Featured GGT: JEANCANTSKATE — Good Game Talent

Puerto Rican native, Dallas based Artist JEANCANTSKATE has officially made their big debut, gaining traction from the local Dallas area and beyond. From making trap beats for Emotional Xan, being on the same show Tay K & Chief Keef, and having their music reviewed by popular music critic Anthony Fantano, Jean’s second album Project 01 is something you just can’t miss. It is also the first project where Jean has found their artistic identity and are ready to show the world.

Project 01 by JEANCANTSKATE feels like a rainy day in New York – you’re walking the streets, breathing the fresh, musky air, and listening to all of the different conversations during your daily commute. Different faces with their own stories surround you, while you try to find yourself in the big city. Usually you’re a passer-by in other people’s main story, but today you stop to listen. This time we zoom into Jean's life. It’s an intimate conversation amidst all the commotion. Though it’s short, time feels infinite, and we get the chance to breathe it all in.

For those who might not know you yet, who or what is JEANCANTSKATE?

I am non-binary, queer. I was born and lived in Puerto Rico for 11 years and then I moved here to Texas - I’ve been here ever since then. I say that I make music that reflects my values. Certain people value different kinds of sound characteristics. I feel like my music reflects that. A lot of my music has to do with ambient music, house music, but I also really love indie music, all kinds of electronic music. That's my background. It’s a culmination of all that together. That’s me.

A lot of your songs on your project blend genres. Where do you draw your inspirations from?

I just listen to a lot of music. Ever since I was in middle school that’s all I did. I just dig all the time. I’m a person that’s very malleable – any person that’s around me or any art that I consume influences me in some kind of way. I feel like my music reflects that, which is something I struggled with for a long time. I would look at other artists that just committed to just rap music or just rock music and look at myself like, ‘Why can’t I do that?’ I can't just pick a genre. I’m just inspired by everything. I do have [favorite artists] like My Bloody Valentine. I love Brian Eno. And Skrillexis the reason why I started making music. So it’s kinda like everywhere. I’ll go through different phases where I’m into different genres but eventually I’ll move onto something else. I feel like now with music especially because of the internet – music before you would listen to a certain type of music because that's what was all that’s available to you. But now you can listen to everything and anything you like. It’s less about the sound and more about the community that you associate with. You can make almost any kind of music, but it's the way you present it and how you talk about yourself on the internet

The intro song 2012 you mentioned that a lot of your foundation comes from the internet. How has the internet impacted your life and your music?

I mean in every way. When were you born?

I was born 1998.

1998. You were pretty much your whole life with the internet as well. I was born in 2001.

I don't know life without the internet and it’s strange to think about living without the internet. It’s definitely affected me in not good ways and also affected me in really really good ways. Everything I discovered was because of the internet. I feel like most people discovered, or at least the generations before me, music because their parents would play them stuff or they would hear it through a friend, or on the radio. For me, my parents never really played music. So it’s whatever was on Youtube that I could find. And that's how I found Skrillex and deadmau5, all the electronic waves at first. I feel like that’s affected me the most, discovery. Like, you can find anything on there – you’re not limited in any way or you can learn anything. I use the internet in that aspect. Almost no problem is unsolvable. If I have an issue or I want to learn something I can Google it and learn about it. Those two ways are the ways the internet has affected me the most.

It takes a really brave artist to be vulnerable in their tracks, what has helped you leave your comfort zone?

Everyone is different but for me it’s definitely in meditation, journaling, things like therapy. I’d say helpful habits here and there, like taking cold showers, stuff like that. But that’s really helped me jump outside of my comfort zone. I mean everybody has issues and me journaling, meditating, going to therapy allows me to deal with that stuff so that when it comes to creating, I’m able to do it with a clear head. If I want to talk about something that I’m struggling with I definitely can. I can play with the idea, and be unattached from it in a good way. Before I went to therapy, meditate, all that stuff, music was my form of therapy. That's how I dealt with my emotions. I had to listen to music or if I played the guitar it'd be kinda cathartic. It’s very charged...sometimes music is supposed to be like that but for me, my best songs were when I dealt with those emotions outside of music first and then brought it into the studio after. I kinda get a 4-D perspective on my emotions. That’s helped my songwriting the most, the work outside my music has helped my music improve the most.

