VITUHMINS VIP: Jaryn Valdry
On this weeks edition of Vituhmins VIP, we got the chance to sit down and chat with Jaryn Valdry, an A&R at RCA Records. Although Jaryn and I both graduated from USC and in the same class, we never really got that much in-person class time, if any. But, I had only heard amazing things from our mutuals, so it was a real pleasure to finally get to hear more about her story, and about how she got to where she is today!
Read our interview below:
Decker: “So tell us, who do you currently work with?
Jaryn: “Currently, I'm working with August Royals who is one of our developing acts!”
Decker: “Tell us a little bit about your journey in getting there; was it a straight path, or did you find yourself taking many twists and turns to get here?”
Jaryn: “My journey was a little bit of a twist and turn. I didn't know I wanted to be in the music industry until a little later in college and then the pandemic happened which shifted my entire plan. But, I didn't let that discourage me! Over the pandemic, I networked A LOT and ended up landing an internship at Friends At Work. From there, I discovered that A&R was where my passions lied and I met my now boss who mentored me and helped me land an internship at RCA. I've been at RCA ever since!”
Decker: “What has been one of your favorite moments of your career so far?”
Jaryn: “Thinking of one favorite moment is hard! Right now, I'd say learning and absorbing as much as I can every day is my favorite part this early in my career.”
Decker: “With all of the cool things going on at RCA right now, which upcoming projects can you tell us about that you are excited for?”
Jaryn: “I'm really excited for the new Steve Lacy album!! He's absolutely brilliant and his music is on another level!”
Decker: “What advice do you have for young people looking to get into the music industry?”
Jaryn: “The main piece of advice I have is to believe in yourself. Even when you get a rejection letter or a "no", remember that what's meant for you will be and keep being persistent with your goals.”
Decker: “Who is your personal hero in life?”
Jaryn: “My personal hero in life are my parents! They've seen the ups and downs of what it took for me to get to this point and even when they didn't fully understand what I was doing, they still cheered me on along the way. I couldn't do life without them!”
Decker: “in 5-10 years, where do you hope to see yourself?”
Jaryn: “In 5-10 years, I hope to continue working with artists that I love, and hopefully break an artist or two along the way!”
Jaryn, thank you so much for lending us some of your valuable time, we really appreciated it! Go forth and kick butt in the A&R world, we know you will!
