Today we’d like to introduce you to Phleaux Johnson.
Phleaux, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
Music is something that is in me. I come from a very musically inclined family. My mother, Jammi J, is a gospel singer so growing up we used to sing a lot of duets together on our car rides to school. I gotta be honest, she put me on to a lot when it comes to my taste of music. She played a lot of Neo-soul, and R&B like Common, Lalah Hathaway, Brandy, Musiq Soulchild, and Day 26, I mean the list can go on forever. At that young age, I didn’t realize that I was picking up pieces of their sound and implementing into my own. My grandfather used to only allow jazz music during our weekend stays with him and as a child, I used to think it was so boring. NO lyrics, just instruments? it wasn’t until I got older that I could really appreciate the harmonies and melodies I was listening to.
I started playing the drums around the age of 5 shortly after I moved to Charlotte, North Carolina. I function with rhythm. growing up I always used to make beats on anything I get my hands on. Teachers used to hate having me in class cause I used to make beats with pencils on my desk. I moved back to San Diego when I was 9 years old and began playing for my mom as she sang in church. later on, down the line, I picked up piano and started producing my own music.
Being an Independent artist takes a lot of hard work and dedication. I remember having a small setup in my closet at my dad’s house. Now I have an Engineer, Nomad Grey, who records and mixes everything for me at a professional recording studio. it takes a lot of money though. ballpark I’ve spent around 15-$20,000 on music expenses alone: LLCs, Studio Time, Producers, Equipment, Music Videos, etc. all of my own money. you just gotta have faith that you’re meant for this shit. then all that money is simply an investment.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall, and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
I’d say my biggest obstacle so far has been finding a team of creatives who are as consistent and passionate about music like I am. A lot of people say they’re down for the grind but the moment we gotta put in work they’re nowhere to be found. I was working on my debut project “Welcome Home” and we had like 2 weeks until the deadline. In the middle of a session, my previous engineer completely bailed on me. I mean dude left 20 minutes into our session not to mention he was 10 minutes late. everything happens for a reason though. had he never bailed on me, I would’ve never had the chance to work with Nomad. Him Leaving allowed me and Nomad to work on a song together for the first time and I haven’t been with anyone else since.
Filming my Brown Skin Girls Visual was probably the most stressed out I’ve been in my career so far. this is an expensive ass video mind you. grand total came in a little north of 5 grand.
– I lost my shoot location 2 weeks before shoot date
– I lost the feature on my song 3 weeks before the shoot
– I had to cut half my cast because of the new location rules
– we never saw the venue we were shooting at until the day of
_& of course, it rained
so, we spent hella money to film a visual to an unfinished song?! Lol yes that’s exactly what we did. and it came out pretty good to be honest but I’ll always dislike it because it wasn’t the vision, I had originally planned but I learned2 valuable lessons that day
1. never rush art
& 2. Only stress over things you can control
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
I am a recording artist/ producer/ writer by the name Phleaux [fl-ō]. I’d consider myself an R&B rapper. I have the ability to rap but I like to layer my vocals with 2 parts or 3-part harmony. My upcoming EP “PHC” is my favorite body of work ill have out. it has 3 tracks: “Smoke Some”, “Dil8”, and “Me Myself & Mary Jane”. Mary Jane is my favorite on the ep because it was the first song to feature my band with me as the musical director. What sets me apart is I’m the jack of all trades. My Versatility is unmatched, you need a rapper or singer? I do both lol. Not many people can record, write, and produce their own songs. I just so happen to be one of those ones that can.
What are your plans for the future?
We plan on signing under new management by the end of summer 22′. we have a couple more visuals coming out this year. and all my visuals are pretty much movies. we’re even filming one in Brazil at the end of the year. Expect some of the greatest music this city. the world, has ever heard
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jeauxdan/?r=nametag
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCCqnr1j-REZbFi_UhCRT6dQ
Image Credits
Xavier Burton
