Jrome

Born Jerome Wayne, J Rome was destined to perform. The child prodigy hummed before he could even speak and has early memories of making melodies throughout his childhood; one of them being a solo performance at the age of about 5 of Whitney Houston's “The Greatest Love of All" for his preschool graduation. The only boy in a family with two sisters, the soft-spoken Laurel, MD., native was raised by his mother and sang duets with his sisters. His beginnings were shaped by music. “I remember sitting in the back of my mom and dads' cars while they listened to the greats of Luther Vandross, Stevie Wonder, Aretha Franklin, Whitney Houston, Chaka Khan, etc. and what's now called The Golden Oldies!!" J Rome's roots of singing in church and his earlier musical treads made him a perfect match for "The Children of the Gospel" singing group that he was selected for at the age of 11. Sponsored by the prestigious Washington Performing Arts Society, the critically-acclaimed mass choir performed at former President Bill Clinton's 1992 inauguration, Bill Cosby's Kennedy Center Honors in 1998, and the grand opening of the Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao, Spain for an audience of 10,000 plus. J Rome's time with the choir also allowed him opportunities to perform with gospel legends, Vicki Winans, Vanessa Bell Armstrong and Richard Smallwood of who personally gave him his first solo in the choir his first year at the Kennedy Center. His impressive resume' only opened doors and brought him closer to his dream of making wonderful music for the world. He began to grow with music. Known as "the singer" among his family and friends, J Rome continued to perform as he got older. “I remember a time when I was told to have a back-up plan because music just may never work for you Jerome, get a regular job" he stated while thinking back on an old childhood hurtful memory. Always one to go against the norm, he enlisted in the U.S. Air Force instead of attending college like most people wanted him to. Serving the military afforded J Rome a chance to not only see the world but it also allowed him to partake in his ..1 past time - performing. In 2003, he was selected to join the elite group called " Tops In Blue", the Air Force's Expeditionary Entertainment Unit, and performed over 160 shows for soldiers and their families across the globe for 13 months. Despite life's changes he still stuck with music. After his four year tour in the Air Force, Jerome returned home and focused 100% on his craft. He began modeling, doing fashion shows and photo shoots to gain exposure. Being chosen for one of the top three spots in D.C.'s "Manhunt 2005" and in 2007 one of the top ten spots for "Washington D.C.'s Top 10 Sexiest Bachelors", which aired for national exposure on Inside Edition, gave J Rome a major boost of confidence to continue pursuing the dream he so longed to achieve. During the day, he held jobs at Air Tran Airways, Springhill Suites by Marriot, and Visa, but the rest of his time was consumed with breaking into the fickle entertainment industry and dealing with partnerships that lead to nowhere and sour production deals. J Rome was afforded the opportunity to have a hit single on the D.C., Maryland and Virginia radio station, WKYS 93.9, while working with the founders of Washington, DC based, Capitolville Entertainment. Headed by popular East Coast disc jockey, Isaiah "DJ Alizay" Johnson and Lateef James. His dream was no longer a dream anymore, it was reality. In just a short time J Rome is already close to finishing his first project, properly titled “When In Rome". The bachelor and self-proclaimed "artist and chef" worked with producers Manistyles, Belringer Productions, Double Up Productions and Team Demo on the 15-track release. With guest appearances by Vusi (of the Mchunu clothing line) and Cooli Hi-Dro, the album is creative, compelling and unexpected...just like J Rome. Music is reality. While some dream of pursuing their goals, very few have the courage, strength, discipline and drive to make the necessary strides. J Rome is one of the few. Unfazed by the extraneous perks that come with being a performer, he is focused and eager to make music that the world will fall in love with. It'll only be a matter of time before everyone is blessed with this undeniable talent. The music shall speak for itself...