Gianna Jones is a 21-year-old singer-songwriter from Philadelphia. Ever since she was a child she has wanted to sing. In high school, Jones began to pursue theater thinking that is what she wanted to do while still incorporating her dreams of singing. In the summer of 2019, she started to focus on her music. Jones came to Rowan to understand what the music industry has to offer.
“Rowan just changed my life,” Jones said. “I met a lot of people here that showed me the way and what it means to be an artist.”
As with every college student who dreams of becoming big in whatever field they go into, they have to find a balance between their dreams and school and the same goes with Jones, who strives to become a successful musician.
“A lot of my time goes towards school more than my music,” Jones said. “A lot of homework to do and a lot of projects to do that also involve making music. I haven’t had the time to focus on writing.”
Jones has been trying to bring back the ‘90s and 2000s R&B music scene with help from artists who came before her. She takes inspiration from many women R&B artists such as Aaliyah, Christina Aguilera, Beyoncé, Mary J. Blige, Brandy, and Monica. She also takes inspiration from male artists/producers such as Justin Timberlake, Timbaland, Ne-Yo, B2K, Jay-Z, and Kanye West.
After the release of her first song “Apologies,” Jones was still trying to find her sound.
“I always wrote songs that were more like Summer Walker vibe or just like a Jhené Aiko vibe… I just feel like that kinda wasn’t my sound,” Jones said.
Her songwriting process is a multi-step approach. First, she would just go on YouTube and listen to many beats until something comes to her. To see if the beat is good for her, she would freestyle. If the lyrics sound good for her, she would write them down in her notes. Then, Jones would try to work on a verse, pre-chorus, chorus, and hook.
“It’s usually a day process for me. It doesn’t take me multiple days to write a song. It usually takes me four hours, sometimes three, but it usually takes three to four hours to finish a song in one day,” Jones said.
She puts a lot of emotion into the two songs she has out now, “Losin Control” and “Risky.” “Losin Control” is about Jones’s own emotions and her experiences making her lose control of her emotions. “Risky” is a song about how Jones does not want to be in a relationship because of her “baggage”, thus putting her partner in a risky situation with her.
The collaboration between Jones and the Rowan Music Group has helped by giving her hope for what is to come in the future of her music career.
“I can say they helped me in a way of giving me more hope to the fact that I have a chance at being an artist. A class chose my song as being their next artist and they liked it,” Jones said. “Now I’m signed and have the chance to put more music out and make money. That gave me a lot more confidence in my music career.”
When it comes to Jones’s music, she is trying to build a real connection with people through her music.
“One of my biggest arguments to this day is that music now isn’t focused on real feelings. People don’t talk about their real-life experiences that other people might go through,” Jones said. “All of my songs have a story that is being told.”
With Jones being so young in the music scene, some advice she would give to aspiring artists is to never stop and to start what you finish.
“Someone once told me if you start something, make sure you finish it,” she said. “If you’re going to start a music career, just make sure you finish it. If this is something you’re passionate about, don’t let anybody or anything stop you from getting to what you want.”
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