No tricks, no gimmicks and no novelties: purely the power of an artist and his songs. Audiences know Justin Froese as a communicator whose thoughtful lyrics and music compose a compelling emotional bridge. As an accomplished guitarist and vocalist, he casts a musical aura that is joyous and jubilant; pensive and personal. “Between the head and the heart” is where Justin describes the source of this creative intuition. “Songs can bring definition to the world around me, but the world around me is perhaps only my perception of it,” observes the Seattle, WA-based artist. “I know my songs begin with a genuine feeling, something that’s happening in me, but in the process I get in the zone of being a sort of channel. It’s hard to know if what I hear is deep inside me, or some force in the universe moving through me.”

 

Music came to him early and emphatically.  Hearing his dad play folk guitar around the house lit the spark, and by age six, on his own $60 mail order guitar, he was penning original songs. By 10, he was gigging. “I kept creating, and that opened up my world,” he explains. 

 

Whether he is rock climbing, guiding a group of kids in outdoor adventures, dabbling in ballet, or mastering the classical guitar, Justin is inexorably drawn to challenges. “I have always been compelled towards breaking down walls,” he confirms.  A move to Los Angeles when he was selected by ASCAP to join the influential Lester Sill Pop Songwriters Workshop represented a seismic career shift.  Immersion in the Hollywood music industry was an eye-opening education in the marketing of music and the opportunities for placing songs in film and television projects.  Even after this opportunity, Justin continues to focus on reaching the next level in his songwriting, recording, and live performance.

 

The exit from Los Angeles was in the wake of what Justin describes as a “tumultuous relationship of music and romance” as he observes,  “The end of this, and its unmanageable entanglement with music is what ultimately propelled me into pursuing my own solo career full time. I came to the realization that all I really had was myself and that was worth all my dedication.”

Concurrent with this solo career has been a parallel endeavor: one is producing other artists. “Production began with me producing my own recordings and, friends asking me to work with them. I had so much compelling vision for the production of songs that it became clear I was a natural at producing. Although it came out of collaborating with friends, now its something I take more seriously.”  Justin has produced national indie music artists as well as San Diego's own, The Smart Brothers.  

 

Performing, recording, and communicating with an audience; for Justin Froese, it all comes back to affirming the purpose of creation. “Art should liberate us,” he concludes. “If what I’m doing doesn’t help people or do something good – even if that’s simply stirring up emotions -- then what’s the point of what I’m doing?  I try to live that when I’m out performing; that challenge of getting outside of myself. This is what I want in life and I want to live it within my art, too.  I want to push myself; to genuinely engage people, and to have them trust what my music can do to their hearts.”