Exclusives
Meet Teenage Rockstar Activists WJM
Get ready for your heart to swell and a smile to sweep your face! WJM or William, Jeremy and Max, have donated every penny from their live performances to support children’s charities. They’re young, they’re cute, they’ve got hearts of gold and they 100% rock!
SRS: When did you realize music was your calling?
WJM: “Music has always been a part of our lives ever since we can remember. Whether it is singing, playing the guitar or drums, we pursue music because we love it. We really can’t imagine our worlds without it.”
SRS: Were your parents big fans of rock music or did you become fans on your own of the genre?
WJM: “We heard our parents play music by bands like Led Zeppelin, U2, Foo Fighters so that definitely influenced our musical taste in our early years. Rock remains an influence for us but so is jazz, heavy metal, Motown, reggae, folk, grunge, hip hop, and even EDM.”
SRS: What was your inspiration for your latest EP “Where We’ve Never Gone Before”?
“WJM: It was meant to capture a point in time for how we were feeling. There is much ahead for us, and these songs were really about celebrating that. The single was very personal to us, (like the EP) because it represented the musical journey we are on. When making the record we wanted to explore new places for us creatively and express how we can use music to move others.”
SRS: What is your advice to other kids wanting to be musicians?
WJM: “Do what you love and play what moves you, stay true to yourself and most of all have fun…and practice, practice, practice.”
SRS: How do you balance your career with school?
WJM: “Our parents always emphasize the importance of education. Maybe one day we will have a music career, but for now our main job is to be good students.”
SRS: Tell us how you got into activism and why it’s so important to you.
WJM: “Max’s older brother is battling leukemia so we did a lot of early shows to support charities. Some of these include like Leukemia & Lymphoma Society,Camp Okizu, and local SF based children’s hospitals.
We have learned a lot from other artists who are activists. In 2014, we performed at the opening of the UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital, We were lucky enough to meet Michael Franti who also performed at the event. His passion for peace and social justice was very inspirational for us.
The more we personally have gotten involved, the more we have learned about what is really going on in the world and the opportunities in which we have to contribute.”
SRS: What is the future looking like for you guys? Do you have a five-year plan or anything like that?
WJM: “We don’t know, but we are going to go where the music takes us. So far the journey has been amazing.”
0 comments