J.Allen (Justin Allen Mercurio) from Revere, MA, is a R&B/pop/soul rock singer and songwriter who produces all of his own music.
His deep rhythmic soul and heartfelt writing makes for sound scapes that fans are falling in love with left and right. Recently his talents have been vibrantly shining through with one of his naturally skilled hobbies… making deep house music. At the age of six, his grandmother believed in him so much that she made a huge sacrifice in order for Justin to get his first piano which is the same one still in his living room almost twenty years later. As a kid J.Allen got a lot of inspiration from watching his uncle, DJ Master Millions, spin at high profile events and large concerts. “He had a way with the crowd, like he had complete control at all times,” says J. Allen.
J.Allen does an amazing job at letting his emotion shine in his music. Having the ability to write, sing, rap, produce, engineer, play the piano, and guitar, J.Allen is the complete package in today's music industry.
With a natural ear for music and the ability to create feel good tunes you find yourself humming all day, it’s no wonder J Allen has been getting a lot of good feedback(positive recognition) lately.
J. Allen attended Garfield Middle School and graduated from Revere High School. He was just an average student in school not because he lacked the ability to achieve the grades, but because he found himself so drown into music that everything else always came second.
In high school J. Allen had an awesome music teacher, Mr. Wah, that kept him both challenged and inspired. Even once the highest level of his music classes was reached, he helped design independent courses to take J. Allen further in his music.
J. Allen, “In school all I ever cared about was music. Mr. Wah was the only reason I graduated. One day he told me to listen to Pink Floyd’s, “The Wall”, and I still want to thank him for everything it continues to do for me. After that, I put my first single out about my first girl friend that broke my heart. It all started off with hard hip hop and then love songs. I realized in high school that I could sing, and I started working on my voice. Everyone told me I could write, but I wasn’t good at singing. I never listened to anybody though, and Mr. Wah kept me going. I’d listen to the little stuff about all the artists that didn’t listen to the put downs by negative people or harsh critics, and I worked hard and pushed beyond where I thought I could go with my talents so I stopped listening to people’s negative feedback. A true artist can jump on a train with an instrument and go anywhere and play with people. I want to be that way, and that’s one of the reasons I stay driven.”
When he started playing the piano his grandparents bought him, he made a promise he would never stop playing. His grandmother told him that the piano was supposed to be her diamond ring, but it meant more for her to see him do what he loved. He promised her he would never stop. At 25 years old those words still give him the drive he needs to keep pushing for his dreams.
At 14 he started producing tracks for him and his group ATTUX catching a local buzz with his neighborhood friends and people at school. In 2007 he graduated high school and made the move to Tampa where he performed at local shows all over. Entering himself in a hip-hop competition "From the Bottom to the Top" J Allen won himself his first music video called "Play My Music High". He moved back home not long after where he got a placement on Mike Africk’s album, "So Long". He then started recording/engineering at Split2nd Studio with Mike Cip. Spending the next year basically living in the studio J.Allen wrote song after song and built his catalog up. That's when he started working with Desi Desmond and Panauh Kalayeh getting musical compositions placed on tv shows like "Dirty Money", "Keeping Up With the Kardashians", "E! Entertainment News", and "Love and Hip Hop", among others.
On February 14, 2012, J. Allen dropped his first compilation cd, “Occupy Her Mind,” with other artists Ben Carew and G. Montana. The single was “Making Love,” produced by J.Allen.
J.Allen really connects with fans and surprises us day by day with his known and hidden talents. You never know what’s coming next from this rising star, but whatever it is always feels good and makes you want to get up and move. Every song tells a story with the way he expresses intense emotion through his creations. He writes things people can relate too and has the ability to sing, rap, produce, engineer, play the piano, and guitar. J.Allen is the complete package in today’s music industry. His first solo cd is dropping this summer, 2014, where you will hear a couple of his deep house tracks as well. Be on the lookout for single releases and special music videos from Believe In Music, the album, releasing on July 15, 2014.