JARID ROOT — A BOOK OF MAGAZINE

Music artist and actor JARID ROOT is all about honesty. The rising artist is all about being true to his feelings and emotions- and that’s also very evident in his music. In this exclusive interview, Jarid talks about his debut EP Devil’s Advocate- his inspirations and stories behind it.

We also discover a little bit about Root’s open book story on how he uses his emotions and feelings to fuel his art. It’s a story of persistence, tenacity and focus on art.

Read on as Jarid Root shares his fears, guilty pleasures, dreams, aspirations and goals in life.

Tell us a bit about yourself.

My name is Jarid Root. I am 21 and I’m a gay music artist & actor. For as long as I can remember I’ve always wanted to be an entertainer even if I didn’t know how I would get there. I grew up in a very small town in Illinois until I was 8, moved to Louisiana for a couple years, and then was scouted to come to California at 10 for acting and singing.

I’ve been in the acting industry for about 11 years now, and I didn’t start getting serious about my own music until a few years ago, when I began writing this EP. My MO in life has always been to be honest in how I’m feeling- and in this EP and my music in general, I do just that.

Tell us more about your debut EP Devil’s Advocate. What inspired you to do it?

My debut “Devil’s Advocate” is a five-track EP that delves into the social and political issues of America, and my own experience and struggles with those issues, such as depression, anxiety, school shootings, and homophobia. Considering that these are all controversial topics in America and I am giving my very strong opinions on them, I figured “Devil’s Advocate” as the EP title was a nice little spin on what I was doing with it.

When someone plays devil’s advocate, they are daring to be a little controversial and shamelessly state their opinions for the sake of good, healthy debate. Although I am not taking the side of the bad guy, I am essentially the spokesperson for my own opinions, which may or may not be controversial to certain people. So in a sense, with this EP, I am playing my own Devil’s Advocate.

However, the EP didn’t start with the goal of making an overall social and political statement. I started writing the EP when I was 17, and at that time, I was in the throes of not being able to be who I wanted to be, and I was just passionately writing down my opinions because I had nowhere else to put them.

I’ve always been kinda stubborn, hardheaded and transparent when it comes to my beliefs, and after finishing the EP a couple years later, that became more apparent. This EP started off as five diary entries, but more so transformed into a social and political statement as well.

How would you describe your music?

I would describe my music as straight from the notebook diary entries set to music. The lyrics you hear are exactly what I’m thinking, and honestly were a huge cathartic release for me. And hopefully, they can become a cathartic release for others as well. All my experiences were written down on paper, and hopefully people can resonate with my words if they’re going through the same experiences. Soundwise, my music definitely fits in with the pop genre, but I like to say it has more of a movie-like, cinematic feel to it, especially with the addition of movie quotes and orchestral flourishes. All of my songs are big “moments” and the music builds up to that, giving the listener a rise when they hear it in its entirety.

What’s the most challenging part of creating the EP?

I would say the most challenging part of creating the EP was doing so much of it on my own. There was a LOT of learning to do, as far as operating the software, deciding what sounded professional and what didn’t. I mean, this industry is so competitive as it is, it’s important that if you put something out there, that it stands out. So that was a bit difficult, considering that I am doing all of this for the first time.

However, the actual writing of the songs, and the discovery of the instrumentals were the most beautiful and fun part about it. As much as I was making sure I was following certain rules, the music, the style, and the words all came 100% from me, and my wonderful co-producer Brent Paschke really helped elevate that.

How did you rise above these challenges?

Honestly, taking on the attitude that I need to do whatever it takes to get to the end product. I’ve always wanted to put out music that was taken seriously, that a lot of people would hear, and I’ve always wanted to see myself on the screen in my own music videos, and I kept my nose to the grind and did whatever I had to do to make that possible, while meeting some amazing people along the way.

It really helped to remind myself that this was all a journey, and that’s part of the fun- is the journey. Because once I’ve reached the end of one, my mind is already set on the next one ahead.

What’s the proudest moment of your career so far?

Honestly, I think in both acting and singing, I’m probably the proudest I’ve been. I just finished filming my first feature film with fellow musician Greyson Chance, and music-wise, I’m already at over 100,000 Spotify streams on “Devil’s Advocate”, so I definitely have some goals in the future and want to keep going, but I think I should be satisfied with where I’m at right now.

I’m also so happy that I’ve finally come to terms with who I am as a person and who I am as an artist/performer. I spent so much time in the closet when it came to my style and expression, and now that I’ve made that first step in coming out as the person I want to be, I’m a lot happier. And I hope that inspires younger members of the LGBT community to come out as well.

