Jackson Meade Baris also known as Producer JXPR is not only a self taught musician and digital film composer but he is also an advocate for kid who suffer from ADHD. We are proud to interview the rising star !

Welcome to Odyssey Jackson or should we call you JXPR?

You have a really versatile and unique style, how long have you been making music?

I have no formal musical training. When I was 12 I wanted to be a DJ. I asked for my first pair of speakers and a mixing board and after about a year I got bored of playing other peoples music, so I started making my own. I began making beats on Garageband (The most underrated tool EVER). I was making 2-3 beats a day, most of them were god awful but I made a couple good songs. I would literally play the piano for hours, just letting everything flow, I didn't know the notes, I didn't care.

I stuck with producing instrumentals for a while. I eventually released a couple of albums and produced for a couple different small artists. My music wasn't like other peoples though, even from the start, it was too slow and sentimental for an artist to rap over. I kept pushing this music to the wrong audience. Sure I had people who liked what I was creating but Imagine John Williams going up to a group of teenagers and asking them to freestyle over his latest score. It just didn't make sense. It wasn't me. In the beginning of my senior year, my girlfriend brought up film composition as an application for my music. At first I rejected it because I thought she was talking about Geico commercials and IMovie stock music. She meant music for movies. As I researched more, I became fascinated with film scoring and realized that my music sounded like a score, even if I was trying to produce rap. From there, everything just flowed. I began finding a bunch of different movie scenes that lacked score & scored them myself.

I'm not a dark person at all, but I became addicted to scoring horror films. I found such darker & scarier sounds in my music library than the sound designers used in the actual film, so I downloaded scenes from The Conjuring 2, The Visit & Interstellar and electrified them with score and sound design. As I was doing this, I started composing, creating soundtrack as a form of music & putting it on instagram. People actually liked it. Once I started branding myself as a film composer, everything started to come together. If you listen to my music, you'll see my signatures. I tend to construct a fast paced high melody paired with a slow evolving baseline. I use experimental sounds to keep my audience engaged. I still produce a little bit for fun, but my mind is always on my next score.

When did u find out about your ADHD? How do you cope with it? Do u have any advice?

I think a lot of people confuse ADD and ADHD. ADD is the struggle to concentrate. Even the smallest noise is a distraction which makes it so frustrating to try and work in when you're fighting to keep yourself focused. ADHD is hyperactivity, its like this hot sensation in your body that forces you to need to move. It's like being stir crazy without reason. Your judgement is impaired, theres no sense of impulse control. It sucks. I struggled with both of these throughout grade school. Before I found ways to deal with it, I spent my classes spacing out and my free time watching television.

When I was in 7th grade I was officially diagnosed with ADHD / ADD with underlying anxiety and depression. I'm super open about it today and I encourage everyone to be because having people understand what your going through makes everything a lot easier.

How do I deal with my ADHD / ADD? I don't stop working. Since I am doing the things that I love, I have no problem being distracted and I take care of my hyperactivity by being...hyperactive. I am a graphic designer, beef jerky entrepreneur, baseball player and musician. I love what I do.

So my advice is to do what you love, if there is enough drive, you will learn work ethic (if you don't already have it) and with good work ethic comes success. To cope with my ADHD I run, it clears my mind. I also meditate, which has been a huge contributor to my success. I feel that having control of your mind is just the biggest asset.

What can you tell us about your next project?

I knew that after I released The Introduction, I would have to follow up with something better. For three weeks straight I composed every day. The Coronavirus allowed me to spend full days in my studio. I have two beautiful pieces that I am going to release as an EP with "The Introduction" as the first song. I plan to call it JXPR VOL. 1 but I am still deciding on a name. It's going to be astonishing.

What do you hope your listeners take away from your music?

I want people to change the way they listen to music. Instead of focusing on the lyrics I want each person to have a different interpretation of what my music means to them, its personal. Its genuine. What music lacks today, and dont get mad at me for saying this, is intamicy. There is no intamicy between a rappper from zone 6 and a trust fund kid from the city. It's just about the hype. I really am a huge fan of trap music and appreciate the scene more than others, I just want people to diversify their taste.

When people listen to my music, I want them to reflect on what the music means to them. Each piece I release is a narration, a reflection on my life, but it could mean something completely different from somebody else. This is the beauty of music without lyrics, its expressive in a different way.

What inspires you?

Opportunity for exploration has always driven me. Whats next? I'm always chasing something, and I love the chase. If you can enjoy the chase than your set, because success is always going to require a chase. I've always been a driven person and I wouldn't have it any other way.

As far as people go, I'm a HUGE Garyvee fan. All my friends mock me for it. I love this guy. If I could meet anybody in the world it would be him. He teaches people how to be happy during the chase, to make sure you're chasing the right thing. He isnt about money, he is about fulfillment. The two biggest ideas I take from him is to not overvalue compliments because it makes you susceptible to hate and to make sure that you pick something that makes you happy and the money will follow. He's the man.

I'm also inspired by anybody who is genuine. Anybody who is confident In themself enough to be able to respect & love others for who they are. I'm so excited to see how our generation changes the world.

What's next for you?

I'm just ready to start my life. This quarantine has given me the opportunity to be 100% focused on what I want to be focusing on, that alone I am thankful for. It's taught me what hard work really is and I'm ready to take my career to the next level.

I have hundreds of projects that I could release. It's such a good feeling to know you have an arsenal of content to release, content that people will enjoy. I'm on a mission now to recruit everybody who can listen to my music for the right reasons. It's exciting, I'm excited.