Arts & Culture Grammy-Nominated Jamison Ross Discusses the Parables of His Heart; New Album “JAMO” Explores the Vulnerability of Black Men
March 02, 2023
By Devyn Bakewell
Assistant Managing Editor
Coming from a musical family, Grammy-nominated Soul artist, Jamison Ross, grew up with a passion for music in his blood.
“My mom sang, my dad sang and played the piano, my uncles all played instruments and could sing,” Ross said in an interview with the Los Angeles Sentinel. “I just had music all around [me], so sometimes it doesn’t even feel like a job, it was just what everyone did, you know what I mean?”
Jamison Ross originated from Jacksonville, Florida where he learned to sing and dance at a young age. The singer studied at Douglas Anderson School of the Arts, before attending Florida State University and then pursued a higher education at the University of New Orleans, where he earned a Master of Music.
The artist and musician has always known that music is what he should be doing. Growing up, he’d been raised in the church and grew up around its music but had a particular love for the genre of Soul. It was that love that made him the first in his family to branch out of the four walls of the church and start sharing his gift of music to other people.
Recently, the talented artist has dropped his third album “JAMO”, which gained recognition after being placed on Billboard’s Top 20 for his single, “Tell Me You Love Me.” The album is a 10-song exploration of vulnerability from the male perspective, which includes features from PJ Morton, Avery Sunshine, and Keyon Harrold.
This also Ross’ first album prior to the COVID-19 pandemic.
He shared that the COVID-19 pandemic was “the beginning of a new start.”
“I’ve been in the music industry for a long time, working with a lot of different people as a drummer, and also put out quite a few records.” Jamison Ross explained, “JAMO, right now, is a big deal for me because it’s my first R&B record and Soul project.”
Ross’ third album, “JAMO”, is exclusively R&B and Soul and has no traces of Jazz like his usual work.
He enthused, “It feels really good to be touring this music, this new format, all around, and get this music to people. I worked really hard on this album and spent about a year and a half writing songs, baring my soul.”
Ross spent the entire month of Feb. on a nation-wide tour, promoting “JAMO”, and sharing his new songs with the world, labeling the songs in this album “the parable to his heart”.
Ross continued, “I wanted to tell real stories from a real Black man, husband, brother, and friend. I think sometimes we get caught up in the cliché term of what’s popular, and the fads, but sometimes, you know, we go through real stuff in life.”
“I think a great way to talk about that is to put it in stories, put it with melody, and put it with some soul, so that people can take away from that. They can take away principles, lessons, they can take away instructions of how to get joy, how to get their energy. So for me, I want to tell stories that speak of vulnerability from a Black man. I think we don’t talk about that enough.”
When asked which songs were the hardest to write, Ross shared that they all had their challenges.
“[The songs] are true. They’re real. As a songwriter, you get to decide whether you want to tell the truth, or if you want to tell pieces of the truth. So the deeper and more honest you go, the more real the song gets, which most of the time people connect with more.
Because they’re life ‘yes, somebody said it, I was too afraid to say it.’”
Ross did share that one of his hardest songs to write on his new album was “Willie”, a song about his father.
“I’m really about finding my people—who am I and who is my music healing?...[As an musician], it’s important to get a vision about what you want to do.
I don’t think it’s enough to just sing. It’s not enough to play an instrument or produce. Because when it gets real rough and weary, you need to lean on something that’s actually going to keep you going.”
You can stream “JAMO” on all streaming platforms. For information about on Jamison Ross, or his touring dates, visit: https://www.jamisonrossmusic.com.