A Chat with J€AN-MARC (30.06.26)
With millions of streams behind him and an independent career built on consistency rather than chasing trends, J€AN-MARC is entering a new chapter with confidence. His latest single, ‘Chrome Heart Jeans’, captures the melodic, hard-hitting style that’s become his signature while hinting at a broader artistic evolution. Raised between Finland, Ecuadorian family roots, and the streets of New Jersey, his music is shaped by a unique mix of cultures, lived experiences, and a relentless DIY mentality. From producing and engineering his own records to carving out his own lane without compromising his sound, J€AN-MARC continues to prove that longevity comes from authenticity. We caught up with him to talk about the making of ‘Chrome Heart Jeans’, his creative process, the influence of New Jersey on his identity, and where he’s taking his music next.
OSR: ‘Chrome Heart Jeans’ feels like a confident statement. What mindset were you in when you made it?
J€AN-MARC: I still remember linking up one of my day on producers, NKB Fabio (who also produced one of my hit singles ‘BATMAN’, amassing 4 million streams), after not seeing each other for about a year or so, and this beat was literally the very first beat he showed me. He insisted on showing me everything else he’d been working on, which was also fire, but I just kept saying nah, something about that first beat was special. And honestly, he helped sculpt a lot of the flows and lyrics during our recording process. The hook itself might not even be what it is without him there. I would say my mindset at that time was extremely focused/determined, but also confident in the sense that I knew it was gonna be something special very early on after just hearing the beat.
OSR: How do your Finnish, Ecuadorian, and New Jersey influences show up in your music, even if it’s not always obvious on the surface?
J€AN-MARC: You know, I might not have even given music a shot if my parents hadn’t chosen for me and my sister to go to high school and college there in Finland. My old friends there really inspired me to give it a shot, and here in the States, I feel like there’s just so many more people making music or knowing artists that it makes it a little more intimidating to get into, compared to over there, where the portion of creatives is very small in general. And growing up with a Latin family in NJ and traveling to Ecuador as a kid definitely added a layer of humility and appreciation towards the opportunities I got to grow up with. Ecuadorians that make it out of Ecuador into the USA are very ambitious and quite intelligent, hard-working people, and my father was definitely one of them. Thanks to him and his culture, I adopted a rigorous work ethic still being applied to this day.
As per my Jersey influence, growing up as a baby in Union City and then moving to a more crime-ridden area like Paterson definitely influenced my whole worldview. Our home there got robbed right under our noses while our whole family was asleep. My sister and I fell asleep hearing gunshots and screaming a lot of nights. We lived right across from Barnet Hospital, so there was a lot of ambulances coming to and from where we lived. Jersey, I would say, thickened my skin and planted the seed for much of the lyrical context I still use to this day. A lot of my lyrics, as outrageous as they might sound, are all sprinkled with real-life elements I have either lived through personally or witnessed myself.
OSR: You’ve built a strong, independent run so far. What’s been the biggest challenge in staying self-driven?
J€AN-MARC: Even before other people around me told me I had the abilities to succeed in music, I was always quite motivated for some reason in learning more about my craft and seeing how my art would progress. Because music was more than just a fun dopamine boost, it was really an outlet, especially in the beginning when I had nobody to talk/vent to. And that’s why, still to this day, no matter how lost I might end up feeling in other aspects of life, I know through music I will always be able to find my equilibrium.
The biggest challenge I have against that fire inside me is honestly all these insane amounts of day-to-day distractions like mindless social media content, daily depressing real-world politics and other people showing up in my life, I feel like are helping me but are really just doing more talking than working. I try my best to not let anything come in front of the music, however.
OSR: Your sound blends melodic elements with street-influenced rap. How do you decide where a song sits between those worlds?
J€AN-MARC: Interesting question that I think could also be answered with another figurative question: who says street-based rap can’t already have melodic elements? Just look at The Weeknd singing about being homeless and robbing people for their clothes. In his older work, he could just as well simply say his lyrics, and it would be considered street-based rap, but he decides to use his vocal abilities to deliver them through melodic elements. I think when it comes down to whether or not I want a song to sound more melodic or more rap-esque, that’s entirely up to the beat production and what flow state it throws me into.
