Parachute’s ‘Famous Five’ Feature:
Jym
Pop newcomer Jym took everyone by surprise earlier this year, when out of the blue he dropped the hotter than hot, Jungle. Jym’s debut single was a collaboration with Ezra Vine – the songwriter behind the smash hit Celeste, which has had more than 56 million streams on Spotify. Jungle, punctuated by pulsing synth basses and 80s guitar lines, established Jym (AKA Micah Heath) as a serious contender on the pop scene, not just here in New Zealand but internationally. Keep an eye on this guy. He’s going places.
This week we get to know Jym…
Who is the best new artist you’ve discovered in the last 6 months?
Fortunes. I stumbled across one of their songs a few months back on a friend’s playlist. I remember hearing ‘Focus’ and just falling in love with the song. I’m sure it’s safe to say that I’ve clocked plenty of streams for Fortunes over the course of knowing them.
If you could write the ultimate song, what would it be?
‘Dancing In The Moonlight’ [King Harvest] What a song it is! No matter what mood I’m in, this song always seems to make me what to groove. Do you blame me though? The song is so well written, from the catchy hook to the feel good lyrics, I can’t fault it.
What has been your biggest challenge this year in developing yourself as an artist?
Direction. I’ve been making my way through this year with co-writes on constant. It’s great, but I’ve found it challenging to continue pressing down in my musical direction without being too swayed by the producers’ style. It’s definitely an art I am learning to perfect and become more aware of over time. I’m wanting to improve further on my basic producing skills so I am able to whip up a solid demo to bring into a session which will help a lot.
Who is in your musical community?
The cool thing about living in Auckland is that I am constantly surrounded by musicians and building relationships with them. I have have a bunch of cool people in my lil ‘community’, with the likes of Nakita, Holly Untitled, Thomston, Ash Graham, Indyah, Watson and a bunch of insanely talented others.
When did you get serious about making music your career?
In the beginning of high school I began teaching myself guitar, along with this came singing, although I guess I always kinda sang. I was the classic ‘boy with the guitar’. It took me a while to outgrow that one. Ha! My real drive began when I discovered my passion was in songwriting and performing at age 14. I had a couple of significant events that occurred and the only thing that really helped me through it was listening to and writing music. It helped facilitate all the intense emotions. I couldn’t ever imagine music not being apart of my life. It has helped shape who I am today and who I will be in the future.
Who is your ultimate Kiwi icon?
Brooke Fraser. There’s no denying I’ve been a fan since my sister slammed the heck out of the ‘Albertine’ album when I was seven. Her music is lush and authentic. It’s truly inspiring to see New Zealand artists staying true to themselves and their music throughout their career, not compromising anything, just making good music. She will always hold a sweet spot in my heart, so will many of her nostalgic songs.
Each year Parachute holds auditions to to find emerging Kiwi artists who are serious about making music their career. A handful are selected for the one-year artist development programme, which is tailor-made for each artist. Over the course of the next few weeks, Ambient Light will be featuring five young acts on this year’s development programme.
JYM’S SPOTIFY PLAYLIST
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