Atlanta’s homegrown and unique Paris Jones is out on the prowl, as a sensational singer and song-writer. The “Rare” artist is one that is shining bright as she tours with the diva herself, Ms. K. Michelle this summer on the Just Kimberly Tour. Almost two years after signing to Atlantic records, PJ is determined to produce a unique sound, which is sure to keep you entertained. Truly eccentric…electric…and ultra savy in her own skin. Yeah that’s LA’s finest, Miss Jones! She’s able to use her artistic skills and successes to take the world by storm with her untouchable talents in the music industry. Not only is she beautifully gifted with songwriting and singing, but she holds the ability to inspire and surpass all obstacles that stand in her way.
Who have you written for?
I’ve written for B.o.B, Nicki Minaj, Trey Songz, Wiz Khalifa, Tyga, Usher, Akon and Wale.
How did you get into songwriting?
It started six months after I graduated college. It’s been like a hustle. I didn’t get any business for a year. My first placement was with Meek Mill.
Where are you from?
I’m from Atlanta. I was born in Greensboro, North Carolina. I moved here when I was 13. I’ve lived in Sandy Springs for two years. Then, my dad moved us to Gwinnett County, which I hated.
What high school did you attend?
I attended Grayson High School and graduated in 2012.
What college did you attend? What did you major in there?
Middleton Tennessee State University. I majored in mass communications, music business.
How did you even know to go to a label to become a songwriter?
I learned a lot while I was in school. I just assumed everybody wrote their own songs, but the school I went to in Tennessee is like 30 minutes from Nashville. Nashville is like a big songwriting town, so that’s when I like learned about it and about the industry of it.
What do your parents do? Are they in the industry at all?
No. My dad is like an entrepreneur. He played professional football. My mom is a nurse.
When you pen your songs, do you pen them as PJ?
Yes. My songs say Paris Jones, but my artist name is PJ.
So, you’re signed to Atlantic? Tell me about that.
We signed like a year and a half ago. The first EP was called, Walking Around Pools, so that was like an introduction. Two weeks ago, we put out Rare. Yeah, it’s a new thing for me, so I’m still learning. It’s a lot different from being behind the scenes and now everything matters.
What stages have you performed on?
Yeah, K. Michelle is my first tour. I’ve done smaller shows in L.A., but this is the first time to like travel. I love it! It’s the best thing for me!
Are you still based in Atlanta or have you moved
I live in L.A. You know Atlanta used to be the mecca for music and I guess things slowed down and migrated to L.A.
What do you like about L.A.?
To be honest, I’m just getting used to being in the nightlife. I’m mostly like in the studio and then I’m home. That’s it! Now that I’m an artist, I have to go out and shake hands like a President. I’m getting out of the house more. L.A.’s cool! I still haven’t seen that much of it other than going to restaurants. It never rains there and I don’t get bit[ten] by mosquitoes.
Who do you long to collaborate with?
Um, Drake, Kanye West, and probably John Mayer.
Any females?
Missy.
Really? Why Missy?
I feel like she broke it down for being different. Back in the day when the walls were tighter, her music had to be times 10. You know what I’m sayin’? She had to work that much harder in her music. I don’t know a male or female that’s messing with her creatively.
What are your parents saying about all of your successes?
They’re happy! My dad just saw me perform last night for the first time. I’ve always wanted to do music, but I didn’t really tell them because I thought they would be like “You need to go to school to do something else.”. I remember I told my dad that I wanted to go to school for audio engineering, he was like, “All right, have fun with that.”
So, we’ve talked about the people that you want to collaborate with. If you had to describe yourself as an artist, how would you describe yourself?
So, I think I’m rare. I think I have a mix of like R&B, pop, and hip-hop. I’m just not one sound. You can’t define my sound. If you try to, I would do it more so by the message. So, like “Underdogs” isn’t like the normal person, so I wouldn’t give it a genre. Me being outside of the box is making it much harder to climb. A lot of times I feel like people don’t know how to put me out there. It’s like, yeah I am black and I do R &B, but R&B doesn’t really define anything that I do.
When you were growing up, did you take singing lessons? How did you train your voice?
Actually, my first singing lesson wasn’t until high school. I took choir for like a semester and then in middle school and high school I did orchestra. My sister actually took the chorus lessons. I started taking voice lessons when I signed to Atlantic, because I felt like I wasn’t singing correctly. So, that helped.
What was the key for Atlantic signing you?
Umm … well they said “no” the first time. It wasn’t until we got other offers that they decided to sign. I think it was just the sound of it. My managers helped because they work at Atlantic too. So, I think it was just the music. You have to sing in front of them. When I did do it the first time, I sounded really bad because I was like super nervous.
So, what’s the farthest place you’ve traveled so far? What was it like?
Sweden. I actually didn’t get to see it. I was with Akon working. I basically saw the McDonald’s in Sweden and then we went back to the studio. Like, I didn’t see any of it.
What’s your social media? Where can we find you?
Justpeej, is for Instagram and Twitter. On Snapchat, it’s pajamajones.Is there anything else you’d like to add?
So, yeah. The album, Rare, has 11 songs. It’s not an EP, it’s an album. It’s on Spotify, Sound cloud, YouTube, all that. I have two songs I’m pushing. One is called “Gangster”, the other one is called, “Tell Me”. “Gangster” is about being a good person, but you have people walking all over you all of the time. You’re just fed up, so you want to be gangster. You don’t want to be the one that deals with any BS, you just want to be like “no”. So, that’s what that song is about.
