Tiffny Rhodius
“I want my own identity in music. I really want this year to be my year,” says the talented Jessica Xavier as she prepares to release her latest single with at least three others to follow for the year.
The 24-year-old musician likes to think that her music officially started when she released her first single “Baby Don’t Cry” last year. However, she has been singing for as long as she can remember at benefit concerts and charity dos. Her venture into music started when she was noticed by Danley Major who she says is “pretty much responsible for pushing me in that direction. He and his wife are fantastic.” Major produced and tracked the single, “Baby Don’t Cry”, Xavier said.
The sultry ballad singer admitted that she was sceptical about doing her first single with reggae rhythm but was told by her producer she needed to make a sacrifice. So making the sacrifice, Jessica said, she researched reggae “to feel the music” before she started to work on the song.
Jessica added that she was attacked by nerves her first time recording in the studio. The self-professed perfectionist says that being in a closed box with persons looking on made her nervous but being nervous helped her with achieving her best since she puts “more effort” into what she is doing.
As for a possible video to accompany her first single, a self-conscious Jessica admits that she’s “scared of TV”. Citing harsh critics out there among the reasons, Jessica says, “I hate the attention. Ever since I started singing I rarely go out.” Instead she spends the time with her family and she travels.
Nonetheless, the songbird, noting that she is new in the professional music business, was adamant in pointing out that she was not Megan Vieira who she says she gets mistaken for quite a lot, “I’m not Megan Vieira! I’m Jessica Xavier. I get that too much. I want my own identity in music,” she reaffirmed.
This is likely, as she works towards the release of five songs for the year. The first release, another single is due out soon and the others later on in the year. “I really want this year to be my year,” she adds as she tells of her newest single to be released soon, “A Better Day”.
According to Jessica, “A Better Day” is more of an R&B style single which is being produced by Darrell Pugsley and recorded at Brutal Tracks. Jessica says she is working closely with the producer on the single which is being funded by her.
Meanwhile later in the year Jessica expects to release another single which is being produced in Barbados. The single she says is “R&B mixed with a Caribbean vibe”. Also in the making is a single which she is working on with Dwayne Stephens. All in all, Jessica says she is “looking at three or more tracks for this year”.
But this she note is all dependent on sponsorship. While she is funding her imminent release and she secured sponsorship for the other singles, Jessica stressed the importance of funding if an artist is to make it in the business.
“Music does not pay the bills unless you make it to that level,” she noted. And speaking of achieving a “level” in the music industry, she says all she wants is to be an influence. “The level I’m looking for is not red carpet I want to be an influence. I want to make enough money to give back.
“I like pushing young people,” she adds. Her noble aspirations she says stems from her not being pushed when she needed it even though she was told she was a great singer, she said. But she knows that her aspirations to help other singers can only go so far, the talented songbird says more needs to be done to develop the talents of young singers.
Investing in a music school she says is one way to develop young talent. Everything from vocal training to public speaking she says should be taught. But most importantly, Jessica stressed the importance of an education in the business, which she feels would make achieving one’s dreams more of a reality.
Further, the music industry is too young to be as competitive as it is, she said. Jessica feels there needs to be more collaboration and less competition among artists in the local industry.
Everyone has his/her own style of singing and everyone is trying to make it she notes but it does not require the “fighting” that is currently going on. Using an example, she says that the opening of her upcoming single “A Better Day” has the same line as Tamika Marshall’s “One More Day” single which she hopes does not draw any harsh comparisons or wrong conclusions.
Meanwhile, outside of singing, Jessica heads her own Project Management business. Being self employed, she points out, gives her the opportunity to work on her music on her time. She notes she has been in business before she was in singing but says she works better when music is incorporated in her life and that is how she knew she had to do music as well.
A family oriented person, Jessica likes travelling and spending time with her family who she says has taught her to appreciate the smaller things in life since those are the things that count. The third of 11 siblings, Jessica credits her mother “for doing a great job” and her dad for pushing her.
Her upbringing is why she believes that positive attracts positive and that is why she listens to music with substance and creates music with substance, “When I write I think about who listens to my songs and I think about the message. My songs might be corny and crappy,” she says but she knows that she produces music that will touch someone in a positive way.
