Kat Harlton
17-year-old Armani Jackson spent the last decade performing alongside top names in Hollywood and building a solid resume for himself in television and film. Beginning at the age of 6, Armani’s charming appearance and the ability to perform across a range of genres, makes him a fan-favorite.
Armani is no stranger to the screen; he played Braden Morris, the “Bubble Boy” on ABC’s Grey’s Anatomy in Season 10, played the lead role opposite Elijah Wood in the Lionsgate feature film, “Cooties,” and booked his second feature film role opposite Vin Diesel in “The Last Witch Hunter.” Armani then went on to get the lead role of Netflix’s Cary Fukunaga produced “Little Boxes.” In 2016, Armani was named by Indiewire as one of the Breakout Actors of the Tribeca Film Festival. His other acting credits include, “Real Husbands of Hollywood,” “Ready Player One” and plays Joey on the TBS/HBO MAX highly popular series, “CHAD,” which stars and was created by “Saturday Night Live” alumna Nasim Pedrad.
Armani spends his free time developing scripts and concepts for horror genres, and psychological thrillers. He understands that there is a gap in the industry for films and shows to be created by teens, for teens. Armani hopes to create a space that allows Gen Z to pitch their creative concepts in collaboration with his own production company – Blue Velvet Productions. Armani’s aim is to create more visibility for youth creatives who don’t have the access or resources to share their innovative ideas.
While he’s created solid on-screen momentum for himself and his career, Armani has also been creating his own music. After delving into his musical talent last year, Armani has already produced a number of beautiful singles.
As a young adult with a platform, Armani knows that he is in a position to provide a positive influence to his peers/generation. Armani is creative with his ability to connect with his expansive audience. He does this with integrity and authenticity, which will ultimately make him rise in a highly competitive industry.
We had the opportunity to chat with Armani about his latest single “Haunted“, career highlights and what’s next.
Kat: Can you talk about the inspiration behind your latest single “Haunted”?
Armani: I wrote my song “Haunted” about being haunted by the memories of someone and almost feeling like they are still there with you. However, I also wrote “Haunted” about having sleep paralysis, which is something I’ve had and suffered from almost my whole life. Sleep paralysis is (A temporary inability to move or speak while falling asleep or upon waking which usually results in scary hallucinations) which is a real thing that happens to a small percentage of people. I wanted to balance those two subjects together without it being overwhelming to the listener with the sleep paralysis aspect – kind of just sprinkling it in, which is something I like to do a lot with my songs because it gives a deeper meaning that the strong listeners can decipher.
Kat: What do you hope fans take from the track?
Armani: I hope fans enjoy my method of melodic storytelling and are able to get the full story and picture of the song with my lyrics. I also hope fans are able to relate because nothing makes me more excited than the thought of someone playing my music because they resonate with it.
Kat: What do you find is the most challenging part of your creative process?
Armani: I’d say the most challenging part about my creative process is getting myself to approve my work. I’m very specific and like things to be perfect so if one of my lyrics doesn’t rhyme correctly or just doesn’t sound absolutely how I want it to be I make myself go back to the drawing board and try something else, which can sometimes bog me down, but I’ve figured out how to push through and figure it out without getting stuck for eternity.
Kat: How, if any, has your acting influenced your music?
Armani: I would say the main way acting has influenced my music is that I’m already accustomed to showing emotion and character, so when I first started singing I wasn’t hesitant to hold back because I was already used to that aspect of it. I think acting has also helped because I’ve read so many scripts and lines and seen a lot of different wording and poetry, so I’m able to take inspiration from it.
Kat: What has been a career highlight for you so far? What have you learned along the way?
Armani: I would say in my acting career, it was probably enjoying the premiere of the movie I was the lead character in called Little Boxes at the Tribeca Film Festival. I attended many different showings of the premiere and answered tons of Q&A questions. It was just nice to interact with people in person and talk about the movie and my work. Music career wise, the highlight so far is probably working with the Stargate Producers which I just started. It has been a blast working with them, especially so early into my music career. I learned from acting that you have to have patience with these types of careers, so I understand the same goes for music and it’s helped me stay grounded.
Kat: What’s next?
Armani: I have many more finished songs that I’ll be releasing in the upcoming months/one coming out in August. I have some acting projects that I’ll be filming this summer that I can’t say much about and the show I’m on CHAD just got picked up for a season 2 so I’m excited for all that as well. For now go stream “HAUNTED” on all platforms and follow me at @armanijackson <3