Jasim Malik
Artist with a Purpose When did you first get into music? I was pretty young. I started writing songs when I was probably 6 or 7 years old. It wasn’t really even fully “music” to me back then. I just knew I had an ability with words from a really young age and once I fine-tuned that, the other elements you hear in my music just naturally developed over time. What genre of music do you perform and why? It’s Alternative R&B, but people sometimes like to classify it as “Dark R&B” because of some of the darker vibes I like to incorporate. It’s just where a lot of my musical influence comes from and what feels right to me artistically. And why did you choose that style of music? Coming from Toronto, you can hear it in the work of a lot of artists from this city. Mood music that has the ability to hit you deep, but with enough edge to bump late night in your car when you’re driving through the city. It just hits your soul a little different. Who or What inspired you to pursue a career in music? I’ve had a strong connection to it since I was young. From early on I just knew I wanted to be involved in it in some way. That connection became a passion. All I know for sure is that some of the moments where I feel like I’m at my happiest, most alive, and most myself are when I’m able to get into the studio and be creative.
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How has your music evolved since you first began performing/songwriting? I got my start performing at small events and open mic nights doing covers, usually with an acoustic guitar in my hands. It was simple, but I was very “Mamba mentality” with my approach [laughs]. Just adopting the mindset of trying to be the best version of myself in all aspects of life. Sometimes it’s cool to look back and see the progress though.
