Check Out CJ Thompson’s Story

Today we’d like to introduce you to CJ Thompson.

Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
From Cincinnati, OH. I started singing in church at a young age. Acknowledging my talents and many gifts from God, I have stayed true to my love for singing and creating all through my life. Still to this day, I keep Christ and love at the center. Being involved in modeling, acting, and doing many musicals – one opportunity, specifically, ended up resulting in a breakthrough for me. It was a production of “A Tribute to Motown” portraying a young Stevie Wonder and a young Michael Jackson.

At 14, my voice started changing in the midst of recording my first demo. It took me by surprise and left me very confused on how to feel about my vocal struggles. I didn’t want to give up on singing but knew I had to give it time to mature and reshape itself. So, I decided to dive into music production and engineering and began teaching myself and learning from many inspirations as well as forcing myself to have a keener and more critical ear. During high school, a close friend of mine began to call me Chocq (short for Chocolate) and I loved it. I began to claim that as his musical persona by my senior year of high school. I eventually change the spelling from Chocc to Chocq to commemorate my late Grandfather’s catering business, Choice Q. So, still pronounced the same but different spelling and added the T for Thompson. Now, it is simply Chocq. T.

My main influences are Michael Jackson, Jackie Wilson, Usher, Justin Timberlake, Robin Thicke, Teddy Riley, Rodney “Darkchild” Jerkins, Timbaland, Zapp & Roger, and The Deele. I strive to combine all the learnings from my inspirations and collaborate them with my own flair to bring a new and revived sound to the industry. The flavor of my influencers renewed, some pieces of today’s music for seasoning and my own style split into the mix. Music is about creating moments between the message and the listener, connecting on as many cylinders as possible and I plan to do just that!

Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
It hasn’t been a smooth road the entire way, but I appreciate and value that. I feel like if someone expects an easy road to success and their goals, that type of entitlement will lead to so much more hardship. Struggles that made the road hard for me were things like my voice changing, business situations that were out of my control, and just timing. I’d say one of the more profound struggles is the lack of attention span and artistic appreciation that my generation expresses. The music industry is driving and producing at an all-time high right now and in large part due to label executives chasing the dime vs. chasing the talent. Social media has been a big contributor to that. There are so many artists now that sound so much alike, talking about the same damaging things and songs are shorter, less musical, and less thought-provoking. It seems as if the “viral potential” or most obscure image is what interest the music listeners nowadays and it makes it a bit hard to feel confident in representing what seems to be a lost or lackluster appreciation for the effort and the simple love for the art itself.

As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
I am simply a lover who uses my gift to create music and inspire love in others. I make R&B/Soul music with hints of Funk and absolutely love performing with a band. I believe the things that set me apart and that I am most proud of his my “Why”. I feel it is my duty to not only spread love but to share that with other creatives around me. For example, performing my music with a band of instrumentalists is so important to me because it is not all about me, it’s bigger than me. Yes, I want the world to hear my music and have hopes that it inspires and resonates with so many but also, I want the world to see and hear the gifts that God has given other musicians and to put that on display. Live music is one of the biggest rushes and joys I have in this world. Everything from the prep to the final product, the powering on of the mixing console, lights, cameras and set design to the powering down and everything surround it. Point A to point Z. Putting on a show and bringing joy to people is so important and requires skills, natural gifts and a yearning to do right and that is something I feel is a lost but retrievable cause in today’s industry.

Any advice for finding a mentor or networking in general?
Finding mentors is key because being able to connect and communicate with someone that’s been where you want to be, no matter the level is so rewarding. What’s worked well for me in that field is being willing to LISTEN and LEARN. Being a student and remaining humble at all times. Doing this allows for natural relationship building and doors opening in ways you didn’t expect.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.chocqt.com
• Instagram: @chocq_t
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/iamchocqt/
• SoundCloud: https://soundcloud.com/chocq-t