Six years have passed since Bartholomew, the fourth album from soulful singer/songwriter Jesse Boykins III. The album featuring the viral hit “Earth Girls” was his only project to get the major label treatment through a deal with Def Jam. Before then, the multi-hyphenate creative was an independent artist with dozens of high-profile collaborations with acts including The Foreign Exchange, Vic Mensa, The Internet, Theophilus London, Steve Lacy, Calvin Harris, and a host of others. That doesn’t count well-received solo projects ranging from The Beauty Created to Love Apparatus.

According to Boykins III, it took about a year to get out of that deal with Def Jam. Working within a system that wasn’t necessarily designed for an artist like him was something he considered a learning experience. “I realized what my purpose was ultimately, which is and will continue to be, which is to bring awareness around true development of artistic ideas and how you can create impact alongside revenue in those things if you stay 10 toes down and locked in,” he explained to BET.com.

Between then and now, Boykins III also developed his multimedia creative house, New Growth Creative Activities. Beyond helping to live his purpose through developing rising artists like Tess Henley, MoRuff, and Destin Conrad, he’s also serving as creative director for artists like Masego (most recently on his self-titled album released this year).

Working with indie and major label artists over his music career, which stretches well over a decade, placed him in a position where he’s made friends with A&Rs and music industry executives. However, his biggest lesson about himself came through internal reflection.

“I think what I learned was that I was enough,” he said. “I learned that development is the ultimate champion and the thing is that you can develop anything. If you could develop an idea over here, you can bring it to whatever medium of art you want to dabble in or even products and things like that.”

For Boykins III, it’s simply not about making music; the goal is conversing about how artists feel about the world and providing space to express themselves.

“I've worked with a lot of artists and I think it's more so about sharing information and art is a tool for that conversation to start,” said Boykins III. “So that's kind of been what my focus has been to develop these spaces. So I even built a studio that everybody comes to.”

Boykins III has also stretched his creativity outside of music, from photography and music video directing to other creative outlets like acting. Beyond short films like Iman and the Light Warriors, he was even featured in an episode of the BET+ Original series reboot of The First Wives Club. He has a love for the visual aspect of art.

“Being able to be in the space, in front of the camera, behind the camera, and cultivate telling stories ultimately, which is what I feel music is,” he said. “As a writer, my job is to tell stories. So that's really all I've really been doing and just finding true alignment with people.”

2023 has seen Boykins III make a grand music resurgence with tracks including "No Love Without You,"  "Kind And Nasty," “Go With The Feeling,” and "No P*ssy For Losers." With a bigger creative toolset, he felt now was the best time to honor and share his creative growth through his upcoming album, New Growth.

Set for release on October 20, the album has him embarking on an artistic odyssey, aiming to illuminate those pivotal life moments that inspire a profound shift in one's perspectives and foster an attitude of openness and acceptance. This Jamaican-American artist masterfully weaves various soundscapes, such as R&B, West African Folk, and Brazilian Samba, imbued with House and Electronic music elements to provide the soundtrack for this evolving spiritual journey.

Furthermore, Boykins III took creative control of the visual components and played an integral role in designing the album's attire, collaborating with the talented costume designer Anjia Jalac. Anyone who has seen videos, photos, and interviews of him or even around Los Angeles, where he’s based, understands that the Jamican-American artist is a snazzy dresser.

“I think for me it's always about texture, color, and intention,” said Boykins III. “ There's all these terms and meanings and symbols behind colors and textures so I learn about those things and then that kind of naturally influences and speaks to how I want to communicate or how I look and what I'm wearing in conjunction with what I'm talking about.”

Boykins III wants New Growth to be more than a collection of phenomenal music but a growing point. He believes the album is about focusing on self and understanding that we must be accountable for our ways.

“We can’t necessarily put ourselves up against things that we don’t truly understand unless we take the time to want to understand those things,” he described.  “I think we're in the age where some people think that you have to be super good at something as soon as you do it because of competition and you're putting yourself up against these other people that you don't really know and all these things. I think that's kind of like slowing everyone's true progression up, quitting things or they're trying to do 10 things to see if one thing catches on. I guess this album is about emotional education.”

Pre-save Jesse Boykins III's new album here.