Today we’d like to introduce you to Justin Murray.
Hi Justin, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
I always say that music chose me before I could choose it. I found out from interviewing my parents that I was kicking on beat while still in the womb. As a kid I grew up playing in church; ABSOLUTELY FASCINATED with drums. At the age of 5 piano lessons started, but I didn’t take it seriously yet because drums were my first love. That shifted at the age of 12 when I moved to Belleville, IL just outside of STL. The school band teacher was Tony DiPasquale who, come to find out, had an extensive background in jazz piano. The tutelage I received from him changed the game for me. I went on to improve as both a gospel and jazz pianist due to my simultaneous playing in the church learning from Albert Williams. Under Mr. DiPasquale I also started to learn bass guitar and began improving that skill as well. During high school is where I began getting heavily interested in production and recording. I had learned about a very prominent STL producer named Levi “Too” King and got the opportunity to intern with him. From that moment on he has been a great advisor and mentor in my life showing me the ins and outs of recording. In high school I also learned a lot through my time in the drumline and in concert band. The director, Mark Tessereau was able to explain a lot about rhythm and I learned a lot about balance and conducting from him also which helped out in my production. From there I went on to college at Southern Illinois University – Edwardsville to study Jazz Performance. However I feel like I left with 4 additional degrees because of everything I learned from the instructors. Gig etiquette, different studio environments, instrument maintenance, networking, etc… I was a sponge. I learned how to listen musically as well. My main professor Adaron “Pops” Jackson taught me how to maximize the sound I was getting out of the piano, Jason Swagler spent time talking about transcribing feel, I learned a lot about dynamics and recording from Miles Vandiver, Zeb Briskovich taught me a lot about sound and timing, the late Rick Haydon gave me so much sporadic wisdom that would increase my professionalism as a performer, and Garrett Schmidt is an arranging mastermind. I can’t leave out Dr. Angela Kim who I briefly studied classical piano with. She just had a way of helping me execute on the piano. She found the right pieces that targeted the right techniques to help me execute anything that was in my head. When it comes to me as a producer, all of these facets help me serve each and every client with efficiency and excellence. The other side of what got me here is spiritual indeed. The call of God on my life and every prayer and word of prophecy that kept me headed in the right direction along the way. My wife, extended family, my friends, and every pastor I served under as a musician regardless of membership. That last bit is very key because as a musician finding safe houses to play at is unfortunately rare. Yet pastors such as Juan Beane, Gerald Pace, Darrell Blair, Chan Horton, Daphne Rice-Bruce, and many more have taken time out of their lives and services to speak to the call of God on my life and challenge me to live up to it. I am eternally grateful for that. I released my first solo project titled “White Christmas” in 2019 and from there I have been blessed to record for and produce so many artists including: Steward Stiles, Gerald Pace, Zoe Dominique, Corn Robinson Jr., Melodi Brown, Courtney Franklin, Lydia Caesar, Delaney McCarthy, Sharonda K Mitchell, Move Church, New Bethel Missionary Baptist Church, Chris Connor, and many more! Each project allows me to do something different and apply more of what I’ve learned in my development. My journey is far from finished, at the same time I am beyond grateful for every hand that has laid a brick in my path thus far.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
Plenty of struggles! In the physical, I officially launched my business right before covid hit and that brought a world of struggle just trying to keep things afloat. Another struggle was the reality of just learning along the way. Music is such a subjective field unlike many others. There is no subjectivity about the medical or automotive field you know? You learn the ways to insert an IV or replace a lung. You learn how to replace a starter, or properly do a tune up. In music there are so many different strategies to mic an instrument, mix a record, produce a genre, etc… and no one really cares, it’s not necessarily life or death, it’s does it sound good? Yet depending on how long you’ve been in the field can determine your “popularity” which can determine how people feel about the quality of work you do, which affects how much business you bring in. With that, the creative industry is very saturated, so as you’re building it’s important to learn how to stand out as well. Another struggle was social media. Social media is the new everything. The new marketing, the new resume, the new networking, etc… so trying to learn the ins and outs, keeping up with new platforms, algorithms, trends, etc.. was frustrating for me. The other side was how all of the physical struggles weighed on me psychologically. I took a lot of stuff personally. The lack of business, not having the finances to support my family the way I wanted to. Things taking longer than I thought they would, equipment crashing out, losing files, losing clients during covid, etc… It made it hard to want to continue.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
I market myself a few different ways. I’m a degreed professional in the music industry. I am a creative in the music industry. I am in the people business, but in the music industry. What that all involves is serving people through music. I endeavor to bring people’s vision to life whether it’s through lessons, production, or providing live music at some engagement. I am known for knowledge, talent, and speed. People call me because I can do the job right, well, and fast. I am probably most proud of the truth that I’m still doing it. I’ve wanted to quit so many times. Nevertheless with each project, whether it’s for me or another artist, I improve. With each book, masterclass, tour, piece of content, etc… I feel like something gets better and so I’m proud of that. What sets me apart I think is the way I treat my clients. So many are taken advantage of, scammed out of money, they don’t own their material, they are thrown to the wolves, etc… I do my best to be transparent with my clients and show them how to have protection and ownership of their products. Concerning live engagements and lessons, I am transparent with students and parents about the process, the right gear to purchase, arrival times, pricing, etc… and my clients really value that.
Can you talk to us about how you think about risk?
Love this question! Reading “Rich Dad, Poor Dad” helped give language to how I feel about risk taking as a whole. While the book is heavily financial in nature, it’s a business book indeed. A big lesson Robert emphasized was you gotta risk big to win big. He’s right, too! The other consideration is scripture. Luke 14:28 says “For who among you, intending to build a tower, does not sit down first and count the cost to see whether he has resources to complete it?” So when considering risk taking, I think it’s important to note that it’s risky to even take a risk. I am a risk taker for sure. Going to school for music was a risk. Starting this business was a risk. Moving to TX was a risk. Quitting my job was a risk. It can be scary, but it’s also an act of faith and courage; which truly show up when the other option is on the table. I could have stayed at my 9 to 5, I could have gone to school for pharmacy like my first plan said. This economy has made me revisit that plan several times lol. Nevertheless I don’t think it’s worth trading the man I’m becoming in the process, and I feel that’s the real reward behind risk taking. Yes a large financial return is great, a successful business is amazing! When the risk works out and you “win”, it is euphoric. Even if you lose, it hurts but maybe you enjoyed the process, or you learned something new so it’s still a win in some sense. Nevertheless all those things go away eventually. You don’t die with money, the kids you took a risk on bringing into this world move out, clothes grow old, brands change, etc… however the real deal is who did you become in the process?
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/justinchopsofficial/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/chopsenterprises
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@justinchopsofficial
- Other: chopsenterprises1@gmail.com
