Interview | Jobie

CertHE Vocals student Jobie has been working in the music industry for over ten years, performing on shows including 'The X Factor' and 'Britain's Got Talent'.

He was one of five finalists for Pride's Got Talent, played the Dean Street Stage as part of Pride in London in 2023 and has recently been crafting new solo material in the form of new EP, 'Sun Goes Down' .

Here, Jobie speaks about his career, new music and how his studies helped prepare him to take on the music industry.

How did you begin your musical career? 

My dad has always been a big influence musically. He was the musical director for a multitude of shows around the country and included the European tour of 'The Rocky Horror Show'.

I didn't find my own feet with music until I joined a gospel choir at university for a bit of light relief from the intensity that being a paramedic student brings. This lit my excitement for singing.

Through this gospel choir, I auditioned in the middle of Westfield in Stratford to be a part of a backing vocal group/choir for 'The X Factor', 'Britain's Got Talent' and 'The Voice' in 2012. After being almost forced into doing a solo for one of our performances at a university social event, I realised I actually quite liked being stared at on stage. This developed into a seven-year run as one of the backing vocalists and choir members for these talent shows, but eventually I got to the point where I was sick of being hidden behind a chandelier and desperately wanted to be the one at the front telling the story my way.     

What led you to study at ICMP? 

I fronted a band for three and a half years and through this worked on the craft of performance and entertainment.

Once I left the band, I decided to take myself to uni for a year to focus on vocal techniques, music business and marketing, which led to me working solidly on my solo career.

ICMP was always my first choice as I had heard so many good things from past and current students that couldn't praise it enough. Once I began my course, I understood what they meant."

How did you find your studies? 

All of my tutors were so passionate about helping me progress and taught me about the business side of the industry which as an independent artist was invaluable when it came to releasing my own music.

I took a lot of inspiration from the performance sessions we had and the feedback given was incredibly supportive and constructive.

It's very easy to become complacent when you've performed for years, but the biggest thing I've learned is that there is always room for improvement even if you are at the top of your game or blossoming in your career.

I took so much from my peers and loved learning about the theory behind music, and the history of how music was experienced hundreds of years ago and how it's developed into what we hear today. Networking was another huge part of what I learned from my time at ICMP. Everywhere you look there is someone with a skill that you can work with. From production, instrumentals, backing vocals, songwriting or marketing and business. Collectively we all supported each other through our time there and we came out the other side much more aware and inspired. 

How have you found your way through the music industry following your studies? 

It has been a challenge I can't lie. However, the skills I learned on my course gave me as much prep as I could have to start my journey as an independent artist. Social media has been a huge blessing, but also a curse at the same time.

We are seeing more and more 'overnight successes' through these platforms and I feel it crowds the space so much more for those of us who have been working on our craft for 10+ years. I find it difficult to know how successful my music can be when algorithms decide who sees my content and hears my music. It dampens the enjoyment quite a bit for me.

I always just remind myself why I started. It's because I love it and it is my life. And I won't give up or stop as long as I'm enjoying it.

Writing is my therapy. I love connecting with new people through my music and if someone takes something from it then my job is done." 

I'm interested to hear about your own artist releases as Jobie - what has inspired your songwriting and how have you found your sound? 

My first year as a solo artist was all about showcasing my depth as a songwriter. Working through self-discovery, love, heartbreak, mental health battles and grief, I've wanted to take listeners on my journey through the first chapter of my solo career.

Through this journey of self-reflection, discovering my sound helped me to put together a collection of singles that represents darkness, providing pop songs designed to evoke emotion and spark conversation about typically taboo subjects such as mental health. I love being that guy. Once I set my mind to something, it would take a freight train to veer me off course. I'm about to release my debut EP 'Sun Goes Down' on 12th July which embodies a variety of genres to fit every mood. Finding my sound was always something I was really conscious of, especially being inspired by so many established artists who were known for their sound. Billy Joel is a huge idol for me and he is one of the most prolific songwriters who very early on knew how he wanted to write. 

You've worked on TV shows including 'The Voice' and 'Britain's Got Talent'? What have these experiences been like? 

It was the most surreal experience for me. Going from a very small village in Suffolk to performing in front of millions of people around the UK live on TV was quite the culture shift for me. As I mentioned earlier, it is what launched me into realising I can do it and how much enjoyment I get out of it. It propelled me forward into wanting to tell my own stories, not someone else's. 

You were also one of the finalists for Pride Got's Talent in 2023 - how was this experience and what did it mean to you to achieve this? 

Taking part in a show that is designed specifically to showcase LGBTQ+ talent was a real pleasure.

It highlighted artists from around the UK and we all went through the heats initially, and then a semi-final and then a final. The final was held at the Adelphi Theatre in the West End and it was the first time I had performed on a stage that size, being an artist performing their own original material. It was so exciting and just fuelled my passion to perform to audiences again. The audience was 600+ strong and were all there to celebrate pride, and five independent artists in music, and five artists in the cabaret section. We all took genuine pride in having our chance to perform and we all gained a slot on one of the stages at Pride in London the following week.

For me Pride was incredibly validating. Not only because I’m a queer artist, but for a boy that grew up in the countryside where visibility and representation was minimal, this injected me firmly into the community, and I loved every second of it."

How do you approach the creative process? 

Generally I have a story to tell. I either take experiences from my own life or people that I know. Sometimes I overhear conversations that spark an idea for a song. And I enjoy creating narratives with my interpretation. As I write the story, I start gathering ideas for the soundscape I want to tell the story with. It can change throughout the process but generally I have a strong idea of what I am aiming for sonically. When it comes to a body of work, I enjoy taking an idea and figuring out a way to extend the story as far as possible. With my EP 'Sun Goes Down' it started with the song 'Me'. A song about self-love and empowerment after dealing with trauma, grief and breakups and it culminating in a moment of realising that in order to be able to get up again, you have to have fallen first. I extended the thought process by representing my struggles in other songs collected together, resulting in finding the strength to get through it and find hope again. 

What does the future have in store for you? 

I have a few singles lined up and currently in production ready to release throughout the rest of this year. I will be booking more shows towards the end of the year and working on finding collaborations with different artists and songwriters to work on building my portfolio as a writer and push myself to write outside of my comfort zone. 

Jobie's EP 'Sun Goes Down' is out now. Connect with Jobie on social media. 

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