In this episode Durell is joined by indie creative Jeiris Cook. Durell and Jeiris begin the episode talking about the importance for some creatives to have a pre-production home studio setup. Durell shares that it very much is common for those who are into production and getting ideas out to be able to at least get the idea down to then be able to go back later and flesh it out fully later. Jeiris says he likes to say that ideas are fleeting and he was reminded of one night when he realized that he heard a song on the radio but didn’t realize that it was actually playing in his dream. Durell and Jeiris talk about how much the fall weather is different within their respective cities. Jeiris shares that he comes from a family of vocalists and growing up in Atlanta GA means getting started singing in church. Jeiris talks about being in an R & B group with some of his childhood friends and one of the members really wanting the group to sing Gospel songs but Jeiris didn’t feel authentic to singing primarily Gospel because it wasn’t an accurate depiction of the emotions that people go through within everyday life. Jeiris shares that some of his 90’s R&B influences were groups like Jodeci, Shai, En Vogue and Boyz II Men. He shares that he really loves that these groups would use their voices and harmonize in a unique way to compliment the track and take it to another level.


Durell and Jeiris talk about how much music has changed especially now being in the era of the DIY creative. Durell talks about back when record labels controlled the way we consumed music they could actually curate the sound of what would be commercially viable. Jeiris talks about music becoming decentralized and now there are more niches for indie creatives to explore. Durell talks about playlisting being one of the ways that niche artists can really take advantage of building real genuine supporters. Jeiris talks about the origin of the R&B group and how they got started and met their first manager with the goal of attracting a label. He shares that he went through artist development which is something that most creatives don’t want to do today. Jeiris shares that life people don’t live life in a vacuum and that it’s okay that you may go through certain obstacles and challenges along your journey in building a successful music career. He shares that being so open about the things you go through along your own personal journey is something that he recently had to come to grips with being normal practice because he came from a generation where that simply just wasn’t done. Durell shares that this generation of creatives are content creators. The content strategy is a must which wasn’t done in previous generations of creatives. Durell shares the importance for indie creatives today knowing who their core audience is and having a particular strategy to reach and serve them.


Jeiris shares that he took a ten year hiatus from music once the R&B group disbanded. He shares that he met his wife in 2004 and had three boys as well as going back to school where he earned a Master’s Degree. He says that around year seven or eight he began to get the bug again to get back into music. He decided to pick up the guitar and learn how to play because he wanted to spend time with his son during his boy scout days around the campfire singing songs. Jeiris shares that once he began to do that he began to start writing songs on the guitar and he knew that he now didn’t have to depend on a producer to be able to simply create. He shares that now being in a place to make music in that way really was the driving force behind him developing a passion for music once again. He shares that he began to go to open mics and play where he also was getting great feedback and after that he decided to begin playing at a local farmer’s market to test out what he’d been working on.


Durell and Jeiris end the episode talking about the importance for indie creatives to look at the business side of their careers. Durell shares that most indie creatives are afraid to sell and they shouldn’t be. He also shares that for indie creatives who want to be in this industry and be taken seriously, having a professional presentation in everything they do is paramount. Jeiris shares that he doesn’t regret taking the hiatus because he is so happy to have married his beautiful wife and proud of his sons.

Durell asks Jeiris about his global fanbase and he shares that when he released his single called “Dreams” in 2020 it received a great reception in the UK which was a surprise to him. Jeiris shares that he initially was just hoping to build enough of a reach in the United States where he could possibly do a tour in the Northeast region. Durell shares the beautiful thing about the internet is that the world can discover great music from indie creatives. Durell shares that he loves Jeiris’s latest single “Date Night” Jeiris also talks about the work he does with a great organization called “Musicians On Call ''.

For more information on Jeiris Cook, please visit his website:

https://jeiriscook.weebly.com/