Born and raised on Guam, the Chinese melodic rap artist JNK Stunno released his debut album “Nebula” on Oct. 7.
“Nebula is about the journey to becoming a star in the music industry,” said the 15-year-old, whose real name is James Luo. “A nebula is essentially a cloud of gas that forms in space after a star explodes.
JNK Stunno previously has released singles, such as “But Me” and Insomnia (Calling My Name) this year, and “EUPHORIA” and “GO IN” last year.
“I feel that this being the title of my debut album is symbolic because this project could very well be the start of me exploding into superstardom,” said the former Tamuning resident, who now attends Temple City High School in Temple City, California after studying at Father Dueñas Memorial School his freshman year.
Childhood on Guam
Growing up on Guam, JNK Stunno’s passion for music began when he was around 7 years old listening to lots of Justin Bieber and One Direction tunes.
He was comfortable singing in his house, but when it came to huge crowds, he was terrified as he walked onto the stage when he performed at St. John’s School, where he attended elementary and middle school.
“I’ve performed at my elementary school before, but I didn’t continue performing because I didn’t feel used to the idea of being watched by an audience,” he said said. “I wish I would’ve done more gigs just to get rid of my stage fright.
“The struggles I faced were other people making fun of me for making music and not taking me seriously,” he added. “I overcame them by just blocking them out and knowing that they don’t see the vision like I do.
“I’m addicted to the idea of creating art, and I’m passionate because music has been such a big part of my life.”
Inspired by Guam
Now living in California, he said his Guam experiences more motivated to succeed.
“I’m inspired by the island experience because since I lived on such a small island, all my friends and affiliates felt closer to me on a personal level and motivated me to make music,” he said. “Not a lot of musicians get noticed here, so I want to try and put Guam on the map in the future.
“I hope to establish connections with people who are already in the industry and create a new sound that makes me unique,” he added.
“My future plans are to inspire or help people with my music because I feel as if this is what I’m good at and what I’m also really passionate about.”
Musical inspirations
He takes inspiration from artists such as XXXTENTACION, Justin Bieber, Chris Brown, A Boogie wit da Hoodie and Khalid.
“I want others to feel like they can relisten to the album time and time again,” JNK Stunno said. “I also want others to have a song they can turn on and relate to.
“The message of the album relates to our generation because everyone wants to become a star in their own way, whether that is becoming famous, winning accolades and so forth,” he added.
Recording with iPhone and AirPodsJNK Stunno’s creative process is unique because he only uses an iPhone and AirPods to record his music.
“I’ve never really used any studio equipment, yet I can still maintain the quality of my music,” JNK Stunno said. “I feel that just using an iPhone with AirPods to record music is convenient for me because those are the two things I always carry with me.
“I also think it just goes to show that you don’t need a whole studio and professional equipment to make good sounding music,” he said. “I make sure I maintain the quality of my music by putting in a lot of time and effort and making sure that the song meets my expectations.”
Reflecting on the creative process, JNK Stunno enjoyed recording and testing out different style beats for his album “Nebula” because he wanted to show his versatility and how far he could expand his sound.
“My album is a collection of the emotions I was feeling at the moment,” JNK Stunno said. “Every song on this album has a personal meaning to me and relistening to them all made me satisfied with my work.
“I was affected emotionally after listening to the final product because this album is a collection of all my hard work within the past year,” he added.
