Jean-Luc: The Brains, the Talent, and the Humor

How does the multidisciplinary artist balance it all?

Photo by Lauren Lepore, Styled by Matt Rossi, Pieces from Rare Bodega

You’ve seen him on TikTok. You may know him as ‘the clout guy,’ but Jean-Luc is much more than that. In addition to making you laugh out of relatability to New York City’s art and fashion scenes, he is also a man who wears many hats. The Westchester, New York native is a creative producer at GQ, a multi-genre singer, a DJ, and a viral sensation on TikTok. While Jean-Luc masters balancing his multidisciplinary schedule, he recently released singles “Kiss,” “New Baby,” and “Designer Coat.”

Jean-Luc’s charm exudes in every scene. Whether he’s DJing a party on the Lower East Side, singing with a band, or running around the city making funny videos, it’s impossible not to be magnetized by his charisma and eclectic style. His creative inspiration comes from his artistic family, his 2010s Tumblr era, and his favorite artists today, like Virgil Abloh, Luka Sabbat, Justine Skye, and more.

Trial and error have shaped Jean-Luc’s ambition and success today. Between 2015 and the COVID-19 pandemic, he’s done everything: performing at house parties and colleges, experimenting with starting bands and rap groups, doing small tours, and eventually making his mark in the city. He’s also appeared at V Files and opened at a show in Barclays. Everything happens for a reason. He almost signed to Roc Nation, but his independence and being himself have gotten him farther than ever imagined.

Jean-Luc sat down with 1202 MAGAZINE in a quaint cafe in the Lower East Side to discuss his musical roots, making a name for himself, and how he juggles multiple projects at once.

Could you tell me about yourself and your story?

Where do I start? I grew up in a creative family. I have been making music for as long as I can remember. I began in the children’s choir at my church. My uncle was the choir leader, so I always looked up to them. Growing up, I dreamed of being in the choir and leading that solo at the Easter play. My aunt was a pretty big DJ for KISS Radio in the city. My uncle was a model, and my dad was the head of the video ministry at church, so we always had a camera around. We called him the paparazzi when we were younger because he videotaped everything. I’ve always wanted to be an artist and famous.

There were videos of me performing rapping at my aunt’s 50th birthday. I had a rap name called Little King. I wanted to be like Bow Wow and Lil Romeo…I was in a band with a couple of kids from church. We would do different performances. I was also always into fashion, and I was on Tumblr a lot in 2011 and 2012 during the Virgil Abloh and Pyrex era when everyone was dressing dope in Supreme. I grew up in Westchester, not too far from the city, but it felt so far away. I was the only kid dressing like that in my high school. My best friend and I would walk around SoHo, trying to be a part of that world.

One of my bandmates made it onto the first round of The Voice. Another friend went on American Idol during our senior year, and it was, like, ‘Oh shit, maybe we could be famous.’ By the end of high school, I was popping in the local areas. We became a little famous in the nearby rich town, Greenwich…I started making music around 2015 in college at Boston University. I was in a rap group with my best friend.

So you’ve gone through every music genre?

I’ve gone through all of them. I was entirely in the SoundCloud era. I tried to be the next Lil Uzi Vert when he came out. I soon moved to New York City in the V Files era. I performed at their 2018 fashion show at Barclays Center. I opened up for Coi Leray.

How old were you at the time?

I was 23. That was in 2018. I’m 28 now. I’ve had so many different eras in high school and college. After V Files, I had a meeting at Roc Nation. They were about to sign me, and it ended up fizzling out.

I think that’s a good sign.

I don’t think it ended up being anything but amazing—the whole meat of going from performing at Barclays right after being in Universal Music Group. I pitched music with my cousin Adam, who made all my music. We grew up together in a choir; his dad was the leader. We’ve always made music together, but it didn’t happen as we thought it would. That led to the pandemic. I dropped a music video for my 2019 song during the pandemic. It was called ‘On Time.’ I shot it at my high school — we called it Clout High School.

Was this in Westchester?

Yeah, it was Portchester High School. It was like a spoof of The Breakfast Club, and all the different characters were archetypes at the time. It went viral when we first dropped it, and people talked a lot about it. We dropped it on a Tuesday; the following Wednesday, the world shut down because of COVID-19. I had this agency help me push the video, and they didn’t know what to push because everything was so crazy. I moved back home with my parents in Westchester, and it was mid-pandemic; everything was cooling down, and everyone was on TikTok pushing their songs, and stuff was going viral.