“I know that I’m very talented and I can achieve my goals creatively. The only thing that’s really gotten in the way is myself, so that’s really what therapy and meditation is about.

It's different everyday, some days I’ll decide to meditate on something traumatic that happened. Sometimes I'll decide to meditate on what I want my day to be like. Or I’ll visualize a song while I'm meditating. I wouldn't be making the music I'd be making today without meditation, journaling – it’s very much a part of my process now. It goes hand in hand with my creativity now.

There’s a lot of themes of wanting to belong in your EP. Is there a message you want to relay to your listeners?

“There are definitely messages that you can read into, but none of it was necessarily on purpose. I think it’s a reflection of the things I was going through. Something I have always struggled with is having a place to relinquish with the internet. I’m not sure if you know my history before this EP but I was making trap beats for Emotional Xan, I also was featured on a bill with Tay K and Chief Keef. Being around other things made me feel like I didn’t have a real identity for so long. I kinda realized through journaling and meditation what my identity is.

With this project I was like, ‘This is who I am, all these things I’m into.’ I’m finally reflecting it.’

You’re from Puerto Rico and you spent your childhood there. How has the culture impacted your artistry?

“I’m starting to bring it into my music more as I go. I’m trying to work Spanish more into my songs. It was a little bit hard because I had a thick accent and people would bully me for it. You kinda repress it and hide it because you kinda have to assimilate, you know. Lately I’ve been reclaiming those parts of myself. It's so cool that I speak Spanish and I can relate to people like you that have backgrounds and stuff. I do listen to merengue, salsa, bachata, Puerto Rican and Latin-carribean music. That stuff doesn't influence my sound but it does influence me in the way I look at the world. Music is so abstract and in your head. You might not hear it necessarily but it’s there. Since I grew up there, just the way I look at things... is from there. When you’re in Puerto Rico everything's so green, and there’s so many trees, it's so sunny all the time. And life just feels beautiful. I feel like I carry that with me here. I try to find the beauty in everything everywhere I go.”

I saw that your music was featured on Anthony Fantano's channel. Walk us through what you felt and what was going through your head?

“It was crazy because my EP was set to drop like an hour after he was streaming. I'm not sure if Distrokid dropped it early, but he was able to review it. I had planned the date months before so it was wild how it lined up. I had actually submitted my music two weeks before and I was so nervous, not ready at all. But this time I was ready. Right before he called my name I was like JEANCANTSKATE? It has to be me!’ He said my name and I thought I broke the simulation. ‘No way I’m on this dude’s channel right now!’ I couldn’t believe it. It was so cool how much he liked it because he’s honest. If he doesn't f*ck with your music he’ll tell you. He played like 3 of my songs and he followed me. It was such a cool moment, but what was going through my head was like this is just the very beginning. I should be sending my music to people to review, and talking to people. It feels right and this is what I’m supposed to do. Music is fun and exciting and I should be super excited for people to talk about it. I was definitely ready this time and not two weeks before. I was streaming on my channel while he was streaming and my reaction was childlike. It was so funny.”

Anyone you want to shout out that has helped you along the way?

“Shoutout to Jason, Jaylen, shoutout to Chilo as well. All those people are my photographers that I work with at the moment. They have done such a good job of understanding what I want visually. That’s something that I'm insecure of at times, communicating what I like in visuals. Especially being in a suburban white neighborhood with those classmates. When I would talk about things like that, nobody would get it. These people are Hispanic like me, or minorities, and they just get what I was going for. Even though it’s not the music, it’s something that’s helped me out the most...having that visual identity. Also, shoutout to Juno Avalon!”

What’s next for JEANCANTSKATE?

“First live show for sure! I need to start performing. I’ve been putting it off, but I can't put it off anymore. There’s that...working on my next project already…That’s all I’m working on.”

JEANCANTSKATE is building a buzz around their music. If you'd like to keep up with Jean, follow them by clicking the links below.

Website: https://jeancantskate.com

Twitter: https://twitter.com/jeancantskate

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jeancantskate/