We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Jason Mayer a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Jason, thanks so much for taking the time to share your insights and lessons with us today. We’re particularly interested in hearing about how you became such a resilient person. Where do you get your resilience from?
It has been my goal to be a professional musician for as long as I can remember. Specifically, to be able to write music, share that music, and gain a loyal fan base. While most people on the outside only see the glamourous side of this business, it is incredibly taxing in so many ways. The journey to get where you’re going is a long one, and you have to make so many sacrifices along the way. Relationships are hard, if not impossible, time spent with your family and friends is few and far between, and you can forget about other hobbies. Your life has to be dedicated to music, if you’re going to make it.
There are so many incredibly talented people in this world, all fighting for the same thing. I learned a long time ago that if you want to have success, you have to be willing to outwork everyone, every single day. Because of this, I have made music my number one priority for the last decade, or more, pushing other things to the side, including relationships, family, financial stability, and so much more.
However, I am incredibly lucky to have such amazing, supportive people in my life. My mom and dad were supportive from the day I picked up the guitar, and while my dad is now gone, my mom is still my biggest fan. The rest of my family and friends have always supported me as well. And my wife somehow puts up with me being gone for weeks at a time, working most weekends, and having late nights. She does all of this, while still being my biggest supporter and believer, and I can’t thank her enough.
This is where I get my resilience from. I truly love what I do, and I am I incredibly driven. But there are still times where it seems like too much is against me, and I am ready to throw in the towel. In my moments like these, having the support system I do is crucial. They simply won’t let me quit. Knowing that there are people in my corner, who believe in me that much, keeps me going, even in the darkest days.
I have already accomplished a lot, but I also have so much more I would like to accomplish. I am not naive though, I know this is an incredibly difficult business, and some day the time may come to shift my focus elsewhere. If and when that day comes, I will be okay with that, because I know I put everything I had into it. But I think that day is still very far off. Because every time I think about quitting, I think about all of these people who have sacrificed so much for me, and I think about how selfish I am being. I don’t get to miss years of family functions, birthday parties, nights out with friends, and a lifetime of date nights, just to quit. I have to keep going, not just for me, but for them as well!
Appreciate the insights and wisdom. Before we dig deeper and ask you about the skills that matter and more, maybe you can tell our readers about yourself?
I am a country music artist, based out of Omaha Nebraska. I started writing songs and performing for family and friends at a very young age, and my obsession with music never really stopped. I’ve been performing live for over 15 years, and have toured extensively across the country with my band.
I have been incredibly lucky to be able to travel across this great country and share my music with people from all walks of life. I think that is the most special part about what I do. I am able to not only meet so many interesting people, but also connect with them on a deeper level through music.
Over the past 3 years alone, I have played nearly 400 shows, covering 23 different states and 97 different cities! Some highlights include; the MGM Grand, Resorts World, and the T Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. Several venues on Broadway in Nashville. Million Dollar Cowboy Bar in Jackson WY, Grizzly Rose in Denver, Co, and several stops across the country on the Tin Roof circuit!
I have also been very fortunate to share the stage with some of the biggest names in music, including Luke Bryan, Katy Perry, Uncle Kracker, Carly Pearce, Craig Morgan, Rodney Atkins, Easton Corbin, and dozens more.
I have released 4 original albums with various bands over my career and I’ve written 25 different songs that have received radio airplay. My solo debut “Old Man” was penned as a tribute to my late father, and was released in the summer of 2021. Since then, I have followed that up with 6 additional single releases over the past 3 years. Those releases have over 500k streams across all platforms thus far! My most recent single “Kind of Wild” was released in July of 2024. It has over 10k streams so far, while being added to several major streaming playlists. I am very proud of the song, and have loved seeing the enjoyment people have gotten out of it!
2025 is shaping up to be the best year yet! My next single “Over You” will be released in January! And I will be releasing a full length album next year as well! I am very excited to share all of these songs with the world! I also have a ton of dates booked already for 2025 that I am very excited about! I’ll be kicking things off with a Whiskey Jam performance in Nashville at the MRL Music Group Takeover on January 6! After that I will be touring all over the country again at some iconic venues, playing some great summer festivals, and ending the year on a European tour! I can’t wait to see what else the year brings!
If you would like to check out tour dates, music, videos, or more info about me, you can find that all at www.jasonmayermusic.com
There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?
This is a hard question, because there is so much that comes to mind. But if I could go back and give myself advice when I was just starting out, these are the three main things I would tell myself.
1. Have no fear of failure.
The only way to succeed is to take risks. This is something I struggled with early on, and I believe it delayed my progress. I have improved in this area a lot though. It is much easier said than done, and I still get scared and nervous all the time. However, I can look back at every single good thing that has happened in my life, and realize that it all started by taking some sort of risk. All of the really good things are scary, but the risk is worth the reward. And even if you take a risk and fail, that isn’t necessarily a bad thing. You learn more from failures than anything else. In fact, I would say that most of life is a series of failures that you learn from. All of the most successful people in the world have failed way more often than they have succeeded, because they were willing to take the risks.
2. Get out and play as much as possible! And don’t get too tied up in money at first.
I have known so many artists who have derailed their own careers by thinking they are entitled to certain amounts of money, certain types of shows, and certain types of treatment, before they have done anything to deserve it. Unfortunately, this is often due to bad advice given to them by people close to them.
I have always wanted to play as much as possible! When I first started, I played every open mic I could find. I took any gig that was offered, even if there was no money. I just wanted to get myself out there, and I wanted to play music. I think there is something to be said about having a strong love for music and having that be the driving force behind what you do. I think that is becoming more rare these days.
