round 2” in 2009 and “Guilty Conscience” in 2014.
UrbanBridgez.com has been there from the start. As a matter of fact, his first online interview was with UB!
A fun fact, with that interview, we started Pass The Mic. A moment in our interviews, where an artist we recently interviewed would asks a question to an artist we were scheduled to interview! So we had J. Holiday ask T.I. a question.
Pass The Mic (J. Holiday): What’s your take on the current state of Hip-Hop?
“T.I.: Who’s J. Holiday? (A few of T.I.s friends start singing J. Holiday’s “Bed”) Oh I know that song, I like it. I’ve only heard it once so far. As for Hip-Hop, I think it’s in the best place right now and in the worst place right now. It’s in the best place right now because Hip-Hop is bringing a lot of new business to the industry. It’s putting new leaders in place as executives to make positive changes. So many new ways to earn revenue from Hip-Hop. From all kinds of shit from ringtones, sponsors, it’s just so many ways to get money. Movies, the whole nine. The worst place right now is because so many people are downloading music. So that is making it harder to sell a record.”
To celebrate his monster hit and the debut of J. Holiday. For Black Music Month, we go back to that first interview, as he prepares for his upcoming album entitled “Time.”
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The answer is short, but runs deep: D.C. And while D.C.’s trademark sounds breed musicianship– “so many talented cats playing go-go or in church”—the city remains untapped.” And home, for J. Holiday, is where the art is. He was born into a musical family; mother Frances, one of 11 siblings, sang gospel with her 5 sisters, while his older sister supplied backing vocals for Crystal Waters. “Music was always around me and I just wanted to do it,” he recalls. But his first performances were as much coercion as inspiration:
“When I was nine or ten years old, my older male cousins would always tell me to sing to girls passing by on the street. It was later that I realized they were exploiting me.” So by age ten, J. Holiday was finding his voice. Within a year, however, he was struggling to find his way. “My Pops died when I was eleven,” he states flatly. “He was sick and didn’t tell nobody. Not even my Mom. She never knew what was going on until he died.”
“A lot of people think he’s still alive because of the way I talk about him,” Holiday segues. “A lot of the struggling that I’ve been through was because of that situation. Nobody was prepared for it. My mom, that’s my best friend. But looking back, everything happens for a reason. That’s what got me here.”
Picking up the pieces, the remaining family bounced around the D.C. area; J. attended three different high schools in four years. On top of not having my father, it was harder for me because my mom was a preacher. So I knew I couldn’t go to her about certain things. It was like trial and error; I had to learn a lot on my own, and that’s how I ended up messing with the streets. And the streets kept me from being soft. People always assume that the hood is gonna steer you wrong. I always had people in the hood, to this day, who wanted to keep me out of trouble. They couldn’t be my dad, but they told me what it was: advising me to think, to be smart.”
J. identifies two catharses along his creative odyssey: a 9th grade talent show, wherein he flexed his wares, and his discovery of Marvin Gaye: “I was just listening to songs that I loved. Then I found out that all the songs were by the same guy. That was a main trigger for me, getting hip to Marvin. He led me to Donny Hathaway and Al Green.” Channeling these staples with newer ensembles –Jodeci, Boyz II Men, even OutKast— J. eventually formed a group called 295, named for the famed thoroughfare between Washington, D.C. and Baltimore, Maryland.
Following J.’s high school graduation, the trio moved to Atlanta, hoping to ride the musical influx into the burgeoning city. “We sat in front of L.A. Reid,” he recounts. “And it just didn’t happen. I think being a solo artist fits me better because I hate depending on other people. At the same time, I’ve never liked to point the finger. If we fail, we all fail together. But as the lead singer, I was doing 75, 80 percent of the work. That gets old. On top of that, our songs had circulated so much in the industry that we needed a new demo. And I was like, ‘If I’m going to record all new songs, I might as well do them myself.’
Reveling in his freedom, J. Holiday set about forging his own identity; a four-song demo landed him, fittingly, on Capitol Records. Those seedlings sprouted into his full-grown debut, Back of My ‘Lac. Though the record sports the requisite club-pleasers and woman-teasers –”I get that soft side from my mother”– Holiday has brought an unexpected edge to R&B; music. He bears, proudly and boldly, a street sensibility and bravado normally reserved for hip-hop. That versatility, genuine and uncontrived, encapsulates J. Holiday. “It wasn’t done purposely. I just speak from what I’ve been through, or what my homies been through. I just try to keep it real. I let a track talk to me. If a track feels like a love song, I write a love song. But, you have to make that song mean something. If it’s not heartfelt for me, it’s not going to be heartfelt for anybody. I think people are too concerned with having one hit song, and the artistry that goes into an entire album is getting lost.”
