Musical phenomenon Juke Ross has several endearing qualities. Aside from his spectacular voice, the contemporary/pop, singer/songwriter/ guitarist is easy to talk to and humble despite his obvious talent.
He has taken his passion for music to a professional level since last September, performing at the OMG Poetry Nights. And this past January saw the artiste releasing his first song “Colour Me” on YouTube.
“Colour Me,” Juke Ross said, “is a love song; a bitter-sweet love song. It’s about a lasting impression that someone made on you and how they brought you life.”
Although he has been singing only four years now—by himself that is—Juke Ross doesn’t consider himself a bathroom singer. He would more likely be a “bathroom hummer,” he comically said.
The singer, born Hubert Norville, told The Scene, “I used to hum a lot and whistle. The humming started from since I could remember. I was always listening to the radio. Back then it was just FM or AM. My mom played the radio all the time. I listened to a lot of Otis Redding and a lot of soul. In fact, I learnt to waltz from a very young age; my mom taught me. I turned out to be the only person who actually knew to waltz at my prom.”
The former Brickdam Secondary and Queen’s College student said, “Back in school I was a very normal kid. I was somewhat introverted but at the same time I was often forced into debates by teachers who thought me to be a smart kid. Singing has, over time, helped my shyness and has helped me to express myself. It’s also helped me to view things from a different perspective. When I sing I could only think about what I’m singing and what I what for it to mean but when I record, I can play it back and hear myself just as a fan would hear me. Doing this many times helped me to understand from my fans’ perspective and how deep my songs can be for them. It’s helped me to appreciate music more and the power of music.”
After meeting with local legend Dave Martins and discussing with him his idea to do a cover of “Not a Blade O’ Grass,” he was given the go-ahead. Early May saw him release the “Not a Blade O’ Grass” cover with a contemporary flair and on May 27, during the Jubilee celebrations, Juke Ross performed the cover along with his single, “Home”, another patriotic song.
“Home is a song I wrote,” he said. “It’s about what Guyana means to me. It’s about the fact that I hold it dearly. In the song I sought to highlight all the good things about Guyana and a few short comings; that’s what made us, us.”
During his sit-down with The Scene the artiste played the “Not a Blade O’ Grass” cover and “Home” from his phone. Afterwards, he sang part of “Colour Me”, the smoothness in his raspy voice leaving goosebumps. “Colour Me” for Juke Ross may have been of someone who left a lasting impression on him, but once heard it’s bound to leave a lasting impression on its listener as well.
“Music is my passion. As soon as I get the chance, music is what I do most. If I had a long day and something or someone upsets me or even if I just want to relax, I go play my guitar.”
Juke Ross shared that his first time on stage at the National Stadium was nerve-wracking, but turned out to be fun when the crowd started singing along.
His inspirations, just a few of the many he has, are Matt Corby, Adele and Kygo. Corby is a favourite because of how he relates to Australian singer/songwriter.
“Matt Corby has a similar journey to mine. He’s an independent artiste like myself. It took him some time to establish that he wanted to do music.
“My biggest supporters are my parents and my fans. My fans are my source of motivation. They make me want to learn new things and perfect my craft.”
Besides music, Juke Ross is also a member of Foot Prints of Today Foundation, a charitable organization, as well as a second year medical student at the Texila American University.
He enjoys, in his free time, playing cricket, watching Game of Thrones and painting, mainly abstract.
When asked to talk about his personality, he said, “I’d like to think I’m interesting, fun and a cool guy.”
A few years from now, he sees himself as a general practitioner and an international artiste. “In five years’ time my goal is to have at least two albums under my belt.”
For fans, he said, “Expect emotional songs; songs filled with depth and content and real life stories that they can relate to. My ultimate intent is to evoke feelings.”
Juke Ross is working on a project for September though he’s not sure if it will be an album or a few singles, but you can be sure once released it will leave a lasting impression.
The “Not a Blade O’ Grass” cover is one of the songs on the Golden Children Project CD, which is on sale at Giftland Mall, Cheddi Jagan International Airport and Matt’s Record Bar.
To listen to his songs, you can look for Juke Ross “Colour Me” on YouTube or Juke Ross “Home” & “Not a Blade O’ Grass” cover on Sound Cloud. Juke Ross is on Facebook and on Instagram.
