We were lucky to catch up with Jay Rin recently and have shared our conversation below.
Jay Rin, thank you so much for making time for us. We’ve always admired your ability to take risks and so maybe we can kick things off with a discussion around how you developed your ability to take and bear risk?
Truth or Dare! I was ‘dare queen’ back in elementary school. Kids would dare me to climb things, eat hot peppers at the lunch tables, ask crushes to marry me, lick walls, etc. and I quickly learned that some of the most memorable and fun experiences require the risk to step out of your comfort zone! (I’m sure the performer in me also didn’t mind the attention or the reputation of being the boldest and most courageous 4th grader either!)
Somehow in my early twenties though I lost sight of this confidence, as self criticism crept in, and I felt like I had to stay in a box of acceptable roles and behavior in college, in relationships, in friendships, in church, etc. I grew depressed and a bit lost while ‘playing it safe’. It took me hitting rock bottom to realize that something had to change.
As it happened, I took to extremes – left my marriage and my job and got into some bad situations in a desperate cry for direction, purpose, love, fulfillment, a new start, etc.. They say when one door closes another one opens, but it sure can be hell in the hallway! It was this brutal hallway which gave me new mentalities like ‘why not’ or ‘the only way to go is up’ or ‘what do I have to lose now that I’ve lost everything’ while having faith that the path would lead somewhere less grim each step of the way. Sure enough, by challenging myself to do things alone (this was a big one), go to therapy, seek out activities I enjoyed outside of the fear of judgement, I got to meet that bold and courageous risk taking wild child all over again, and now I never want to lose sight of her.
The concept for the artwork on my upcoming debut album “Fool on the Fringe” is meant to reflect exactly this spirit. Though potentially controversial here in the bible belt, the cover art was based off of the ‘fool’ card in a standard tarot deck which depicts a young jester joyfully about to walk off a cliff. This card is hugely thematic with risk taking, leaps of faith, freedom, and venturing into new beginnings. I thought to myself, what a perfect way to sum up this era of my life and this new chapter in the making of fearlessly going after my dreams!
This album was an incredible leap of faith – emotionally vulnerable, physically taxing, financially risky, spending every last dime and bit of energy on its production, but the joy and the belief in what its completion would hold I believed would be well worth the journey, and I assure you, this is only the beginning!
I couldn’t be more thrilled with the final product and I must say that I am also so pleased with how the cover art came together with the help of friend and photographer Cheyanne Parkans and the artistic stylings of my sister Serena Unzueta.
Thanks, so before we move on maybe you can share a bit more about yourself?
I moved out to Nashville back in 2013 to study music at Belmont University. Since graduation I’ve held a lot of odd part time jobs doing customer service, reception work, selling cutlery, etc. while also trying to jump into anything I could that was related to music- social media management for voice coaches, the occasional writer’s round or restaurant gig, worship leading, and interviewing singers and choirs for an online magazine.
After several years of over extending myself and putting my original music and my career passions on the back burner, to finally be releasing this first album “Fool on the Fringe” on September 29th is a monumental personal milestone. It has been a long time coming and it’s the first of many musical brain children. It’s rootsy, it’s rocking, it’s folksy, it’s bluesy, it’s punky – a 12 song 42 minute musical adventure from start to finish. You’ll hear influences from the likes of Janis Joplin, Sheryl Crow, Fiona Apple, Blondie, and Brandi Carlile to name a few, with a mix of sultry, soulful, tender, edgy, angsty, and playful numbers. I don’t like to limit myself by the constructs of strict genre boxes and like to call my style ‘on the fringe’ for that reason. I let the songs create themselves and I follow them where they want to go as I get to know them. I’m thankful to have worked with a phenomenal creative production team and band consisting of Taylor Tuke, Chili Munroe, Clint Caswell, Sami Jo, Sandy Lincoln, Leeya Shaw, John Heinrich and producers John Salaway and Joshua Koskela at Music First Productions who jumped on board immediately to let the vision take form as it may. On the 29th, I will be celebrating the album from cover to cover with a release show at Phat Bites at 8pm where I will have limited edition merch and cds available. Vinyl is also on the way and will be available just in time for fans to snag in time for Christmas gifts!
