Jarell Perry’s voice recently caught my attention when I heard him on Locksmith’s album ‘The Green Box’ and the beauty of his RnB tones immediately made me want to hear more from him. Luckily, his ‘Simple Things’ LP was available and my wish was fulfilled. With the album still on repeat, I caught up with the singer who hails from Orange, CA, to find out more about the incredible artist. He tells me he is, “Hungover, but happy,” and lets me know about the Locksmith collaboration. “My management introduced us and Lock sent over a few tracks. The first hook I wrote was ‘You Never Know.’ Today that’s still one of my favorite records.”
Jarell is no stranger to the music game as he explains, “I started writing and performing in bands as a freshman in college, but I had been singing in school and church since I was 12. It’s been a while, needless to say,” he smiles. In 3 words he describes his sound as, “Bright, introspective and awkward.” I would definitely add beautiful to that list. You should really need no reason to go and download ‘Simple Things’ other than to hear Jarell’s harmonious vocals but in case you do, he has 3 reasons for you, “1) It’s free music, don’t you like free music? 2) It’s different, don’t you want to hear something different? 3) It’s free music, don’t you like free music?” he laughs. That should be enough to convince you so be sure to head to www.jarellperry.com to grab your copy.
Just being from a place called Orange is pretty interesting but there are definitely things in particular that Jarell loves and hates about his hometown, “Orange is a cool place because I have family and friends still there. It’s safe but it’s also boring as hell and worlds away from LA, culturally speaking. I guess growing up with Disneyland in your backyard isn’t that bad though!” It’s going to be a busy year for the singer who tells me he is planning some big shows to support the album and he is also working on a new project that should be out in the summer.
I could already tell Jarell had a good sense of humor but I was certain when I asked him to tell me a strange fact about himself, “One time I recorded a demo song in full Mandarin Chinese. They said I could do it in English, but where’s the fun in that?” he grinned. Not a huge sports fan but he says, “I do make time for post-season NBA, the Lakers and anything UCLA. Go Bruins!” He’s got James Blake and Daft Punk on repeat at the moment and if he could perform anywhere, he would choose an outdoor music festival in the UK, “Glastonbury. I’ve only seen it on TV, but I have this vision of hundreds of thousands of white people rocking to my songs there that I can’t get rid of,” he laughs.
A beautiful singing voice and an attractive guy, Jarell certainly ticks the boxes for more than a few ladies out there but is he single and what does he look for in a woman? “I’m taking time off from serious situations for a while, just kinda getting out of one (rebound?). Right now I just wanna see what else is out there and make some good times. I’m attracted to really strong independent women, love a girl who can talk back and challenge me, who has some kind of brain and looks hella good in yoga pants,” he beams.
The best piece of advice Jarell was ever given is directly linked to music, “Someone once told me when I was young and shy, that if I really was a singer, I’d take every opportunity to sing publicly when given. I always remember that when I get put on the spot and want to run for the hills.” He lives by the motto, “Perception is reality,” and to his critics and fans he says, “To the critics, I’m waiting for you. To the fans, we’re in this thing together and I can’t wait for the day I can say “WE made it.”
There’s only one more thing to ask Jarell and that is, what’s been the best musical moment of his career so far, “It’s hard to say because I’m always in the middle of making a moment, and who knows if this moment right now is really just a part of the best moment so far? I don’t want to discriminate against any of the other moments, because in the end it’s all about the journey, right? A journey is just a bunch of moments strung together on this abstract thing called time. Does that answer the question? Try me again a few months from now,” he insists. I’m going to hold Jarell to that and by that time, I think he will be well on the way to saying, “WE made it.”
