From Playground Songs to “Life’s Work”: An Interview with Justin Messina on Growing Into the Stories He’s Told
From writing his first songs on the playground to finally putting his own music out into the world, Justin Messina has been a storyteller for as long as he can remember. He picked up guitar at ten just so he could put music to the lyrics he was already writing, and over the years, his storytelling has taken him into music, filmmaking, marketing, and more. Now, Messina is stepping into a new chapter with his debut single, “Life’s Work,” a song about love and becoming a better version of yourself. We sat down with Justin Messina to discuss his musical journey and the story behind his latest single.
LY: Tell us about yourself! Where did your musical journey begin?
JM: I’ve been writing songs for as long as I can remember. When I was really young, I would carry a notepad with me everywhere and scribble down little silly songs. At recess, I would sit in a corner writing songs while the other kids were playing kickball or whatever. Then I started playing guitar when I was around 10, purely so that I could start writing music to set my lyrics to. And I really have never stopped. Music has always been an integral part of how I process the world and my own feelings.
LY: You’ve explored multiple different forms of storytelling in the entertainment industry, including your work in short action films. How has creating these films changed the way you approach your own music?
JM: I think of myself as a storyteller at heart. I’m a writer, a filmmaker, a musician; even my work in marketing is geared towards storytelling. They’re really all just different mediums to tell stories that connect people. I’m interested in the human experience, in understanding people and myself better. Filmmaking is great because you get to live in the skin of different characters with different perspectives. That certainly can be helpful when writing songs as well. I also arranged a lot of the music for the films myself, so that gave me a better understanding of how different instrumentation can work together and gave me a little more confidence to play around with sounds beyond my guitar.
LY: How does your newly released single, “Life’s Work,” reflect where you are in your musical journey right now?
JM: I’m at an interesting point in my journey because I’ve been a musician pretty much my whole life, but this is also the first time I’ve officially released a single, so it kind of feels like being at the beginning. A lot of the songs I’m recording for my upcoming album are songs that have been with me for years, since I was a teenager, really. Those songs are pretty tried and true, but “Life’s Work” is a more recent song that really no one had heard before other than my husband. So it’s been exciting and a little nerve-wracking to put out into the world. I think it’s a nice addition to the album because it shows how I’ve grown as a person and musician, but there is a part of me that is still that wide-eyed 15-year-old writing songs with his guitar in his bedroom.
LY: Walk us through your songwriting process for “Life’s Work.” How did that first lyric or feeling develop into what we hear in the song today?
JM: It started with the chorus. I write mostly with my guitar, but I could immediately hear it with a horn section, and that made me really excited. Love songs are always the hardest to write because everything you’re feeling is really intense but also seems cliché or trite. There are so many great love songs that it’s hard to say something new or fresh, so whenever I stumble on a new angle for a love song, I treat it like gold. There aren’t all that many songs about wanting to be a good husband and support system for someone that I can think of, so that felt kind of unique.
It actually took me years to finish “Life’s Work.” I had it on the shelf for a while because I had too many different ideas for it. It was sort of becoming a hodgepodge of different verses and bridges. But I always knew I loved it and wanted to get it right. I started playing around with it in GarageBand, adding in digital horns and drums and things to get a clearer picture of what I wanted the song to be, and that really helped me figure out the structure of the song.
LY: How did the song evolve once you brought it to the studio? Were there any contributions from the musicians or production during the recording process that changed how you originally envisioned it?
JM: I was really excited because I had this demo version I did at home that had these drum loops and horns and bass that sounded pretty fake, so when we got in the studio, we replaced all that with real musicians, and that just breathed new life into the song. Hearing the horn section come in and play something I wrote was really special. All the musicians brought little flourishes that made the song that much richer and more interesting musically.
LY: You said this song was a promise to your husband. Was there a specific moment or experience that sparked this song for you?
JM: From the beginning of my relationship with my husband, I’ve always been inspired by the way he seeks to self-improve. He relentlessly chases the things that scare him and wants to work through things from his past that are painful. He pushes himself to be better in every way, and that really motivated me to want to be a better version of myself as well. And when someone is dealing with really heavy things that they’ve gone through, the only thing you can do as a partner is to say, “I’m here for you, holding your hand through all of this, and I want to show up for you in the ways that you need.” It was, and is, a process for me to understand that being supportive means learning what the other person needs from you in that moment, whether it’s space or advice or just a shoulder to lean on. I try to choose my words carefully so that they don’t sting and to catch my own reactive behavior so that I don’t hurt him. And so the song is about wanting to better myself so that I can be a better partner for him. I don’t always get it right, but that is the work.