In other news, I just got back from Liverpool England playing International Beatlesweek with the all fem tribute Penny Lane! The Beatles catalog and John Lennon’s solo work is largely to credit for my desire to become a songwriter many many moons ago, so to make it across the pond and play some of the same venues they played like the iconic Cavern Club and the Jacaranda, and to tour around the city with Liverpool Eco Tours and be immersed into the stories and places which inspired the music, all in all, it was a spiritual full circle experience!
I’m immensely grateful for every day that I get to do music whether it be a tribute show, cover gig, or sharing my original material live or in the studio. I grew up in a household where living room jam sessions, garage bands, and backyard concerts were the norm – singing with my school friends and my sisters with my mom clapping along and my dad LA based rocker Jimmy Becker laying down the groove on guitar. As an adult, I can’t imagine doing anything other than music while it is so woven into who I am and how I connect with others.
It’s a unique lifestyle to now be doing music full time – the hours are odd, schedules are ever changing, lots of different hats to wear when it comes to booking, marketing, etc., and this past year especially has seen a lot more travel than I could’ve ever imagined. However, to get to share what I do across the country, and now across the world, is a dream come true. Seeing music consistently bring folks together from different walks of life is an indescribable feeling and sometimes feels like a superpower to be the facilitator of.
Got a few Nashville solo shows downtown left this September and then I will be off to do a stretch of California shows through October/November touring the new record and playing the living hell out of my Halloween song “Trick or Treat” which folks can start adding to their spooky playlists now – it’s the modern day Monster Mash!
In the words of Penny Lane in my all time favorite movie, Almost Famous, “It’s all happening”!
Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?
Ask yourself why you do what you do, carve out time to refine your craft, seek ways you can be of service to others with it, and you will find work and a sense of purpose.
Two book recommendations would be Networking Kills: Success through Serving by Mark Maxwell and The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck by Mark Manson.
What do you do when you feel overwhelmed? Any advice or strategies?
As an easily distracted and hyper emotional creative, internal chaos of heart and mind is a daily struggle! To do lists have been my saving grace. I will make them first thing in the morning, intentionally placing easy things on the list like brushing my teeth, making breakfast, etc. so that I can start the day with a sense of accomplishment. I will go as far as to list every single item that I can think of and accept that I very well may not get through the list but if I make progress then it’s still a good day. The satisfaction of checking off even the smallest things trickles good feelings into the more involved items enabling me to accomplish them typically with greater levels of peace, excitement, and productivity.
On a personal note, I have also found lists to be helpful with sorting out more complex emotions. I’ve gone through a lot of changes over the past couple years and the idea of starting a journal sounded so time consuming and overwhelming in itself, but I thought I’d start a ‘feelings’ notebook where I just list how I’m feeling at a given moment ie tired, stressed, nervous, happy, lonely, etc. Often putting a name to feelings untangles their hold or power over us so we can more easily navigate/address them. This method of mindfulness has also been a great self care exercise because occasionally things like thirsty or sleepy might appear on the list and I think -wait a minute, I can fix that through a glass of water or a hot cup of tea and a short nap! Attending to personal health is so so so important and will often help us all feel less run down and overwhelmed. Seems simple but in this day and age where everything is pulling at our attention, self care is sometimes easy to forget sometimes! So! Make those lists, find that inner peace, and get to making progress on those dreams!
Contact Info:
- Website: www.jayrinmusic.com
- Instagram: instagram.com/jayrinmusic
- Facebook: facebook.com/jayrinmusic
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCsfoJCb4BwIXxbbGlE01Ezw
- Other: PRE-SAVE ALBUM LINK: https://hypeddit.com/nszdgd?fbclid=IwAR18ItRv_gpvZFf9NpNKpceAWJ8HFR8cEfGQrKTlwwmPFQItS3q7xjEaYn0_aem_AbTukF4K-DN50HFkAmb-OxxhaUC1sDlv_HqoGG6P1xYOH5v_ba5P4CQwrq8pn-iJz3o&mibextid=Zxz2cZ
- Stream/Download link: https://linktr.ee/jayrinmusic
Image Credits
Keri Woo, Jason Myers, Serena Unzueta, Cheyanne Parkans, Annelise Sarah
