ON THE RISE
CHICAGO, IL–Chicago-based singer Jimii N°1 has always been surrounded by music, with aspirations in the entertainment industry.
His father, a self-proclaimed “jazz aficionado,” showed the genre to Jimii over the years. His mother was religious. He became a choir boy at his local church. Both sides of his upbringing inspired him to write music, learning to play the flute in the 5th grade.
He joined local bands and the school orchestra and even landed in musical theater on Oliver Twist. Instead of joining show business and moving to LA after high school—where he had been known for singing his campaign speeches for student government—Jimii relocated to Chicago to help out a family member. He ended up in entertainment in a different way, as a makeup artist, and worked towards a gig on The Oprah Winfrey Show. Inspired by Oprah's influence and inspiration, Jimii released his debut record Be Still and Know. But the album really came out of the writing and journaling he had done during a challenging time in his life.
“When all the challenges started happening, I started writing. And before I knew it, I had a compilation of songs I had put together that reminded me very much of someone else who put together an album, and her album got me through some tough, challenging times,” says Jimii. “It was such a blessing to me that I thought what I have here could be a blessing for other people. And that is the reason I wrote these songs, that is the meaning behind them. It's all about love. A lot of it is about people who are overlooked, or having a rough time. And I was hoping I could shed some peace to love and to help.
“Always Good,” the lead single off the record, is an upbeat track with all the elements of Jimii’s inspirations (gospel, jazz, and show tunes) put together in a hodgepodge that also reflects Jimii’s faith. The song writes about finding the good in everything and a positive way of thinking while enduring difficult times.
“Thank goodness that the universe is working for you and not against you. There's a lot of times when you're having a rough time, it's very difficult to try to see the good in things, but there is,” explains Jimii. “I believe very highly in fate where you put your thoughts are things for you put your thoughts you know you want to manifest good. If you're constantly thinking about negative things, it's not going to help you.”
Other tracks on the record represent that same positivity, such as “I Will Make My Way” which Jimii describes as, “God's answer to challenges that you're going through.” While the singer has looked to music his entire life, helping others is also where his heart is at. Now felt like the best time for Jimii to do both.
“There have been times in my life that I wanted to do a CD and I was ready to go bang on the door of Mo-Town and sit there for years until they finally let me in,” says Jimii. “Even in the last few years, I don't think that I would have thought that I'd put together a collection of songs that I had, which are hopefully inspiration, which is hopeful, which can be a blessing to people. Something to remind them that they are loved and I can hopefully help somebody raise their spirit. I would have never thought I would've ever done it, but whomp, here it is!”
Jimii is working on his next music video for Be Still and Know and a follow-up album.
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Upcoming 100: How do you balance experimenting with new sounds and styles while still maintaining your unique artistic identity?
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