GRIMES MAGAZINE Q&A INTERVIEWS

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            What motivates you to work hard? 

I love my job very much, d and in General I am a hardworking person. I love beauty in everything, so I like being 

a model, and being a personal trainer-to help people become healthier and more beautiful.

        What is your favorite thing about your career? 

Most of all in my career, I like to achieve my goals, this is probably the most important thing ..

Tell me about your modeling work? 

Modeling is a very close area for me, beautiful people, creativity, motivation to become better. Working as a model

 really inspires me, charges me with special energy.

            How would your friends describe you? 

Perhaps my main quality is kindness. Probably my friends described me as a very kind guy)

What are your hobbies? 

mM hobby is my job. I spend the rest of my time with my family.

 What are your goals as a model? 

My goal as a model is to become popular and Shine on the covers of the coolest magazines

What are some of your accomplishments so far as a model? 

I have published in several foreign magazines, in local Newspapers, and advertised brands such as 

Tom Ford, Oryx, Reserved, ES, and so on.

         What is your favorite game or sport to watch and play?

 I like to watch bodybuilding and martial arts tournaments. No time for Games

 If you could choose to do anything for a day, what would it be? I will make love

What's your favorite food?

 I love a big beef steak

What celebrity would you like to meet at Starbucks for a cup of coffee?

 I would love to have a coffee and chat with Arnold Schwarzenegger

What motivates you to work hard?

My current success

What is your favorite thing about your career?

I get to inspire others

What is your favorite sport or game to watch?

Soccer

If you could choose to do anything for a day what would it be?

Travel to Bali

How would you describe your friends now?

Carbon copy of myself

What are your hobbies?

Fitness/art/communication

What's your favorite food?

Açaí bowls

What is your favorite movie?

Idk lol

What celebrity would you like to have a cup of coffee with?

Steve Cook

What's your favorite thing about summer?

The beach all the way

What's your favorite summer song?

Summer feeling by Charlie Puth

What motivates you to work hard? 

I know that sitting around doing nothing is not going to make my dreams a reality, so I am always reminding myself 

how important it is that I keep hustling all the time. There are times when it can be easy to get lazy or have a bad day but I always try to pick 

myself up from that and continue working!
What is your favorite thing about your career?

The opportunity to be able to do something I love almost everyday is such a blessing. I love being able to always be learning 

new things and networking with new people. I love that in my career there are so many different skills that I can learn all the time from writing, 

producing, marketing, singing tips, and it goes on and on!
How would you describe your music?

My music from this release of my new single Half Of It and others is honest. I want my music to be vulnerable and raw. 

When people listen I hope I have written something that they can relate to, because for me, Half Of It needed to be in the world for me to 

hear myself, and now for others to listen and relate to. 
How would your friends describe you?

I would think they would describe me as loyal, honest and determined. I also hope they would describe me as fun! Lol. 
What are your hobbies?

I enjoy photography, writing songs late at night with friends, binge watching netflix shows, spending quality time with friends and

 family, and most of all taking my dog Dolly Pawton to the dog park to see her friends! 
What is your favorite game or sport to watch and play?

My favorite sport to play is volleyball. I played in middle school and highschool for one year but I sometimes wish

 I went farther in it and didn't quit because it is so fun! As far as watching sports, I honestly like watching any sports, but going to football 

games in person is one of my favorite things to do for sure!
If you could choose to do anything for a day, what would it be?

This is so hard! The first thing that comes to mind would be to have a full day of meeting all my favorite country music artists 

and ending the day with performing at the Grand Ole Opry.
What's your favorite food?

I love so many things but I would have to say you can never go wrong with a pepperoni pizza with ranch dressing on the side!
What celebrity would you like to meet at Starbucks for a cup of coffee?  
There are so many people I would love to meet, but it is too hard to chose between Dolly Parton and Shania Twain!

 1.What motivates you to work hard?

After 19 year being karate athlete what motivates me in this profession is my ambition to became part of the Canadian team and representing this beautiful country in international tournaments.

2.What is your favorite thing about your career?

My favorite thing is my students. Be able to see my student’s improvement every single day do not have price.

Tell me about your modeling work?

I become a model at the age of 22 for insistence of my friends and family, but I was never obsessed with being model. I knew that to be a fashion model I would need to be taller, but there is so much opportunity for all styles of model. I would never have imagined that I would modeling as much as I am. Unfortunately, I look for gigs by myself. I didn’t find any model agency with a good proposal.

How would your friends describe you?

My friends think I am a clown. I am always making fun about everything, but I am always available to my friends when they need me. They always send me message saying how much they are proud who I became.

What are your hobbies?

I love watch Netflix or hangout with friends for a coffee in my free time. I am not into crazy things.

