“Some dreams never go away. They just wait until you’re ready to give them everything.”
For Jovanny Juliette (known as JJ) music has never been a hobby or a ” thing he might do “. It’s part of who he is, it’s part of his family, it’s his passion. “My Time” is a statement of intent in a sense, a statement of purpose. He has millions of songs in him and that’s what he wants to do. That’s his mission. It all stems from a musical family. His mum sings, his dad plays guitar, bass and drums and his brother is a guitarist and songwriter. His uncle was in a band in Mauritius that actually played with Michelle Legris (the legendary sega singer), and his older cousin was a rapper in Mauritius in the early 2000s before he moved to Canada. So music has been a part of the family for generations. JJ grew up in that environment. He wrote his first song at seven. By 14 he was in a studio. That was the beginning of it. That’s where it all started. “My Time” is a bit more than just another song. It’s a statement of arrival really, but it’s also a statement of the patience and the preparation that can make that arrival worthwhile. He’s not presenting himself as someone who’s just discovered music. He’s an artist who’s come back to something that he’s always known was in him.
The route to this release has been anything but easy. JJ is very upfront about the highs and lows, the trial and error and the eventual realisation that you need to go back to basics. Rather than rush out with a record that wasn’t quite right, he decided to step away for three years. That period of silence was in fact an opportunity to focus, to reflect and to rebrand. It was a decision to strip back and to focus on the quality of the music, the passion and the kind of music he wanted to be associated with. In an industry where you’re expected to be on the radar 24/7, choosing to step away is a tough thing to do. For JJ that time away was about preparation rather than surrender. He wanted to come back with a much clearer sense of what he wanted to do and a much greater commitment to the music itself. “Sometimes the biggest step forward is to take a step back and remember who you are” is the essence of that three year break and gives “My Time” a real significance. The release is a statement of intent from an artist who has spent his life creating music and who is now fully committed to the next stage. The single is all about quality and passion and the desire to be free of any distractions. The release doesn’t contain any details as to the instrumentation, production, the lyrics or the arrangement but it’s very clear where it fits in his personal journey. It’s a statement that he’s ready. For an artist who started writing at 7 and recording at 14, the idea of finally claiming his moment is a very personal one. It’s about the value of the journey, the lessons learned and the realisation that it’s time to move on. The title of the single speaks for itself in that respect. For someone who has been making music for so long, the idea of finally getting to that point is a very real one. It’s about recognising the journey and the value of that journey and the fact that it’s time to move on.
“My Time” is a chapter in JJ’s career which is about self belief, musical heritage and renewed determination. It’s the story of an artist who has been shaped by a family of musicians, who has always had a creative spark and who has found his feet after a long period of exploration. The three year break is a significant part of that story and it’s a story of artistic development which doesn’t always happen in the glare of the spotlight. It’s a story of patience, of distance and of the need to step back and reassess. JJ is back now with a very clear ambition which is to put the music out there that he’s been carrying around in his pocket and to create songs that leave people in a better place. That desire to connect through music is at the heart of who he is and that is what gives the work a purpose beyond just the release of new material. His roots in Mauritius and the musical background of his family are a very real part of the story and provide a real context to his journey. We still have a long way to go in terms of actually knowing what the music of “My Time” is going to be like, but the story of the release is one of an artist who is very much in a position to take the next step and who is determined to let the work speak for itself. “The journey may take you in all sorts of directions but when music is part of who you are the call to create never really goes away.” That’s what this is about. That’s what JJ is doing with “My Time”. It’s a moment of real confidence for an artist who has spent so much of his life in the process of getting ready to finally share his voice with the world.