JERUB at The Exchange

10 minutes with... JERUB

We got to have a quick chat with JERUB just before he took the stage at The Exchange for his show in Bristol on Monday the 24th of November. This is what we talked about!

A – You're on your 'Wonder Years' tour right now, how has it been so far?

J - It's been very, very good. The shows have been phenomenal, the crowds, the energy – they've been some of the best shows I've ever done. The journey has been chaotic, my merch got lost in the post, our car broke down, the train broke down... but we've made it to every show.

A – I was so excited to find out you were from Nottingham, there's so many great venues there - you've talked about loving Rescue Rooms, for example. How did being a teenager growing up in Nottingham shape you as a musician?

J – I've not got much to compare it to, but I think it's got such an amazing music scene, especially for up-and-coming artists. I remember going to Rescue Rooms when I first started playing music and across the room from Rescue Rooms is a little bar. My friend used to put on an 'acoustic rooms' night every single Monday and I used to just go and play some of my songs and see what would work. I'm so grateful for the music scene in Nottingham. It was great to go back there the other day and play at Rescue Rooms across the room from where I started and see a bunch of people that started with me there and supporting me. There was such a warmth in the room.

A – You've talked about empathy being a big inspiration for you, and you can hear that on this record. Has there been any other inspirations on this record that you would highlight specifically?

J – Empathy is definitely one. There are a couple of songs like 'Deeper' and 'Back to Life' that I write about people in my life that are maybe going through a hard time – sometimes I find it really hard to know what to do, to be honest, to know how to empathise and to know how to help and fix things. Those songs are just articulating that. Some other songs like 'Wonder Years' or 'Hear You Calling' are more introspective, a little bit more about my journey and figuring out how to be and how to figure out the world, how to be an adult.

A - You've also talked about gospel being a massive inspiration for your music, and you can hear that on 'Deeper' with the choir vocal. How else has gospel influenced your music?

J – Not just in the genre in terms of the big choir vocals but also the joy, the hope and the deeper meaning of community, peace, love, joy and faith. I think those themes also find threads in my music.

A – Obviously it's winter now-

J – Unfortunately. It's so cold!

A – So cold! But over the summer you were playing festivals. How does playing a festival stage differ to playing venues like this?

J - It's really different. For these shows, people are here to see my show, so there's a bit of freedom that comes with that, I can settle in a bit more, it's more relaxing. At the same time there's a little bit more pressure because people have paid to see me, so I've got to deliver. It's a double-edged sword. There's a little bit less jeopardy when you're playing festivals.

A – Were there any lessons you took away from making this record?

J – Definitely. Practically, I've learnt what I love and my taste for music, what I want to sound like and what I want to reflect in my music, but also there's a theme of presence and being present. We always think the 'wonder years' are days gone by or days coming, but I think I'm learning the more present I am in the moment, the more I see the wonder of the years I'm living right now.

A – I know you're very busy right now, but is there anything on the horizon we can expect from you?

J - Right now I'm just trying to make it to the end of the year! I'm always writing. There's a lot of songs that I wrote for this project that might make it to the next one, or ones I wrote after it was done that I can't wait for everyone to hear. I'm working on some more music for sure.

A - What's it like playing gigs in Bristol?

J - Bristol's cool. I think Bristol is very clearly a music city, every time I've played here there is a deep appreciation for the music in the crowd. People are here for the music.

A – Is there any music that really carried you through university?

J – I would say Jon Bellion's 'Glory Sound Prep' - that was an album I really loved when I was in uni.