Artist Snapshot: J.C. Umana
NAME: J.C. Umana
SCHOOL: CC ’23
GENRE: Punk / post-hardcore
WHAT THEY DO: Composer (guitar, vocals, bass, percussion), lyricist and producer
•••••••
What’s a song you wish you could listen to for the first time again?
“Hummer” by The Smashing Pumpkins
Where do you draw creative inspiration from?
All the things I wish I could have said in the moment, whether it’s to myself or others.
When did you start writing music and performing?
I was 13 when I wrote my first real song and decided to make a record with my middle school band director.
Tell us about a random moment when a lyrical excerpt or melodic motif for one of your songs hit you? What was it like? How did you remember it?
“Loser” was the last song I recorded vocals for on the Winter Lights record. It was all improvised, and that morning I was dealing with one of my more withstanding migraines coupled with no sleep. It was much less a random moment and more like the perfect storm to make me scream about how I didn’t want to be myself or in the situation that I was in.
What’s something you’re working on, or are excited to start working on?
Wickwire.
Favorite place you’ve performed at so far? Dream venue in the future?
501 Dodge Hall. Probably a warehouse somewhere or an airplane hangar.
What are your top 3 favorite albums of all time?
Embrace – Embrace (1987), Still – Nine Inch Nails (2002), Foo Fighters – Foo Fighters (1995)
How has the pandemic affected your music and your process?
It’s forced me to consider all parts of production, including logistics, but with virtually no creative compromises.
What do you enjoy most about being an artist?
I can express how I feel, but no one pays close enough attention, so I don’t really feel judged for it as long as I get to make art the way I want to.
What aspects of your identity inform your music and vice-versa?
A lack of identity granted by anyone else allows me to partially construct one myself with sound and lyrics.
What’s an album with no skips?
Girl Problems – Patient 0 (2019)
What’s your favorite music video?
“Down In It” – Nine Inch Nails (1989)