We sat down with Jamie Sparks to discover more about his musical process, after the release of his new single 'Are You The One'. Be sure to check out his music at the bottom!
Thank you for sitting down and talking to FLEX, can you tell us a bit about how you got into music?
I grew up in a musical family. All of my seven siblings, and parents could sing and/or play an instrument. So the musical influence was there from the start.
Who would you say are your biggest musical influences?
In terms of famous people, I'd have to say Teddy Riley, and Dr. Dre. When I started my goal was to be a music producer for other artists, and I really admired their production style. I initially did produce music for some friends of mine. I only started singing because I thought it would bring more attention to my music; hoping to attract more artists to produce. However, when people heard me sing, they wanted to hear more of my singing, not necessarily the music lol. So I started singing more and never thought to bring in another producer because I could do it. Plus, I couldn't afford another producer.
Congratulations on your brand-new single 'Are You The One' - what inspired this particular song?
Thank you! My longtime business partner and good friend Randy Powell sent me the lyrics for this song. I believe he said he'd like something with an Afro-Pop feel. I had some ideas, so I put them together with my vocal arrangement. He loved it, I loved it, so we went with it!
How do you channel personal experiences into your songwriting, and what do you hope listeners gain from connecting with your music?
I would have to say, my personal experiences only make it into a song if the song is about my personal experiences. If there's something I'm going through, and want to put to music. But If I'm angry for one reason or another, and someone asks me to make an upbeat & happy track, I'm going to make an upbeat and happy track. My personal experience is to be put aside. However, in terms of the music I've been exposed to throughout my life, well...my personal experiences will certainly influence my music. Even if I make a country song, it'll have a little R&B in there somewhere. But overall, I simply hope listeners receive some sort of enjoyment, positive feeling, good vibes from my music. Nothing too complicated. I just want to raise the frequency, sending out some good vibrations.
Each aspect of music - writing, recording, practising, and playing live - offers something different. Can you share a particularly meaningful moment from each?
That's a difficult question which may make for a terribly long answer if I could put it into words! But I will say, it's all a part of the creation process. To me it's like building a house; writing the lyrics or music first is like drawing up the plans. Recording is the framing process. Practising, and getting things just right is adding the drywall and all the finishing touches. Performing, and presenting that song to your audience would be presenting that new house to the family moving in. By this point, you've put in a lot of work, and you really hope they like it!
Is there a song in your repertoire that holds a particularly deep personal meaning for you? Can you share the story or inspiration behind it?
There are two songs that hold a deep meaning for me. The first is "Without You". I wrote this song after my son Josiah died. It talks about how since then everything has changed. I still go about my day doing all the things I used to, driving through town, shopping, going to work, etc. but without him here, it's not the same. Like I'm in a different reality. The world continued on the same, but my world was turned upside down and I felt like I was expected (not by those close to me, but by the rest of the world) to continue on as if nothing happened. The other is "Wake Up Call". This is the song I wrote after I came to terms with the fact that he is gone and since then, I started seeing things differently.
What are your goals for the future with your music?
My future goal with music is just to release whatever I end up writing if it's good enough, and hope it lifts someone's spirits!
What message or feeling do you hope listeners take away from your music?
I hope the music makes you feel good, or at least better than you were before you heard it.
To wrap things up, is there anything else you’d like to share with our readers?
Just want to say thanks so much for your support. I really appreciate it.
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