Since April 2020, Jack Warren ’22 has released four songs—“See You Soon”, “Green Embers”, “In My Head”, and “Coming Home” under his Spotify profile, “Headrush.” According to Warren, his songs speak to personal events and address issues of mental health.
“In April, I put out a song called ‘See You Soon,’ which was an autobiography about being in isolation during quarantine… After that, [I released] a song called ‘Green Embers’… It’s about having anger issues and bottling up your emotions before you explode. ‘In My Head’… [talks] about mental health. ‘Coming Home,’ is about… missing the people that you care about and feeling like you’re not where you’re supposed to be,” said Warren.
On campus, Warren is a member of the a cappella group Keynotes. According to Keynotes Co-Head Sofia Garcia ’21, Warren’s style is alternative rock with pop influences. She also noted that his evolution as an artist has allowed him to explore more complexity in his music.
“Since [Junior year, Warren has] gained a lot more confidence. He has learned more about his own voice, performance style, and about the music writing process… He is very intentional about what he does with his voice, tone, dynamics, and everything that goes into composing his own music,” said Garcia.
Warren’s song-writing process starts with his guitar. After creating a riff or chord progression that interests him, Warren writes lyrics to accompany it. According to Warren, this process allows him to focus on the overarching vibe of the song.
“Whenever there is a particular energy or emotion in my life that matches a song I had previously composed, I’ll write lyrics around that idea. Those melodies typically complement the guitar chords or the drum bassline… My [philosophy is] music first, lyrics second,” said Warren.
Warren cites music as an outlet where he can express his emotions. When writing, his intense focus allows him to relax and alleviate stress.
“Music, for me, is the perfect way to display my emotions without having to talk about them… Insert any scenario: I’ll get on my computer, start making beats, grab my guitar, [and] start writing something, and I immediately forget about [what was stressing me out before]––and it’s all about the music,” said Warren.
Amongst his friends and fellow musicians, Warren is known for his dedication to music. Fellow Keynotes member Sean Meng ’22 described his reaction to Warren’s work ethic.
“You’ll see [Warren] work for an hour and a half to fix a small detail or sound effect on one of his demos. Seeing that amount of detail, seeing that amount of focus, and the fact that he never gets tired of working on music… speaks to his passion for music,” said Meng.
In the future, Warren hopes to produce hip-hop records and continue his career as a solo musician.
“I’ve always wanted to [be] an artist. I’ve wanted to play stadiums since I was ten… I want people to care. I don’t need anyone to be my biggest fan. I don’t need anyone to support me. I just want people to care,” said Warren.
Editor’s Note: Sean Meng is a Business Editor for The Phillipian.