What are your goals as a model?

My dream is one day seeing my face on Vogue cover.

What are some of your accomplishments so far as a model?

My greats achievement so far as a model has been invited for amazing photographer to shoot. Al experiences I got do not have price. Through these jobs some brands invited me to be an ambassador.

What is your favorite game or sport to watch and play?

This question is easy, I love Karate. It is part of me and my history. However, I enjoy play volleyball and swimming.

If you could choose to do anything for a day, what would it be?

My only wish is my father by my side again in Christmas day.

What's your favorite food?

I love food, but I am cry for Chocolate.

What celebrity would you like to meet at Starbucks for a cup of coffee?

I would be the most realized guy if I had a opportunity to drink a coffee with Naomi Campbell or Celine Dion.

Jordon Deno from Minesspolis, MN 23 years old 6'2 180

How did you get into modeling?

I had a football buddy doing shoots and one of the photographers he worked with reached out to me through Instagram. I always wanted to try modeling so I had to take the opportunity.

What are you doing if you are not modeling?

When I’m not modeling I’m working out, playing video games, spending time with my friends, and working on creating financial freedom. 

The most spontaneous/difficult/strange thing you’ve ever done?

The most spontaneous and strange thing I did was go on 5 missions trips from 8th grade to 12th grade every summer for a week. Moving away from home for a week and putting myself in the shoes of The less fortunate helped me grow a ton as person. 

Whats your life moto?

You only have one body for the rest of your life, you might as well take care of it. You have one life to live you might as well do it the best way you can.

Describe your personal style - Favorite Brands/Fragrance?!

My favorite style is the west coast style. I like tommy hill figure, Calvin Kline, pac sun, Nike, champion, and H&M

What genre of music best describes you?

Rap and R&B

Where are your roots - The best thing about/to do in your hometown?

Things I did were play football, basketball, and baseball. My friends we’re always good about getting together and playing one of the sports. If I wasn’t playing sports we played video games together. 

Name one celebrity you like to get naughty with!

Sommer Ray

Do you have any special Talents?

My ability to find the best out of situations.

10. What is the most interesting thing online at the moment?

Conspiracy theories on the Covid-19 outbreak

What first got you into music?

Music was always on growing up. I have early memories of listening to Motown & “Oldies” stations in the car with my Mom & Sisters. I didn’t start getting into it until my oldest sister Deanna had a lead role in her high school’s musical theater production of "Damn! Yankees”. I would go to every show on a nightly basis, I was maybe 9. I would dress up like all the guys in the show, wearing my baseball pants & cleats, with a show jersey & hat. I fell in love with the vibe of every aspect of "the show”: The Music, The Production, Lights, Makeup, Costumes, Etc. They started calling me their mascot. On the very last night of their production, they brought me up on stage & pushed me out, front & center, to sing “While We Think About The Game”. That was the moment I realized that when you’re on stage, you have power over the audience &, if you do it right, you’re also in control of their emotions. I was instantly hooked.

Who inspired you to make music?

Sometime after my intro into theater, my Dad passed away. I didn’t get a real chance to get to know him, due to circumstances beyond my control, but during that time everyone would tell me how incredible of a musician he was! The love & adoration people felt just thinking about the impact that he had on them was caused by the way he played his bass. This was a major moment in what made me choose to explore music further. It’s mind blowing to think that I took such a big negative at such a young impressionable age & turned it into something positive. I feel like it’s some kind of divine intervention.  

Describe your sound? 

Which one? Lol. My fans know that I just love creating music & different sounds. My 1st solo album “Memories of a Beautiful Disaster" was Active Rock, 2nd album “ Celebrate” was Alternative Pop, 3rd album “Riot On Sunset” was Active Rock, 4th album “Homeland” was Alternative Folk/Americana & the album I’m working on now, my 5th solo album, is one I’ve always wanted to make, an 80’s influenced Power Metal album! I think I’m having the most fun & difficulty writing this one.

How would you describe the music that you typically create?

A lot of my songs have reoccurring themes of self empowerment & motivation. My fans know that I grew up constantly being bullied, which a lot of them can relate to, so I put some of that in my music. With this next album I’m focused on trying to write a narrative, which is very challenging, but has been nice pulling from real experiences & attempting to give each song an “inspired by true events” feel.

What is your creative process like?

Each song happens differently. On my latest album I’ve been challenging myself with writing guitar riffs, which is not something I’ve done a lot in the past. I’m constantly singing or humming & when I get an idea that sticks I record it in my phone & immediately take it to the guitar to see if it will transpose in the same key. I’m happy to report that almost every riff on this record was written that way. Then I’ll work on a demo for the song in Logic & build it from there with vocal melodies, guitar accents & lyrics (usually) last.

