Behind-the-Scenes: Jam Young & Pike on set of ‘Find My Happiness’ music video
1) Good vibes and positivity are consistent in y’alls music, with everything going on in the world, how to you continue to find the motivation to create music that inspires and uplifts?
Jam: Honestly, the more difficult the world gets, whether it’s universal or in my personal life, the more I feel like people need music that uplifts. A lot of the time I write based on feeling and on my emotions at the moment so if I hear minor keys or major keys it can set the tone for my words and melodies. In the same vein, if I am in a mood (sad, melancholy, frustrated, etc.) then I start looking for a beat or create a beat that fits that. I grew up on Eminem and a lot of emotional music and I used to write a lot of sad/depressing stuff and I think all music has a place and a time but because I’ve been through painful instances I want people to know there is light at the end of the tunnel. Because life is really like the stock market, when it’s up it’s up but when it’s down it’s down but it always goes back up if you’re patient, process, and have a reassurance that life will work itself out even if it’s not the income we hoped for. With “Find My Happiness,” once I heard Marc Andrew Hoffman make the keys I already knew the feeling I wanted to paint and portray… something bright but also realistic. The journey is the fun part of life, the struggle, the success, every bit of it. When I wrote the hook I was like ohhh, we are making an anthem for people to sing in arenas, in their cars, in the gym, etc.
Pike: I think it just comes naturally. For myself with hip hop music especially I just don’t enjoy listening to super sad negative music regularly. So I write the type of music I enjoy listening to as a fan. And like you said, there is already so much going on in the world on the news to bring you down, sometimes music needs to be an escape from everything for a bit. Writing music is also a bit of therapy. I want to talk about positive things, my goals and use music to hopefully manifest some great things for myself.
2) Jam you live in New York, and Pike you’re in Denver, what was your creative process like, and how are y’all able to keep the spark alive while working from a distance?
Jam: Man, for one, I love traveling, I love working, and I love making music. If I was trapped in a basement as long as I had access to the internet and human interaction, words and ideas and music would start flowing. PIKE and I have had chemistry and an ever growing relationship since I was 23. Before I really got the opportunity to pursue music as hard as I am now (and the resources to tour and make albums). PIKE and I have always worked distantly so it’s been easy to send records back and forth and fix them up as we go. In relation to the album, we did most of it together (minus mixing, mastering, and a couple features) and that was the plan. I don’t think when I came to kick it with him in 2018 and do a show at YourMom’s House our intention was to make a full album but we did like half and then came back in 2019 for the other half and it was truly effortless. Music is my happiness and I probably spend too much time and invest too much of my heart and love in it but I live, breathe, pour music out of my body. I used to be scared to show it but now I’m not. This is part of growth and the process of it all and I can’t wait to share it with my future children, Carter (Pike’s child), PIKE and whoever comes along the way. I’m a writer and a music lover at heart. I can’t stop and I WON’T STOP.
Pike: Jam and I met on Facebook a few years ago. So we were working totally “sight unseen” for years before we first finally met when I went out to NYC. In my personal experience working with lots of artists all over thanks to social media, just having someone be consistent and responsive let me know he was legit. Since we met we have been working on our album PB&J. Jam has taken 3 trips out to Denver and I just took another trip out to NYC last year. We lock in and get those collaborative ideas recorded and get on the same page in terms of goals for the projects and then the rest of the work is done over text or the occasional phone call when there are some big decisions. I think the spark comes from just knowing that the other person is as motivated and hungry as you are. Plus now that we have developed a good friendship outside of music we are always in touch.
3) Why does the world need music like this right now?
Jam: The world will always need music and will always need new music. In terms of “Find My Happiness,” there’s so much we all are processing from covid to death/loss/pain and finding our place in the world and I think we are all constantly always trying to find our happiness. So not only is this song/music universal but it’s timeless. The record isn’t trapped in “trap” or “boom bap” or any particular style of hip-hop music. The record is just honest catchy music that relates to what we all want in life, happiness. I can’t wait for people to see the video and hear this song. I think it’s unbelievable and it’s definitely one of my personal favorite songs of all time. I hope the feeling is mutual for most listeners. I hope they can find their happiness and sing along while they do!
Pike: I think good, positive and fun music never goes out of style. I think we have a lot of good universal songs on this album and we have a few lines here and there that make it very personal to us. Its about our journey as musicians and friends with some insider references to stuff we experienced together working on this album and hanging out. I really hope people resonate with it, and find the song or lyric that really speaks to them and share it with others.