Ep 69 "To the Moon" with JNR Choi

are you good? Good? Now, I gotta start with telling you I've been singing your song for a couple of months now, and I've been singing it wrong the whole time. You know. The part is like it's you say, pull up the team gonna turn up. I say, pull up the same Ovagina saying get Ovagina Overgina good too, And that's kind of sound sounds like whatever it wants you to be, like things I've heard. Yeah, I don't know how you got there, but all right, just a little

uh ice breaker. But that's really what I thought you were saying you were singing out in the club. Yeah, yeah, it's no choice about to pull out with the same one. I wish I wish you could swap him out every once in a while. I'm gonna be honest with you. So, uh, when I first, um, I saw the song, like the video your video just came up bout a month ago, right, yeah, one of them. But when I started looking, I'm like, damn,

I only saw the original, not the original. I saw the version with um Fabio and um g Herbo, and I watched it twice because I'm like, where is this Nigga's verse? But I don't realize, like y'all have been pushing the hell out this song because I didn't realize it has like three different videos at this point. So you got a version with Fabio and Gie Herbo and in another version with Umunna. Yes, So how did that come about? How do you start? How do you work

with these United States rappers? Departed? Being here really like here anyway. I was gonna move out here anyway. I was going to be to the States. But then once the song stide blowing up, like I chewed for a second state in the UK and others like legal stuff, and then came over here. But I was always coming over here. And I'm a strong believer of just being being yourself wherever you need to be it's gonna happen to you. So g Herber was in the studio with Metro.

He just ran me, came in and then it was like, you know who sounds good on this? You send a verse over the next day, father was a no brainer. Um, I was playing call a g and my boy was like, yo, father, you know. I like, yeah, that would be hard. Let me be in contempt with the manager. That happened over there, and then kanna my Um, he's a good friend of him.

And then he heard the song. I love the song brain just being it's gonna be outside having So I've seen athletes transitioning music, and I've seen like this transition to music, but I've never seen models transition to music. So first tell us how you got into modeling, and then tell us how it turned into music. For sure, um modeling mode thing. A lot of people used to tell me that I should model, Like I used to have like quite a strong like fashion sense, Like I

used to come into college with some absurd clothing. People see what she got going on, and it was like, you know, stand out, you should you should maybe get into fashion, you should model. Um. I kind of brushed it for a long time. And then one of my friends really wanted to model, so he was like, yeah, I'm gonna go to go and check out some agencies. Basically the interviewed himself, coaties whatever, and I was like, yeah, cool,

I'll come with you. And then like he was getting into viewed and then they were like trying to interview me too, and I was like all right, cool, that's good. And then they all kind of like brushed it. They were like, now we think you'd be good somewhere else, and now I was like, hey, hold on, nah. The fact they said no kind of like yeah, they rejected me, and it charged me. I was like, what you mean? No,

I went back. I went back. I've done my research, you know, but peeped up all the agencies, saw what they were good for. They were good for their own reasons. I found out where I would I felt like I'd feel most like comfortable and what kind of you know, there's like editorials, there's runway, there's a commercial stuff, so you kind of have to like choose your fire. I was like, I'm going to run for all of them. And then I kind of just you know, cleared, my

skin got ready. Um. And then one day. I actually got scouted at work. Okay, um random, I was working in Talking Man. I don't know if you have these are yeah, oh fire. I was working in Talking Man and then randomly one lady come in and just like YO, think you should model, was like let and signed a country the next day and just quit the next day. Yeah, next day. So fashion and music has always went hand in hand. So was it more intentional for you to

make music for fashion? Runaway? Music was random? Music was very light because don't nobody be walking down and runway with no music? Might have motherfucker's walking down the runway. Yeah, can you imagine just clapping you know what? I not seen? The shawl was born just to suspense that. So all right, you walked for some top designers. What was your biggest like oh ship moment? Like oh ship, this is crazy? Um I think it was Javon Shi but when um,

