In Conversation with JONAVI

Conducted by Bethany M

JONAVI is an innovative indie pop/R&B singer, writer, and producer with a love for storytelling. JONAVI's music is fresh yet relatable, unique yet familiar, with lyrics that focus on love, identity, or generational trauma, all sung to a catchy melody. JONAVI has performed for SoFar Sounds, SXSW, the Dallas Mavericks, House of Blues, YAR Fest (Texas' first Asian music festival), and more.

Who or what inspired you to start writing music and pursue it as a career?

I would say my parents would probably be the inspiration that started young, because I've been singing since I was like four or five. I think back then, when I was a kid, I just liked performing. Then I would say my love for music developed mostly in middle school and high school, because I have a background in classical music, though it was more of a forced instrument to learn, but I really got into music and songwriting. I realized it was a really good intersection of music and storytelling. I used to actually want to be an author, so I wanted to find a way to combine the two, like telling really good stories, but in a way that was easy for people to listen to and relate to.

What is this song that you've written the most that represents you as a person, not just as a songwriter?

There is a song that I released back when I was in college. It's called "if I were you." I wouldn't say what the song is about necessarily represents me as a person, because it's about whether I should be friends, stay friends with someone, or fall in love. But I'm picking that one because it was probably the first song that I ever wrote where I truly felt like it encapsulated the sound that I wanted to have as an artist. So I think of that song a lot because I really anchor towards it when I'm writing new things, like, What sound do I want to make? What kind of artist do I want to be? That was the first time I wrote and was really proud of it, as I was finding my own unique sound.

What is one of the most surprising things that you've learned about yourself through songwriting and releasing music?

I surprised myself a lot with how honest I can be in my songwriting because if you meet me in real life, and we're just having a conversation, not about music, I am really good at not addressing a question directly. I'm very nosy to the people around me, but if people ask me questions, I'm really good at currying them. But in my music, I pretty much just say things as they are. So I think it's that it surprises me, because it kind of conflicts with how I might be in daily conversation versus how I write. But I do enjoy that too. I think I had a friend come once who knows me the most when she listens to my music. And I think that's a fair description.

Do you face any challenges as a smaller singer-songwriter?

There are challenges around having to build your own community and fan base, which is obviously hard when it's just you. You don't have a dedicated team to support all your marketing, all your branding, and booking. So just time can be a difficulty, and also the constant pursuit of something leaves a lot of room for you to doubt yourself, especially when you're not seeing, quote on quote, big wins, and I think it makes it difficult to celebrate the quote, unquote, smaller wins as a result. So I think when you're pursuing things as just a smaller creative in general, you kind of have to

remind yourself that it's not always about the big thing. Every step matters.

What is your favorite part about being a smaller singer-songwriter?

My favorite part is probably the community. I think there's something really valuable in doing things with the people who are on the same level and have the same passion for the creative space as you do. I think I would love to be in a position where you know, if things take off, for example, we're all doing it together, and we're doing it with a community that we started. In addition, we're all getting to celebrate with each other, support each other, and grow with each other. So that's probably my favorite thing. It is finding people in similar spaces, seeing how passionate they are about it, and being in a space where we can do something together.

If you could collaborate with any artist, who would it be, and why

I have a few answers. So, like, right now I'm really into Sailoor, this new RnB singer. I just think she's fun as a songwriter. I think it would be fun to write, like a diss song with Sabrina Carpenter. I think if I do a little throwback, Haley Williams from Paramore, even though I don't really make this kind of genre of music. I think Paramore Haley Williams is a ton of fun. And then really going back to the active days of Alicia Keys in her prime of making R&B and songs that would be really bangers as well.

Do you have any goals for this year or the next few years?

One of my immediate goals is slowly on its way to happening, because it's scheduled to release, but it's definitely just to release my first album or LP, and that's scheduled for the end of May. Looking more into the future, I would love to release more of a short film-type music video, because again, I really like storytelling, and all of my music videos have a story. So I think it would be really cool when I take acting classes for that, probably if I'm the star for my own short form music video, but I would love to be a part of, if not help, make a storyboard for a short form music video.

Do you have any piece of advice, either for your younger self or someone who wants to pursue music, what would that be, and why?

I think something I struggled a lot with when I was a kid was just comparison, because I was very much like an overachiever, in the sense that I had to accomplish something good in a shorter amount of time than everyone else around me. I think that put me in a state of paralysis, feeling like I always had to do something perfectly before I could do something in general. So I would probably tell myself not to be afraid to fail, because I think constantly trying to pursue perfection means you will truly never get anywhere, and you'll only be your own self-critic. Then I think I would also tell myself not to be afraid to fail and try. Because I think sometimes I'm like, I shouldn't bother trying if I don't even know if I'm good at it or whatever. So I think that's what would have been really nice advice for younger me to hear, to pursue what I'm doing now.