“Do something out of your normal routine, and if you live a life worth writing about to the best of your ability, the inspiration will come,” – Justice Norwood, Moorestown, NJ.
I caught up with the 24-year-old singer/songwriter, and he gave some sound advice to up and coming artists, who are looking to make a name for themselves on the music scene. If there’s anyone out there who knows how to climb the ladder in music, then it’s him, as he recently opened up for legendary RnB group 112, in November 2017. From that experience and others, Norwood began to open up about how he achieved such a feat.
“It takes someone who is willing to wake up and do it every day, but I think that comes with being in any field,” said Justice. Once you can do that, he added “that dedication and persistence were the other two ingredients.”
Not only is Norwood dedicated and persistent in perfecting his craft, he is also dedicated and persistent into creating his own sound. While he doesn’t follow most trends, and what others are sounding like vocally, he does follow instrumental and production trends, as well as arranging live music.
I make music for me, music that only I like, and when others say they like something I appreciate it, but I’m just making music that comes from my head.
It may sound selfish, but according to Norwood, if you’re an artist who wants to be original and set yourself apart from others, then this component is vital.
I then asked him how he balances his music life plus his regular life, and he admits that it is one of the hardest things he’s ever had to do.
There was a time where I had to choose between chasing my dreams and meeting my obligations. It doesn’t matter how tired you get, you just got to do both. When Norwood isn’t working full-time or spending time with his son, he puts the rest of his free-time into music.
Norwood recalls not being serious when he first started making original songs, therefore he doesn’t add that timeframe to his resume. While doing music professionally for a decade, Norwood has been performing as an original artist for three years.
Groundwork is everything, they’re not going to pay you until you establish a name for yourself.
The Coalition of Music did a survey and found that the median yearly average for a musician in the United States, was $34,455.
Speaking of performing, he talks about how his stage presence has changed, and what an artist can do, to improve in that area. He says he’s still improving on it every single day.
“I perform live with a band, so I’m definitely looking to become more of an active performer,” he replied. Norwood says that he has found out one thing out about the average young crowd. That if you are on stage, and that if you start moving, then they will move right along with you.
The advice that Justice Norwood gave was sound. But, once you put all these great words of encouragement into action, and you’re ready to start, what’s next? Norwood gave some final words of inspiration.
“It takes finding any avenue you can to get exposure and get the promotion, and if you put your head down and work at it, by the time you bring your head back up, you will be in a better place.”
You can find him on Instagram @do_it_justice and Twitter.com/Justice_Norwood
