Having already established himself as one of the more exciting talents doing the rounds in recent years, K-Pop producer and genre-bending artist JINBO the SuperFreak is back once again to deliver his new studio album 'SUMMER FREAK'.
Marking his fourth full-length collection to date, 'SUMMER FREAK' makes for an incredibly fun and enjoyable listen. Teaming up with a wealth of notable and emerging artists for his latest release, he is continuing to cement himself as a true innovator on today's new music scene.
So with the new album available to stream now, we sat down with him to find out more about his origins and what has been inspiring him most recently.
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What was the first instrument you fell in love with?
Drums. The first time I played drums was when I was around five. I was playing some Christmas carols, like Little Drummer Boy. Somehow I knew that drums were the coolest instrument. Each instrumental player has their own personality and characteristics. For example, I see the bass player as down to earth, kind of grounded people, and usually the vocalists have a strong ego. But the drummers are the coolest. They are the groovy ones. I always felt that way.
What kind of music did you love when you were younger?
When I was very little, I loved America's top 40 songs. Back then, it was Stevie Wonder, Cyndi Lauper, Michael Jackson, Lionel Richie, and so on. Later on, I realized that I was mostly gravitated towards R&B and black music in general.
What was the first album you remember owning?
Boyz 2 Men - Motownphilly. I had to ran straight to the record store right after I heard it on the radio. I sang chorus part of ‘End of the road’ to the record store owner because I wasn’t sure about the album title.
What is the one song you wished you could have written yourself?
Pharrell’s ‘Frontin’ featuring Jay Z. Because of the simplicity and the coolness, yet it's innovative. It's hard to have that combination of sounding cool, being innovative, also being effective and simple.
Do you have any habits or rituals you go through when trying to write new music?
I don't have one. But if I was going to say yes, my habit would be to just sit in front of my computer and start messing around.
Who are your favourite artists you have found yourself listening to at the moment?
At the moment, it's Varnish La Piscine. He's from Switzerland and I see him as the European version of Tyler, The Creator, but maybe that's an understatement. Also I've been loving Charlie XCX, and I am happy that she's getting major attention. She's become a global pop star now. I've been watching her creative team. Her producer A.G. Cook and the mixing engineer Goeff Swan. I once worked with Goeff Swan because I loved Charli XCX’s sound.
If you could open a show for anyone in the world, who would it be?
Frank Ocean. Because of the kind of fans he has. The people who are dying to watch Frank Ocean are those taste makers and trendsetters. The ones with high emotional intelligence. They're probably gonna see through me, and understand what I'm about.
What do you find is the most rewarding part about being a musician?
To have a medium to pursue your life purpose. Money, fame, those things are just bonuses. The real reward is you being able to reflect yourself through your music. You can see if you are progressing or you're regressing. You’ll know if you are on the right path or not. Music reflects you like a very, very clean mirror. Having that mirror is the best reward.
And what is the most frustrating part?
The importance of politics like having to know the key people in the industry. And that is a very determining factor of financial success. Talent is obviously important and your work ethic as well. But if you don't understand the third element, you’ll only go so far.
And what is the best piece of advice you have received as a musician?
The best advice that I got was from Mr. Tio Banks, from Musicians Institute. When I showed him that I could sound like D’angelo, Earth, Wind and Fire and stuff, Mr. Banks told me, “Okay, that's enough. You sound like them. But what is JINBO's voice? I want to hear JINBO.” It put me in a different perspective and context about myself.
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JINBO The SuperFreak's new album 'SUMMER FREAK' is available to stream now. Check it out in the player below.