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Many of us have had childhood fantasies of wanting to sing in part of a boy/girl group or as an artist. Some, may have even gone as far as participating in talent shows, or performing at family gatherings while granny's shouting, “you go baby!” As time passes by, some give up on the dream for one reason or another but one of Washington, D.C.’s own, J Ce given up on his childhood dream.
“Growing up listening to Michael Jackson, Boyz II Men, Jodeci and so many more led me to perform in the local talent shows,” says the 22-year old. “I also sang at church and since then, I’ve never stopped.”
J Ce whose real name is Michael Carroll, mentioned his love for music evolved when he saw how much of an impact it had on lots of people, especially those close to him.
“I watch the expressions on people’s faces and how they would portray deep emotional feelings off of listening to a song,” he says. “Deep lyrics and beats triggered my discovery in what soon became my passion.”
In high school, J Ce, and some of his cousins prepped themselves to start their own record label. This led to J Ce’s internship at Universal Records where he learned how things were handled in the music industry. He soon hooked up with Malcolm Freeny, of Park Place/Game Official Records. Under Freeny’s mentorship he learned valuable information he still uses today. “I received so much information from Malcolm Freeny which allowed me to gain a full understanding of the music game,” recalls the artist. “When my cousins and I hooked back up, I knew and understood enough to put a lil something together.”
As a solo artist, J Ce plans to bring something back to R&B. He is constantly working to improve his skills in production, reading, writing and arranging music. This young artist is determined to bring the “soulful feel,” back to the music industry. “More like the early 90’s feel,” says the crooner. “That’s when everyone loved music. I want to add just a tad bit of up-tempo fun to it as well.”
In his eyes, R&B is on a slow incline. He feels optimistic about making an impact in a music world filled with leaning back and snapping. He describes himself as having a Trey Songz-like swagger, smoothness as the early 90’s R. Kelly talent like Teddy Riley.
A part of that must be true, his latest single When’s the Right Time, is receiving the most spins on MySpace. Talent like this is sure to rip up the airwaves and the industry will know, now’s the right time to sign him.
You can check out music and more information on J Ce at www.myspace.com/realjc.
ladi.vee
The Bridge by NVIS
“Connecting yesterday, today and tomorrow”
http://ladiveegotsomething2say.blogspot.com/search/label/D.C.%20Artist%20on%20the%20Rise
- ladiveegotsomething2say.blogspot.com
Girl Talk Conference: A Rose Is Still A RoseOVERALL CONFERENCE EVALUATION FORM
The Girl Talk Conference mission is to develop positive life skills by providing empowerment tools to girls attending Ballou Senior High School. The Young Ladies of Ballou will be provided with skills to build positive self-esteem and embrace independent thinkingthrough a dynamic, energetic and fun set of workshops and group discussions.
When asked "Please briefly describe one of the highlights of the conference for you."
The responses where overwhelming high for the singer J Ce and his performance. He was mentions as the highlight for some of the attendees their. - East of the River Clergy Police Community Partnership
Many of us have had childhood fantasies of wanting to sing in part of a boy/girl group or as an artist. Some, may have even gone as far as participating in talent shows, or performing at family gatherings while granny's shouting, “you go baby!” As time passes by, some give up on the dream for one reason or another but one of Washington, D.C.’s own, J Ce given up on his childhood dream.
“Growing up listening to Michael Jackson, Boyz II Men, Jodeci and so many more led me to perform in the local talent shows,” says the 22-year old. “I also sang at church and since then, I’ve never stopped.”
J Ce whose real name is Michael Carroll, mentioned his love for music evolved when he saw how much of an impact it had on lots of people, especially those close to him.
“I watch the expressions on people’s faces and how they would portray deep emotional feelings off of listening to a song,” he says. “Deep lyrics and beats triggered my discovery in what soon became my passion.”
In high school, J Ce, and some of his cousins prepped themselves to start their own record label. This led to J Ce’s internship at Universal Records where he learned how things were handled in the music industry. He soon hooked up with Malcolm Freeny, of Park Place/Game Official Records. Under Freeny’s mentorship he learned valuable information he still uses today. “I received so much information from Malcolm Freeny which allowed me to gain a full understanding of the music game,” recalls the artist. “When my cousins and I hooked back up, I knew and understood enough to put a lil something together.”
As a solo artist, J Ce plans to bring something back to R&B. He is constantly working to improve his skills in production, reading, writing and arranging music. This young artist is determined to bring the “soulful feel,” back to the music industry. “More like the early 90’s feel,” says the crooner. “That’s when everyone loved music. I want to add just a tad bit of up-tempo fun to it as well.”