when recorded tis she was still in that. Yeah. I remember just like walking into the venue like oh this is this is not a room, this is a whole. That confusral to that. So yeah that was probably not like whoa that was your old ship moment? All right? So I see like a lot of people are your viral on TikTok. Like I just started a TikTok for myself because I'm a little older. That ain't even my thing, right, but I started one because my producer said, I need

to be more president social media. Right. So I've been watching like people dancing to your song on TikTok And there's a particular dance that I see people doing this like where they're kicking they foot out and kicking to the side. You know how to do it? Na, what's it called the study or what's it called? Yeah, study, I don't know. At least you just come across the see me as well, Yeah, you can't do it, damn. I was hoping you could teach them. My legs was snap.

Do you attribute a lot of this a lot of the success of Um to the Moon to TikTok because that's when we actuel, Like that's when we first heard in the in the United States. Yeah, it definitely definitely like helped across the borders for sure. I saw that stuff in Africa, like the US heavy Yeah, focus question all right, I saw you said that your music is Afro drill. Was Afro drill versus UK drill? Yeah, it's a different it's an African essence in drill. So what's

drilled though? Trust that's what everyone else they was playing I'm gonna draw, So you're making drill music. So in Chicago we know what drill music isn't the like in New York with drill music is it's like people, I don't know what I'm about to tell you. Drill music essentially because you know the mirror whatever. New York is trying to ban drill music because it's like people committing crimes and actually rapping about it. That's what drill music.

So you you music god, well, most of the rappers they rap about ship they're not actually doing anymore. But with drill music, do you have the younger guys rapping about possibly killing somebody last week. I'm not trying to dim the move, but yeah, they'll put that in the song. That's what drill music is essentially. Is that what it is to you? To me? Yeah, no, I just hear. I hear in the production. So it's like the high hats,

it's like the slight cutain slides. They're in there. It's a certain like tempo that have you walking in a certain way. Which usually is lyrically aggressive and gang related. But I don't know. That's kind of why I never really wanted to jump on that drama. But I make a lot of music. I make Afric beats, I mean R and B and make sure. I was like, I'm gonna jump on drill. I'm gonna do it in my own way, and then I'm going to do it how I feel, and I feel like an African essence within

me gonna make it universal. Mm hm. So it's more about the production. You ain't shooting to killing nobody that creative or pretty a creative. I'm just sitping toe Kida and right, mm hmm. So you're from you're originally from or Gambia? Are you? Like? So you were born and raised in Gambia? When did you move to the UK? Unfortunately? Now, I was going in raising in the UK. Yeah, I was going and raised in London and I moved out to Essex and Africa like every year. Okay, So how

do you feel like your culture has influenced your sound? Um? Again, by bringing a lot of Africa in my assets slack, much like every song I've been making recently, it's just had that strong African gene in it. Um. Also just the melodies. There's a lot of melodies in African music. Yeah, there's a lot of melodies in my music. So look, I literally talked to the moon all right, trees rivers? Yeah, is there like, is there more of an esoteric or

metaphorical or metaphysical UM message behind behind and the song? No? Nothing, I think there is. The thing is The thing is that it may not be yet. You don't know it. Maybe I believe it. It is for a lot of people because I have had many messages about that stuff, and it's something I have sly. I do too know UM form. But in the making of it absolutely there was no intention. M hm. So all right, you're J and R are junior? Choice is there a senior like as we need him when we talk back? All right?

So when you go home, you it's been a lot of time in New York, you go home or people like, what is it like going back home? Because you know you grew up there, These people know you from childhood and all that. Do they treat you like a celebrity or they treat you like that man, you're trying to get something. But whatever, y'all eat, I'll say they treat me like so if that's a celebrity, h just or

it will be like congrats. A lot of congratulations is a little like homage to there's a little I've been seeing you working home? So no, are you single? Yeah? Okay, I was about to stay. Is there a girl who transition from regular to fame with you now? Like a transition? Yeah? Don't have nobody man at you after the dame of you? Now possible, that's my number one rule. Possible. I know, I know African parents be wanting their kids to be uh doctors and lawyers. Is your mom proud of what

you're doing? Yeah, she's like my number one. Does she listen to the She listened to the drill music. She listens to that. She listens to everything and everything right now, it's not funny. She'd be coming into my pictures like p the PM pushing she's pushing Pete. Yeah, good looks. How does your mama she's my prior age. No, don't do that, not your age. So all right, when you go to the studio, what is your vibe like, do you set like a vibe when you go in the studio?

