jj thames...naked.

It's always amazing to write new music--- as one of those "artsy" people...whatever I am going through is addressed in my writing...Writing is how I purge, heal, grow, clarify, and process...It's how I breathe... My influences are truly different this time around. My sound is different this time around...I feel like I'm finally stripping away expectations of others and revealing myself as the artist that I have always been in my head. I have nothing to lose. Songwriting concepts that I've wanted to capture for a long time now, but hadn't reached the level of musicianship to be able to execute it without it sounding forced- are now flowing effortlessly like water. It's not as simple as writing about broken hearts, and angry woman anthems...though those have served me well over the years...I'm tackling subjects that make me walk circumspectly around my own heart and mind, looking into the shadows, and expanding the understanding of myself and m...

To have your childhood dream realized is a really big deal. -Maya Rudolph 15 year old me... wide eyed... full of dreams!  I was gonna be a writer (check)  I was gonna be on tv (check) I was gonna be on the cover of magazines (check) I was gonna move to New York (check) I was gonna record records (check) I was gonna own successful businesses (still building but check) I was gonna travel the world doing what I love (check) I was gonna win a Grammy (made it to the final ballot...but not quite yet) I was gonna be an advocate for female empowerment (check) I had no plans to be a wife or mother (but check em anyway) Never was I supposed to be divorced or have a child die (check that too) I never imagined being homeless, sleeping on the train, and singing in the subways (check) You couldn't have paid me to believe that I would live in an extended stay hotel, or homeless shelter with my children (check) Never conceived that I would move to 4 different states...47 different tim...

"When you are going through hell...Keep going"  -Winston Churchill #Motivation 2012... Matt's House- StewPot Homeless Shelter- Jackson, MS This picture brings tears to my eyes... I took it while living in a homeless shelter with my boys... My car had been totaled by a woman who ran a red light...and I wasn't able to make it to my five jobs..resulting in me being fired from them all and evicted from my apartment in Detroit, Michigan. I was able to get the money for a bus ticket to Jackson, Mississippi...and after staying in an extended stay hotel...I was fired from my job (Didnt have a babysitter) and was evicted from there too...leaving me and my 12 and 2 year old sons...homeless. To my children, it was just a new adventure...(my oldest kinda knew what the deal was...but, he graciously took it in stride.) To me...it was one of the darkest times of my life...which in turn ended up being the most blessed times of my life. I experienced so many precious God mome...

“Success consists of going from failure to failure without loss of enthusiasm.”  -Winston Churchill I know that some of you are wondering why I am posting so much... well...I'm sharing my secret to how I get over life punching me in the face, and get over it rather quickly... See...My life has not been a crystal stair. I have had WAY more failures than successes. (One recent big one- being diagnosed with Asperger's Syndrome as an adult-seems like everybody knew...but me.) But, I'm a dreamer...a fearless visionary...the one that everyone looks at and shakes their heads and calls me a nutjob because I tend to see things on the horizon that everyone collectively agrees is not there. I admit, sometimes I take off running towards that pie in the sky, and I'm right on the money...others...the journey itself is the only prize to be won. When that happens...My eye tends to swell up, my lip bursts, and welts and bruises begin to show...life has once again handed me a roy...

"Never. Never. Never. Give up." -Winston Churchill I have learned over the years that disappointments, let downs, betrayals, misunderstandings, hiccups, and devastation happen...regardless of how much you plan...no matter how many precautions you take. It doesn't matter how talented, how gifted, well-liked, popular, wealthy, well-connected you are, or how good your intentions are...S*** happens. And it sucks...every time. However, what I have als o learned is...The old adages and cliches are certainly true: It truly isn't how many times you fall...but, how many times you get up... It really is true that everything does happen for a reason... It also has been proven that tough times don't last, but tough people do... In the midst of adversity...Your attitude really does determine your altitude. It's okay to be bummed and cry...but, joy will come in the morning (even if that morning isn't necessarily the very next day...it WILL come.) Good things fal...

Just because you give birth to a child, doesn't mean that you own them or their futures. Teach a child your core values, and your faith...and let them soar. Stop trying to live two lives through your child. Your journey is not necessarily theirs. They have their own dreams, their own destinies, their own paths...their own lives to live. The very best gift that we can give our children is our unconditional love and support as they find themselves...they have a right to the pursuit of happiness, and to just be. They don't owe you anything... no matter how much you spent on them, nor how many hours you were in labor.  -JJ Thames I recall saying as a little girl that I didn't want any children, didn't want to get married...was going to live in the city in a high rise or a loft...own a nightclub/restaurant where I could sing whenever I wanted to, travel the world, make records, and be a writer...traditional life was never for me. Everyone told me I was crazy and t...

You wanna talk about money? Let's talk about money... You wanna talk about the uplifting of a people... Let's talk about that... Religion, God, Self-building, CERN, NWO agendas, Groupthink, Love (or lack there of), Familial Roles, Goals, Dreams, Aspirations, Fears, Hopes, Gentrification, Personality Types and Assessments, Orwell, Huxley, Business Development??? YES! YES! YES! Let's talk about ALL that...Housewives of wherever? The new Young Thug video? *sucks teeth* Miss me with that...I wanna flex my mind...walk away from a conversation titillated with intrigue, racing home,energized and pulsating to perform my own research...my brain cramping from the stretching, turning and lifting...come on, talk to me baby, please, take your time, make love to my mind. -jj thames.  It takes maturity to stop using other people's feedback as a sign that you are on the right track;And instead, develop the ability to spot inconsistencies, and be willing to call out ...

"Everybody's story...ain't your story. So stop tryna fit into their fairytale template. Do you... God's plan for your life requires you...doing you. And you allowing Him to do Him, through you.  Let Him be the lead in your story... It'll be one rockin ride!" -jj thames. Flashback to 2009. I was 27 years old, a new mother (3 month little boy, Israel Angel)...In a new state (New York City)...and in a new position (full time minster) ...surprised? well...I sure was. I had dropped out of ministerial school, ran away from the church, from everyone that I ever knew, from my past, from all of my hurts (mainly the death of my 2 year old son)...and high tailed it as far away from Mississippi as I could go at the time. I was supposed to be in New York to pursue my music career...God had other plans. During this season of exile...I spent HOURS upon HOURS locked away studying and meditating on the word of God, worshiping, and spending t...

Everyday's a holiday- jj thames.  Them: Hey JJ...how ya doin? Me: Everyday's a holiday...smile* Them: I guess...twisted lips*..eyebrow raised* When I greet people, this is usually my response...even when my world is seemingly crumbling around me-my answer very seldom changes...I may not have done some...scratch that...A WHOLE HEAP of things right...but, one thing that I did knock out of the ballpark was relentlessly followed my dream to be a recording artist...All of the blood, sweat, and tears are finally paying off...and I LOVE MY LIFE.  EVERYDAY IS A HOLIDAY!!! (pick one) This won't be a long post...I have to go sing in a bit...so, I'll make my ramblings concise... -bottom line...live the life you love, and love the life you live!  Are you miserable at that 7-3, 8-4, 9-5?? or whatever increments of time that you are required to work? Do you live for the weekend?? There is a life that you can live where EVERY SINGLE DAY...you wake up, and feel l...