Meet Justin Pittman of J Sidney Music in Deep Ellum

Today we’d like to introduce you to Justin Pittman.

Thanks for sharing your story with us Justin. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
I was born and raised in the suburban shadows of the live music capital of the world: Austin, TX. Growing up, I took piano lessons and played saxophone in band, but I often felt like I was just going through the motions. I never felt completely fulfilled playing music someone else wrote, and I knew deep down that my voice was at the core of my musical identity. I fell in love with singing and creating my own music after writing my first song as a tribute to my grandmother when she passed away in 2007. When I started combining my lyrics with piano arrangements, something clicked, and my voice and piano playing became inextricably linked. Even though I used to only write songs that no one else ever heard and sang only when no one was around, I felt so at peace with and in tune with myself every chance I had to sing and play my music. And at the time, that was more than enough.

After graduating from Baylor University with a business degree and moving to Dallas, I decided to finally try something I’d been thinking about doing for years: take vocal lessons. This sparked a creative renaissance within me, and I began writing new songs that seemed more personal, more candid, and more profound than anything I had ever written before. It opened a door that allowed me to see the possibilities of going beyond being a lifelong musical hobbyist by pursuing music professionally. But at the time, I was becoming increasingly bogged down by the demands of my job, and the creative energy I thrived on was getting buried by stress and dread. I knew something needed to change.

On June 9th, 2019, an intense storm toppled a crane onto my apartment building, forcing me to evacuate and leave behind most of my belongings. I was lucky to walk away physically unharmed. My apartment was not in the impact zone, but I had just been driving up the parking garage minutes before the crane fell and sliced through the parking garage and part of the apartment building like a knife through butter. The whole experience was traumatizing and felt like a huge life setback, but I was determined to use what I had gone through as a catalyst for positive change. Being separated from almost all my belongings for more than two months helped me cut out the white noise in my life and focus on what was most important to me. Getting through this experience gave me the strength and courage I needed to make a leap of faith and pursue my dreams.

I decided to make a career change that helped me balance having a day job while building my own music business. Debuting my original music at open mics and giving myself the artist name “J Sidney” helped me transition into the mindset of not just being a singer-songwriter but being a performer and storyteller as well. I recorded music at a studio for the first time in November 2019 and started releasing music as J Sidney in January 2020. My debut demo, The January Project, includes four acoustic songs that capture the essence of who I am and the messages I want to convey as an artist. Now that I’ve started on this path, there’s no going back to the days of hiding my voice from the world. It’s time to be heard.

Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
I don’t think many artists would admit to having a smooth road even if they had the easiest life ever. But I think it’s very uncommon for an artist to not struggle while working to get to where they want to be. Creating music involves overcoming self-doubt, coping with your limitations and imperfections, and finding the courage to share something that you put your heart into with the world. And my journey has been no exception.

Before I could even start pursuing a career as a singer-songwriter, I had to overcome my own worst enemy: myself. I’ve always been intensely shy about my singing, which was a symptom of my underlying fears of rejection and being vulnerable. Starting in middle school, I became increasingly saddled with social anxiety that weighed on me heavily and followed me constantly. It manifested itself physically, and the worry that people could see on the outside what I was feeling on the inside made my anxiety even worse. I did everything I could to bottle my anxiety in, which dimmed the lights inside me and pushed me into a dark place where less and less people could see me at all. I knew I needed to fight back to prevent myself from fading out completely. There are two life events that played a key role in getting me to where I am today: becoming drum major of the high school marching band and taking improv classes at the Dallas Comedy House.

I still thank myself for having the guts to audition for a drum major spot despite knowing how much of a personal challenge it would be for me. When I was selected, I was both overjoyed and overwhelmed. I remember the feeling of stepping up onto the podium for the first time and knowing that all my nerves and mistakes would be visible to more than 200 people. My voice wavered. My eyes were watery. My face was red. I probably looked like I was about to faint. But I got through it. And over time, it became easier and easier. Forcing myself to stand in front of people, wave my arms around, and make motivational speeches before games and competitions showed me what was possible when I pushed through my anxieties and fears for the benefit of something greater than myself. Realizing that people trusted and believed in me to fulfill this role made me trust and believe in myself more than I ever had.