What inspires you?

I’ll always say this, but the underdog. I’ve always been the underdog just waiting for my moment, and it can get tough on the second tier. It takes a lot of work and an immense amount of faith.

But people like Lady Gaga, Tonya Harding, Katy Perry. People who persisted through completely on their own, and carving their own path given their own obstacles trying to hold them back. It is SO inspiring seeing someone stomp their foot down, insisting that they deserve to be where they want to be, where they’re meant to be. And I resonate a lot with that sentiment.

What scares you?

Failure. I think like a clinical fear of failure to be quite honest, haha! Even from a young age, the standards in my family for grades was getting an A or above, so I was a straight A student, because there simply wasn’t a choice not to.

And I think that’s what makes me as strong as I am today, but it’s also something I have to keep in check. Because too much fear can become dangerous to the mind, and that’s a lot of what I go into in “Devil’s Advocate”, especially in Tug My Teeth, dealing with that monster in the corner of the room that just so happens to be you, torturing your brain with self-doubt and degradation.

But fear of failure is definitely the monster under my bed.

Guilty pleasure?

Freaking Dance Moms. I hate that that’s my answer, but seasons 1-4 of Dance Moms are like the pinnacle of reality television and I will always sit down if anyone is watching Dance Moms.

I think it’s the fact that I was also a child actor/performer and that hooks me, because I binged the entire show during quarantine and I found myself crying a lot when the girls would break down or come clean about their feelings. And I think the extreme standards that the kids were under to perform and emotionally handle that is what I connected to the most, so in a weird way, watching it kind of helps heal my inner child haha.

Name your top 5 favorite films of all time

I, Tonya (2017) has to be one of the best movies I’ve ever seen, and Margot Robbie does

a fantastic job at playing Tonya Harding.

Being the Ricardos (2021) is also incredible. The writing and Nicole Kidman’s

performance is seriously top notch.

All of the Harry Potter movies are an automatic yes for me, like if it’s rainy outside or

I’m having a terrible day, the Harry Potter movies are the perfect escapism.

Hunger Games: Catching Fire (2013) is actually the peak of cinema for me. The color

correction and the sharpness of that movie makes it the best of the dystopian genre for

me. Jennifer Lawrence is always a favorite anyway.

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (2005) is and always will be iconic. The music?? The

visuals??? Tim Burton showed out when he released this movie. The movie is 2 hours

and feels like 30 minutes.

Last song that got stuck in your head

“Vegas” by Doja Cat for the new Elvis movie. Something about the Houndog sample along with the spooky jazz club riff makes my brain hum. So that one’s definitely been on repeat. Her cadence is also just insane.

What’s the best advice you’ve ever received?

Not necessarily advice, but that who I am is enough.

My best friend told me this when I had this major emotional breakdown one night, and I was telling her I felt like a failure at everything. And she basically made me realize that for my entire life, I’ve always viewed my worth and my value through the accomplishments I’ve achieved. But she reminded me that who I am as a person is enough through and through, and that who I am is enough to deserve to live on this planet like everyone else.

And I think that’s amazing advice for everyone, and especially for people like me. This world is full of a bunch of people pleasers who place their value in the things they do, and while that does mean something, it doesn’t mean everything.

What’s your ultimate goal?

My ultimate goal is to sign with a label. Start touring. Release more music to people who are eager to receive it. But more than anything, I just want a lot of people to resonate with my music. I want to affect people’s hearts. I want to make a life-long career out of this.

Acting-wise, I would love to be consistently working on projects- Anything and everything. Although acting and music are two separate things, they’re very much one and the same, and I want to get to a point where this is how I make my living.

What are your dream projects?

Ugh! How I would love to start recording an album, of course under a label. I would love to be able to have the financial means and backing to be able to solely focus on my art and my next big EP or album.

Acting-wise, I’d love to be the lead or supporting role in a biopic or true story film or TV show. It’s my favorite genre, and it would be such an honor to be a part of more but also, a good drama, romance, or horror. But definitely a lead role, one that I and other people remember.

Is there a skill / talent that a lot of people don’t know about you?

Actually, yes. I’m a figure skater.

Weirdly enough, I never thought that’s what I would do, but a few years ago before the pandemic, I decided I wanted to try out figure skating, so I bought a pair of skates. Of course, a couple weeks after that happened, the whole world shut down and I didn’t get to practice. But almost a year ago, they opened up again and I began officially training with a coach, and now I’m set to start competing in August! Which is super exciting.