Cal Poly sophomore Deanne Jade on producing and releasing music as a college student
For food science sophomore Deanne Blakeman, the day starts and ends with music. One may find her walking to and from class in her stylish, eclectic outfits and a pair of headphones.
“There’s never a moment where I’m not listening to music, it kind of calms me and it quiets my brain,” Blakeman said.
As a classically trained pianist, experienced singer and competitive jazz trumpet player, Blakeman can’t imagine a day without music. Her production journey began during her sophomore year of high school, when a friend asked her to help with writing a song for his musical. From there, her love of production began.
Blakeman released her first EP earlier this year under the name Deanne Jade, titled “Reminiscence,” beginning to develop her personal sound and process. The second track is titled “Let Me Dream.”
“I wanted to make something that sounded nostalgic, so that’s why I used the different chord progressions that I did in the different melodies. There’s a lot of harmonies throughout and like counter melodies, which I think just put the piece really together. And then when the bass comes in at the end, then, you know, it kind of flows out and, like, you’re waking up,” Blakeman said.
Sophomore Annabelle Yanik became friends with Blakeman last year through the Korean-American Student Association and has since fallen in love with Blakeman’s music, supporting her through the production process.
“Her music almost reminds me of like, a dream. It’s like you can’t quite place it,” Yanik said. “She switches into that music-making zone; she’ll find things around her in her environment that make a cool sound and then she’ll try to replicate it and put it in the song.”
Producing from scratch can be challenging, with Blakeman revealing she often will spend hours on a single riff or chord. But for the aspiring songwriter, the real vulnerability emerges when she advertises herself and her music.
“The music that at least I make, it’s kind of like their insight into my world, and now I’m putting that out for everyone to see. And so that, in a way, that’s kind of nerve-wracking,” Blakeman said.
While most artists have managers, producers and full teams, Blakeman works almost entirely independently, which includes making the EP, filming music videos and distributing her latest releases.
“Promotion is definitely the hardest thing for musicians, I think, because, you know, there’s so many amazing musicians out there with awesome music, but just getting promoted is really difficult,” Blakeman said.
But the result of this multilayered process and constant evolution is a whimsical, dreamlike and distinct sound.
“When you’re talking to someone, and it’s just like, you’re catching a vibe, and you’re having a good conversation, but you can’t really see how their brain works. But I feel like when you hear her music, you can really see. It’s kind of a vision board of how she sees the world, almost. It’s like a Pinterest board, but in song form,” Yanik said.
While balancing her major, entrepreneurship minor, and involvement in clubs like KASA, Blakeman’s equilibrium comes from her art, and her art is her.
“If you really want to do something, and you take action, then anything is possible. So never give up on anything,” Blakeman said.
Blakeman continues to pursue her creativity and hopes that in the future, her passion will take her far.
“She can’t have a 9 to 5, normal job, and I think it would be so awesome for people to find her music and be able to enjoy it the same way that I do and all her friends,” Yanik said.
