Meet Jini June

We recently connected with Jini June and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Jini, really happy you were able to join us today and we’re looking forward to sharing your story and insights with our readers. Let’s start with the heart of it all – purpose. How did you find your purpose?

I never went looking for my purpose, rather my purpose was always calling out to me from a very young age.

Thursdays were my favorite day in elementary school, because that day was MUSIC day. I loved to sing and was fascinated by the piano. When my family would go to electronic stores, I’d waste no time finding the keyboard department and play. I learned to play piano by ear until (after much pleading) my parents formally enrolled me in piano lessons. I would sing made-up songs while walking home from the school bus. Those were my first song-writing sessions. I was super shy to perform in front of a crowd though. I sang my first solo “Silent Night” down at my shoes the entire two minutes in front of a cafeteria of onlookers. I was eight years old, chosen out of the entire grade to sing that solo, even though my little mind was terrified of singing in public. That’s been a motif for me all my life – the universe putting me in situations reaffirming what my soul knew even if my mind said I wasn’t ready – that I am a musician. All I had to do was accept each challenge as they came.

As a sophomore in high school, my show choir director gave me the role of voice captain. I was tasked with leading upperclassmen through their vocal harmonies, a job I didn’t quite have the confidence for at the time. Challenge accepted. I grew into the role and learned so much on the art of teaching voice. Years later, my jazz piano instructor asked me if I’d be willing to teach some of his younger students. My doubts got the best of me as I bored him with my insecurities on my sight-reading, and how I’d never taught piano to kids. He simply responded with, “I wouldn’t have picked you if I didn’t think you could do it.” Challenge accepted. I was a prototype for “learning on the job”. I never sought out these musical opportunities, they came to me.

Fast forward to college. I struck up a conversation with a stranger on a shuttle back to my NYU dorm. He asked me what I was studying. With a glum face, I meekly said “I’m on a pre-law track”. He said “Ok, so what do you really want to be doing?” I lit up and said “I want to be a singer!”, to which he responded “I think I can help you.” The next day, he had me on the phone auditioning for Grammy-winning music producer, Quincy Patrick, who had the #1 songs on both the pop and R&B charts at the time. A week later, I was signed to a multi-cultural girl group. Three months later, we were singing for record label executives. Things were picking up fast with the group and our manager sat me down one day and said I had to make a decision – school or my music career. When I was younger, my purpose would gently knock on my door reminding me of its presence. At this pivotal moment, my purpose was damn near kicking the door down, demanding my full attention.

There I was staring at my manager’s face as he went on about the pros and cons of dropping out. But all I could think of was the time I was on an empty subway train and started to sing “His Eye Is On the Sparrow”. I remembered the out-of-body experience I got from singing that hymn. In that moment, on that empty train, I prayed to God that if He were to open a door for me to do music for the rest of my life, I’d promise to leave everything behind and walk through that door. Sitting across from my manager, the choice was clear. A week later, I was in my college counselor’s office signing off on an extended leave of absence form. I chose my passion, my purpose over a degree that I probably would never use.

I’ve since released many songs under my artist name, Jini June, and co-founded a non-profit music foundation, Dreamality, Inc. (www.dreamalityinc.org) which brings music education to children in underserved communities and music therapy to the developmentally disabled. Several of my piano and voice students at Dreamality, Inc. have performed as soloists at venues like Carnegie Hall and the Apollo Theater. Some have even gone on to pursue music careers themselves and I have the awesome privilege of mentoring them still. In hindsight, perhaps my purpose ultimately chose me to be a light for other trailblazers who are embarking on their own ‘road less travelled’. I have friends, very accomplished in their own respective fields, tell me how lucky I am to have found my purpose. I feel lucky that my purpose found me, and that I had just enough courage to surrender to it.

Thanks, so before we move on maybe you can share a bit more about yourself?

I’m a singer-songwriter and music educator, and I’m passionate about the healing power of music. Born and raised in Richmond, Virginia to Indian-American immigrants, I fell in love with pop and R&B music at an early age. My biggest influences were Whitney Houston, Lauryn Hill and Beyoncé. My parents always thought I was going to become a lawyer, and they almost convinced me of that too, until I shut out the noise, listened to my heart and chose music. As an indie artist, I’ve released many original songs available to stream on Spotify/Apple Music.

Literally the day before legendary singer Roberta Flack passed away last month, I was putting the final touches on my own rendition of her timeless classic, “Feel Like Makin’ Love”. I was shocked to learn that she had passed because I grew up on her music and she had such an influence on me. She was also a singer, songwriter and educator! It was a tough pill to swallow realizing she’ll never hear my version of her song. But I’m a firm believer that nothing happens by accident and blessings come in mysterious ways. I’m happy to say we’ll be releasing “Feel Like Makin’ Love” at the end of March 2025. If you’re into throwback, nostalgic, vibey R&B, I think you’re going to enjoy this one! I’m also releasing more original music later this year, so please stay tuned!

