What’s your stage name and where are you from?
My stage name is Jkace, and I’m from Las Vegas.
What’s the story behind your stage name?
It’s an acronym for my full name: J for Jacob, K for Kelley, and ace for Wallace, my middle name.
Describe your musical journey in three sentences.
Born in Las Vegas, my turbulent journey led me through foster care, addiction, homelessness, and a life-altering accident. Despite immense challenges, including memory loss and relearning basic functions, I found purpose in music and a calling to inspire change. Now signed with Urban Talent Management, I am determined to pursue music full-time, perform, act in TV shows and movies, and inspire the next generation.
Share an interesting experience you had while creating your latest track.
The experience was great making music with my friend and engineer. It was longer than I had liked waiting on the track from Dizzy, but experiencing the reality of working with larger artists made me value the place where I was in life. Overall, I think patience is truly a virtue, and I’m grateful for the amount I have amassed.
What message do you want to convey through your music?
Have you ever heard how everything we hear is what we say and everything we see is what we do? My goal is to change what is heard so that it, in turn, changes what people say to each other, which then changes what is seen, and then people themselves change what they do. It’s all connected, and I want to help how I can by promoting a positive message of perseverance, hard work, and salvation through the only way we can receive it, which is Jesus.
Tell us about a challenge you faced during production and how you overcame it.
Honestly, a challenge I face with production quite frequently is finances. The way I overcome that is by working hard at doing what I can do: paying my bills, living life on my terms, and making music when I’m able to. Not forcing my agenda but allowing it to work when it works.
If you could collaborate with any artist, who would it be and why?
Honestly, two of the biggest people I would love to make music with are dead: Mac Miller and xxxtentacion. A few others would be Logic, Drake, Kendrick Lamar, and Jelly Roll. The reason I pick a lot of these artists is because of the lyricism and the backstories to their words and how I connect the message to mine.
Where do you see your music taking you in the next year?
I would like to be on tour, sharing my music with people across the country and then the world.
What’s the next big step for you as an artist?
Performing full-time and taking the leap to doing this and only this, plus acting.
We occasionally feature artists on our Bird of Paradise Podcast for in-depth discussions. Would this be something you’re interested in exploring?
Definitely, that would be a good time.
Are there any other promotional opportunities you’re looking for to boost your visibility?
I’m definitely looking for investors and sponsorships.
Where can we hear/watch your most recent work?
I just dropped my song with Dizzy Wright on July 1st. I’m on all platforms; Spotify, iTunes, Apple Music, and YouTube are my biggest.
What is the best way to contact you if fans want to give feedback or if other artists/producers want to collaborate?
My Instagram is @jkace.
