Meet Jarrett (PIZOOKI) | Artist | Singer, Songwriter, & Music Producer

We had the good fortune of connecting with Jarrett (PIZOOKI) and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Jarrett, we’d love to hear about how you approach risk and risk-taking
Risk is something you deal with every day. There’s no way around it. Every decision you make comes with a risk, just at different levels. There’s also taking smart risks and/or just diving off the cliff (so to speak lol). Taking risks is what can give you life and grow you or take away from life and slow you. If you decide to just quit your job, you’re risking making enough money to pay bills, not being able to buy food, etc. versus if you decide to go to work you risk your time, possibly your mental health, learning how to develop a new path, etc. If you choose to remain comfortable in a life you aren’t excited for, you risk depression, your mental health, self-growth, you risk becoming the person you’ve always dreamed of. If you don’t have kids and you’re single, take risks while it affects only you (for the most part)! Also, even if you have kids, or are married, etc, take smart risks to grow yourself and the loved ones you’re responsible for 🙂 The minute we stop looking for ways to grow is the moment we hit the grave. Deciding to leave my home in Arizona to become an artist was one of the biggest risks I had ever taken. It helped me start the process of choosing myself with the one life I’m guaranteed and making me responsible for it. Taking risks got me into creating music, living and growing my career in Los Angeles, into studio spaces, playing my first shows, etc. I’m still on my own journey and have many many more risks to make but each risk taken has been a teacher in my life <3

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
Ahhh, I’m horrible at talking about myself lol. I hope that any part of my story can help whoever is reading this. Help you understand that there are no handouts. It really comes down to you choosing you. My journey has been a wild one filled with twists and turns. It wasn’t until recent that I feel like I’ve finally been tapping into my true art/music. I didn’t come from a background with parents who were in music or art. Choosing to become an artist was something I had to learn entirely on my own through trial and error. I remember in the beginning it was hard to even claim the title “Artist” and tell my friends/family. All the self doubt and imposter syndrome crept in immediately and is still there to some degree. I went the traditional route to make my parents happy and because society tells you that if you complete school and get a degree then magically that’ll mean stability and success. *Hint hint…that’s BS* I always struggled with believing in the school system and school in general but wanted to make my parents “proud”. Truthfully, I wish I had trusted my instincts/gut earlier but you can’t change/nor dwell on the past. In the beginning I was too fearful of becoming the “artist” but I found myself connected to it through events, marketing, and promoting. In college, I found myself over time working with clubs, events, and making friends who were artists so I would help bring people to their shows and promoted them naturally. I was just so inspired by them and found myself gassing them up to everyone I know haha. Once I took up a full career with an event planning company for entertainment is when I thought I figured out my “thing”. I loved seeing people create life long memories and hearing from people that the event was one of the best moments in their lives. It reminded me of all the times I went to an event and it made me feel that for a moment life was worth it and I belonged somewhere. As I worked my way up in the event space I ended up running into the unfortunate side of the music industry and ended up getting screwed over. I risked everything (my home, friends, savings, etc.) for an opportunity that ended up biting me in the @$$. While I had to learn this lesson at an early age, I’m so freaking grateful I did. That moment was when I stopped making excuses for not becoming the artist. I realized that in becoming an artist and pursuing the thing I feared the most, I was able to take control of my life and create my own happiness. Music saved my life growing up and I want nothing more than to be the person who can do the same for someone else. I had uprooted my life and changed states. Now that I was jobless, living in a new state, knowing no one, and had extra time on my hands, I picked up Ableton and decided to go borderline insane over it. I basically locked myself away for 6 months learning and teaching myself how to produce music like the artists I looked up to. I self-released my first track on all major platforms and continued to create since then. Eventually, I was eager and in search of friends & artists to build relationships with. I was looking to find mentors, mentor others, and start working in studios. Through researching and googling, I accidentally stumbled upon Icon Collective College of Music. After making a call, I knew the next chapter for my music career was in Los Angeles. I decided to risk it all and uproot again and move to LA after being accepted into Icon. Once I made it to LA, I made it my sworn duty to make the most out of school. I can attribute so much of my success and growth up to this point to the school. Most importantly, Icon Collective gave me the creative freedom and confidence to express myself however I choose with my music. I was producing mostly EDM and DJing by the time I graduated but once again the Universe likes to keep me humble lol. Cue a world wide pandemic! Yupppppp, during my last week at Icon Collective and after building a good chunk of momentum, everything was stripped away. I moved back to my hometown and honestly went through a pretty dark headspace. I’m so fortunate that in school I was taught all facets of music which lead me to getting back into creative writing/song writing. I ended up writing & producing an entire album (electronic album) and found solace in picking up the guitar. I used to creative write heavily when I was a kid going into my teens and also wanted to start a band haha. That album unfortunately won’t see the light of day, except for one of the songs I released on all platforms. However, writing all of those songs started unlocking the most vulnerable parts of my art. Falling in love with guitar and writing songs along side it gave me so much life and purpose. It allowed me to start paving the picture of what my music is for. I’ve always wanted to create music that in some way can act as a beacon of belonging. A reverie for people to fall into. A community that people can feel a part of. When I was a kid I turned to music to pull me through some dark times. I hope the songs I write can give anyone a chance to realize that their life gives color and meaning to this world. That them being alive is a gift to so many people. I hope that my art can give someone an outlet or shoulder to cry on. The next missing piece was coming to grips with a deep routed fear which was being the messenger. The person to deliver the emotions and vulnerability of each song I wrote. Sitting down with myself, I remembered that I would have gotten to any amount of success with pushing through my fears. Each time I leveled up it was because I faced a fear. This most recent fear being singing. Fast forward, I have been taking private vocal coaching coupled with vocal classes to add the missing piece to my music. This brings my career to its current stage. I’m developing a brand new EP that is centered around Pop Punk, Pop, and Alt Rock. One thing I can say to anyone out there struggling with their journey towards their purpose or even starting one, is that there is no clear path. No matter what career you choose, you’re going to run into obstacles. You’re going to be hit with challenges and dark times. All of these are meant to test how badly you want to succeed. Take the fear as your friend and light as you’re heading in the right direction. If you’re scared, you’re probably going the right way. Don’t be afraid of doing the grunt work. Even if it feels beneath you. Helping others and building your community in your craft grows you so much faster then thinking you’re above everyone/everything. Also, no one is coming. You have to choose to you and create a life you want to live. “Life doesn’t hand you lemons. Learn to grow your own and then serve everyone lemonade.”