Who would you most like to collaborate with?

There are so many incredible creators that it’s impossible to pick just one. I have my list of people I’d love to sing with live &, to be honest, that list has gotten shorter as new opportunities have manifested. I’d love to record with Rob Halford and/or Sammy Hagar. I’ve performed with both of them (Sammy 3 times now) but being in the studio is a much different setting & I’d love the chance to study their process.

If you could go open a show for any artist who would it be?

I’ve earned the opportunities to open a lot of shows for a lot of different artists & what I’ve learned is that it’s not necessarily the band you want to open for. It’s their audience. The fans make the band or artist important, so it doesn’t really matter who it is. If you’ve got a great crowd & you know how to work it, you’re guaranteed a memorable show.

What is one message you would give to your fans?

They are the reason I can keep on doing this at the levels that I’ve been able to. I have so much loyal support from my fans that I’m able to keep releasing new music & merch & going on tour. Most have been with me since American Idol & are more like extended family. We know more about some of my fans than I know about most of my cousins lol. Every chance I get, I say “Thank You”.

Do you sing in the shower? What songs?

If I’ve got a song stuck in my head or if I’m working on a new song, that’s usually the one I’m singing, but I don’t do it as much as one might think.

What would you be doing right now, if it wasn’t for your music career?

Hopefully still doing the things I do on a smaller scale. I have several side projects: an 80’s dance rock cover band called The Lost Boys, an alternative Country band called Homeland Revival & I have a little band with my wife Heidi called The SeaCliff Okies. I’ve also been working on my other passion which is Voice Over. 

What are your favourite venues you performed at?

The Thompson House in Newport, KY (I’ve played here 3 times. Just a really cool, historical venue)The Beach Boardwalk in my hometown Santa Cruz, CA (30,000 people at my Idol homecoming)Smart Araneta Coliseum in Manila, Philippines (2 sold out nights here on the Idol’s Live Tour 2011)The Rave @ Eagles Club/Ballroom Milwaukee, MN (I became the victim of a ghostly encounter)Just to name a few...

How do you feel the Internet has impacted the music business?

For me, it’s been my era. If not for the internet, I wouldn’t be able to do a lot of the things that I’ve done. My wife Heidi & I started our own Independent Label to release our music under. We run our own merch stores throughout my website, etc. The more it develops & the easier it becomes for everyone of all levels, the harder it becomes for those that have dedicated their lives to it. I see both sides of the coin, after all, my rise to prominence was through American Idol. I could see someone looking at that on the surface & complaining about it. I’ve talked to lots of industry people & had to defend myself in a way, explaining to them that Idol is hardcore industry bootcamp, if you can get into it. They’re not just handing out fame. You have to bust your ass every little step of the way. The internet makes the industry accessible & gives everyone the tools to use the way the want to.

Which famous musicians do you admire most?

From what I’ve experienced, I really admire Sammy Hagar. Not only does the man put on one hell of a show, he has an incredible bond with his fan base “The Redheads” & did I mention that this man is 72 years old?! Every time we get to see Sam he’s accommodating & hospitable, the first to pour you a drink & catchup. He’s an entrepreneur, guitar hero, father, husband. Before ever show, he gathers everyone around into a circle & leads everyone in prayer, exclaiming how grateful they are for the opportunities to get to bring joy to people through music. That’s what I admire most about him; his gratitude.

What is the best advice you’ve been given?

My wife Heidi has reminded me so many times to "Be grateful" & my mom Judy always tells me to “Be Blessed. I think that sums up the advice anyone else has ever told me. 

What’s next for you?

I’m in the studio recording my 5th solo album, doing lots of voice over sessions & just being ready & available for the abundance of positivity that is always manifesting.

What do you enjoy most about being a musician?

What I enjoy most about being a musician is that my job is creating. It inspires me to no end & pushes me to create as much as possible. 

what was your most memorable moment on tour?

Lets see…On Tour: I’ve been choked by a ghost, helped a bandmate a throw bag of poop out the back window of a tour bus while being chased by a hurricane, had a festival show get rained out, so I bar hopped with an acoustic guitar to play to fans at each spot. I’ve gotten tour tattoos, recorded my first single "Stand Up” while on tour, gotten my clothes ripped & stolen by a horde of super fans at the Mall of Asia in Manila & fully ripped my pants on stage a handful of times. A favorite recent memory was opening a show for 80’s rockers Y&T. It was a particularly cold California night & I was playing acoustic, accompanied by one of my regular guitarists Marc Putnam on electric. We had just gone into an encore of Dio’s “Rainbow In The Dark” when I broke a string. Last song of an opening set, I wasn’t gonna stop to fix it or end the show, I don’t do that. Ever. So we kept on playing. About a minute later I broke another string! That’s never happened to me before, not 2 strings on the same song. I could feel the tension in the crowd of when I was gonna stop, but I didn’t. I acknowledged it with a laugh & kept on playing & the crowd ate it up. I wrapped up the song earlier than usual but I gave them a show & didn’t pull any punches. I get a real sense of fulfillment in not stopping & always "going on with the show" whenever it’s possible.  