And when do you go are you like an early morning studio guy, like a nighttime studio guy, Like, what does that look like for you? Cool? So I prefer the evening um because it's more acceptable. So she said, I can't be sipping at twelve o'clock in the afternoon. But yeah, that was that was the word. I kind of I'm gonna adapt him to whatever situation, whatever circumstances. So if I'm in there, it's just like, as long as I can catch the vibe with the beat, and

I'm good. So we'll just go through every I don't know if it's working with a producer, it we'll swing through some beats or we'll start creating something and then I just lock in, like I'll be like a part of the whole process. Um, we're getting the melodies down. I I mean this week I really do anything, but it will either get the melodies down and we'll just jump straight in and start like freestyle and getting something off, getting vibes out, um, and then before you know, it's

like a whole track, like an hour two hours. So is it like a club setting? Like yeah, got girls in their days, Like when girls can see that's my funny. They just sit there, they just said, they're smiling like this is good all right, or they do the opposite and just trying to be too and they're like, oh, you shouldn't trying to trying to like girl, you ain't got a song out relaxed, or the funniest one is when they have their own music and then you never

knew that and then just just slide it through. Oh that's okay, that's what you But when you get into management, I'm trying to get your ship. Yeah a hundred percent, hundred percent, but yeah, I'm gonna have some beautiful us already have a few months. So which is a bigger hustle the modeling business or music business? M big hustle as harder to do or like yeah, like which what

which one do you have to work the hardest at? Basically, see the music, it feels like easy work, you know, making making songs that comes comes out my just comes out like naturally, um, you know, doing interviews and speaking people and that stuff. I kind of enjoy it. So I think modeling because it's quite at least me in the space of l there's too much time on my just think and do, like more time I'm shooting on

my shoot my mate, why am I here? I'm really glad I did, but it all comes always nice to the pictures look mass and stuff and whatever. We know more time, I'm just like, I'm just really standing at I wasn't to be here. Do you see yourself like bridging music Like I saw your album It sounded like like, you know, a line dropping? Yeah for sure, for sure. Do you actually see potentially like creating fashion with your music dropping it? Can you imagine they want to give

too much? Just imagine like a collection coming out of every collection that's crazy? Yeah, that would be Yes, you do, I see your tars. You got a birthday coming soon? Yeah? Soon sixteen days? I don't. I don't know because I'm supposed to be in Atlanta at the time, but I don't really feel like spending my birthday sixteen days from now May what. Yeah, don't be in the strip club. That's so not for your birthday. Like some might just

fly somewhere tropical. Yeah, I don't think about going Jamaica. Yeah, Jamaica. That sounds nice. Are you You're about to go to Jamaica Sunday? That's what That's what you take a nice young lady with you you already know. Oh goodness, all right, So what are you listening to right now outside of your own music? Like? Who are you spending right now? Uh? Future future keeping a rep play all day long? Go

to Jamaica about your damn self, not Hara Nobody's daughter. Okay, I never liked you anyway after y'all, we're just friends. Were just we are farmers bumping up, enjoyed the holiday, and keep it moving right So all right, outside of future you know, listening to that right now? Like who are your musical inspirations growing up? Like? Now? Um? The weekend st John Uh, Tory Lanes, I get Travis Scott. No, you remind me of the Travis Scott. Do you know?