The idea of performing a totally unrehearsed comedy show on stage used to be completely terrifying. Now, thanks to the Dallas Comedy House, I know how completely freeing it can be. Through the improv program, I met people who I could say and do ridiculous things in front of without fear of ridicule and learned life lessons that molded me into a better, more fearless person. After taking six levels of improv over the course of more than a year, I graduated from the program with a much better outlook on life than when I started. I knew that if I could make up comedy on the spot in front of strangers, I could sing in front of them, too.

Social anxiety is still something I battle daily. But by pushing myself outside of my comfort zone, I have faith that I can continue overcoming my internal obstacles to accomplish my goals. Through creating music and telling my story, I hope to inspire others to fight against whatever has been holding them back and pursue their dreams.

Please tell us about J Sidney Music.
The mission of my business, J Sidney Music, is to create music that connects with people on an emotional level. I mainly channel this mission through writing and performing songs, but I don’t want to limit myself to just being a singer-songwriter. Recently, someone I hadn’t spoken to in over a decade reached out to tell me she was enraptured by my song “Emotional Hues” and to give me an opportunity to create a soundtrack for an interactive visual novel/video game she is working on. I’m always open to new opportunities, and with my business just getting started, I’m excited to see where music takes me in the years to come.

When people provide feedback on my music, they usually comment on my voice. It has been fascinating to observe my voice evolve over the years. All those solo car ride concerts, shower singing sessions, and countless hours of practice added up over time to mold my voice into what it is today. My unique vocal signature and dynamic range help me stand out as an artist. But my voice wouldn’t know what to do without words to sing, which is why I still consider myself a poet first and a singer second.

Writing so many songs over the years has developed an inner cadence within me that gives me the ability to begin with just one phrase—often a phrase that pops into my mind out of the blue—and write an entire song around it. Instead of following a songwriting formula, I use a stream-of-consciousness writing method while incorporating wordplay, metaphors, and rhymes that come to mind as I write. I also never play a piano part the same way twice; I like to improvise by letting the energy of the moment move my fingers instead of relying solely on memorization. This gives my music an alluring mixture of vulnerability and rawness that I think is rare nowadays.

How do you think the industry will change over the next decade?
The music industry is becoming oversaturated and fragmented as barriers to entry and the status quo are being dismantled. In this environment, artists will be looking to break out by redefining genres and creating music that doesn’t fit “inside the box.” With social media apps and infinite entertainment options shortening people’s attention spans, artists will be creating shorter songs to make their music seem more inviting to a new listener. Leveraging targeted promotions, live streaming, and one-on-one interactions will become more important as artists aim for more meaningful, genuine connections with their fans to solidify their support and attract new audiences. We’ll also be seeing more innovation in terms of revenue models for artists to make creating music more financially viable as streaming payouts continue to decline.

While I think it’s helpful to be aware of broad trends in the music industry as an artist, building your sound solely based on what you think people want to hear is never a good idea. Individuality and authenticity as an artist are more important than ever, so I don’t think there’s any upside to pretending to be someone you’re not while trying to build a music career. As technology gives more and more people from every walk of life the chance to have their voices heard, the industry will continue becoming more diverse and accepting of unique personalities and styles. This new wave of artists will continue pushing the boundaries of music to reach audiences in every corner of the world.

Pricing:

• My music can be streamed for free on Spotify or YouTube.
• My music is available for purchase on the iTunes store for $0.99/song.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.jsidneymusic.com
• Email: jsidneymusic@gmail.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jsidneymusic/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jsidneymusic/
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/jsidneymusic
• Other: https://open.spotify.com/artist/6pHsSjDER52KpK2sCvHgS4

Image Credit:
Madison Lovett Photography

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