Journey Montana is the youngest artist to sign to 10K Projects, the label that is home to Internet Money, Trippie Redd and Ice Spice. Journey Montana was everywhere in 2024. She signed her first deal, performed on “The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon” alongside GloRilla and T-Pain, and dropped a few hit singles. Her latest project will release Jan. 31, 2025, and she popped by the studios to discuss her new project and the new era she is stepping into.
Why was “You” the perfect lead single to your upcoming album?
Honestly, I feel like something that was really important is really important with this project is making music that makes you feel something. And I think that “You,” like immediately when we made it, it was towards the end of the project being, like, finalized, it was just like, when you listen to it, it just made you feel so much. And everybody kind of had the same reaction to it. And it was kind of an unspoken and then spoken consensus that we came to that this is the one and is the perfect single to usher in this new kind of music that this project has.
Why is now the perfect time for you to head into your new era?
Honestly, I kind of had an epiphany coming into this project. And that’s why I feel like the project has like an affirmation undertone. And I, I consciously did that because like before, like maybe last year, two years ago, I was making not so positive music, and it was an era and it was necessary because that was how I was feeling at the time. I was heartbroken and I was going through it. I was a little jaded. But I just realized the way that my songs manifest for me and how powerful my words are and especially recording them and playing them over and over again and listening to it and singing it. I understand the power of words. And with this project, I really just wanted to make more positive music and be more responsible with my pen and with the music that I’m putting out. So, I just kind of had that in the back of my head when I was writing this project that. Not to make it cringey like affirmation music, but just to be mindful of what I’m putting out and be responsible with that power that I have.
At the age of 21, that’s a major realization. How did you realize so quickly that you wanted to put out a better message with your music?
I think it’s really just the way that I was raised. My family, I grew up in an all-woman household and I think that honestly, in my opinion, makes people a little bit smarter. I’ll trust the man a little bit more with a lot of women in his life. Because it just makes you use your brain and be self-aware and be emotionally intelligent and be able to learn from your mistakes and really take a look at yourself. And I feel like I’ve always been a very hyper aware person. And I noticed this before because I had put out this is. This was like 2020-2021. I dropped a song selfless. This is when I first, first came out. And it was so crazy because I was just making it up. I was just saying anything. And it was a very specific situation that I was writing about. Like I made up like a love triangle and it was like, I like this person, they like me and this and that. And then a few months after it dropped, I ended up in that exact situation. I spoke it into existence.
