I had the opportunity to interview AJC (aka @_midnightmovies) about her NFT EP she released, “AJC - The Album.”

Enjoy!

@jellopeas: AJC, who are you, where’re you from, and why do you make music? What was the first song you heard that made you want to be a musician?

@_midnightmovies: Hi. My name is AJ. I am from Cleveland, OH! I have always loved performing. Before music, I was heavily involved with ballet and musical theater. Around 11-12, my Uncle took me to a Cramps concert and I became obsessed. I wanted to be in a band as the lead singer. The first album that I listened to with a bad ass female singer that can make the type of music that I was hearing from my favorite male leads, was Fever to Tell by the Yeah Yeah Yeahs. I used to sing the entire album in my garage. Karen O is the shit. I started to make music by accident. During the pandemic, my job was permanently shut down & I had plenty of time to either do nothing or work on something. That is when I wrote my first EP called I Don’t Know. Absolute newbie stuff, but I was proud of myself.

@jellopeas: How long have you been working on “AJC - The Album” for? What was your biggest inspiration while making it?

@_midnightmovies: I hadn’t thought about music NFTs until about a year ago. It seemed most people were interested in the artwork/profile picture projects, so I wasn’t sure anyone would really care about the music aspect. But, with encouragement from a friend, around February 2022, I decided to try it and see how it goes. AJC - The Album was easy to write. I won’t lie. My comfort zone is behind my acoustic guitar. But, I’ve been wanting to dive into producing my own beats/instrumentals due to the fact that I don’t really hear the sound in my head being created by other musicians. The next project I’m working on is taking much much longer, seeing that I’ve gained knowledge along the way with AJC. My biggest inspiration is seeing all of the artists online creating beautiful artwork that you wouldn’t have gotten to see otherwise. Through the internet and the NFT world, people like me have a chance to be seen and heard while also interacting and buying art for myself.

@jellopeas: What inspired you to release your first EP as NFTs? What advantages does having your music released this than say through a more traditional route like a record label.

@_midnightmovies: The number one best thing about me releasing an EP as an NFT is that I get to release it myself on my own terms. I don’t have to wait for someone at a record label to tell me I’m good enough. Those that follow me will hopefully see with each project that I’m getting better and better (hopefully). There’s something really cool about having a community that are all involved.

@jellopeas: Sartoshi, the creator of Mfers, and arguably the biggest meme NFT project out there, created the artwork for your album. Can you talk a bit about their art style and why you felt it was a perfect fit for your album?

@_midnightmovies: Sartoshi’s artwork with the mfers shows that big isn’t always better. That is what I really liked about the mfers and what I believe sets the community apart from others. There’s nothing glitzy or showy about it. It’s sweet, funny and subtle. Sometimes a simple idea can say so much… but also I’m just shit at drawing. I was lucky to have their talents as a part of the project. I wasn’t into the idea of having me on the album cover, but I’m glad we went that way. The drawings are so good. What we did is I sent over some photos of myself that were decent and Sartoshi did the damn thing.

@jellopeas: One of your tracks, “Riddle of Heaven” is CC0, meaning anyone can do whatever they want with it as if it’s their own. Can you talk about why you chose to do this?

@_midnightmovies: I see this as a collective way to create music. I may in the near future release a song I’m singing on & maybe another musician adds to it… That’s kind of what I picture. Or, some short film writer needs music for a score. Anything is possible really. I think it also makes the owner feel they are truly invested in a real way. That’s the other thing about music NFTs. It feels like those who support you - are also invested and directly involved in your success. In a way that you can physically see. To me as a music lover, that seems rewarding.

@jellopeas: What would you like to say to anyone wanting their release their music as an NFT?

@_midnightmovies: Release it… But, seriously write the music first. The music is the most important part of the entire process. Take your time. Not every song is going to be good - which is absolutely normal. Once you feel confident enough, there are plenty of avenues in the NFT world where you can display your art. It should be fun, not stressful!

@jellopeas: I heard Sartoshi gave you a handful of Mfers NFTs to giveaway in a raffle to minters of your album, some of which are fairly rare and worth thousands of dollars right now — is this true?!

@_midnightmovies: Yes, on Halloween!

@jellopeas: Is there one Mfer that’s become your favorite?

Feel free to check out “AJC - The Album,” available to MINT now here.

