txt_Shawn Lawrence James//ph_Rahan Cotterel

Jade is planted on the frontlines of a musical revolution of the mind, heart, and outer body. She represents a new age of honesty where the truths of our generation are derived from individual experience, not perception. Watch her fly.

Name: Jade
Age: 22?
Born: NYC
Based: nomad
Occupation: singer/songwriter

Do you remember the day you decided music was what you were going to do for the rest of your life?
Actually, no. It was just something I did, no question. As for taking risks and evolving it into a profession, I would say when I was 17. I had just been signed to my first production company. They put me in a studio and told me to write. I had full control over my project; I was my own boss and my own delivery person. That made pressure intense, but there’s nothing more liberating than running your own life from all angles.

Describe your sound.
I would say soulful. Everything I write comes from the heart. I find it difficult to describe, though I will say it is rhythm and blues, experimental soul candy-coated with catchy tunes that stick in your head, so I hear.

What impact do you feel your music have on your supporters/haters?
I cant say for certain, but I would hope my fans will always want more than what I’m giving. I want people to walk away and feel like they know me a little more because I shared a bit of my soul. Precize, my producer, hates it when I introduce like 5 new songs every show, but I cant help it. I get overly excited and hype. As for the haters, I could care less.

What’s your next short term goal?
To not have negative 500 dollars in my bank account. No, seriously.

How did you become involved with G.F.C.?
We’re familia. We support each other and respect each other. They are an extremely talented group. Saint introduced me to Precize over a year ago. He said he knew this producer who was looking for an artist, so I dropped by his Harlem apartment up on 128, sat in his really small bedroom and listened to beats that gave me goosebumps. It was like he wrote them for me and knew I would come. I wrote to them while we recorded and that’s pretty much been the case since. We built this sound from the ground up. It’s ours.

What song best describes your outfit?
I’d say “Up and Out” only because the song really describes my struggle to remain sheltered in such a nonchalant way. I wrote this in the shower. Jonathan Carmelli (guitarist) and I laid down the basics and Precize did what he always does; made it hit hard. But really, I have a few favorites. I can’t front. “Changes” is definitely one and so is “Faith is looking good.” Currently, those two remain acoustic songs, so we only perform those in intimate settings.

What’s the biggest thing you’ve learned while achieving your dreams?
Put God first. When your heart attitude is right everything else works itself out. Don’t get caught in the hype.