The power of music can be felt at an early age. Our friend The Real J Israel felt this power from his early life in and around gospel choirs. He learned to use his voice to display his soul and passion. Now he has a string of new singles to show off to the world.
We had the chance to chat with the talented artist as he starts this process with the single “Forever Man”. Enjoy the interview here:
First off, how did the name The Real J Israel come to be?
Long story long… when I was an indie gospel artist I went by Joshua Israel and when I made the switch I still wanted to use my name but didn’t want to confuse people so I went with J Israel but quickly found out that there were other artists named J and Jay Israel so I added The Real to it because ain’t nothing like the Real thing….
How would you describe your current sound?
I like to say I do a lot of r&b and a little bit of everything else. Over all it’s very relatable feel good real good music. I’m a lover of good music regardless of the genre and that’s what I believe people quickly find out when searching my catalog
Which artists have had the biggest influence on you?
Babyface, James Brown, Michael Bolton, Otis Redding and others
How does a song come together for The Real J Israel? What is your songwriting process?
I typically get ideas when I’m driving or having a conversation sometimes I can be randomly reading something and an idea will come to me. The song usually decides which genre it will be based on the melody that comes with the lyrics. Once I have a complete idea I get in the studio with my producer or guitarist and sing it for them and we go from there
Tell us about your new single “Forever Man”
I originally wrote “Forever Man” in 1998 during my first year of marriage. It started out as an r&b song but when I revised it in 2021 it had a singer songwriter country vibe to it. The song is always in control
What do you hope listeners take away from a song like this one? We have loved the other singles sent to us.
I hope listeners get the message that real love is always possible if you’re willing to let go of fear. My wife and I celebrate 25 years in 2022 it’s not just a love song but it’s an real life love story
Share some advice for other artists creating music in their own lane.
I would just say do what you feel but whatever it is do it to your best ability and remember that your best gets better if you keep working on it .
Give us a look at the future for The Real J Israel.
A whole lot of music starting March 25th I’ll be releasing a single every 2 weeks. I released 3 albums last year so this year it’ll be singles and looking forward to doing shows at some point this year.
Keep up with more from The Real J Israel on INSTAGRAM