Indeed, J. doesn’t have one hit song on the album; he has several. His satiny croon creases the sheets on “BED,” penned and produced by The Dream and Tricky Stewart. This pair is recently responsible for Rhianna’s similarly celestial single “Umbrella.” Meanwhile, super producer Rodney “Darkchild” Jerkins—think Michael Jackson, Mary J. Blige, Beyoncé—lays the liquid, libidinous bassline underneath J.’s smoky, soulful vocals on “Be With Me.” Campaigning on an irresistible inaugural album, and backed by the Music Line management team –Ciara, Teairra Mari—D.C.’s prized son is set to unseat R&B;’s incumbents. J. Holiday is an intriguingly paradoxical figure, equal parts soldier, student, scion, and sage. Fortunately for listeners, the preacher’s son has chosen R&B; as his preferred pulpit and the airwaves as his congregation. “I’m very conscious and music is the number-one source of expression and emotion,” he explains. “You don’t have to listen to me, but I’m just trying to let you know of another perspective.” That perspective, arriving with the fury of a burning bush, is sure to inspire converts. Rejoice in the Holiday season.
J. Holiday recently spoke to Aries of UBG about his debut CD, his hit single BED, MySpace, touring and much more!!
Aries (UBG): Bed is my favorite song out right now.
J. Holiday: Fo sure!Aries (UBG): What was your first thought when Dream brought it to you?
J. Holiday: Ahh man, I was like I gotta have this record (laughs). It’s one of those records that I knew it really didn’t matter who recorded it, it’s going to do good. I just hope I did it justice.Aries (UBG): Tell me about your debut album Back of My Lac.
J. Holiday: Well the album will be out on October 2nd. I only have one feature on the album and that’s with 8 Ball and MJG. They’re on a song called City Boy. As for producers, I got Dream, Rodney Jerkins, Sean Garrett, my boy Quincy from DC who actually produced the title track. As for writers, of course there is myself, and my homie Adonis.Aries (UBG): What do you think the stand out track on your debut album is and why?
J. Holiday: I think it’s Bed obviously (laughs), but as far as my favorite track, it’s a song called Ghetto. I love both of them tracks. Ghetto is basically saying if you in the ghetto and you love the ghetto say oh! And on the flip, if you in the ghetto and sick and tired of the same thing, say oh! My thing is if you’re in the ghetto and you’re cool with that and happy, that’s great. But if you’re in the ghetto and you’re trying to get out and get more out of life, that’s great as well.Aries (UBG): As a songwriter, when you write does something have to happen or can you just write songs from anything?
J. Holiday: Yeah when I’m writing a song for me, it has to be something that I’ve personally been through. I have to be able to relate to it. I can’t ever just sing something that I haven’t been through or don’t know anything about. As for writing for someone else, I can just write from whatever. It can be maybe something I know someone else has been through or whatever.Aries (UBG): I’ve talked you about this on MySpace already, but again I love your bulletins. You say some of the most realist stuff I’ve seen an artists send out.
J. Holiday: Really!Aries (UBG): Oh yeah, What type of responses do you get?
J. Holiday: Actually I get a lot of people that agree with me and then I get some that don’t. I like doing it because fans don’t really get that from the artists they like, so I like to keep it real on what I’m thinking. I could be out at the mall, club or just on the street and see or hear something and be like, man I got to go and talk about this online (laughs).Aries (UBG): What’s the most played song in your iPod?
J. Holiday: In my iPod, I would have to say Marvin Gaye, “Let’s Get It On.” I’m always on the road so I’m always playing my iPod and I play that at least 5 times a week (laughs).Aries (UBG): Tell me something about yourself that your fans might be surprised to learn.
J. Holiday: That I’m a very private person. I mean despite the fact that I’m a recording artist, I’m very private.Aries (UBG): What’s next for J Holiday?
J. Holiday: Just to push this album man. I’m actually finishing a mixtape I just did called “Chocolate City” that will be out soon. I’m doing some shows right now and we’re in talks to join a tour, so I’m working on that. But yeah just pushing this album, but honestly I’m already thinking about the next album also (laughs).Aries (UBG): Any last words for your fans?
J. Holiday: I just want them to know I appreciate everything and all the continued support they’ve shown me. J. Holiday is coming, pass the word!
UB Interview: J. Holiday Talks “Guilty Conscience,” Going Indie, Industry Politics & More
