Today we’d like to introduce you to Joey Diggs Jr.
Hi Joey, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
Being born & raised in Los Angeles while coming from a musical family, entertainment has always been at the forefront of my dreams and aspirations. Early on I performed for my family constantly in the living room, later on I would sing in various school talent shows and would sing for any girl who asked; I saw it as a super power of sorts. Even though I was naturally a shy soul I took notice the power I had to make people smile with my talents and took it upon myself to overcome my fears. The genuine reactions from the girls made this a lot smoother of a process if i’m being honest.
After High School I tried out for American Idol with the hopes of taking my career to the next level. I was rejected by the producers of the show before even being able to sing for the shows actual judges. I was broken and devastated to say the least. I literally watched a mime make it to the next round by not even singing a single note: my first taste of show business.
From there I ended up joining a boyband (Midnight Red, Interscope -> Capitol Records) randomly that turned into one of the best decisions I’ve made in my career. Never before had i thought of being a part of a group, let a lone a boyband. My love for groups like Nsync, Backstreet Boys, Jackson 5 however proved very helpful in my journey; all of which wouldn’t be possible without my late Aunt Rox gifting me the latest Nsync and LFO albums literally saying “I think you’re going to need these..”. I was an 11/12 year old boy and boybands were not “cool” at that time- boy was I wrong.
My very first show ever with the group was opening up at the Mandalay Bay Arena for New Kids on the Block & The Backstreet Boys.. Literally a from 0-100 situation where we found ourselves traveling all over the country, then later in our career being blessed to sing all over the world. The experience itself was a real gift and I’m grateful for every last person involved in making that machine run the way it did. The things I was able to see and the moments that were made are priceless. Im truly thankful for it all to this day especially.
All good things come to and end and I ended up leaving the group to pursue my personal goals which also gave me the ability to raise my then new born baby girl. The transition out of the group was definitely difficult however it was also one of the best decisions I’ve made in my life. I spent the next few years acting and featuring in various online skits alongside my funny and charismatic daughter, furthering my network even more than before.
For the past few years I’ve been learning 3D animation as a way to create a tailored aesthetic for not only my music but for my brand as well. This seemingly daunting task of learning a new skill was, once again, another game changing decision as recently I just released my very first fully animated music video for my song The Confusion Song. Working alongside my brother and producer D. Phelps has been nothing but fruitful as we have 30+ songs we have yet to release, songs that exude quality and substance. I am very proud of the work we’ve been doing and do not take our work lightly as I feel he have the ability to curate the soundtrack for a new generation. Coming to this realization early on I took to 3D animation as a way to efficiently tell stories with no limit as to where I can take things visually.
On my animation journey I’ve had the pleasure of both learning from & working with some amazing talents across the board. Q Star is a fellow animator that helped me early on in the process discover my love for animation; watching him create entire worlds in what was then such a foreign program really opened my eyes to the possibilities that lied ahead. Royce Adkins is a filmmaker who has been alongside me in this journey as well, turning his sights to storytelling through animation; together we’ve spent countless hours of research and development that have proven to really set us up for success. Natalie Hyland is an amazing illustrator and sculptor who has an original character/story currently in development; combining our skills and efforts to blend 3D animation with practical stop motion to tell the story of Silly Stan. Eddy Vajarakitipongse and Jason71 are fellow directors that have truly helped me expand my knowledge of all things animation, XR, and filmmaking; together we have also spent countless hours of R&D really breaking through the learning curve and pushing the limits of whats possible in the space.
Currently I am preparing the grounds for releasing all the music I have, each song accompanied by animated visuals to set its desired tone. I have also created an animated experience in development centered around my original character J Rockit. Im truly excited about the project due to the fact that it is the culmination of all I have learned thus far and incorporates everything from my love for storytelling & music to animation. My long time friend and illustrator Miguel Wilson really helped me hone in the aesthetic early on for the characters in the story; his illustrations gave me the jump start I needed to get things off the ground and visualized into reality. Jesse Onyina is a very talented 3D sculptor from Africa that has been inspiring me for years before he became a friend and colleague; he has helped me develop the characters to be utilized in 3D form by way of his stunning sculpts. Great things take time however J Rockit will make his appearance very soon so please be on the lookout.
In the meantime! The Confusion Song is currently on YouTube as well as my instagram so please feel free to check it out and let me know what you think! Link will be attached to this article =]
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Being a single father for the majority of my career has definitely had its hardships but let me tell you like this: if it wasnt for my intelligent, funny, and beautiful daughter Izzy Diggs I wouldn’t have made it this far. Thankful from the bottom of my heart for her patience and love for me which allowed me the space and confidence to keep pushing forward with my dreams and aspirations. The best part is that we did it TOGETHER from acting in the top influencers of the times skits to both writing songs for both myself and projects such as The Paw Patrol Movie. The many hardships that have come and gone all seem minuscule compared to the growth/accomplishments made in the process and even today. She really is my saving grace and ill be forever grateful for all she’s done for me in this life.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I’m really just interested in doing cool things with like minded people and pushing the limits of creativity to heights we’ve never (personally) experienced before. Most people like to consume but I can’t help but feel like “I’m missing out” whenever other talented companies/individuals present their inspiring ideas to the world for everyone to consume. My goal is to not only create stunning art sonically and visually but to ensure that the substance within/behind the art is good for the soul. I think what we consume is of the upmost importance and I just want to do my part in spreading positive vibrations across the earth while I’m here/to be consumed beyond my time.
I believe what sets me apart is my willingness to learn new/hard things. I have a true belief that I can not only learn but excel in anything I put my efforts behind creatively.
What were you like growing up?
Growing up I was (and still am) obsessed with Michael Jackson. As a kid he was just my hero but as I got older he became my teacher in a way. When you look at his career: he pushed the limits of not only his own vision, but forced everyone else in the world to “step it up” changing the scope of music/entertainment forever. We STILL can’t catch up to what he was able to accomplish during his time here, the amount of positivity he’s poured into the world (even after death); we can only hope to aspire to keep the magic alive in our own ways.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/joeydiggsjr/?hl=en
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/joeydiggsjr/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JvOiCglsQHM
Image Credits
Illustration: Miguel Wilson
Photo of me: Matthew Romasanta
