How many other new artists can say that they’ve already been on stage with some of the biggest names in Hip Hop? Along with that, how many new artists can say that they’re featured on a TV show with other great talents. JoiStaRR can attest to all of that as she’s been able to tour with the likes of Kanye West and she is also featured on Mary Mary’s reality TV show. She’s also been able to pen songs for artusts like Mario, Chris Brown and Brandy. Now, JoiStaRR is ready to unleash her musical talents in a major way with her “Magic”, which is also the title of her debut album. YouKnowIGotSoul had a chance to catch up with JoiStRR on her experience at Coacehella, the progress on her debut album and her hope to inspire everyone with her music.
YouKnowIGotSoul: Last weekend, you shared the stage with the likes of Dr. Dre and Snoop Dogg at Coachella. Talk about that experience.
JoiStaRR: It was like watching an epic film except I was actually in it. It was pretty hardcore. The people were having the time of their lives. As far as I could see, there was a sea of a people. I don’t know if you’re familiar with the Michael Jackson footage like when he’s singing in this crowd of people and people are passing out. It was like that amount of people in my life in one place. They were just having a good time. It was amazing.
YouKnowIGotSoul: I know you were also part of Kanye West’s tour a couple of years back. What made last weekend’s performance special?
JoiStaRR: What made it special for me was the fact that I was born and raised in L.A. and so were Snoop Dogg and Dr. Dre. It was sort of a coming home type of situation and to be a part of that historical event of them reuniting after 20 years of working together and being on that particular stage at Coachella. It was wonderful to be a part of it. I felt really a part of the whole L.A. and West Coast music empire. It was really cool.
YouKnowIGotSoul: Talk to me about the rehearsals. How long did you guys spend preparing for the event?
JoiStaRR: We spent a few weeks preparing for it actually. We went to two different rehearsal halls and two different cities. We had to rehearse the timing of lights and the bands. It was a very intricate show. The stage was really huge, so there’s a lot that goes into the process so we were there every day, all day rehearsing and making sure everything was right.
YouKnowIGotSoul: I know you’re currently working on your debut album “Magic”. Talk to me about the title and what it means to you.
JoiStaRR: Really, I don’t tell many people this, but I had this dream that Michael Jackson came to me and was like “Hey you should name your album ‘Magic’.” I woke up the next morning, called my brother and was like “I’m going to title my album ‘Magic’” and he was like “Why?’ and I was like “Michael Jackson told me it should be ‘Magic’” and in addition to that, I honestly feel like music is magic, love is magic and my music is love based and it’s to inspired the uninspired. I feel like everybody has magic within them, they just sometimes don’t know how to spark it. No matter what dream you decide to go after, all you need is that spark and that magic inside of you to spark, then you can go after your dreams and that’s basically what I want to represent and what I want people to feel when they hear my music. I want them to be inspired to do whatever they dream to do.
YouKnowIGotSoul: Talk to me about the approach that you took with this album because I know you’ve worked with other artists.
JoiStaRR: It was more centered around me just being free and expressing myself freely. When I write for other people, you have to think about that person and think about how they might feel in certain situations. This is just coming from my soul and my heart, so it was different in that way. Of course I write from my soul in general, but I don’t really have to think about someone else and if they would say this or say that. It just flows more freely when it’s my music, so with this album “Magic”, I’m just expressing what I feel everyday and it’s not a particular sounding genre. That’s why I call my music “Art & Beat”. It’s just basically what emotion I felt that day. Sometimes it’s happy, sometimes it’s mellow and sometimes it’s dark.
YouKnowIGotSoul: Talk to me about the makings of your song “Energy”.
JoiStaRR: My friend Mars (From 1500 Or Nothin’) and I were in the studio and it was Halloween. I just really wanted to write, so I called him up and was like “Are you at the studio? Let’s write. I need to get some stuff out.” He started playing these chords and whatever he played trigged the melody of “Up, up, up, up.” I was like “Don’t do anything else!” He started trying to finish the track and I was like “No just keep that.” I wrote that whole song in like five minutes. What’s funny about the song is that I wasn’t thinking about anybody in particular which is really bizarre because when I look into the song now, it’s like “Wow, I must have really been in love subconsciously with somebody I didn’t know because I don’t remember thinking about anybody. I wasn’t even in a relationship!” It was really interesting for that to come out. “Energy” is one of my favorite songs now.
YouKnowIGotSoul: Do you have a tentative release date for your album yet?
JoiStaRR: We’re looking forward to putting It out in August.
YouKnowIGotSoul: Do you have any plans leading up to the album? I know you dropped the mixtape not too long ago.
JoiStaRR: Yes, I did. “Magic Monday” was a mixtape. You’ll actually to be able to see my listening party for it on Mary Mary’s reality TV show. It airs every Thursday. You can see the listening party on that show. I think it airs in a couple of weeks.
YouKnowIGotSoul: You mentioned that you were part of that TV show. What do you want views to take away from you being on that show?
JoiStaRR: That I’m just like them. I have emotions and feelings. I have aspirations and dreams. I’m a positive, loving person. My family make of me because I’m always the one trying to give hugs and care like “I love you, you’re so awesome!” They call me Care Bear which is hilarious to me, but they make fun of me because I’m so into being the peace maker. I just want people to get what I really am, which is a girl from L.A. that is just a lover.
YouKnowIGotSoul: One song that I know you wrote for Brandy is “Who I Am”. Talk to me about that song.
JoiStaRR: Interestingly enough, I was hanging out at my parent’s house and my Brother [Warryn Campbell] was in the studio that’s in my parent’s house recording music. He called me from downstairs and was like “Hey I need you to write this song,” and I was like “I’m doing something right now!” like a bratty sister. He was like “No I need you to write this song please. Just come down here.” I went down there and got the music. I went back upstairs and I started writing the song and I kid you not, the song just came out of me like as if I had heard the song before. I just thought of her and the fact that she was in this relationship where this guy that she was apparently married to, it wasn’t going so well. It just came out. That was another song I wrote in like five minutes. That’s one of my favorite songs that I’ve ever written because it was so dead on her situation and I didn’t really know her situation like that. It was so bizarre.
YouKnowIGotSoul: Anything you’d like to add?
JoiStaRR: I love God and l love music. I just want to live my life like it’s golden.