Back in high school, Music Beats Cancer artist Ricky Jarman was in a boy band about to be signed with Epic Records. After one of the members left unexpectedly, the project was shelved by the record company. However, this was just the beginning of a blossoming solo career for Jarman.

“[Not being signed by Epic Records] was frustrating because it seemed like I was finally making it, but it didn’t work out the way I wanted it to. It was like dangling a bone on a rope in front of a dog and he never reaches the bone. That was the moment I said that I’m just going to do a solo career and start pounding the pavement,” Jarman said.

Jarman’s musical life began when he was young, surrounded by a family that loved musical expression.

“I have a musically inclined family, and they were big influencers on me growing up. My mom was a dancer, my dad is a drummer, and my grandpa is a guitarist. I also have two uncles involved in music; one is a guitarist and one is a bassist,” Jarman said.

With musical influences stemming from artists like Michael Jackson, Justin Timberlake, and Usher, Jarman describes his musical style as Pop/R&B crossover.

“People say my sound is similar to Justin Timberlake or Nick Jonas, but I don’t like to compare myself to other artists. I classify myself as an entertainer; I sing and write my own music with a nice blend of R&B and pop sounds, and I dance when I perform my own music,” Jarman said.

Jarman’s music originates from a genuine desire to share his heart with his audiences.

“My calling for music is to touch other people’s lives. I always had the desire to be a positive role model, and that’s what I want to portray through my brand and what I stand for through my music. I want to be an encouragement for people,” Jarman said.

Wishing to reach even more people with his positivity, Jarman saw Music Beats Cancer as a perfect outlet for helping people through music.

“Music Beats Cancer has a really great platform they offer people to bring awareness to the battle against cancer, and it gives outlets to people who are struggling with cancer. I love that Music Beats Cancer is trying to make the world a better place and help people become more health conscious,” Jarman said.

In his own life, Jarman has been indirectly affected by cancer.

“I’ve had friends with parents or grandparents that have had cancer. I’ve seen how it affected them, and I’ve been there to console them. It’s not something you have to experience directly to understand how much it devastates people to see their loved ones with a disease like that,” Jarman said.

Through Music Beats Cancer, Jarman has had the opportunity to perform alongside other artists at the organization’s events.

“Music Beats Cancer had monthly mixers where guest artists would perform once a month, and I performed at the first one they ever did. It was a lot of fun with a good, intimate crowd. It was great meeting new people with the common goal of what Music Beats Cancer stands for,” Jarman said.

Since doing a lot of live performances last year, Jarman has teamed up with Harmonix Factory, owned by Sam Harmonix.

“Sam is a super producer with a big resume, and he owns his own company. He’s like Pharrell or Timbaland, who are both producers and artists. Sam and I have been working together for some time now. He really wanted me to hone in on my album, so I’ve been doing a lot of studio work. Once we’ve gotten the project complete, I’ll be doing more live performances,” Jarman said.

Up next in Jarman’s music career is a new single and music video, as well as completing his album and beginning a schedule of live performances.

“I’m flying out to go shoot the music video for my upcoming single this next week. I’m planning on releasing both a new single and its music video on May 7 called ‘Lucky.’ Sam Harmonix is featured in the new song and video. Victoria Vesce, who is a dancer for the Charlotte Hornets, is the leading lady in the music video. It’s a cool upbeat song, and I hope the fans love it as much as I loved creating it.” Jarman said.

In addition to working on his own album, Jarman was also featured on Jamareo Artis’s album.

“Jamareo is a bass player for Bruno Mars who is into jazz, R&B, and pop music. He’s coming out with a solo album on April 22, and I’m featured on one of the songs called ‘Fun.’ He’s like David Guetta who has other artists sing on the tracks he mixes,” Jarman said.

An exciting performance possibility is coming up later this year for Jarman, who said “I’ve had opportunities offered to me to perform during Fashion Week in New York City in September. That would be an awesome highlight to 2016, so I’m crossing my fingers.”

To learn more about Ricky Jarman, visit his Music Beats Cancer profile here:
https://musicbeatscancer.org/artist/ricky-jarman/