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
Oooooo!!! So to be honest, I haven’t lived in LA very long so I wish there was more I could offer. I know there are sooooo many brilliant places that I don’t know of yet. I’d start by telling Bestie that we gotta hit one of these taco stands in North Hollywood! They are daaaaank! We’ll probably have to get drinks and some food at El Tejano as well on the first night. Next morning we’ll have to hit a hike in Malibu and then end it by grabbing lunch at Malibu Farms on the pier. We’ll go meditate, breathe, and allow our inner child to run crazy at a secluded beach in Malibu. We’ll drive through the Hollywood Hills, Beverly Hills, and Rodeo drive to show some of the hype but then go thrifting and find artsy places to walk around. That night we might go grab some Pho in Silver Lake. We definitely will hit a local coffee shop the next morning and show them the studio and some of the music. We’d have to hit up the Victorian or Bungalow in Venice/Santa Monica. We’d skate the boardwalk and grab food in the area. Hopefully, they’ll be in town the same weekend as Emo Nite! That’ll or we’ll hit a show at Academy or Avalon. Also have to hit Dirty Laundry, No Vacancy, Lock & Key, Saddle Ranch, etc. We should get a little extra at Castaway one of the nights for dinner. We might even head out to San Diego for a night and stay in Mission & Pacific beach and come back up to LA the next day. I would suggest go to do some of the art stuff in LA as well. Like hitting up Urban Light and LACMA. Could even hit a comedy show at The Laugh Factory or The Comedy Club. Being a newer resident of LA, I definitely have so much more to explore which I hope to accomplish soon 🙂

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
OMG! Where to even start!? There are so many amazing souls that deserve credit. Truthfully, myself, my career, and all my successes are a product of the wonderful humans who have poured into me. I wish there wasn’t a cliché way to put it but I wouldn’t be where I’m at without each person who has impacted my life, positively or negatively, and piecing the puzzle together that is me. If you’re reading this and you know me personally, know that you are a part of my “why” and you deserve all the credit! I can’t wait to give back to you 10x over one day! Thank you so much for teaching me, molding me, listening, and believing in me. If you do not know me, please know that it takes a village and army to grow. Be appreciative of everyone that comes into your life and know that it wasn’t just you that got you to where you are. Always remember your roots and where you came from.

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/pizooki/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/PizookiMusic

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PizookiMusic/

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCJY7xFA29wCGPlDI-0drtvw

Other: Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/6tuFd15YcVBxO7K2Ne4Tkx?si=sjAKy1XdTxaSIAxXhEjrfw TikTok: @pizooki

Image Credits
PHLLOW / PHLLOW Studios