After being told he had no rhythm, Jouri (née Jouri Frazer) said he never saw himself doing music, but watching his friend make a beat led to an obsession with figuring out how to do it himself. Jouri got better at it, started writing and, since he’s a perfectionist, he decided if he was going to make music, he’d do it at the highest level.

“It’s funny now cause I think creating a beat is still the part of the process that is the most magical for me,” Jouri said. “It’s like a form of alchemy almost, taking elements from here and there and creating this thing that has never existed before. It’s like a dark forbidden art, [it’s] super cool.”

Jouri describes himself as alternative hip hop and though he’s often compared to Childish Gambino (Donald Glover’s stage name), he just wants to sound like himself. Inspiration comes from many places, but he’s musically inspired by the grand production style of (older) Kanye West and Timbaland and the disciplined minimalism of Drake and Frank Ocean, his dream collaboration.

“The way [Frank Ocean] tells stories and paints pictures with his lyrics is insane. Damn, I really wish I could sing. I remember when I first heard “Pyramids,” I was destroyed. I figured I’d just give up music and take up golf or something,” Jouri said. “I’m also a big fan of dense lyricism, artists like Lupe, Eminem, Andre 3k, [all] of them are gods at what they do.”

Jouri’s first project was The (GREAT) Escapist, which he referred to as his “emo teenage angst channeled musically”; then came The (TRUSTED) Deceiver, influenced by his interest in French and Gothic architecture and Chiaroscuro paintings, and his attempt at making something grand and epic; and lastly Headphone Therapy, a mixtape.

“I spend a lot of time with headphones on and wanted to make something that would really reward headphone listeners, so there’s a bunch of cool trippy and spacey effects going on. It’s all really dark and ambient. I actually really like that kind of sound. I’ll have to explore it again,” Jouri said. “Even though it was just a mixtape, that’s still the project that everyone always asks me about. Guess you really never can tell.”

Even though Jouri’s projects were well received from listeners, his SoundCloud and Bandcamp accounts are now empty and the only solo efforts available online are “Headphone Therapy Vol 1” and a video for “How 2 Deal (Denial)”. He chalked it up to fear and perfectionism.

“The funny thing about creation is that you have this level in your head that you identify as being “good” and nobody else knows what that level is, so you can make something and everyone can tell you ‘Wow, this is amazing,’” Jouri said, “but if it’s not up to this standard in your head, it’ll never seem good to you. It’s a gift and a curse. I started making music before I found what that level was for me, [then] when I found it, I kinda panicked by comparing all my songs to it and felt they didn’t measure up. Fear is really a killer.”

Jouri still continued to make music but his worst fear came true last year with the arrival of COVID-19, especially since he’s an essential worker. He joked about quarantine being appealing to an introvert like him, but said it’s been a rough year for everyone and he tries to take it one day at a time. 

Though studio time has slowed during the pandemic, the subject matter of Jouri’s recent songs have been about his hatred for capitalism and coping with depression. Post-pandemic, he hopes to ramp up production, add visuals and continue telling stories through his music, which ties into his first love: acting.

Before knowing how to put a song together, Jouri was a theater nerd and he said he always will be attached to acting. Jouri views his songs as short films that follow a protagonist in some kind of moral conflict – with the production as the setting of the piece – so one song might be a big epic while another might be a romance in between the Oscar winners. 

The difficulty of finding acting jobs outside of New York, California and Atlanta deterred Jouri from pursuing acting, but the freedom of music creation allows him to make a complete work by himself, put it out independently if he chooses and to channel his inner actor.

“There’s just something about becoming someone else and helping to bring a story to life. I think that’s a noble and, dare I say, sacred task that I’d just love to be a part of. Stories are key to mental health after all,” Jouri said. “But I think I find ways to channel my inner actor through music, I can create a character and tell a story through the performance and tone of the beat, instrument selection and the like, so it all crosses over.”

Jouri has a series of EPs planned though he hasn’t picked a name yet: he expects the first to be out some time this year and he will be re-releasing an updated version of his second album, “The (TRUSTED) Deceiver.”

This time around, he is more confident in his abilities since he’s more experienced and has a slightly better handle on the craft. Though he’s expecting a bigger reception and to make new fans, he’s not too worried about it because he just wants his listeners to escape.

“I honestly want people to feel like they aren’t alone. I’m a night owl loner and I know how brutal that can be when its just you, your thoughts and the quiet,” Jouri said. “I would listen to music to help in those moments, and if I can let someone escape while making them move to the music, as far as I’m concerned, that’s magic made real.”

You can find Headphone Therapy Vol. 1 on Audiomack and listen to “Gray Clouds” below: