JMSN (pronounced Jameson) is a prolific electro-R&B artist riding at the crest of a wave right now. With the success of contemporaries such as The Weeknd and the ever-growing presence of electro in the mainstream pop and hip hop worlds, JMSN’s experience, know how, and artistic vision puts him on the short list for when people ask “who’s next?”
Born Christian Berishaj and hailing originally from Detroit, Michigan, Berishaj made a name for himself as a one-man music industry army, producing himself, playing all the instruments on his records, and directing his own music videos. In anticipation for his show September 4th at the Moxi Theater, we spoke with Bershaj during his down time between shows about life in Detroit and his love of film and the impact it has had on his music.
Detroit has gotten a pretty bad rep over the years to the rest of the country. Perceived as a city struck by hard times by the mainstream media, for Berishaj while it can be a hard place it’s all how you look at it. “It’s all about perception. I never really felt it was not (bouncing back). It’s all about who you’re talking to. It’s a really creative place over there,” said Berishaj. “There’s definitely struggle though. I think that makes better art in the end. Struggle makes everything realer. I feel like that’s where my realness comes from.”
As the director of his own music videos, film has had a profound impact on how Berishaj approaches his music. For him, making film and making music both come from the same sense of movement and both can compliment each other. “I love film. I feel there is a rhythm to film and I love that about it. I like I produce and make music with that same flow. Good directors in movies and music videos always have a good rhythm about them.”