In his eyes, R&B is on a slow incline. He feels optimistic about making an impact in a music world filled with leaning back and snapping. He describes himself as having a Trey Songz-like swagger, smoothness as the early 90’s R. Kelly talent like Teddy Riley.
A part of that must be true, his latest single When’s the Right Time, is receiving the most spins on MySpace. Talent like this is sure to rip up the airwaves and the industry will know, now’s the right time to sign him.
You can check out music and more information on J Ce at www.myspace.com/realjc.
ladi.vee
The Bridge by NVIS
“Connecting yesterday, today and tomorrow”
http://ladiveegotsomething2say.blogspot.com/search/label/D.C.%20Artist%20on%20the%20Rise
- ladiveegotsomething2say.blogspot.com
Discography
2004 single "I Remember"
1st single of 2008 "So Fly"
Photos
Bio
Who Is J Ce?
Up and coming songster J Ce is on a mission to bring back the true meaning of Hip Hop to an era that in his own words has "Lost touch with what the movement stood for in the first place."
J Ce was born Michael J Carroll on January 20 1985 in Washington DC. The name J Ce stems from the initials of his middle name, Jerome, and his last name. It is a definite symbol of originality and style.
Fueling his desire to put soul back into the heart of R&B is the fact that J Ce grew up admiring the sultry sounds of artists such as the infamous female group En Vogue, the Queen of Hip Hop Soul Mary J. Blige, and all male groups New Edition and Jodeci. He recalls seeing these superstars on TV and says that as early as the age of 5 he would sit in front of the TV watching them while singing along and saying, "I can do that. This is what I want to do."
It was this degree of determination that enabled J Ce to hold strong to his dream while growing up in the heart of DC during less than perfect times for him and his family. J Ce, the middle child between one younger sister, one older sister, and two fosters sisters was often forced to be the "man of the house" so to speak and had to take on the responsibilities of adults at an early age.
"Life growing up in DC wasn't really different than growing up anywhere else. We had the same crimes as any other city. The same divisions existed between the ghetto and the so-called upper/middle class neighborhoods." In the beginning J Ce resided with his mom and two sisters however the ever present issue of drug use in the home slowly began to take it's toll on the family and at the age of 3, he and his 2 sisters were split up to live with other family members. One sister went to live with their grandmother, the other went to live with her father, and J Ce was raised by his father up until the age of 12 when his father passed away after a long term battle with a terminal illness.
After his father's death, J Ce lived with his Aunt and two foster sisters. Just one year after living with her, his mom re-entered his life after years of struggling with drugs. So the family is back together again, J Ce, his mom and 4 sisters. However this time was marred by the fact that his mom was still recovering from drug abuse and J Ce was forced to fend for himself pretty much on his own. Often times, even still today, he is the one who is looked up to by relatives as being responsible for bringing their family out of the not so glamorous life they've grown accustomed to and providing a better standard of living for all of them. He accepts this responsibility wholeheartedly and he lets you know that family is everything to him. In fact, when asked what motivates him to keep striving for success in this industry, J Ce's humble answer is family. "Family keeps you focused and strong. And family provides you with enough courage and determination to carry on and follow your own dreams."
Although J Ce had known since early childhood that his desire in life was to sing, he really began to get serious about it as a teenager. He goes on the describe how at the age of 15, him and his cousin along with their next door neighbor began making beats and songs for him to include on a compilation album. It was no longer a childhood fantasy but an actual vision of perfection that he had put together. All 3 had driving ambitions to break into the music business and with nothing to lose attitudes; they decided to do whatever they had to do in order to break into the music industry. Over the years, his passion for the art increased and the main focus and goal has remained the same; to bring his family out of everything they are used to and turn their lives into a world so different, that they will need a moment for everything to sink in. J Ce really wants to make a difference in Hip Hop along the way. "Hip Hop to me has lost its soul and I intend to bring a little of that back into it," says J Ce. When asked what or who his biggest influences were, he calmly replied, "My biggest influences would have to be big named artists such as Michael Jackson, Brian McKnight, New Edition, Marvin Gaye, and Jodeci just to name a few." These people all knew and understood the true meaning of R&B, today's artists seem to have lost this connection. It's the soul of the music that drives the story lines behind it. It reaches deep down into people's soul and takes them to places of calmness and serenity. It's that feel good type of music that your mom and dad used to listen to with smiles as bright and as wide as a hot summer day and this music, this real down home music, made everything seem like it was alright. That's part of what today's music is missing. Some of it lacks passion and also originality in most cases however people like J Ce are more than prepared to change all of that.
Now in the present day, J Ce still holds fast to his ambitions of completing his 1st solo album and buildi
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