JB Smooth is 22 years old; his real name is Jeff Barnes from Fayetteville North Carolina, USA. He anchors Radio Play ranging from North Carolina down to Philadelphia.

JB Smooth attended college at Fayetteville, North Carolina. At that time, anyone who would have prophesied that he was going to be a recording artist in the future, was ready to say “You’re crazy”.  He hated being an artist, but the beautiful thing about life is that he is an artist today. Going down a path, and when life throws you a curveball.

He makes R&B/Pop Music. His goal for music is to build dedicated listeners who like his vibe and sound. Do a check on his style of music listed at SoundCloud.

Briefly enough, Honk Magazine had an exclusive interview with JB Smooth about his career path, and here are more revelations:

Questions:-

1. Can you tell us a story about what brought you to this specific career path?

JB Smooth: I went to college in Fayetteville, North Carolina, a lot of people know about the Ville because of J. Cole, his house 2014 Forest Hills Drive is 5 minutes from my campus. If you told me years ago that I was going to be a recording artist I would have said you’re crazy, but that’s the beautiful thing about life. You go down a path, and when life throws you a curveball. What really sparked this new path for me was a college heartbreak, I was in desperate need to find an outlet for something that would help me get through this difficult time. Three years later I am still going strong and I really cannot imagine where I would be without that occurrence. I strongly believe everything happens for a reason.

2. Can you share the most interesting story that happened to you since you started this career?

JB Smooth: The most interesting story is hearing the support I have at home in New Hampshire as well as North Carolina. When you start out chasing a dream people will treat you differently and question you. I use that as motivation and that drives me like no other. Only myself knows what I want and what I am capable of doing. I did not think people were going to support me following a music career, it is very welcoming and comforting having that support.

3. Can you share a story about the funniest mistake you made when you were first starting? Can you tell us what lesson you learned from that?

JB Smooth: In my junior year we had a talent show and I performed 2 songs the first was “Back & Forth” and the second was “Slippin Slide” you can find those on my EP “Mixed Emotions”. I should’ve only performed the first one since it was mixed and mastered by a professional engineer. But I was so anxious to perform the other one since every girl in the crowd was yelling my name. As soon as I heard the song come on it sounded horrible since it was not mixed yet, the beat was louder than the vocals and it was an embarrassing mess. That was the longest 2:23 seconds of my life.

4. What are some of the most interesting or exciting projects you are working on now?

JB Smooth: In 2020 I released my first EP “Mixed Emotions” and then I followed that up with a single “By My Side ft, Eli Mendez”. In February of 2021 I released a single “Something About You” and now my newest single “Teenage Fever” that came out April 23rd, out of all my work so far that is my favorite song I have created! I also have a song called “See You Move” with my friend Kaos Lucky releasing June 21st.

5. Who are some of the most interesting people you have interacted with? What was that like? Do you have any stories?

JB Smooth: I met a rapper by the name of Just Juice at a concert in Boston a few years back and he was such a genuine person. He answered all the questions I had about the industry and he told me I had a good head on my shoulders and to keep working on my craft.

6. Which tips would you recommend to your colleagues in your industry to help them to thrive and not “burn out”?

JB Smooth: The biggest thing I have learned from my journey so far is to simply enjoy the experience. Don’t worry about the end goal and instead enjoy the process of becoming an artist. In three years my music has improved so much because I was patient, I took time with my craft and I kept an open mind. Some people are so worried about the end goal, whether that’s the money, cars, etc. that they lose focus of why they started. Be consistent, patient, and more importantly believe you can do it.

7. You have been blessed with success in a career path that can be challenging. Do you have any words of advice for others who may want to embark on this career path, but seem daunted by the prospect of failure?

JB Smooth: One thing you have to know is people are going to judge you, and that’s why a lot of people don’t follow their dreams. Do you really want to have that regret your whole life of wishing you took that leap of faith and followed your dreams? I for sure do not want to have any regrets in my life. DO WHAT MAKES YOU HAPPY!!!! AND DON’T LET ANYONE TELL YOU SOMETHING DIFFERENT.

8. Can you share with our readers any self-care routines, practices, or treatments that you do to help your body, mind, or heart to thrive? Kindly share a story or an example for each.

JB Smooth: I work out almost daily to keep my mind sharp which therefore helps me with the creative process of making music. I also manifest almost every day speaking and writing my future into existence, it really does work. Another thing that you may think is strange but it helps me so much is listening to music and tuning the world out. I will listen to Dance/EDM music, close my eyes and imagine myself on stage performing in front of 1,000’s of people. Sounds silly but you can get a lot of confidence by doing that. The biggest one for me is reminding myself why I started, and how far I have come in this beautiful journey.

9. What are your “5 things I wish someone told me when I first started” and why? Please share a story or example for each.

JB Smooth: Nobody really cares when your new song comes out, it’s a tough pill to swallow but it is the truth. I used to think that everyone I knew should be supporting me and giving me shout-outs on social media. Your song isn’t just going to blow up, I used to think every song was magically going to hit a million views or get me a record deal. Marketing is your best friend when it comes to making music. Without ads nobody is going to see or listen to your music, maybe 30 out of your 400 Instagram followers will listen and that’s it. You have to market your music to your niche audience. Facebook/Instagram Ads are very beneficial. You don’t need studio time to make a hit song; half of the songs on billboards today were made in a bedroom. I always thought that was so cool to hear where songs were recorded. You can get a quality in-home studio for under $1,000. I have been recording for 3 years now and I have yet to be in a professional recording studio. Every song I have recorded was in my college dorm.

10. Can you please give us your favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? Can you share how that was relevant to you in your life?

JB Smooth: “Everything happens for a reason. Don’t question it, trust it” I stand by that 100 percent. Without that heartbreak I would’ve never started making music, I don’t even know where I would be today. I really cannot imagine my life without music. It is such a part of me now and I am working every day to make this dream a reality.

11. None of us are able to achieve success without some help along the way. Is there a particular person who you are grateful towards who helped get you to where you are? Can you share a story about that?

JB Smooth: I am thankful for my roommates Joe and Bailey, Joe is the one who really pushed me to keep it up with the music. I remember hearing him rap in my room freshman year and everyone was in awe that he could freestyle so well. He kept pushing me to work on my craft day by day. My other friend Bailey is such a nice outgoing person who was a photographer on the side. He really helped me with getting my social media looking professional and presentable. Very thankful for having them in my life.

12. You are a person of enormous influence. If you could start a movement that would bring the most amounts of good to the most amounts of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger. 🙂

JB Smooth: I just want people to be happy and follow their dreams. We live in such a judgmental world where everyone is always trying to put others down. It kills me to know that there are people out in this world that is so talented in their craft but they’re afraid about what others will think of them.

13. We are very blessed that some of the biggest names in Business, VC funding, Sports, and Entertainment read this column. Is there a person in the world, or in the US with whom you would love to have a private breakfast or lunch with, and why? He or she might see this. 🙂

JB Smooth: I would love to have a sit-down lunch with one of my idols Justin Bieber, honestly all I would do is pick his brain and ask him questions and get to know him. I would like to know how he handles fame to this day, or how to have a long successful career in the music industry!

14 How can our readers follow you online?

JB Smooth: Follow me on:

Instagram: @jbarnes1221

Tik Tok: Jbsmooth9189

Apple/Spotify:  JB Smooth