In 2013, I co-founded a New Jersey based non-profit 501(c)(3) charity, Dreamality, Inc. along with Grammy-winning music producer, Quincy Patrick, to help bring after-school music programs to kids in disenfranchised communities and music therapy to the developmentally-disabled. Quincy and I were blessed to have incredible music teachers who shaped the course of our lives, it just felt right to help be that light for others. The best part of giving back to the community, especially kids, is watching their potential literally blossom before your eyes. I’ve seen some of my students who I started teaching at 4 years old, go on to pursue music careers after high school! It’s the most heart-warming thing to have a former student text you to let you know how they’re doing, or reach out for advice.

Tragically last year, three of our developmentally challenged friends who Dreamality brought our music therapy program to, were killed in a traffic accident on their way to one of our centers. One of the people who left us that day was just 19 years old. Her Mom reached out to us to inform us that our music therapy program was the highlight of her daughter’s week, and it provided a lot of joy and comfort to her and her family. As sad as it was to know she was no longer with us, we were humbled by her mother’s note. It gave us a renewed strength to keep our programs running at whatever cost. We ramped up our fundraising efforts and raised more than we ever have in years prior so we could elevate our outreach. Because of the generosity of our donors, we opened a second music therapy center last month! Every year we also provide financial scholarships to graduating seniors who wish to pursue music after high school. This year, we’ve pledged to award $10,000 in scholarships to Class of 2025 graduating seniors! Dreamality, Inc. is an offshoot of my passion as a musician. The work we do comes from a sincere place of understanding the impact music can make on our quality of life.

To learn more on how to get involved or make a donation, please visit www.dreamalityinc.org

If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?

1. Not being afraid to fail. This is a big one. We learn THE MOST from our mistakes. If you’ve ever been in a spelling bee, ask yourself, which words you spelled right. Now ask yourself which word you spelled wrong, which ultimately eliminated you from the bee. Yup. I remember ALL those missed words.

Advice: Before giving a speech, or performing, or throwing an event, accept that stutters and stumbles might happen. As a recovering perfectionist, I know how debilitating it can be to make a mistake in front of an audience. It’s a hit to the ego. But over the years, I’ve accepted mistakes and learned to make it part of the gig. This is not to say think negative or not to prepare. But after all the preparation and positive thinking have been met, focus on being in the moment which includes rolling with whatever doozies might present themselves. Remember, what you might perceive as a flaw, might be charming or relatable to your audience.

2. Stay humble. Especially in music, there’s just always going to be someone better. Embrace your unique abilities and build on those. Staying humble means you’ll never stop learning. My mom always said, “the day you stop learning, is the day you die.”

Advice: Take a class in something you’ve never done before. Remind yourself what it feels like to be a beginner at something. Try to find joy in the act of learning, instead of postponing that joy for when you only become good at the skill.

3.Try and meditate, at least 10 minutes a day. Shut out the world, try and quiet the mind and be in the present. I’ve started this new kick where I wake up at like 4:30 AM and meditate for about 20 minutes. They say between 4 and 6 AM is the most magical time to connect with messages the universe is trying to send you. For me, it’s time to connect with my self. Admittedly I go right back to bed afterwards, but meditating at that awesome hour has been a game-changer for me.

Advice: Pick an uninterrupted slot of time, even if it’s 5 min to quiet the mind and be still. If you find it hard to close your eyes and let go of your thoughts, try open-eye meditation where you stare at a flame for a few minutes. Or go for a walk and stop to stare at the clouds as they move in the sky. It might seem impossible at first, but with consistency, you’ll start to look forward to your meditation.

One of our goals is to help like-minded folks with similar goals connect and so before we go we want to ask if you are looking to partner or collab with others – and if so, what would make the ideal collaborator or partner?

Yes! We (Quincy and I) are always looking to collaborate with producers, songwriters, artists and musicians on the quest to make really great music! Whether you’ve had some success in the industry or not, we’re all about the chemistry in the studio. We’ve literally watched coffee-runners go on to be crucial producers on a track simply because they bring out the best in the team. You never know where the next great song idea will come from, so we’d love to meet you if making music is what you LOVE to do!

We’re also always on the lookout for talented and caring music educators and therapists who’d like to join our team at Dreamality, Inc. In addition, we’d love to connect with people who have had experience working in the non-profit sector and have creative ideas on furthering Dreamality’s mission. Finally, if you know a high school senior in the New Jersey, New York area that wishes to pursue a career in the arts, let them know to apply for our scholarship! All the info is on our website at www.dreamalityinc.org

Let’s connect! Email us at [email protected].

Contact Info:

• Website: https://dreamalityinc.org
• Instagram: @jinijune @dreamalityinc
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jinijunemusic ; https://www.facebook.com/dreamalityinc
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/jinijuneTV ; https://www.youtube.com/dreamalityincTV
• Other: Spotify: @jinijune
  TikTok: @jinijune
  Apple Music: @jinijune