Throughout my career, even as I became more successful and could afford to turn down gigs, I have still kept mostly the same attitude. I rarely say no to the opportunity to play. This is partially because I love playing music and interacting with a crowd, but also because you never know what opportunities can come your way, just from one show. And the more you put yourself out there, the more likely it is you will meet people who can help you down the road.
You also never know what you might be missing out on if you turn down gigs. Some of the greatest gigs I have ever played have been the ones that I thought going in were going to be the worst. And the same can be said the other way around. Often the gigs I am the most excited about, turn out to be some of the worst.
Overall, the worst that can happen is you get some practice and experience. To be truly great at anything you have to put thousands of hours into. That includes practicing your instrument, singing, and song-writing. But it also includes playing live on stage. Even if you are great at your instrument, playing it on stage and putting on a great performance is another thing completely, and there is no substitute for first-hand experience. We have all seen talented bands that are bad/boring on stage. So get out there and work on your show.
This is not to say you shouldn’t know your worth, or that people won’t try to scam you or use you, they will. It is a fine line to walk, and if you think something is shady it probably is. You should also try to get as much money as you think you deserve for every show. I am just saying to keep an open mind and always error towards the side of wanting to play, because it will get you a lot farther in the long run.
3. Work harder than everybody else. This is one is pretty self-explanatory, however, it is maybe the hardest one to follow and to quantify. I have been lucky to travel all over and meet many other musicians, and one thing I have learned is that talent is common. There are so many incredibly talented musicians and artists out there, it can actually be a little overwhelming. I always knew I was talented, but I realized I needed to do something to set myself apart. So I chose to wake up every single day and work harder than the next person. If I took a day off, that was an chance for somebody else, who had the same goals as me, to pass me and to take seize my opportunities.
When I was young and first starting out, I had the typical youthful bravado. I thought I was the best and all I had to do was show up and somebody else would take care of all the hard work for me. I quickly learned I was wrong. You can be talented, but there is so much more that goes into it than that. You have to be willing to put in the time for booking, marketing, social media, communication with band, crew, and venue, and so much more. You have to demand excellence. Everybody involved in your crew needs to be on time, act professionally, have professional gear, and all be focused on the same goal. I to so much more than anybody realizes, but it is necessary to be successful.
Bonus…Be a good person. Treat others the way you would want to be treated.
You can get so far in this business by simply being a good person and doing things the right way. This means supporting other local artists. Go to their shows, rep their merch, refer them for shows you can’t do, share their posts on social media. If you do this, it will all come back around for you. If you are the person who is always putting other artists down and going out of your way to hurt them, then that will come back around as well.
This also means being courteous and polite everywhere you go. When you arrive at a venue, introduce yourself to the managers, sound guy, employees, anyone you meet. Be thankful and offer to provide any help they need in order for the show to go smoother. This goes a long way, versus so many bands who show up and act like they are above everybody else.
Also, leave the stage, green room, hotels, etc. cleaner than you found them. This is one of my biggest rules for the band and crew while on the road. And this has directly helped to get re-booked as well. I will never forget after playing a show in the Miami area, it was the end of the night, the crowd had gone home and we were done packing up. The staff was cleaning the bar, and I went back to the stage to clean up our trash. A staff member stopped me and asked what I was doing? I said “just cleaning up our stage.” He stared at me blankly for quite awhile, to the point where I was worried I did something wrong. The exasperated, he said “no band has ever done that before, thank you.” It went such a long way with them, that we had an invite back the very next day.
There are so many talented musicians and bands who do not follow these simple things and do not get near as far as they could because of it. So please do not underestimate the importance of kindness.
What was the most impactful thing your parents did for you?
My parents were not musicians, but I still got my love for music from them. My dad had a passion for music that I have seen in very few people. When he heard music that he loved or meant something to him, you could tell he didn’t just hear the music, he felt it. Luckily, this is something that I got from him. When I hear music that really speaks to me, I can feel it throughout my whole body, coursing through my veins. It is an incredible feeling, and part of the reason I knew I had to be a musician. I became infatuated with classic rock when I was a young teenager and would listen to all my dads old albums on repeat. Led Zeppelin, the Beatles, Neil Young, and so many more would be a part of the soundtrack to my youth. I can vividly remember listening to the AC/DC Back in Black album as loud as possible, laying on my floor, listening to Angus Young go crazy on his guitar, and thinking I would love nothing more than to do that.
Luckily, both my mom and dad had guitars from when they were younger. Neither really learned to play, but both had kept them. My mom had a nylon string classical guitar that was in better shape than my dads old steel string guitar, so I asked if they could take me to get that re-strung and start learning. They naturally said yes, and were very supportive of me, especially my dad. He loved music so much, and was so proud that I was learning. He unfortunately, passed away about 10 years ago, and hasn’t been able to see all that I’ve been able to accomplish. But I know that he was proud of me when he was here, and he’d be proud of me now. I have since heard from my dads friend about how proud he was and how he talked about me being a musician to them all the time. He never learned, but he would always be the one at a party playing the air guitar and rocking out.
My mom is still around and she is still my biggest fan. She will be right there at the front at any show she can attend, and she still remembers fondly me being in the house and the sound of playing and singing. She had to endure the beginning years of me learning, so it is only fair that she gets to enjoy the more finished product now.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.jasonmayermusic.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jason.mayer.music
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jasonmayermusic
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@jasonmayermusic
- Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@jasonmayermusic
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