I get everything on that I get, I get Travis Scott, I get young Fuck what's the other one? Every day? Yeah? Oh yeah pot smoke with design? Yeah? How does that make you feel to be compared to these people? I mean I try to look at the positive and everything, and to be compared to goats, I am at it right, Yeah, that's a fact. Comparisons on the way. So what's so what's next for junior choice? M hm um, So it's it's it's single time, and there's so much music. There's

so much music coming in summertimes. I'm just I'm coming to set a vibe for summer. For sure. You can't give us playlist any new albums this year. We're gonna happen you take another new take another summer tape, for sure. Sniffett, we had the like I think I'm a whole an r like I got an air for music now. So when you when you were making to the moon, like did you know this was it? Like? Did you? But without anybody else telling you, like, did you know it

was a hit? Because certain songs you listened to him and even I can imagine making music. He'd be like, yeah, that's the one and it was a good song. I knew it was like and he was gonna pass the vibe check that makes sense. I knew it was that I can put this in there. It'll be good for like, you know people that like droll or whatever. When did you discover like, oh ship, everybody is feeling like what did you? Was you like outside somewhere you walk past

some white man. What's been There's been a few moments, there's been the first one was when I when I put it on TikTok, because I put it up on TikTok and knew was like this I was naming bad And then I took him nap for like an hour, and then I woke up and it was like mad comments, mad views, my blacks, my buzzing blowing up. That was the first kind of like okay, cool this, this is something's happened in here. And then when we got to Miami,

I think it was Miami. Little thing was Miami. And then it was like there was like three things at once that just happened, like someone Jove passed blasting in the car, some girls making a TikTok to it on the beach, and then something else happened. When when I was a cool, this is it is out of my control because she was talking to the moon and you see what I'm talking about, like it's just some ship that was outside of you, right, I seehere youre going with it. So let me ask you this all right,

that that samples Bruno Mars. Did you communicate with him about the song? Like how did that conversation go or did it not happen? Like it was just kind of like we just took a clarence with it. Yeah, well we didn't all right. Firstly, actually no disrespect, but I

actually didn't know it was a sample. I'm quite I quite live under a rock, so when I heard the beat, it was just like it just oh, it's cool, right, So I was just going through them and then I was just like it's fire Ba and I'm I love bream to listen to him just the way you are all the time. He's sing like my little brother. But like I never really like Taptin to be like, oh yeah,

that's that song. Um. And it was a sample of a cover of a guy called Sam Um, So that was like as a sample of example, a sample or something like that. Um like most exactly right, Like you see Bruo can't even talk ship. Yeah, I got sewed a couple of times. Sample himself was was loving it. He's happy with what we did with it. I heard that from his team, and I actually that one of the rides to was like, yeah, it's definitely all right.

We have a segment on our show is called dumb Bit Story, right, and that's where or some series and that's where we have our guests talk about the time they got played by a woman or a man obviously by a woman for you like she did some He was like, wow to me, Julior choy, bit do you have can you cheer story with us about a time? Like he was like, wow, seriously, you listen, you got something because people, like the older men, they always go back around your age and tell us a story about

some ship that happened in them in college. Like you're in college or just got out of college, so I know you got some stories the age. Yeah, you're in the age group or even like some niggas be like, oh, in high school, this girl did this. Like so you don't have a gout. No, I've never let myself even this fly your whole life, that's what you're trying to tell us, your whole life. I have never let myself get gout. Ever, we'll just keep living day you have.

I'm trying. I'm even trying to think like a somebody or him, I've been like the moment I sense it, I'm like, that's a good way to be. Yeah everywhere. Then get don't get wrong that everywhere, But I'm just like, so, how do you how do you how do you handle that with the fame and having women like I'm sure you have like young women just throwing themselves at you and like trying to like just be like cloud Chase and being the vibe Like, how do you how do

you handle that? I'm quite dismissive of it. I've always kind of had my type. I mean, my type are not anymore. So what's the type? Yes, what's the type? You know? It's just like a good woman, like a good woman. You know, their vibes there they know I have to vibe spot like they're not outside. Yeah, they don't not mean anymore. They don't want to be greepy, so they don't like me anymore. Oh so what you like doesn't like you? What does that happen that make

