Meet Jr Weise

We recently connected with Jr Weise and have shared our conversation below.

Jr, thank you so much for joining us. You are such a positive person and it’s something we really admire and so we wanted to start by asking you where you think your optimism comes from?
My optimism comes from my childhood trauma and the ability to disassociate. Haha. Just kidding (kinda)! I learned at a young age that the world can be a tricky place to navigate. Through that I found humor to be my best medicine and honestly, it’s hard to be funny without being optimistic. Laughing alters dopamine and serotonin as well as releases endorphins. That to me is the key to happiness and happiness is seeing the positives in life, aka optimism.

I have days just like everyone, where I don’t feel that optimism or happiness. In those times I recollect on good days and remind myself that tomorrow is a clean slate.

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?
Growing up in Madison, Wisconsin, I started out writing poetry and found my love of words through that. From there I discovered Songwriting is essentially poetry over music, and that’s when everything changed for me. I was what’s considered “at risk youth” and was in and out of trouble weekly with authority (whether law, school or parents) and music became an outlet for me towards the end of HS. Instead of selling drugs and committing other crimes, I would find myself with the band students after school learning rhythm and how to recognize beat patterns. Eventually my older cousin who also was a musician at the time reached out and invited me to go to his home studio (the “Dungeon” is what we called it. The basement of my Great Grandpa’s house) to record. When I got there he played the song and after about fifteen minutes I was done and recording. We realized that not only could I rap, but that writing came really easily and I was surprisingly good at creating scenarios and directing the narrative (its that trauma humor I swear).

Eventually we both moved to Hollywood and pursued the “dream”. At the time I was focused on releasing music as the artist “Jr Weise” and it wasn’t until I started working for Faction-M (a sister company to OVO) that I started to realize that I enjoy being behind the scenes and helping other artists get their visions on record. That led me to an opportunity to live in Aix-En Provence, France where I spent the summer writing with other artists from around the world furthered my knowledge on all things songwriting (song structure, lyrical cadence, etc). This has gifted me with the pleasure of working with artists like Gia Woods, the very talented Izora, and American Idol contestant Chris Jane.

Now nearly a decade later (yes, I am what the kids call old) I work primarily as a songwriter for others and in commercial music sync, but release my own music every now and then so that I can keep the skills sharp. My music tends to be more self help, “you are your own biggest fan” type music with a dash of life experience. Both the good and the bad.

My goal is to be an artist that listeners feel like they can connect and have a conversation with. Whether it’s listening or even reaching out on social media/email because they need someone to talk to during a rough time. Like how Steve from Blue’s Clues still checks in on us adults that grew up with him and is that person that we know will always be there for someone who is in need.

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?
My advice?

This sounds so cliche, but resilience, dedication and optimism. Those three things are what get me through all aspects of life. You might not be good at your dream when you first start out. You honestly might suck. However, anything worth considering a dream takes work. The only way you can improve on something is by getting back up and trying again and again and again and again and you get the point.

I will say that the most important of the three are optimism. Resilience and dedication without optimism can sometimes lead to sticking with the plan, but losing the love and reason why you started chasing that goal in the first place.

So no matter how hard it gets, no matter how bad you wanna quit, remember how much worse you were when you first started and take a second to really acknowledge the progress you’ve made up until that point. It’s a journey, why not enjoy it?

Okay, so before we go, is there anyone you’d like to shoutout for the role they’ve played in helping you develop the essential skills or overcome challenges along the way?
This is easy, my parents. Hands down, no questions asked.

Without telling their stories, I will say that my parents came from little to nothing at all. Had me when they were teenagers (heck my Mom didn’t even have enough credits to be a sophomore when she found out she was pregnant with me) and I had both the pleasure and the displeasure of growing up with them. My relationship with them is amazing now, but growing up their challenges were my challenges because they were figuring out how to adult while trying to figure out how to parent for the first time. Neither had a college education when i was born and the way they decided to navigate life’s challenges not only gave me the tools I needed to do the same, but also showed me what not to do.

My Dad has been a Black Business owner for the last thirty years. This is where I get my resiliency from. I watched him deal with more than any child should. I watched him learn how to file taxes and navigate the struggle that is small business ownership, how to navigate slow months when money is low and you aren’t sure how you’re gonna make it through and support a family of five. I watched him consistently remain optimistic when he lost out on jobs/dealt with problems due to his race. These things either make or break a person and for my Dad, it made him. Not only did it make him, but he ensured that his children would all understand both the struggle and the reward that comes with life.

My Mom is a powerhouse all of her own. I mentioned she didn’t have enough credits to be a sophomore when she found out she was pregnant with me. Well she decided that wouldn’t suffice and before I was born got her GED, enrolled in college and decided that even if it’s not her passion, that she was going to have a career that could support her new family being created. I watched my mom stay up all night studying just to turn around after a few hours of sleep to get her kids ready and off to school and go work a full time job. I watched my mom go from the best she could do was an apartment in the middle of the ghetto with bars on our windows and multiple locks on the doors due to break ins, to now she’s on her fourth home as an owner because she knew she wanted better not only for herself but for the children she brought into this world. That’s where my dedication comes from. Knowing that I want something and keeping at it until I get there.

Sorry I could talk about my parents for hours. They are literally my favorite people in this universe. Both my biological and my step parents. 10/10 would recommend.

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