 What is your favorite thing about summer?

How tan my skin looks and that I can spend the whole day on the beach till the sunset.

What is your favorite game or sport to watch or play?

I love to watch figure skating and a bit of women’s football.

If you could choose to do anything for a day, what would it be?

Time travel so I could spoil me some crucial things and avoid Bolsonaro to get elected as the Brazilian President.

How would your friends describe you?

Supportive, funny and a bit crazy

What are your hobbies?

Bike around the city, go to the beach, watch TV shows, read, cook and hang out with friends.

What's your favorite summer food?

Açaí.

What's your favorite summer song?

From my last summer: Slow Down - Skip Marley, H.E.R.

What celebrity would you like to meet at Starbucks for a cup of coffee? 

Rihanna. She is such a strong woman that doesn’t let no one define or limit her.

What motivates you to work hard?

My thirst to succeed. Also, having people around that supports me and make me believe everyday how much I still can get and how good I am.

 What motivates you to work hard?

Knowing that I have the ability to create the kind of future I want to see for myself. 

What is your favorite thing about your career?

Being a professional model in NY taught me so much about the Industry, business, and how to grow! Being around such talent business 

owners taught me the skills that I used to create my own company!

Tell me about your work?

Well, I rebranded my entire business during the Pandemic. My agency, Stuff Oui Love (pronounced ‘Stuff We Love’) is helping online sellers create visibility, 

content, and brand awareness through social media!It is ideal concept for so many who are moving into an entirely online business model due to the current world climate. 

How would your friends describe you?

Oh man, I’m the adventurous one. I love to do new things and encourage others to do the same.

What are your hobbies?

Pre-pandemic I have always been into the car scene! I’ve had the opportunity to attend, Drive, and host events both in racing & the exotic 

car community. I really miss it! Hoping to be able to reconnect with some of these ventures post COVID!

What are your goals as a business person?

My long term goal is to be able to grow my company to the point where I can begin to invest in other startups. I also plan on growing Stuff Oui Love

 into a viable company that will employ people well above what some would deem “a living wage”. Creating a company to ‘do the least’ when it comes to hiring and supporting employees is not in my mindset. 

 What are some of your accomplishments so far?

I think the overall greatest achievement is being viable in multiple industries, simultaneously. I’ve performed and danced internationally. 

Including Ultra, EDC, privatized danced companies, and many more.I’ve been on MTV (2019), hosted major car events all over the US, all while modeling. 

What is your favorite game or sport to watch and play?

I love so watch racing on TV. I also love playing Forza.... and GTA. ;) 

If you could choose to do anything for a day, what would it be?I would choose to be the President of the United States of America. It’s STRAIGHT

 to Area 51 for me!!! #becausealiens

What's your favorite food?Pizza

What celebrity would you like to meet at Starbucks for a cup of coffee?

 I get asked this at every interview. Answer: ELON MUSK. I honestly can’t imagine anyone more interesting to get coffee with.

What motivates you to work hard? 

That I have a vision for how I see myself in movies, tv and magazines. I am motivated by fame. It’s not something I can change, it’s something I’ve had to accept. 

What is your favorite thing about your career? 

Performing. I love to perform live with piano and mic, and then also when I have my backing band. 

How would you describe your music? 

My music is very soul fusion, embedded into rock and roll roots. I am constantly perfecting my sound and I think my new clips pull my sound into my own style better than my last rock songs. 

How would your friends describe you? 

My friends have said, it’s more rock and roll, but I’ve got so much soul piano roots, so bringing in a fusion with my origins of big rock beats, as I’m a rock drummer.

What are your hobbies? 

I love kicking a ball and playing basketball, but then I’m at the gym nearly every day as I can’t live without the gym 

What is your favorite game or sport to watch and play? 

I play mortal kombat with my daughter as much as possible.

If you could choose to do anything for a day, what would it be? 

If I could choose anything, it would be play drums for a good 6-8 hours 

What's your favorite food? 

My favourite food is all bran. I can’t get enough fibre. 

What celebrity would you like to meet at Starbucks for a cup of coffee? 

I have a celebrity crush on Elizabeth Olsen, so meeting her for coffee would be ace!