INTERVIEW: spring blossom: the beginning is now

interview from april 28th, 2025 at 6:48pm

jazz speaks with sam from b.v.b. magazine about the new mixtape, healing, letting go and what's next

sam: i know we don't have much time, so i wanna jump right in. five questions, right?

     jazz: yes, five questions. im ready when you are. 

sam: there's been some time between your mixtapes. eight years to be almost close to exact. what's been the hold up? 

     jazz:  that's a good one.  what's crazy, is, most people don't know i released the original mixtape in '17.  so, it'll be eight years exactly in august.  the original is on datpiff with all the songs, downloadable one at a time, if need-be.  datpiff was how i heard all the fire mixtapes growing up and i wanted to stamp that accomplishment for myself.  i think i heard wayne's droughts from datpiff.  so cold.  i will listen to "promise" on repeat if you let me.  "flower: from a thought to a seed" was an ode to all the varied brilliance i heard and saw growing up in houston.  we have this beautiful way of exposing the world to our own unique part of the globe.  z-ro has always been a vibe.  "mo city don," a true h-town classic.  big moe, s.u.c., mike jones, ghetto boys.  "25 lighters" has been on every playlist ive ever created.  & u.g.k., even though they're port arthur artists, we bumped it all day.  it was a look to roll around in the slab playin' the new joint chopped and screwed.  rest in peace DJ screw.  i learned most of the lyrics to all the new songs from DJ screw.  we have this specific swag engrained in our dna.  it's unique, because we're singing and spittin' on the same song and you don't even realize the switch-up cuz it's a whole vibe.  you just wanna keep rockin' out to it.  i had to capture that energy and put some respect on it.  i also grew up singing to the saxophone.  my adopted dad was a true artist. he introduced me to timeless music.  i heard johnnie taylor and bobby "blue" bland as a pre-teen and couldn't fathom my life without that incredible influence.  

     like houston energy, i wanted to honor the forms of music that played an integral role in the development of my musical ear.  the full run-through version of my mixtape on soundcloud is the re-release.  eight years is a minute.  im happy that's it's taken this long though. im not sure what i would've been talking about prior to this moment.  it's tough, however, to be stuck in a creative chokehold and that's where i was for four or five of those eight years.  i lacked a supportive environment and was having a tough time creating while in pain, confusion and anguish.  i had to navigate being in an abusive relationship and then escaping said relationship.  i dibbled and dabbled in some music in the in-between time.  i even released a track i recorded at an event during essence fest in new orleans a couple years back.  i've since taken it down.  all things in divine timing. 

sam: wait, what? why did you remove it? 

     jazz: i wasn't ready before now.  i needed time to heal.  to find my voice again and get to a vulnerable place where i could feel free expressing myself without concern of how i'd be received.   i needed to walk away from certain mindsets and process possibilities.  removing my mask fully, required an extra exposed level of self-love and child-like vigor.  although the track was cool, it wasn't the one.  i wasn't ready. 

     i wanted to trust in my ability to be a vessel for this gift from GOD.  i started slow and i listened to my spirit team.  they have this beautiful way of encouraging me while inspiring my creativity.  i started singing into my voice app-about anything-then i downloaded bandlab to prepare for recording.  i would sing and hum on my daily meditative walks.  a few of the songs were written this way before i even had the instrumentals to mesh.  i have a series called "rawjazz" on youtube & it's me singing covers and originals acapella.  this really helped me channel the youthful abundance i felt necessary to have this grand idea of a second mixtape come to life.  drudging up songs from my childhood or songs that helped me move past a struggling time in my life and bringing those lyrics to life through my own interpretation really jump-started the passion part for more.  it's how i currently record.  every vocal is from my phone.  there is no pitch correction or auto-tune.  all the vocals are raw.  it's as-is-music.  to me, love in it's purest form.  the sound of hard-won freedom.  this is what i believe ronnie meant when she said, "you gotta use what you got to get what you want."  start where you are and just go with it until your next miracle arrives.  be prepared.  have fun.  and listen.  GOD reminded me just the other day of how beautiful it is to have a new beginning.  spring is in full bloom and i feel so connected to the opportunity of blooming.  that's what's inside of this mixtape. a journey to this version of me. 

once i felt ready to write and release the knowledge i'd been blessed to acquire, i spent a day listening to beats from youtube and downloading what felt right.  the clips and extra vibes are constantly incoming. 

im happy this mixtape sounds different than the last.  it feels different.  i feel different.  im in an all new everything space. let go. let flow.
im happy it showcases this new piece of me that i've been pushing so hard to be seen.  it feels like nothing i've ever written and everything i wanna say 

sam: to rediscover your voice seems sorta euphoric.  did it feel like that while you were working on the mixtape and for you personally?

     jazz: i was so strict with myself at first.  it was tough to allow the energy to flow freely.  i wanted it to be good.  as we mentioned earlier, eight years in between, so i was wanting perfection.  once i started working on the songs and recording, i could hear the militant-it's supposed to sound this way-tension in my voice.  i wasn't surrending to the message at first.  i was still waking up.  understanding my voice and why it's my responsibility to speak up.  there's so much that i had to endure to understand my specific purpose and why it's specifically for me.  once i began to realize that the lyrics and intention of the songs were coming to me through my crown chakra-direct downloads from GOD-perfection was unnecessary.  i was only responsible for relating the message.  to express the information in my own vibrant way.  then, i just started to sing.  screwing up and nail on the head simultaneously.  currently, im floating, im dreaming.  im believing.  i feel amazing.  i feel healthy.   i feel so beautiful on the inside that it's overflowing into my outer cup.  i've also been cooking delicious food.  this experience of feeding the body the foods it deserves has unlocked a new level of self-expression.  it's given me the courage to try.  to change.  to reach.

