Meet Justin Jones of West Hollywood

Today we’d like to introduce you to Justin Jones.

Hi Justin, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
My story has always felt nonlinear and a little complicated (more than it had to be!) like an improvisation guided by instinct, survival, and a deep need to create and express myself.

I was born in Frankfurt, Germany, to a multicultural military family: my mom who is a fierce and resilient German lady, and my dad, a proud African-American Air Force serviceman from Texas, and my big sister. That blend of cultures shaped how I saw the world: expansive, challenging, and full of nuance.

But behind the international beginnings were very real struggles. My family eventually navigated divorce, addiction, and the challenge of my mom raising me — a young Black boy — as an immigrant single mom trying to make sense of a foreign world on her own. It was during those early years that I first found my voice in creativity and found light through the darkness.

Some of my earliest “performances” were solo productions in my family home — turning my mom’s boots into Lara Croft gear and showing off my Lara Croft “drag” performance much to my mom’s embarrassment, giving action figures full-on story arcs, and auditioning as pirates and princes in elementary school plays. I was painting, modeling by age 16 in Fairfield, CA (I’m a California boy through and through). When I wasn’t doing creative pursuits, I stayed in playing video games (loved Final Fantasy growing up and singing the video game songs!).

But, eventually I didn’t want to stay home anymore and wanted to grow and see the world.

I took myself from a small town in California all the way to New York, where I got myself a manager and agent, I built up my own acting and modeling portfolio, I stage managed and acted in local productions, and auditioned to many major projects on Broadway, Commercials, TV and Film. I landed in Los Angeles and that journey didn’t end, where I pushed myself to grow and learn to write songs and poetry, most recently leading to the release of my latest song The Night, Tonight.

Through all that, creativity wasn’t just a hobby for me; it was how I survived, how I processed the world, and how I imagined something greater for myself. It helped me navigate a lot of pain I felt continuously exposed to. Growing up queer, Black, and expressive in places where that wasn’t always accepted meant I had to learn early how to carve space where there wasn’t any and fight for myself to be seen when others tried hard to hide me and knock me down.

There’s still no blueprint for becoming an artist when you want to do so many different creative things in a world that wants to tell you what you should do, but that challenge is what makes the journey so powerful and driving for me.

If I could tell my younger self anything, it would be this: your voice matters, your passions are valid and there’s nothing wrong with wanting more. Keep choosing yourself. And to keep following those ideas you obsess with and can’t stop thinking about, because there’s truth and healing in turning those ideas to reality.

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’s definitely not been a smooth road. As a queer Black man, there were many times I was just trying to survive in a world that didn’t reflect me with love or understanding. I don’t say queer lightly as I understand it’s not an all-encompassing term; but for me, it means defying gender norms in ways that are authentic to myself.

I didn’t grow up seeing people like me thriving creatively let alone allowed to be themselves, so much of my journey has been about unlearning shame, trusting my voice, and showing up fully as myself. And I’m so thankful for all of the amazing people I’ve met along the way who pushed me to doing those things.

Money was tight in the beginning (and still is!). Every class, project, or piece of gear came out of my own pocket. It still does. I worked temp jobs, catering gigs, and built a parallel career in tech, recently earning my degree in IT Business Management from Western Governors University. That balance between art and professional growth has always been part of my story as an artist obsessed with tech.

I’ve faced burnout, self-doubt, and moments where I felt completely invisible. But what’s kept me going is a deep inner knowing that my voice and creativity matter, not just for success, but for healing, truth, and honoring every version of me that didn’t give up. Even when the path was unclear, I followed the fire inside, and so far it’s been right!

Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
I’m a multidisciplinary artist: singer, songwriter, actor, dancer, and creative storyteller. I’ve never wanted to confine my artistry to just one medium, and I’ll say the one thing I did confine myself to are my instincts as they’ve proven to be true!

I started out writing fiction and poetry throughout my early school, which later expanded into painting and photography in high school. Sometimes I was both the photographer and the subject. From there, I stepped into modeling, which brought me to New York, where I trained in acting and performed in off-off-Broadway productions and student films. One of my favorites are when I played a sassy HR professional who “totally isn’t gay”!

Now, based in Los Angeles, I put my love for writing into songwriting and music. Creating music videos, writing lyrics, and producing songs that reflect my truth has come full-circle.

One of my proudest achievements is that my first ever music video for my song Hurricane reached over 100K views which is a huge milestone for me as an independent artist (thanks to my vocal coach and artist development Lauren Carter, and videographer Mikhail Goldenberg!).

I’m also happy to say I’ve worked with a number of great musicians already, including Grammy nominated producer Emry (@iamemry on Instagram) for my song Ceilings.

What sets me apart is my versatility and my refusal to be boxed in, especially as a Black man. I’ve continuously reinvented myself while staying rooted in authenticity. I’m passionate about challenging narrow expectations and embracing the full spectrum of who I am because it’s my life to live.

And fun fact, I might still be most recognized for dance among friends and peers! I’ve trained in contemporary, jazz, modern, heels, ballet, and even pole. Content I’ve shared with dance has always resonated with others. Living in West Hollywood, I discovered pole dancing as a way to heal, explore my sexuality, and build confidence and strength. A little secret is that I’ve always wanted to break the mold and try pole. In part because I was told in so many ways I shouldn’t, but also because it’s just badass. I’m so glad I did.

My work doesn’t just extend to the arts. I’m passionate about giving back to the community and I’ve worked with various nonprofit organizations in SoCal including The Hidden Genius project, which is a nonprofit that works to provide tech and educational opportunities to young black men in Los Angeles. I worked with peers, connecting the talented young geniuses to working black professionals in tech, showing over 60 geniuses that you can take up space in tech and follow your dreams.

As a business professional, I’ve also branched out and offer creative consulting services for artists including branding, EPK development, business process development (ie pricing sheets, price lists, website development) and more!

Ahead for music- I recently worked with producer Quietson and musician Matt Francis, two amazingly talented artists, to release my latest single, The Night Tonight, a wishful serenade to rekindling love.

All being said, people have tried to tell me my entire life that “men don’t do XYZ” or that I’m “too different”. It’s all just noise, and I turned that noise into art. Thank you VoyageLA for giving me the opportunity to share my story and journey!

Do you have recommendations for books, apps, blogs, etc?
A book I would recommend is one actually recommended to me by my therapist titled “My Grandmother’s Hands” by Resmaa Menakem that has helped me do my best in life and work.

This book has gotten me in touch with a lot of trauma I harbored and wasn’t aware of how to navigate. It’s made me more aware of the world around me and how I fit in, I would highly suggest reading it!

Pricing:

• Creative consulting, business process development, and artist development – contact for more info!

Contact Info:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/justin.jns/
• Other: https://open.spotify.com/album/6qKmS6o7eHamLzIkstYwGw

Image Credits
Lilly Lilova