you feel? Well? I don't know. I just happened. You stuck with thoughts. I'm upset and I don't want them, and I don't want them, so I'm just like I got to watch someone off right now, that's it. I'm upset. I've been talking about every day, like lost of my joints. Look at the end of your at the end of the original video, I noticed that you had different Uh it looked like different versions of you. Maybe do you remember you know what I'm talking about. You do you

glasses on? You had your nose ringing? Another image and then it was another one. Is that because I know you have you said that summertime is more for the women, right and the club hits in winter is for your drill music? I guess right. So is this when all these different person your addition, that's where the demons, that's demon time in the wind should be inside it's cold outside.

I'm confused. It seems like summertime would be for that someone just someone's someone's pretty man, someone's like, someone's going nice? Essens to you want to be chinning in the park with some gold when the time you're like, what the Junes? He's brave enough to come outside? Yeah, especially a UK winner because in learning it's not a freezing your nose

outside didn't when you're out, it's different. Yea. If I'm always outside and that you know, she's no code on, no waiting outside and the keys to get a club, you know. So all right? My last question, all right, you've been in uh the US for some time now, back and forth. Do you prefer US cuisine to UK cuisine because them fucking baked beans for breakfast in the UK. Not my fucking thing. Hate that baked beans and dam calling it baking. That is not baking. That's ham, that's

not baking. What or what else they used to have? Yeah, it's like you put like a little egg and a cup and crack it open and like sticking bread and that ship. I'm like, what the is this? I don't know. It's funny as a culture. Definitely American cuisine, like I mean, I don't think British British cuisine is the thing. And they have like fish and chips and yeah that's the only thing that good. Yeah, I mean food quality, why

is that before? It's kind of like New York you have you have so many different cultures in the sea you can just got so it's like the foods depending on where you go. With the quality, it was better, okay for sure? Yeah, for sure for sure. All Right, we took up a quite quite a bit of your time. Can you tell our listeners where they can find you? We know what we can. You know, we can find him at everywhere right now, you find you can find me in the club. I better not catch yours hanging

out with future. I'm telling you if I can't you hanging out with future? I'm pulling my built out. That was a close cool the other day after met Gala? Oh, how is that you attended? You attended the met Gala? Really? Now, I didn't tend to Met Gala. Bye. I performed at the after party. I'm sat John Wow. Oh, well you had the one where Carter b was like like you have your little drink, have your little Oh that's what

happened that at the party. Yeah, but listen, Yeah, don't get caught up with that Hollywood ship with that cocaine. They stay out here, they say, and I'm set. Yeah, okay, and water keep drinking your water. I'm gonna keep right. This is a crown. Actually, that's all I had in here. I'd like to have a little sippy sit while I'm doing my interview so I can crazy shall look. But

we really appreciate you for pulling up when we talked back. Man, listen, you have to come back when your album drops, Come back and see us after the summer vibs come out so we can assess. Yeah, and then you'll have some series for us by that time. You're gonna have a story by that time. Game. Absolutely no I'm in my game, okay, I'm Look, he probably should tell us how. He probably should tell us how he's played somebody, because that's what

it sounds like to me. That's probably what does that mean? I'm innesting, I'm listing. I'm just I'm be playing all day. So you do play all day? Are you don't play? I'm playing all day. I'm playing with women. I'm playing the day. Everything's funny. I'm just assessing. I'm assessing. I'm assessing changes. No, that's good. You're at the space where you're supposed to be at twenty four hours. Don't break no hearts out here too bad. Keep them regrets to then.

That's all you can do. Yeah, I'm gentle. Look, good time. You know what what I found about British men or men living in the UK. They are smooth, They seem like they have some nice niggas, but they'd be just as ratchet hood these diggers in the UK. In the US, they the U s right, they talked. It's the accident that makes you think, oh, he's so smart. He'd be saying like it's brilliant. It's brilliant of crazy in its Well, thank you for joining us. Today, Man come back and see us okay.