In 2021, I’m seeing all of this shit going on in New York City with TikToking. It’s a whole new wave at this point…Throwing Fits, Nolita Dirtbag, and Meet Me at Transpico’s were funny New York City meme pages. That was my new strategy going into 2022. I wanted to make more niche and funny stuff. I was in acting school for two years and was the voice of Peacock.

How did you come up with your TikTok bits?

There was another TikToker named Tony who made videos of awkward first dates. I thought it was hilarious and thought it would be funny to do a clout version of that. There was a viral TikTok about dating different types of people. I made one for a fashion girl, which went viral with 30,000 views. Then I made an East Village one, and it went so viral that people noticed me on the street and told me I was ‘that guy.’ Seeing so many people I looked up to on TikTok and in the fashion space was wild. I ran into Evan Mock in the street, and he recognized me. People were gassing me up.

On the road from then to now, I’ve been transitioning towards my music and having more engaged fans. I have 22,000 followers on TikTok and 6,000 on Instagram, but I’ve traveled to Europe and Mexico and was recognized.

Why did you choose specific themes and topics in TikTok?

It was a culmination of everything. Going into TikTok, I was in this world of working at GQ. I’ve been in this thing for a minute. I always hung out with my creative friends, who weren’t outside and in the scene. I had two friends I was tight with who would always make references about people who name-drop.

Did you ever get backlash or negative feedback from people who fit the tropes?

Oh my god, of course. I think people were offended because it’s a conversation. People see my videos and think I’m a transplant, but I don’t take it personally. As someone who’s seen the game of fame, no one’s ever going to always like you. Part of my journey as a Black person has been in a lot of white spaces. What I noticed about TikTok, fashion, and entertainment is that you will deal with waitpeople and learn how to navigate that, especially as a Black kid.

As an alt-Black kid, what would you say your main genre of music is?

My genre has always been pop. My biggest references have been Michael Jackson, Prince, Madonna, Janet, Whitney, Britney, Usher, Rihanna, and Drake. I’ve always loved music that captivated the world. I’ve always wanted to do that with my music: not to be a niche artist, but to always make pop music. Depending on what album they run, they may shift to a different genre. I began making dance-pop, went into hip-hop, then more indie-pop. Now, I would classify myself as an indie-pop artist with dance, electronic, and R&B influences.

Who are your most prominent influences today?

PinkPantheress, Steve Lacy, Dominic Fike, and Sam Gellaitry. As a DJ, I want to start making music for the club because people weren’t clubbing during the pandemic. I think I’m leaning more towards dance music, but I always have guitars and punk melodies on it. I’m very influenced by punk and indie music, but there’s a lot of dance production-wise. I love drill music. I love everything from Ken Carson and Ice Spice to Adele. 2hollis and Fred Again are some of my favorite artists right now.

Who do you want to make music with?

SZA would be a dream…2hollis, d4vd, Daft Punk, Katryanada, Ryan Beatty, Mild Minds, and my friends.

When did you start DJing?

My first DJ set was in April of this year for the release party of my song ‘Radio.’ It was after discovering Sam Gelliatry and Fred Again and wanting to make dance music again. Two of my friends started a DJ party at the top of the year. They were so fucking good, so I put in the work and made music, too. I’ve always loved making my own playlists for myself and my friends.

How do you balance everything?

It’s tough, but I do sleep, maybe a little too much, depending on the day. I’ll always find ways to balance everything while doing everything because I feel like I can never really stop. I also want to act. God’s grace is making it happen.

What do you want to achieve in the next few years?

I would love to be a household name and film my own TV show. I want to go on a world tour with huge songs everyone knows. I want to inspire people to be themselves and know there’s hope in this dark world if I could shine a light on what I’m doing and what God has me on this planet to do.

Who do you give credit to during your ongoing journey?

I film most of my TikToks with my best friend and roommate, Manny, and my friends Amanda and Elena, who are actors. There is also Kira. My friend Serge, who has the brand Drink More Water and is also a DJ, we do a lot of events together. My cousin Adam, I make all of my music with him. My producer, Soma Sounds. I have a lot of friends in the DJ scene, like Kazi, Michael Simpson, Henry Casson, and Isadora. Shoutout to Cody Blanc and Westin.