LY: In a few years, what do you hope people will appreciate most about this chapter of your creative journey?
JM: I hope that people see my music as being about hope in dark times. Not just about seeing the glass as half full, but about really getting down in the muck and dirt of life and saying, “OK, where do I go from here, and how can I keep going?” It’s about resilience.
LY: What role do you want “Life’s Work” to play in people’s lives, and what would you say is the perfect mood or setting to listen to it?
JM: I hope it makes people feel good! There’s so much dark, moody music right now, and I love a lot of it, of course, but I think people are also craving music that puts a little spring in your step. I want people to drive around with the windows down, singing at the top of their lungs. And I hope some part of it inspires people to want to also be better friends, partners, parents.
LY: Who or what is an unexpected influence that listeners might not know when they first hear your music?
JM: I’m a huge fan of TLC. I wanted to be Left Eye when I was a kid and used to put face paint under my eye.
LY: After years of working on different musical projects, how did you finally discover your sound for your own music?
JM: I don’t know that I have discovered my sound, truthfully. That’s honestly been the hardest part of my musical journey, having to define my identity, and I think it’s what held me back from releasing music for so many years. I write in a lot of different genres and moods and styles. I love to challenge myself and try new things.
When it comes to releasing your music, you are really forced to define what your lane is. Coming up with the track list for my album was really stressful because I have hundreds of songs to choose from, and some of them are so different from each other. I’ve written everything from folk to EDM to soul – it would give someone whiplash if I put it all out there. I wanted to create an album with variety, but also that felt cohesive, so I started with the songs I was most excited to record and kind of worked backwards from there to see what fit together best. It did mean that a lot of songs I love didn’t make it on the album, but hopefully there will be more in the future!
I’m trying to be less obsessive with what my “sound” is and just flow with what feels good to me. It’s probably not smart from a branding strategy, but it’s authentically who I am.
LY: What do you know about the music world now that you wish you could tell the version of yourself just starting out?
JM: I would tell myself to just start putting your music out there. Don’t wait to have it all figured out. But at the same time, I’m happy to be making this album now, and I don’t think I could’ve done this album in this way any other time in my life.
LY: What is the best piece of advice you have received from another musician?
JM: I had a Jazz professor in college who said, “There are no rules in jazz.” That’s always stuck with me because I tend to be a rule follower. So sometimes I remind myself that it’s ok to have a strange tempo change or key change or a measure that only has 2 beats in it as long as it serves the song. If you know the rules, you start to learn how to break them.
LY: What was the moment that made you decide to start releasing your own music?
JM: It really started when I turned 30. There was a moment where I realized I’m getting older and my voice is changing – in a lot of ways for the better! But the way I sing and play now is not the way I did when I was 15. And one day I’ll be 80, hopefully, and my songs will sound different then too. And one day, I’ll be gone, and what happens to my songs then? So it was really about wanting to record my songs for posterity and capturing who I am right now as an artist and a person.
LY: You use the line “Honest love is bravery” in your song. What does that idea mean to you, and why did you choose to include it in the song?
JM: It’s funny, it’s a line I had in another song I wrote years ago that has always resonated with me. It’s about vulnerability. A lot of people think being vulnerable means being weak, but it’s really brave and strong to let all your defenses down and to show someone all of you completely, warts and all. It takes an amazing amount of strength to open yourself up to criticism and judgment. So I think the bravest thing you can do is to love someone honestly and to let them love you honestly.
LY: Now that you've released “Life’s Work,” what do you hope to explore next in music?
JM: A lot of my songs do lean inspirational and hopeful, but there are a lot of other colors as well. There’s heartbreak and frustration and yearning. So I’m excited to share other aspects of my songwriting.
LY: What is one song you wish Justin Messina wrote?
JM: Oof, there are SO many! Right now, the one that comes to mind is “Desperado” by The Eagles.
LY: What’s next for Justin Messina?
JM: I just finished recording my album. We’re deep in the throes of mixing right now. The next song should be out soon, and the full album out early next year. So stay tuned for lots more music!
LONG STORY SHORT: Justin Messina has been writing music most of his life, but “Life’s Work” marks the beginning of a new chapter. The heart of “Life’s Work” is about love, but not necessarily the picture-perfect kind. The song was inspired by Messina’s desire to become a better partner for his husband and to learn what it really means to show up for someone. For him, “honest love is bravery” is about letting someone see who you really are. After years of writing across multiple genres, Messina is letting go of the pressure to fit into one lane, and is following what feels authentic to him. With his debut single out and more music on the way, Messina is finally letting people hear what he's been writing for years. This isn't the finished product just yet; it's his work.
Stream "Life's Work" here!
