HCM. How did you come by your stage name?
LeahJude. Leah was my childhood nickname and Jude is my middle name. My mother loved Saint Jude, the patron saint of hopeless cases. I always identified with that to a degree, a hopeless case.
HCM. When did you discover your love for music and what made you realize you wanted to pursue a career in music?
LeahJude. When I was a kid, as far back as I can remember I would pretend I was a famous rapper. I would rap in the mirror. It was a huge secret! It’s funny to think about that now. It was so innocent but I was so embarrassed about it.
I bought a MacBook as a teenager and started messing around on GarageBand and I took to it immediately. All of the melodies in my mind I was finally able to get them out. I would record using a cheap USB mic. Home music equipment was nothing like it is now and what was available was really expensive. I couldn’t hold down a job so I was perpetually stuck in a loop of entry-level pay everywhere. This was over a decade and a half ago. I wrote so many songs back then. I wish I still had some of them.
It was pretty recent that I decided this is what I’m doing. I had always wanted to make music for a living but I felt like people would insult my music or insult me, I also had this idea it was irresponsible and I needed something more steady. I was never happy though. I’m happy now just doing this. I’d rather live in my car then go back to a 9 to 5. They crush my soul. They seriously damage my spirit. I do not deal well with my life being controlled by corporations that don’t pay me what I’m worth.
HCM. On your current/upcoming album… How did you come up with the concept for this project?
LeahJude. “New Mind” is the album where I feel I kind of figured out my style. My last album was a disaster. The quality was pretty bad and the beats I was producing didn’t suit me well. I was just experimenting with what I thought might be popular.
“New Mind” has a rap/rock vibe. My normal Lyrical style with strong rock/electronic beats. Heavy guitars and drums with some synths and arpeggiators to really drive home an almost, Rob Zombie-Esque type sound.
HCM. What are some of your greatest challenges as an artist, and what is your greatest attribute when it comes to your work ethic?
LeahJude. I think the lack of support. Not a lot of people You’re close to, when you get into music, care about it. They have their own lives. They’re having kids and getting married and I’m posting Rap and beats.
I think people also just have this preconceived notion of you and if you’re doing something that doesn’t match who they think you are or doesn’t fit their perception of you, it throws them off. This is common I’ve talked to tons of artists about it. A majority of support we get is from each other. We share each other’s music, help each other with beats. I’ve made a lot of friends that either produce or rap. That is one of the coolest parts of this whole thing. The creative people that have entered my life.
As for my work ethic, I work on music for about, and I’m not exaggerating, 16 hours per day Monday through Friday. Weekends I do my thing and take a break. Producing, writing, recording, mixing. I love it though. The time seriously flies. I don’t want to do anything else.
HCM. Is there anyone you’d like to thank, any shout outs?
LeahJude. Kyle, thanks for always listening to everything I create. GrownUp Indigo, Don Tee, Matt Slone, you guys have all been huge sources of both help and motivation. Sanjay and Dharti from Sanjay C the first YouTube channel to feature my music. There’s so many creators that have been big parts of all of this. I wish I could thank everyone.
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