ArtistRack brings to you ‘Heaven4Sinners’ by J. Irja
Homelessness. Brain Damage. PTSD. Trafficking Survivor. A poor immigrant with nothing but a dream and an insane work ethic. Sounds like a Netflix movie description, but it’s not. It’s J. Irja’s true life story. She writes all her own lyrics, and they’re all inspired by real life events. “Music was my only way of escape, it got me through all the tough times. When I felt like no one understood me, I poured my pain into my lyrics.” These tough times started as J. Irja grew up in poverty in Canada, immigrated to the United States and almost immediately suffered from Head Injury that left her scarred, confused and outcast. Pouring all her sorrows into music, she suffered from serious social anxiety and bullying all through school.
Feeling misunderstood and odds with everyone around her, she got kicked out of her house before 18 and started exotic dancing and traveling the Midwest, rapping for anyone who would listen. Her fixation on making it in the music industry exposed her to people her preyed on her ambition and lack of resources. She was abused, trafficked and tricked by some predatory “managers,” and left out to dry. Another head injury and a severe alcohol addiction multiplied her PTSD and drove her into a hole that seemed impossible to get out of. But she never gave up.
Pushing through her setbacks, J. Irja moved to Dallas, got sober and started smashing all her barriers. Long time booking agent Kinfolk The Plug backed J. Irja, and they became one of Dallas’ strongest power teams. KTP debuted his podcast “Plug’D In With Kinfolk The Plug” with J. Irja as Co-executive producer, and together they launched his successful DJ career. At the same time, her music leveled up as she made songs and videos with majors including Twista, Gorilla Zoe, RITTZ and more. With the help of her younger sister Bekah, who became her social media and promo executive, she went viral on TikTok. She went on a mini tour with Tech N9ne, performed in front of thousands, and even got on the Kansas City News.
Just when everything seemed aligned for her, she was devastated by a string of losses at the end of 2021 that almost paralyzed her. The death of her sister Bekah, her mentor Shahid, her aunt, grandfather and Baby Daddy all in 3 months sent her into a dissociative spiral, she took a job as a General Manager of a Cabaret on the Mexico border, and all but ran from her music.”I couldn’t even listen to my own songs anymore,” J. Irja said in a deep dismay, “My mind was a terrifying dark place. I didn’t even cry. I saw nothing but darkness.”
J. Irja came back from this depressive pit when she finally checked her inbox, after over a year of ignoring the notifications. “There were so many people that messaged me during that period saying how I inspired them to live better lives. I broke down in tears reading one story that described a fan of mine living in an abandoned truck. He described how he lost all hope and was waiting to end it all when he heard a podcast I almost didn’t do where I let it all out and really got deep with my story. He said every day that he began his morning listening to my music and knew he could make it out if I did. He saw that someone hit rock rock bottom and made it out. It reminded me of listening to music when I was a kid, and how it saved me. I just knew at that moment I had to get back up.” She got back in the booth and created a trilogy called “Stages of Grief” to help others heal through tragedies that features Royce da 5’9, Young Buck, and Benny the Butcher.
Everyone told J. Irja that her goals were “pipe dreams” in the beginning, but she is proving them all wrong. She has toured all over the country and performed for thousands of people, uses her music to inspire others, and gives back to the community through non-profits including women’s shelters, veterans programs, and dog rescues. She herself has 4 rescue dogs and mentors women in need every chance she gets. She recently graduated from University at the top of her class with her Bachelors Degree, and also is on a roll with her marketing and branding company that specializes in image elevations and brand overhauls.
Her recent interviews on Sirius XM and ThisIs50 in New York combined with her powerful freestyle “Mom’s Spaghetti” filmed in front of Eminem’s restaurant in Detroit set a new bar in 2023. “Hate2SeeMeWin” kicked off 2024 with solid acclaim from listeners and the press and upcoming singles including Project Pat, Lil Scrappy and more are positioning this seasoned recording artist for the comeback her most avid fans have been waiting for.
This is going to be a big year for J. Irja, both as a recording artist and as a rising female entrepreneur.