(nfa dyor bbq fyi)

I had the opportunity to interview AJC (aka @_midnightmovies) about her NFT EP she released, “AJC - The Album.”

Enjoy!

@jellopeas: AJC, who are you, where’re you from, and why do you make music? What was the first song you heard that made you want to be a musician?

@_midnightmovies: Hi. My name is AJ. I am from Cleveland, OH! I have always loved performing. Before music, I was heavily involved with ballet and musical theater. Around 11-12, my Uncle took me to a Cramps concert and I became obsessed. I wanted to be in a band as the lead singer. The first album that I listened to with a bad ass female singer that can make the type of music that I was hearing from my favorite male leads, was Fever to Tell by the Yeah Yeah Yeahs. I used to sing the entire album in my garage. Karen O is the shit. I started to make music by accident. During the pandemic, my job was permanently shut down & I had plenty of time to either do nothing or work on something. That is when I wrote my first EP called I Don’t Know. Absolute newbie stuff, but I was proud of myself.

@jellopeas: How long have you been working on “AJC - The Album” for? What was your biggest inspiration while making it?

@_midnightmovies: I hadn’t thought about music NFTs until about a year ago. It seemed most people were interested in the artwork/profile picture projects, so I wasn’t sure anyone would really care about the music aspect. But, with encouragement from a friend, around February 2022, I decided to try it and see how it goes. AJC - The Album was easy to write. I won’t lie. My comfort zone is behind my acoustic guitar. But, I’ve been wanting to dive into producing my own beats/instrumentals due to the fact that I don’t really hear the sound in my head being created by other musicians. The next project I’m working on is taking much much longer, seeing that I’ve gained knowledge along the way with AJC. My biggest inspiration is seeing all of the artists online creating beautiful artwork that you wouldn’t have gotten to see otherwise. Through the internet and the NFT world, people like me have a chance to be seen and heard while also interacting and buying art for myself.

@jellopeas: What inspired you to release your first EP as NFTs? What advantages does having your music released this than say through a more traditional route like a record label.

@_midnightmovies: The number one best thing about me releasing an EP as an NFT is that I get to release it myself on my own terms. I don’t have to wait for someone at a record label to tell me I’m good enough. Those that follow me will hopefully see with each project that I’m getting better and better (hopefully). There’s something really cool about having a community that are all involved.

@jellopeas: Sartoshi, the creator of Mfers, and arguably the biggest meme NFT project out there, created the artwork for your album. Can you talk a bit about their art style and why you felt it was a perfect fit for your album?

@_midnightmovies: Sartoshi’s artwork with the mfers shows that big isn’t always better. That is what I really liked about the mfers and what I believe sets the community apart from others. There’s nothing glitzy or showy about it. It’s sweet, funny and subtle. Sometimes a simple idea can say so much… but also I’m just shit at drawing. I was lucky to have their talents as a part of the project. I wasn’t into the idea of having me on the album cover, but I’m glad we went that way. The drawings are so good. What we did is I sent over some photos of myself that were decent and Sartoshi did the damn thing.

@jellopeas: One of your tracks, “Riddle of Heaven” is CC0, meaning anyone can do whatever they want with it as if it’s their own. Can you talk about why you chose to do this?

@_midnightmovies: I see this as a collective way to create music. I may in the near future release a song I’m singing on & maybe another musician adds to it… That’s kind of what I picture. Or, some short film writer needs music for a score. Anything is possible really. I think it also makes the owner feel they are truly invested in a real way. That’s the other thing about music NFTs. It feels like those who support you - are also invested and directly involved in your success. In a way that you can physically see. To me as a music lover, that seems rewarding.

@jellopeas: What would you like to say to anyone wanting their release their music as an NFT?

@_midnightmovies: Release it… But, seriously write the music first. The music is the most important part of the entire process. Take your time. Not every song is going to be good - which is absolutely normal. Once you feel confident enough, there are plenty of avenues in the NFT world where you can display your art. It should be fun, not stressful!

@jellopeas: I heard Sartoshi gave you a handful of Mfers NFTs to giveaway in a raffle to minters of your album, some of which are fairly rare and worth thousands of dollars right now — is this true?!

@_midnightmovies: Yes, on Halloween!

@jellopeas: Is there one Mfer that’s become your favorite?

Feel free to check out “AJC - The Album,” available to MINT now here.

(nfa dyor bbq fyi)