Today we’d like to introduce you to Jamogi Bridges.
Thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, how did you get started?
I came into this world with music, which’ll be with me until the end. I started out singing at church and around the house. I used to sing everywhere to the point where my mom would beg me to stop. It always felt so natural to me, and I knew at a young age that music was my calling. I played the Euphonium in elementary school and started a Jazz Band in middle school, where I learned Piano, Bass, and Drums. Eventually, more people kept joining the band, so I officially became the band singer. In high school, some friends and I started our own “Glee Club” and sang for almost all the events.
In January 2015, I moved from California to Kansas City, where music started to flourish for me. I joined the “Upper Room” Jazz Band program, where I met other talented musicians my age. Later, I became a member of the Kansas City Boys Choir and got to travel all over the Midwest and sing with artists like Chaka Khan, Patti Austin, Damien Sneed, and more. In my senior year of high school, our school choir got to sing with country artist Eric Church. While at University, I began to dabble in music production because I saw artists like Chlöe Bailey produce their music. I remember saying to myself, “I want to do that!” So, I charged my Macbook Pro to my student account, bought Logic Pro X, and spent hours fiddling around with the software program. I also began singing at more open mics to get my name out there. It wasn’t until the Summer of 2022 when I sang at an open mic and I met the creators of The AI Hub, who helped push my name out there into the artist community; honestly, I owe a lot of my success to them because they helped me and believed in me from the start. My whole music journey is quite long, but I’m thankful for it because I’m completing one goal at a time. Being on “Voyage KC” is on my goal sheet, and I can finally cross it off! That’s incredible.
We all face challenges, but looking back, would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Look, the road I took had so many potholes. Some of the struggles I’ve faced were a lack of support from parental figures. Giving a fantastic show and seeing all these smiling faces was hard, but none were your parents. I would smile, give my thank you and shake hands, but once I got home and shut the lights off, I’d get emotional. I felt alone and longed to hear the words “I’m proud of you” from the people I’d expected to hear it from. Until one day, I decided to do something about it. I decided I would no longer depend on anyone else’s validation but my own. I would tell myself affirmations every morning and night. I would write them down, say them out loud, and stick them on my closet door. I created a vision board for who I want to be and descriptively outlined my goals. I watched motivational videos and listened to other artists talk about their struggles, and to my surprise, they had experienced many of the same feelings that I’d felt. I’m quite proud of the young man I am today. I’ve experienced a lot of situations (i.e., foster homes, emotional/physical abuse, depression) that would stop many people in their tracks. I’m glad I now have a strong belief in myself and a strong sense of who I am to help keep me going. I have a goal, and I will do whatever it takes to reach it.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
By day, I’m a Music Educator/Choir Director. Once 4:30 hits, I’m a Singer/Songwriter/Producer/Musician/Social Media Marketer, and everything!
I’m more known for my voice, specifically my vocal range and the vocal production I do in my music. I love to do this thing called “Vocal Stacking,” where you sing the same thing about 4x each to help thicken the sound. I establish the melodic line first, then build around that vocally. It’s a thrill, and I could do it for hours.
I love creating different harmonic ideas and exploring different ways to use my voice as an instrument. I had someone tell me that I was a “Human Synthesizer” at one point, and I chuckled. I would agree. Being in choir helped make that possible because each section has a unique part to help piece together this sound extravaganza. I later learned how to enhance my stacking by listening to vocal stems. I would search through youtube and listen to many artists’ vocal stems. I remember listening to Michael Jackson’s background vocals, Janet, Beyoncé, Boyz ll Men, and more. I just figured that great artists stack their vocals, so why not do it too?
I’m most proud of all the music work I’ve been doing. I released my first EP, “Age of Aquarius,” across all social platforms. I’m just so glad to have done it! Producing the music was the most exciting thing I’ve ever done, and I’m glad that the reception from the public was positive. Before I released “Age of Aquarius,” I was supposed to release a breakup EP. You know, to get all my emotions out after this breakup I had gone through during the New Year. I had written many songs and had the instrumentals for them, but I lost it all while trying to back up my computer for storage space. All that work is gone! But I’m glad because I was emotionally drained from reliving a moment I desperately wanted to move forward from. Plus, I created fun, liberating music to celebrate my success. So, if you’re into Dance/Pop/R&B music and want to have a good time, I highly recommend giving my EP, “Age of Aquarius,” a listen. My favorite track is “Star-Crossed Lover,” I’m so proud of the work on that one. So many people have come to me and said, “Star-Crossed Lover is my favorite one!” and I’d be like, “Mine too!”
What sets me apart from others is my drive, creativity, and the compassion I have inside of me. What can I say? I’m a go-getter. I always have been. I probably get it from the people I’ve admired the most, my two favorites, Michael & Beyoncé. I don’t even have to go into detail for them. I also get it from my mentor. He was the Executive CEO of the KC Boys Choir, and every day after school, I would go to the choir office to help him out. You could never catch him slipping. He was always on point and on time and would give me great life advice. The creativity part is just something innate. I always try to think outside the box, and like a true Aquarian, I do my absolute best to avoid following what everyone else is doing. That used to be a challenge for me, and I remember telling my mentor that I wanted to do some of the things other people were doing, and he would stop me and say, “But you are not like everyone else. You’re Jamogi, do what Jamogi does best and let other people catch up to you.” Before, I would be like, “Pfft, whatever,” But now I get it, and I’m glad that I know it now and not later.
What was your favorite childhood memory?
My favorite childhood memory was the 6th-grade camp. We went on a school field trip to Lake Arrowhead, where we all spent a weekend with each other, and I had the best time of my life. We went on night hikes, learned about composting, created skits, and even the 2-minute showers were fun! If I could go back to relive that moment again, I definitely would.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jamogi.bridges/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/JamogiBridges
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@jamogi/featured
- Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@jamogi.bridges
Image Credits
Photos by Vaughan Harrison, SeenProductions