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![Pinterest](https://pinterest.com/pin/create/button/?url=https://artistrack.com/j-irja-heaven4sinners/&media=https://d1vvuf3f66vs33.cloudfront.net/2024/11/maxresdefault-43-e1732583099157.jpg&description=ArtistRack brings to you ‘Heaven4Sinners’ by J. IrjaHomelessness. Brain Damage. PTSD. Trafficking Survivor. A poor immigrant with nothing but a dream and an insane work ethic. Sounds like a Netflix movie description, but it’s not. It’s J. Irja’s true life story. She writes all her own lyrics, and they’re all inspired by real life events. “Music was my only way of escape, it got me through all the tough times. When I felt like no one understood me, I poured my pain into my lyrics.” These tough times started as J. Irja grew up in poverty in Canada, immigrated to the United States and almost immediately suffered from Head Injury that left her scarred, confused and outcast. Pouring all her sorrows into music, she suffered from serious social anxiety and bullying all through school.Feeling misunderstood and odds with everyone around her, she got kicked out of her house before 18 and started exotic dancing and traveling the Midwest, rapping for anyone who would listen. Her fixation on making it in the music industry exposed her to people her preyed on her ambition and lack of resources. She was abused, trafficked and tricked by some predatory “managers,” and left out to dry. Another head injury and a severe alcohol addiction multiplied her PTSD and drove her into a hole that seemed impossible to get out of. But she never gave up.Pushing through her setbacks, J. Irja moved to Dallas, got sober and started smashing all her barriers. Long time booking agent Kinfolk The Plug backed J. Irja, and they became one of Dallas' strongest power teams. KTP debuted his podcast "Plug'D In With Kinfolk The Plug" with J. Irja as Co-executive producer, and together they launched his successful DJ career. At the same time, her music leveled up as she made songs and videos with majors including Twista, Gorilla Zoe, RITTZ and more. With the help of her younger sister Bekah, who became her social media and promo executive, she went viral on TikTok. She went on a mini tour with Tech N9ne, performed in front of thousands, and even got on the Kansas City News.Just when everything seemed aligned for her, she was devastated by a string of losses at the end of 2021 that almost paralyzed her. The death of her sister Bekah, her mentor Shahid, her aunt, grandfather and Baby Daddy all in 3 months sent her into a dissociative spiral, she took a job as a General Manager of a Cabaret on the Mexico border, and all but ran from her music."I couldn't even listen to my own songs anymore," J. Irja said in a deep dismay, "My mind was a terrifying dark place. I didn't even cry. I saw nothing but darkness."J. Irja came back from this depressive pit when she finally checked her inbox, after over a year of ignoring the notifications. "There were so many people that messaged me during that period saying how I inspired them to live better lives. I broke down in tears reading one story that described a fan of mine living in an abandoned truck. He described how he lost all hope and was waiting to end it all when he heard a podcast I almost didn't do where I let it all out and really got deep with my story. He said every day that he began his morning listening to my music and knew he could make it out if I did. He saw that someone hit rock rock bottom and made it out. It reminded me of listening to music when I was a kid, and how it saved me. I just knew at that moment I had to get back up." She got back in the booth and created a trilogy called “Stages of Grief” to help others heal through tragedies that features Royce da 5’9, Young Buck, and Benny the Butcher.Everyone told J. Irja that her goals were “pipe dreams” in the beginning, but she is proving them all wrong. She has toured all over the country and performed for thousands of people, uses her music to inspire others, and gives back to the community through non-profits including women’s shelters, veterans programs, and dog rescues. She herself has 4 rescue dogs and mentors women in need every chance she gets. She recently graduated from University at the top of her class with her Bachelors Degree, and also is on a roll with her marketing and branding company that specializes in image elevations and brand overhauls.Her recent interviews on Sirius XM and ThisIs50 in New York combined with her powerful freestyle "Mom's Spaghetti" filmed in front of Eminem's restaurant in Detroit set a new bar in 2023. "Hate2SeeMeWin" kicked off 2024 with solid acclaim from listeners and the press and upcoming singles including Project Pat, Lil Scrappy and more are positioning this seasoned recording artist for the comeback her most avid fans have been waiting for.This is going to be a big year for J. Irja, both as a recording artist and as a rising female entrepreneur.){kind=link}