“You know how they say “you are your own worst critic”. Well that holds 100 percent true with me.” From his school band to “My American Heart” to solo musician, songwriter, and producer, Jesse Barrera is releasing his full length album “From The Ground Up” on March 24th! The San Diego based musician has been concentrating on producing music for everyone around him but is finally releasing a full album of his own for fans to hear. What has Jesse been doing all this time and what should we look forward to in his album? That’s exactly what HypnoticAsia hoped to find out with this interview! Click HERE for tracks he has revealed from his upcoming album.
Check out the interview below and be sure to pre-order his album “From The Ground Up” HERE.
HYPNOTICASIA: What’s your story? How did you get started in the music industry?
JESSE BARRERA: I honestly feel like if I were to answer this question, it’d come in the form of a novel. Haha. Long story short – I started my music career playing in cover bands in middle school. My dad bought a bass guitar in a music shop when I was in there to buy a saxophone for my school band. I picked it up and fell in love with it. I think it was 8th grade? Anyway – my very first band was called S.M.L (small. medium. large) and we covered a bunch of songs from old punk bands like MXPX, Blink 182 and New Found Glory. In high-school me and a few friends made a band which turned out to really change my life forever. We were called “My American Heart” – played a battle of the bands, got signed by Kevin Lyman the owner of Warped Tour. Toured for 7 years straight putting out a few records and gaining some success worldwide. After that I started writing my own music cause I wanted to express myself individually aside from the band. Started putting some things on YouTube and gained some fans through there as well. Now after the years and years of touring, I’m now stationed here in San Diego producing full time. And I absolutely love it.
HYPNOTICASIA: At what age did you start making music?
JESSE BARRERA:I started writing (awful songs) around the age of 14.
HYPNOTICASIA: Are you a musician full time?
JESSE BARRERA: Yes. I am a full time musician, songwriter and producer.
HYPNOTICASIA: Where do you get the inspiration to write and produce music?
JESSE BARRERA: For writing – I get a lot of inspiration from the world around me and the experiences I have gone through in my life. Sometimes I’ll be listening to a great record and feel inspired to create because of that as well. Inspiration for me comes from everywhere!
HYPNOTICASIA: What are some equipment you use when producing music?
JESSE BARRERA: This would be a ridiculously long list if I were to name everything I use — But I’m currently using a Pro Tools HDX system here at my studio. Along with some great outboard gear and mics – a full list can be seen on my studio website www.thejbcave.com
HYPNOTICASIA: How would you describe your music to those who haven’t heard it before?
JESSE BARRERA: Alternative / Pop / Rock – I always find it hard when people ask me “who do you sound like” — But I think it’s a good thing to not have an artist who QUICKLY comes into mind when asked that.
HYPNOTICASIA: You’ve produced albums and songs for many fellow artists, whats the difference between producing music for others versus producing your own?
JESSE BARRERA: This is a great question. I think producing for other people is a bit more relaxing, and I’m more at ease I guess you can say. Everything usually comes naturally because I’m more so developing their sound as opposed to creating it for them. When I’m writing songs or producing my own stuff – I’m always pretty much HATING what I do 80 percent of the time because I always feel that things aren’t perfect. You know how they say “you are your own worst critic”. Well that holds 100 percent true with me. That’s why it took 3 years to record another full length record I guess. It makes me nervous thinking about releasing my own stuff – honestly. But I feel really proud of this newest one.
HYPNOTICASIA: How long have you been producing this new album that you’re releasing on the 24th of March?
JESSE BARRERA: I started writing the record in October and have been recording the songs here and there since then. I’m a full time producer so I’d go ahead and record a few songs — do another project for someone else and as soon as that one was done, I’d resume mine. It was nice to have some down time in between some of the recordings — So I could evaluate how I felt about the songs after a period of not hearing them for awhile.
HYPNOTICASIA: How many tracks can we expect in the new album “From The Ground Up?”
JESSE BARRERA: 11 songs.
HYPNOTICASIA: What was it like working with AJ Rafael and Tori Kelly on the new songs “Promises” and “Favorite Girl”?
JESSE BARRERA: Working with AJ is always a good time. He actually was down here in December recording a Christmas version of one of his songs when I asked him to sing on my record. We’ve been friends for awhile so it’s super natural and full of laughs — Which is funny because the song that he sings on is probably one of the saddest on the record. Haha. Tori I’ve worked with a couple of times. We did tons of work on the Jeremy Passion record as well as the Mitchell Grey record. She’s also been doing some session background vocals for me for some time. She actually recorded all her parts for “Favorite Girl” at her home studio.. Kind of gave her an outline of what I wanted and she went ahead and made it her own and it came out incredible. She’s a sweetheart and one of the most talented people I know.
HYPNOTICASIA: What would you say is your favorite song off the upcoming album?
JESSE BARRERA: This is really hard! But there are a few stand out tracks that I feel attached to. The opening track “Little House That Could” I really love – This really kick starts the record and is where I got the idea of “From The Ground Up”. Also the closing track “The Highest Tides” ft. Daniela Andrade I love too. Heck, I love every one. They are all my babies.
HYPNOTICASIA: How did you come up with the cover design of “From The Ground Up” album?
JESSE BARRERA: The theme of the album is basically seeing the light in any dark moment of your life and picking yourself up when you fall down. The first thing that came to mind was a flower.. or daisy emerging from being dead or un-cared for. I thought incorporating that and the musical instruments (drums, bass, guitars etc) totally sum up the feel of album. It’s a very rock driven record with emotional lyrics. [Click HERE to view album cover].
HYPNOTICASIA: What would you say is the genre of this upcoming album?
JESSE BARRERA: Alternative, Pop, Rock and some acoustic, indie stuff.
HYPNOTICASIA: If you can collaborate with one person that you haven’t already, who would it be and why?
JESSE BARRERA: I’d really love to work with Keith Urban, Hunter Hayes, Taylor Swift or Coldplay. They just seem like cool people and are some of my favorite songwriters.
HYPNOTICASIA: What are your hobbies aside from making music?
JESSE BARRERA: I love simple things – being a foodie is my passion. Working out, spending time with my dog and girlfriend. Disneyland, going to the movies.
HYPNOTICASIA: If you had an unlimited budget, what kind of music video would you have, who would be in it, who would direct it, etc…
JESSE BARRERA: Whoever directed the music video for “Typical” by Mutemath. Yeah that dude. I’d call him up.
FUN QUESTIONS:
The first thing I do when I wake up is... Kiss my dog and make a smoothie
The last thing I do before I sleep is… Stare at social networks on my phone. Play Fun Run – (jessebarrera1 – add me if you dare)
My most prized possession is… Everything in my studio
My biggest pet peeve is…When people incorrectly use “your” and “you’re”
My catchphrase would be...VIBELIFE
The song that should play when I enter the room is…“Say My Name” by Destiny’s Child
The best way to cheer me up when I’m down is...Food. Lots of it.
The celebrity I would like to meet is…Walt from the show “Breaking Bad”
OFFICIAL WEBSITE: www.jessebarrera.com
STUDIO WEBSITE:www.thejbcave.com
STUDIO WEBSITE:www.thejbcave.com
FACEBOOK: www.facebook.com/jessebarreramusic
TWITTER: twitter.com/jessebarrera
Stay tuned to HypnoticAsia.com for more about Jesse Barrera upcoming album “From The Ground Up” + an album review coming soon!
Also, mark your calendars for his album release show on March 30, 2013. More information HERE.
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