CREATIVE PRODUCTION + STYLING REGALJASON - PHOTOGRAPHY YANA VAN NUFFEL - ASSISTED BY DAN COLEMAN - SPECIAL THANKS LUCID PUBLICITY
As part of a new series, F Word asked alternative pop artist Regal Jason to give us an insight into his world through showcasing a day in the life where Jason's creativity, honesty and collaborative spirit shines through. We also got the chance to ask some questions to get to know this exciting emerging artist a little better.
Regal Jason: At first when tasked with producing these images of a day in my life I thought to wait until I had an ideal day where I went to the studio, filmed a music video, or headed to a gig, but the truth is that most of my days are spent working the day job I hope my music will one day carry me out of. With that being the case, I decided to combine elements of the ideal day with elements of my average day which is less than ideal, to say the least. There’s a few “easter eggs” in there as to what that entails. It’s very fitting, given we shot this just a few days before Palm Sunday.
F Word: What are you hoping people will take from this song/EP/album?
REGALJASON: My latest release, “I Am”, is an affirmation meant to remind whoever sings along that everything we need to succeed we already have within us. The lyrics “I am the best thing that ever happened to me” are hard to sing when you don’t feel that way inside. To sing along is to challenge yourself to believe in yourself fully in spite of your own insecurities and those fed to you by the society you participate in. I hope it will act as a vehicle to carry people towards true self love.
FW: What genre could you see yourself experimenting with for a future project?
R: I would love to release an orchestral project in the future. I did a class on composing for orchestra in university and fell in love with its power, textures, and intricacy. I also found it amazing that while a song performed by an orchestra is something many have never experienced live, it is a sound palette so familiar to us through its use in film that it has a way of transporting us to places in our subconscious. For now, I mimic those elements occasionally with synths and vocal arrangements but I can’t wait for the day that I can work with a real orchestra.
FW: If you had to choose one component for a great song/EP/album, what would it be?
R: I’ve always been a lover of lyrics. Our individual experiences in life are only so unique and almost every cocktail of emotions has already been felt and expressed by a writer at some point in the history of written language. It is extra special to me when an artist finds fresh ways to tell a story, or present a point of view. As art goes, what truly moves people is often not what you have to say but how you say it.
FW: If you had to choose a new career completely outside of anything having to do with music, what would it be?
R: I try not to think about what else I could be doing besides music. A producer once told me that when pursuing music if you make a “plan B” you will inevitably end up doing “plan B” as you’re guaranteed to face challenges that make you want to give up on “plan A”. He was so right about that last part. That being said, my first love was dance. I dreamed of being a choreographer but I never pursued it properly. There weren’t many boys in dance schools in Panama when I moved there at seven years old and my parents didn’t want me to experience bullying. As life would have it, I was still bullied anyways while on the basketball team. There’s a lesson there. I have plans to incorporate more dance into my art soon, so look out for that.
FW: Do you believe in manifestation?
R: I 100% believe in manifestation. Even just doing this shoot for F Word, I feel that I manifested the styling. I knew that I wanted to wear silver for this shoot but couldn’t find anything that I could afford. Less than 24hrs before the shoot I came across this amazing silver coat by Eirinn Hayhow that perfectly matched my mood board. It was out of my budget even just to loan it, but with nothing to wear I decided to have faith that the money would return to me quickly. Less than 24hrs after the shoot, a show booker called me up out of the blue about an unpaid gig I had done weeks before and told me to send him an invoice for the exact amount I had just spent on loaning the coat from Eirinn. Say your prayers, be specific, and most importantly, be grateful.
DISCOVER REGAL JASON
SUSTAINABLE DESIGNERS FEATURED: GRETE HENRIETTE; SSSILK666; GLORIA JANE ROYER; EIRINN HAYHOW; CHESHE