Just John is a participant of Freshmen Friday's Sound Off! program.
You can follow him here and listen to the rest of his music here.
Where are you from?: I’m originally from Scarborough.
Where do you live now?: I live in Toronto now.
What do you do for work?: I make music and I’m a cultural producer. So just creating all the time, whether I’m making music or making music videos or doing curated experiences with Blank Canvas, which is my art collective.
What do you do for fulfillment?: Just create and learn more, really.
What is your dream creative project?: Working on some kind of project with Pharrell would be a dream to me. Whether it’s music or just design,
Do you consider yourself a freshman, sophomore or senior in your field?: I think it’s best to always consider yourself a freshman. It always gives you room to grow. There’s a saying that came to me, “You’re always on the come-up.” No matter how many years you put into working on your lyrics or your beats or how many years you spent building your connections, you can always go a step further. There’s always a different realm that you can be in.That keeps me pushing and that keeps me growing.
What can’t you leave the house without?: My beret. If I could wear it in the shower I would. And my grills too, but mainly my beret. It’s just a really good staple for where I’m at in my life right now. Once I put on this beret, I felt asserted in my role. It reflects me because I am a very artistic individual but I also am involved and active in social events. You can see the beret in the art world, but you can also see it in a military setting.
What's a typical day in the life for you?: There is no typical day and that’s why I love being an artist. Every day is different. Every day there is a new project or an exciting event or meeting to go out to.
What would your perfect 24 hours consist of?: My ideal day is a day where I create but it’s also a day where I download. So whether it’s a good book I’m reading or it’s a good movie or documentary. Or even going out to an event and gaining inspiration.
Where's your favourite place to eat?: Don’t judge me but Chito’s Pizza at Lansdowne and Bloor. I get really self-actualizing afterwards though. I’ve got to be eating better. It’s just so good though. Shawarma on pizza? That’s a genius invention.
Where's your favourite place to dance?: Blank Canvas events. That’s the only time that you will really see me go off. There’s so much energy.
Where's your favourite place to drink?: With friends.
Where's your favourite place to shop?: Value Village. I’d rather thrift around. Or Shop Get Rekt.
Is there something you really want to do in your city that you haven't yet?: Festivals. We’ve got NXNE in June so that’s kind of ticked off the list. But any festival. Or opening for a big artist like Vince Staples. That would be lit. Or playing a solo show at The Phoenix or Mod Club.
What are your go-to tunes for getting ready to leave the house in the morning?: It changes, but recently: Baths - Lovely Bloodflow Ho99o9 - Hydrolics. I also listen to a lot of Tom Misch when I’m getting ready. Flamingosis is really sick too. Blank List - We (his arts collective, Blank Canvas) choose like five songs every month. We just started doing it and it’s really cool to hear what people in my collective are listening to. You can find it on Spotify.
What are your go-to tunes for going out for a night on the town?: Dom Dias remixes.
What was your new years resolution?: Self care. I wanted to make sure that this year I was spending more time taking care of myself and giving my body what it needs. And travelling more.
Kindly recommend 3 people that we can continue the conversation with: