Justice Der

Justice Der’s music is an instant source of coolness and tranquility. The artist has become an internet fixture for his guitar skills, growing an extensive following of over 300k Spotify listeners. He began playing the instrument over a decade ago and has since developed a unique sound that he uses in creating his most popular covers. Frank Ocean’s “Self Control” and Drake’s “Passionfruit” are just two of the releases that have earned the artist millions of Spotify plays. He credits much of his success to YouTube: the platform in which he began releasing his content through. Now, Justice is taking the next step in his musical career by releasing his own original music. “Crooked Tree,” the first song off his new EP “Racing Games,” was released on Sept. 29th. We recently asked the artists some questions about his musical roots, distinct playing style, and more!

Your guitar skills seem like they would take a lifetime's worth of practice to achieve. With that said, how long have you been playing for?

Thank you! I’ve been playing for over 10 years. I guess about 12 now.

You made your return to YouTube earlier this year where you've re-uploaded some of your most popular covers. How much of an impact the platform has had in shaping your career?

YouTube is definitely where I gained the most online traction initially. It has undoubtedly expanded my audience and connected me to so many people; but it's funny, I've been playing guitar the way I do for a while. I was covering songs I liked on the guitar for a good 5 or 6 years before uploading any of it to YouTube. I think those years were most important in shaping my career above any platform like YouTube or Spotify. I focused all of that time on shaping my sound and building a foundation. At that point, I wasn’t putting thought into anything but the music. The sounds are obviously still my focus now, but at that point there were no strings attached. No pressure surrounding a career or promotion or anything. It was the sandbox phase where I could make the mistakes that would lead me to where I am now.

How would you describe your songwriting process for a typical Justice Der song? Do you draw inspiration from anywhere in particular?

My songwriting process really varies. In the last year, I've written a lot on the piano. Sometimes I can get stuck on ideas when I try to write on the guitar, so I'll write elsewhere and then bring it back to the guitar. I guess a lot of my writing is texture driven. For me, a lot of emotion lies there. I think that helps me avoid overthinking melodies too. A lot of my writing comes from improvising too—improvising and then refining parts I like.

How did your experience making music with "Call More" help you in your career as a solo artist?

“Call More” has been huge for me. It has really helped me to conceptualize my sound in ways beyond the worlds of jazz and solo guitar. It's made me a better mixer and producer too. Rachel and Marley are two of the most influential artists to me. “Call More” time is always learning time. We have a lot of unreleased stuff that we are taking our time with. I'm excited for people to hear all of that.

Which artists do you most attribute your musical style to?

I think I am most influenced by Miles Davis and Frank Ocean; I owe them a lot. I could talk forever about Miles Davis’ approach to melody and artistic scope, but for now I'll just say that his ballad playing and 60s quintet are unparalleled musically for me. I’ve listened to a lot of that stuff. I think Frank Ocean has influenced me a lot melodically but the textures in his music always get me. Whether its the production or his voice. I should clarify and say that I am influenced by the world of Frank Ocean. His brand and all of his producers like Malay, Om’mas, Vegyn. That whole camp.

Racing Games will be your first EP to feature all original music. What made this the time to pursue such a project?

Releasing the album When This Plane Goes Down with Rachel Bobbitt last year got me a lot more into song writing. That album was all original music bit it wasn’t a solo project. I have wanted to release an original solo record for a long time but I would attribute When This Plane Goes Down to pushing me over the edge to actually do it.

"Crooked Tree" comes out in a week and a half, congratulations. What are you most excited about with its release?

I’m excited for people to hear me playing alongside some of my close friends. Stephen Bennett did drums on the track and Isaac Teague did bass on it. They are both monster talents.

Was there any point on this musical journey where you have faced self-doubt? If so, how did you overcome it?

I would say I faced self doubt when I first started music school. I had an unconventional musical upbringing in the sense that I didn’t focus a lot on reading sheet music or structured ear training. That stuff was thrown at me pretty heavy when I started at music school so I had to adjust. I overcame it by remembering that I had my own musical strengths, a lot of which were outside of the things traditionally recognized at music school. Then I just focused and tried my hardest to learn that stuff.

How has the pandemic affected your ability to make music, both personally and professionally?

I really miss jamming with people in real life! Being in a space and moving air with people can’t be matched. Being cooped up from the pandemic has allowed me to focus on my production skills though. That has been a huge plus.

Besides the new EP, what's next for Justice Der?

A lot more music and some physical merch. I've been doing some production for Rachel’s new stuff. You don’t want to miss that.