Jesse 5k aka, The Alien, is a performer, actor, and visual artist that has been raising the bar for creatives over the past couple of years. Experimenting with blends of alternative pop meshed with rap/hip-hop and a sprinkle of elements of house music, The Chicago local has bounced around the community cultivating an impressive portfolio which includes modeling for Bodega’s SS21 Apparel Collection, walking for local Chicago brand ‘Amana World Peace’ and having his face on the side of a train for the Floating Museum on the CTA Green Line. 

Last summer, Jesse released his debut project A.B.E VOL 1, consisting of six colorful tracks. With the help of Milo Bonnard & Harvey Auerbach-Dunn, Jesse brought the fourth track of the EP, “Easy Mind,” to life through the gothic wonder of this stop-motion production. The 2 minute and 56-second video starts with placing the viewer in a quiet neighborhood. The camera pans down the street to a house, when all of a sudden, a bright light from the sky beams down to which an alien slowly hovers towards the ground. Black & grey overcasts mesh the air as curious kids look through the window to see a mysterious figure walking along the road to the percussion. As they head deeper into town, the alien observes human culture by visiting a record store and trying street food, beautifully conveying compassion to a lost soul. Filled with lo-fi drums and staggered synth, the track is accompanied by Chicago vocalist Adia Dew, culminating the track as both their voices compliment each other, creating a hypnotic atmosphere to which the duo’s energy produces an irresistible pacifying melody.

Jesse created the track during a rough patch in life, and at the time wanted peace of mind. Easy Mind is to remind him to always take it easy, and that a clear mind creates an easier life. As I got to talk to Jesse via Zoom, let’s hear what he’s been up to since the drop of the music video.

Hi Jesse, it’s great to have you on These Days - so I went through your Twitter and observed the progression of your art back in 2018. What does it feel like now to have heightened your visual production quality to be able to work with clay and stop motion pictures?

It feels amazing… I’ve always had these ideas but I would schedule things in chronological order to coincide with the music. So as my first claymation, I definitely plan on doing other videos with clay and stop motion. Especially during the pandemic, it was a great alternative to create art… I wouldn’t have to link up with people to shoot a video - I could just create.

So what were some inspirations for creating this video?

I’ve always loved stop motion/claymation/animated films, I’ve always loved Tim Burton films so, during the creation of the EP, I wanted to make my own film to pay homage to one of my inspirations. I needed time in between the releases of my other videos but it took two years to make. I also want to give my viewers something new from an artist out of Chicago to unite the cool kids and weirdos together.

I always ask creators to hear the similarities and differences of each other's journeys, so what was the biggest stepping stone for yourself that sparked evolution?

I think the biggest stepping stone since I was acting & modeling… basically spreading myself thin - I didn’t get a chance to focus on one thing, then the realization came that I was too sporadic and didn’t have enough time to get grounded. After that day, I grounded myself and started to develop a pattern around my main priority which was music. It allowed me to step outside of my comfort zone and be comfortable in the uncomfortable.

In reflection of the past couple of years - how have you been giving back to the community?

As of lately, my friends and I have been buying food and supplies to help the homeless during the winter. I started tutoring kids who don’t come from the best backgrounds or some with physical illnesses and try to focus on their well-being & happiness. I realized after these past couple of years, I come to know that most people were cooped up in their house, so focusing on bringing that creativity back in these kids who are down and nurturing them back to the light.

Are there any goals you’re trying to reach in the next phases of your art?

My goal is to make my future projects timeless, I want people to take my message a hundred years later and still rock with it. As you know Michael Jackson, Prince, and other artists made timeless pieces that I study the blueprint that they were doing. I took a three-month hiatus to get my mind and life organized. At the end of the day, I’m trying to help people feel better on a wider scale and be more intimate with my listeners. Personally, it feels good to hit these goals, and the more you are able to elevate yourself, the greater your reach is to help more people.

It was a wonderful time getting to know more about your story and thank you for taking the time to talk, is there anything you would like to leave our viewers with?

I hope my music is able to touch souls and spark a fire to push people forward for themselves. I just want to share that I had anxiety during the pandemic and working with kids has realigned my perspectives and I want to start building more stable ecosystems in the community. Thank you for having me, check out A.B.E.

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Keep up with Jesse 5K on Instagram & Spotify