Jared Evan is a 22 year old aspiring musician from Great Neck, NY. He has combined his talents as a drummer and knowledge as a student of music to form an extremely unique sound. Jared has the ability to draw in and captivate his listeners with his deep lyrics and melodic tunes. He also possesses the unique ability to rap as well as sing. Due to Jared’s deep understanding of classical rock and hip-hop, he has been able to create this different, yet comforting and inviting style. His music offers an infusion of different sounds with inspirations drawn from rock legends Led Zeppelin to the more contemporary sounding Wu-Tang Clan.
Jared has worked with a variety of house-hold names in the music industry such as Pharell, The Game, Dr. Dre, Kevin Rudolph, Roscoe Dash and independent hip-hop director Rik Cordero. In his young career, he has already released a variety of songs including, “In Love With You”, “Frozen” and “Falling Down”. His song “In Love With You”, off his most recent mix-tape “Back and Fourth”, has been featured on the HBO hit show “Entourage”. Jared was recently acknowledged as a Grey Goose Rising Star, along with fellow up and comers Big Sean and Pusha T. He will look to continue his rise to the top as he is in the process of recording his debut album in Miami.
 
Jason
When and where were you born?
Jared Evan
I was born in Great Neck, NY on September 21, 1988.

Jason
How did you get into playing drums and music?
Jared Evan
I kind of just started playing music as a kid. It’s funny because my parents didn’t know where it came from. I remember just listening to the radio in the car and memorizing the music. Eventually it got to a point where I wanted to get the music out of me. So, I convinced my parents to buy me a drum set when I was five and I have been playing music ever since. I remember my dad played me the Led Zeppelin record “The Song Remains the Same.” I remember after hearing that, I got really into classic rock and that type of music.

Jason
How did you transition from behind the drums to the front of the stage as a singer and performer?
Jared Evan
It kind of just happened. I always wanted to be a drummer and to be in a band. My dream was always to be the next Keith Moon or Travis Barker. I started free-styling and I think that was sort of symbolic of when I made the transition from drummer to singer. I started free-styling in a lot of different styles and experimented with my voice. I began merging all of those styles together and at the same time I began to realize I had this ability to sing too. Over time, I feel everyone gets restless and wants to be creative. I think that’s what happened to me and I just kept exploring. It became something that came out of me naturally.


Jason
Did playing the drums, in turn make you a better performer?
Jared Evan
Yea I think it really did. Drumming was really the platform that enabled me to understand music and gave me the ability to do more things. When I first started to write lyrics, they weren’t that polished. I was more worried about the rhythm and melody of what I was saying. Drumming is all about rhythm and flow of the music. I think the same applies for lyrics. I thought that the flow of my words was similar to the way you bang out a beat on drums. You have to be able to bang out the lyrics on the table and still have it flow without the beat. Your cadence and vocal rhythm is really as important as your physical rhythm. It was like drumming with lyrics.

Jason
Do you feel as though your music is an expression of yourself and the different phases you go through?
Jared Evan
Yea definitely. I want my music to embody me and my personal style. For example, when you put on Wu Tang, you know its Wu Tang because they have their own unique way of making music. They have a unique style and sound you don’t hear anywhere else. That’s how I want my music to be. I want to become my own genre.

Jason
Do you find it hard to transition between both singing and rapping in your songs?
Jared Evan
Yea, when I first started it was something new and challenging. It took a lot of repetition and practice in order for me to get it down. After a while though, it just becomes something you do. It becomes a part of you. It becomes something you almost can’t control. You know, you just kind of begin to transition from a melodic chorus to a faster paced verse. It’s more of a feeling thing. There really isn’t a manual for it and I think that kind of makes my music more original.

Jason
What was it like when you signed your record deal with Zone 4/Interscope?
Jared Evan
It was a dream come true. It happened so quick, I wasn’t ready for it at all. I really didn’t have too much going on when I was signed, so I was really surprised. It just goes to show, you have to keep chasing the dream until it becomes a reality.

Jason
What was it like to be an honoree at the Grey Goose Rising Star Awards?
Jared Evan
That was a big honor. It was pretty shocking, I definitely wasn’t expecting it. Grey Goose is a world wide known brand. To be a part of that is pretty amazing. There were also some other great artists such as Big Sean, Pusha T and Jessica White that also received recognition. It was just a great experience to be mentioned with not only Grey Goose, but these other young artists as well.

Jason
How has the success hit you thus far?
Jared Evan
It really hasn’t hit me. I’m still in shock everyday when I see how many people have viewed my songs. My video for “In Love With You,” has over 4 million views. Those are numbers I could have never fathomed. It’s just an awesome experience and it’s great that people are out there watching and listening.

Jason
What was it like working with Pharell as a producer?
Jared Evan
It was just a surreal experience. He was very big for me growing up. I was really privileged to work with such a talented musician. I worked with him everyday for about a week and a half. He just brought a ton of positive energy to the studio. You know, he just loved being there, working and I just tried to vibe off of that. He is very down to earth as well. I think that made it very easy to work with him. At first it was overwhelming to have Pharell in the studio with me, but as we got to know each other and saw each other everyday, the star kind of status disappeared. We just became two people trying to create music. Of course it is still Pharell, but he became just one of my colleagues. The chemistry in the studio was phenomenal. The way he directed my voice and tone when I was behind the mic was incredible. He has a real sense for good music and what sounds good. It was an honor to work with him.
Jason
What about working with The Game, Polow Da Don, Kevin Rudolph and all these other established artists? How has that been?
Jared Evan
It was awesome. The Game is a great guy. He is family, we are both signed to the same record label. He just gave me some good advice about the music industry and taught me some valuable lessons. He is kind of a mentor in a way. Working with Polow was fantastic. He is a very talented producer. He taught me a lot about music as well. It’s kind of crazy for someone like me to be working with all these big name people. Looking at where I was a year or two ago, my everyday life was not like this. It’s a place I never thought I’d be. I’m very grateful for it.

Jason
You also had a chance to work with director Rik Cordero. What was it like working with him?
Jared Evan
Rik has been a huge part of getting me to where I am today. Before I was signed anywhere, he was the one who took a chance on me and gave me a shot. I was interning at “The Fader”, a New York based music magazine. We met there, but at the time he had no idea I was working on music. I was basically just trying to do anything to get recognition in the music industry. Rik and I were just kind of friends. Over time we built up a rapport. One day he heard some music I was working on and he said he got inspired to put together a music video. The song was called “Frozen,”. I was kind of just beat making, trying to find a sound. I sent him over what I was working on and within a day or two he got back to me with a treatment for a music video. It was incredible. I hadn’t even finished the song yet and he wanted to shoot a video for it. We got working on that and he has really helped me get my music out there. He has done some tremendous work with me. Definitely a big shout out to Rik.

Jason
You being a drummer, if you had your wish, who would you pick to be the drummer in your band?
Jared Evan
Without a question it would be John Bonham from Led Zeppelin. That is my style all over. There is just no one like him, past or present. He is probably the best, if not, top three best drummers of all time. He was able to just play anything. Just an incredible musician.

Jason
So I guess that brings us to our last question. What are you doing in Miami?
Jared Evan
Well, right now I’m working on my debut album. I have a lot of good people working on my album with me. I have producers ill Factor and Jimmy Douglas helping out, as well as my manager Matt Graham. You might not hear the album for a hot minute, but it’ll be out there soon. I just want to make sure it’s perfect, I can’t wait until it is finally finished. I’m in a great environment right now in Miami. We can pretty much make any type of music down here. I love it and I hope my listeners will like it as well when the album finally comes out.

(Source: spotonli.com)