British-Australian multi-instrumentalist, singer, songwriter, DJ and producer Jesse Neo just released a new single. The Sydney-based musician via London composes original music full time in the Land Down Under. “Sex Magic”, his latest release, testifies of the music artist’s affinity for fusion. He blends elements of classical with electronic Eurodance, groove, pop, new wave and hip-hop to compose his own acoustic brand. 1InMusic meets with the enigmatic up and coming talent.
1 In Music: Hey Jesse. Thank you for meeting with us. What would you say unique about your music?
Jesse Neo [JN]: I started taking music lessons when I was very young and pretty much grew up with the classics. However, in 2016, I suddenly got interested in electronic music and decided to do a course on it. I found it to be extremely interesting and that made me decide to be an EDM and pop artist. If you listen to my music, you can hear a lot of classical elements combined with edgy modern sounds.
1 In Music: What/who shaped your music and who supports you?
JN: I remember being really into the big DJs and producers like David Guetta, Martin Garrix and Steve Aoki. I’m also very inspired by Lady Gaga, Michael Jackson and Britney Spears because they have been such pop icons for so long.
1 In Music: When did you realise you were going to make music professionally?
JN: I never wanted to do music professionally. I was actually working towards being a computer programmer. However realizing music production was very similar to programming, as in having to work with files and processes in a systematic process, I thought that I could be able to work with music and then gradually made it my career.
1 In Music: What type of music do you listen to?
JN: I listen to all type of music. From the classics like Mozart, Beethoven and Bach, all the way to Reggae, pop, Boom Bap, electronic, dance… pretty much everything!
1 In Music: In all this music you listen to, which artist(s) do you think is/are the most undervalued?
JN: Being an Australia native, I feel that a lot of the artists in my homeland are very undervalued. There are so many artists however only a handful has ever made it to the international spotlight, as almost as though they’re not good enough. But everyone back home knows that is not true.
1 In Music: How do you prepare for your performances?
JN: I usually visualize the entire performance in my mind before going on stage. Usually everything has been planned to make sure I have everything under control. The worst thing, in my opinion, is to not be prepared for what happens and then make a fool of myself.
1 In Music: What do you do when you don’t do music (creative or otherwise) and that you are passionate about?
JN: When I’m not making music, I love programming websites and mobiles apps. In fact I have just started a music website known as Gemtracks.com that allows artists to purchase royalty-free beats at cheap prices.
1 In Music: To you, Success is…
JN: …being able to creatively express yourself in a way that listeners and fans can connect at a personal level.
1 In Music: What do you wish you were told when you started out and that you think would help anyone who starts out?
JN: There is a lot more to music than just singing. There is a lot of musical theory that can get as complicated as maths. So when starting out, it is important to educate yourself.
1 In Music: Any upcoming projects?
JN: Besides working on building Gemtracks.com, I will be filming a music video once the pandemic is over, probably next year.
1 In Music: Thank you for sharing your music with us. Where do we find more your music?
JN: You can find me on Spotify under my name Jesse Neo.