Get To Know: FromJerome

The UK’s music scene, both the mainstream and underground has always been nothing short of the emotive, sometimes cocky, often brash type of artists' who yet always demonstrate a level of vulnerability. New Wave Magazine spoke to FromJerome who is proving he is no exception. 

The East Londoner offers a textured blend of Afro beats, dancehall and R&B, a sound exemplified in his debut project Before the sun sets, a six track EP exploring a summer love story from its inception to its untimely end. We spoke to Jerome about his first body of work, his influences and intentions as an artist.

Coming from a musical family, his career was almost inevitable. Raised to the sounds of Soca, Afrobeats and Reggae he was nurtured by a multitude of genres resulting in a fresh yet familiar sound. “I love music, and because it was around me so much, I was like, why not just try and see if I can make what my family are listening to”, he explained at the beginning of the interview.

Discussing the release of his first EP Jerome explains the pressure around sharing your first body of work with the world, explaining “I don’t want to let down people who have supported me from the jump, I wanted to make a body of work that people would actually enjoy”. And he lets us know that the conceptual nature of his project was no accident. “I feel like a lot of projects nowadays lack a consistent theme…I wanted to show that I’ve actually taken time with the songs and how I’ve built them from the ground up, there was definitely intention behind it’. 

The music is characteristically vulnerable as he opens up about the inspirations behind it “a lot of it was just me kind of going through things or witnessing people go through things, and then trying to build a story around it”. Jerome also reveals that he enjoys taking inspiration from his peers explaining that he always listens to a whole album before recording, ritualistically, It allows him to incorporate what he his listening to into his own work, he also spills that he can't do anything unless his space is clean "I can't work in a messy environment, it makes me uneasy"

“I know if I'm going through something, then there's probably a million people going through it too, and I could potentially be a mouthpiece for them” 

Before the sun sets explores themes of love, lust and loss a year long process to create which Jerome feels has revealed his at times stubborn nature, explaining “I always knew I was stubborn, but I feel like making this project has made me realise that I'm more stubborn than I originally thought…when you have an idea in your mind of how you want something to sound no one can ever tell you no can tell you no”

While the music remains paramount, visuals can be essential in cultivating the atmosphere surrounding it, in an era when aesthetics mean more than ever, Jerome explains his thought process behind the project’s artwork and the videos he’s released leading up to dropping ‘Before The Sun Sets’,  “I feel like in this day and age, a lot of people, hear with their eyes first…visuals are the opening to the world that I’m trying to create”

Reflecting on the UK music scene and the pocket in which he inhabits, a cultural mashup taking the best of some of the UK’s favourite genres “there's definitely a space for me in the industry because I just feel like I can offer something that no one else is offering now”. Though he explains that London as his home has had a profound influence on his music, "London is so diverse and I'm trying to make my music as diverse as possible"

Though still early on in his career we discuss Jerome’s plans for the future and what he wants his legacy to be “I almost want my name to be like an emotion, to represent a time or a season in people’s lives.” He explains that while he does see the music evolving, what that sounds like will depend on his growth as an artist and as a person “once I've gone through life, then I'll realise what direction the music is going, you know?”.

As the UK’s music industry grows more and more saturated, FromJerome’s melodies cut through the hum; undoubtedly one to watch.

Listen to Before The Sun Sets below.