OSR: Can you walk us through your creative process from first idea to finished record?
J€AN-MARC: Step 1: Beat is discovered that makes me feel something.
Step 2: Culminating all the melodies/flows that are coming into my head from hearing different sections of the beat.
Step 3: Finding meaningful lyrics to fit in with and rhyme with those said flows/melodies.
Step 4: Recording sometimes hundreds of takes until I find the right tonality and delivery for what I’m trying to convey.
Step 5: If I hit a wall in the process or if I manage to get all my ideas down in the recording demo, I will usually let my ears refresh and revisit the track the day after. (This is when I start getting feedback from my creative circles).
Step 6: Finalize any takes/lyrics that stick out to me.
Step 7: Spend a ridiculous amount of time mixing and mastering.
Step 8: Rinse and repeat with another song.
OSR: You’ve had viral moments in your career. How do you balance making music for culture versus making music for longevity?
J€AN-MARC: That’s definitely sometimes a very tumultuous battle, I know for a fact there’s songs I have already dropped that are timeless but not aligned with what the current state of hip-hop is acclimated to, and I think CHJ is even one of them. I like to throw new age culture pop references into all my new projects to keep my context fresh, but I feel like I’ve never really been one to hop on a beat trend or specific sound that the culture is leaning into. Even though many people around me will try to persuade me to pursue something because “everyone’s listening to it!” at the moment. I just like making stuff that sounds a little bit out of the realm of what’s considered normal/popular.
OSR: What does New Jersey represent to you creatively, and how has it shaped your identity as an artist?
J€AN-MARC: Jersey to me represents an underground hub of super talented underdogs that seem to continuously get outshined by it’s neighboring state, New York. If only people really knew how much talent comes out of Jersey like SZA, Whitney Houston, Akon, Lauren Hill, the Fugees, and so much more, then people would give Jersey the respect it deserves, and that’s why even though a lot of New Jerseyans like to shout out NYC and act like they are a part of that culture/industry. I’m proud of my roots here, and I have no shame in telling the world that. There’s a lot of competition within Jersey, so it has shaped me to be a little more cutthroat with how I move in the industry, but I love it all nonetheless.
OSR: As someone who is self-taught in audio engineering, how has that changed the way you approach making records?
J€AN-MARC: I can articulate the sound I’m looking for more efficiently than most other artists can because I already understand the technical aspects. It’s kind of a blessing and a curse because I love that I can always create whenever I want to, but also I don’t think I’ve ever paid for a studio sesh with another engineer where I thought to myself, “Wow, he’s mixing my voice better than I can”. It’s almost always quite the contrary, so to me it feels like nobody knows how to tailor to my voice like I do.
OSR: Who are the artists or moments that still push you creatively when you’re in the studio?
J€AN-MARC: Definitely my team over at my new recording studio location in Jersey City, “LOCKBOX STUDIOS”. Shoutout XXLTARIK, Jhay Foreign & RIPJAC, I’ve been working with these guys night and day, bringing the next new wave of music. Also gotta shoutout my mentor, NKB co-founder Ali Fiero, for really helping me make music when I had nobody else around when I first started. We just dropped a new single, also with this same producer Fabio, called ‘SHAKE DAT AHHH’. It’s a fun summer club song if you’re looking for something to turn up to.
OSR: Where do you see your sound evolving next, and what should listeners expect from your next chapter?
J€AN-MARC: I’m seeing my sound evolve in a more consciously involved and melodically oriented direction. I’m starting to leave the random bits of street stories and one-liners behind, and I’m now focused on pushing a more unifying message that brings more people together. I’m singing more and more, and I’m honestly super excited for you guys to hear what’s on the way. I think it’s gonna expand what everyone thought my potential initially was.
Many thanks to J€AN-MARC for speaking with us. Find out more about J€AN-MARC on his Instagram, TikTok, Facebook and Spotify.