     it's been so fun and overwhelming tapping into the different spaces i had to unlock in order to work.  hearing my voice again and pushing myself for a free-flowing sound and energy.  whatever i hear, i record and then decide what works on a listen.  im also learning how to allow the flow to be what it is and not try to make everything fit into my box. 

sam:  what's it about? the mixtape.. 
     

     jazz: LOVE - all kinds. TRANSFORMATION, HEALING, GROWTH 
its a lot from my heart and my intuition
i needed to clear space
and open 
i really needed to let go of how i pictured love.  

to fully release.  

to forgive 

and recollection. 
there's nothing healthy i can pull from my past, except the memories of my queen i still possess.  i had to imagine.  i had to create.  i had to dream and let go of the feelings i associated with that love.  i had to see why i was choosing that love and why i was so afraid of fully dedicating myself to discovering and receiving the love im worthy of.  i had to deal with why i'd chosen toxicity in the past.  low-key, on repeat.  i processed that while simultaneously tapping into the energy of change-walking out of a season-and into the new beginnings associated with spring.  i channeled a lot of optimistic energy.  i had to ask GOD for the strength necessary to find perspective in my past choices.  forgive myself, forgive others and understand.  

i had done the work.  

i was doing the work 

and i needed to see that in my outer world 
it's simple, authentic, 
unique

im not sure if i'd switched into the fearless gear that i'd mentioned on the last interview when we spoke of my definition of freedom. 
i know that im fully engaged in that energy now 
and its powerful.  it's fueling the fire 
of the flame 
that makes me - me
i feel timeless & limitless - like i can do anything.  my inner child is smiling, doin' cartwheels, living their best life through me.  it's so gratifying and possible. 
to process one's pain and enter into a new chapter because of it, creates a being ready for anything.

sam: there was an independent and sexy voice on the first mixtape.  will we still hear this on your current project? the clips were classics, btw.  is that a running theme for your mixtapes?

     jazz: absolutely.  the sound is inclusive of all emotions.  i am an advocate for the freedom of women.  we have the right to express intimacy, intelligence, strength, sexuality and sensuality simultaneously and aloud.  i explore and interpret this perspective through the sexier tracks.  like, "25 lighters," janet jackson's "would you mind" was on every romance-night playlist.  there's a vibe to reclaiming your own needs and wants and putting it out there.  the ability to vividly express the validity of this point is a-must for me.  i had to do a lot of work re-aligning my sacral chakra to awaken this sound.  opening my solar plexus chakra in order to make the work.  my heart chakra in order to welcome self-love while pouring love into the world around me.  that voice, to me, is very independent and sexy.  i love movies.  im a hopeless romantic and a closeted comedian.  i also, greatly appreciate the creativity, innovation, passion and happiness i feel from the clips i use featuring these other artists.  they've inspired me in some way.  i mix it all in.  

     when people ask what my sound is i usually reply with "gumbo."  it's all the stuff that creates all the stuff.  i was in denver and led to a block filled with a beautifully muraled black history of the land.  i saw paintings of india arie and madam cj. walker.  art showcasing inspiration, success, and love lined the block.  i got to drop some new poetry at an open-mic night in the neighborhood, which was a life-changing experience.  my music blends the entire adventure into a movie, a book, a runway, a solo dance in the rain, a tree hug, a poem, a photo, a painting and a delicious meal on every track.  i knew i wanted to include more clips, but i wasn't sure how and when they'd come to me.  as i've been creating and growing, more ideas have been uncovered.  i've just taken a quick listen-track one to the end-and it's more than i could ever have imagined.  it reads very intentionally.  im so hyped for this drop

sam: how has the reaction been from what you've released so far? are you performing? can i come watch you live anywhere. 

     jazz: freedom is so fragile.  i wrote the song "make love" on the train in new york.  at this time i was actually sleeping on the train.  this particular winter night, i forced myself to listen to the track and just create.  in this certain circumstance, it's safer for a woman to rest during the day.  so, my plan was to release the night to creativity and sleep with the sun.  i was singing in my little corner seat, hand covering my mouth while figuring the rhythm-the purpose of my words.  i could feel eyes, one by one, peek over and smile.  while, i got quieter, to minimize the attention, i had a couple people move closer to hear it.  i just released a video to the snippet on my youtube.  search @earthangeljazz and click on the queenJAZZ profile.  it's one of my faves.  it's my art, so im usually nervous about being vulnerable, but i do it anyway. that-in itself-is beautiful.  i'm also delighted by the responses i've received so far.  i've always known my style to be eclectic.  i don't try to force my perspective on anyone.  if you get it, you get it.  there's gonna be at least one person that it inspires or entertains in some way and that's enough for me. 
     i'm working on the live opportunities.  there are a few spots i'm looking into that i feel would dig my set.  so, keep your eyes open for that information.  im actually gonna manifest that now.  yes, you can come watch me live.  i'll have dates in your email shortly. 

sam: when is the drop? i loved your first mixtape by the way.  it came across very unique and soulful.  im excited to hear this new vibe.

     jazz: wow!! thank you. that's hella sweet.  it's in the clouds for now.... i cant really call it.  when it's time, it'll be time.  soon.  im still creating, expressing and waiting.  personally, though, the beginning is now.  im doing my best to express that gratitude.  im thriving, catchin' miracles left & right and im proud of that 

sam: thank you for this update. it's always a pleasure.  i appreciate the extra questions. 

     jazz: same for me.  they were necessary.  thank you for everything.  check ya email