Jeff Bernat brings all the feels to Seattle with his North America Tour 2024

by Storm Nguyen || photographed and interviewed on June 26 at The Crocodile

Can you give us a short introduction about yourself?

My name is Jeff Bernat; I'm an R&B singer-songwriter [and] producer. I was born in Subic Bay, Olongapo, Philippines. My dad was in the Navy. So he moved around a lot, and I lived in Japan as well. I grew up in a small town called Reno, Nevada, and I've been living in Los Angeles for the last ten years. I've been fortunate enough to have a number-one song in Korea for a bit, and I've been doing music for about 15 years now full time.

What first got you into the music scene?

I first started writing music after high school when I bought my first set-up, like my mic and laptop, [...] around 19, 20. And then I wrote my first album, "The Gentleman Approach," in [...] December of 2011, and a year later, it blew up in Seoul, South Korea, and ever since then, things just took off for me.

We're currently in Seattle for the second-to-last show of your 2024 North American tour. Could you describe how this journey or experience has been for you? And what is a core memory [you have] from this tour?

I think the journey has been definitely tiring! This is the longest tour I've ever been [on] because not only did we do this tour, but a month prior to this tour, we went to Asia for a whole month [...] So it's been like a year of touring, but I think everything has been a core memory. Every city has its own unique beauty. Every face that you meet, every person that you meet, every story that you hear from everyone [...] My favorite part is just meeting everyone, like hearing their stories of what my music means to them, and how it affects them, and [how], at times, they need my music. I was just like— "Man, this is the reason why I'm doing this." It's very humbling, and it puts everything into perspective.

Do you have a specific story from a fan that just really resonated with you?

A story that I'll never forget is— there's this girl in Los Angeles who has always been a big fan, and she was a cancer patient. In 2022, she really wanted to go to my show but couldn't because she was in the hospital. So she messaged me and was just like, "I really wish I could make it, but my mom's gonna go for me." So, I met her mom in 2022, and I dedicated this song to her and her daughter. And then, this last week, I finally got to meet both of them, and I finally met her, and I got to shout her out during my show. I got very emotional, you know, because it's not every day that you get to hear people tell you stories like, "Oh, your music has helped me through chemotherapy." When I started hearing things like that, it changed everything with my music. I was like, "Okay, this is my purpose now; it's more than just writing songs. I have an impact on people's lives, you know?" So yeah, that's definitely a story I'll never forget.

And there are probably some other stories that are similar to that as well?

Definitely, and then there's like random things... I'll meet a couple at my show, and they're just like, "Yeah, he actually got me through your song [...] We started dating because he sent me [your] song." I was like, damn, okay, I'll be like Cupid sometimes, you know? Then there's, you know, meeting the extreme fans that get tattoos with my signature on them, and I am just like, "Dude, that's crazy."

I bet that's really cool, but also, at the same time...

I try to tell them, I'm just like, "You don't gotta do that," and they're like, "No, I'm going to do that," but then, you know, that's why it puts everything into perspective. I'm like, Damn, I'm that to them. That's pretty wild. I don't know what artist that I'll be like, "Okay, I'm getting this tattoo” […] I'm over here like, "I better not fuck up this signature."

Yeah, like this is going on someone's body. That sounds awesome, but I bet it can be really tiring, especially with all the interactions on this tour.

It is! And how my human design is and how I'm built is like, I give so much of myself and my energy to people. After that, I'm so drained that I need to recharge. I think a lot of people are built that way— I think we're all built that way because we are just energy. Once you get depleted, you gotta recharge, and unfortunately, on tour, you don't really have time to do that. So you're just running on the last battery, you know?

This tour has a lot of stops, so do you have a pre-show ritual to help you prepare?

I do. I'd say the last hour before getting on stage, I zone out with 430 to 528-hertz music. It's very calming and mellow. I actually meditate for a bit. I do breathwork. And then I gather the band. And we do a little prayer and reflection, you know, before we go on stage, just to have good energy going into the show.

You're very intentional about how you curate everything when you're on tour. How do you curate your setlist? And how did you specifically do that for this tour?

I feel like I like to take [the audience] on waves. Because I think of being a fan and [a] listener as well when I watch my favorite artists. I don't want it to be like, "Oh, this whole like section is very slow. I'm getting a little sleepy now." I want it to be like, "Oh, shit," [...] I like to tell them the stories before the songs just so that it makes a song hit harder.

Now, is there a specific way that you do that? By album or by just feeling or emotion?

Definitely both. And, you know, every tour is different. There's songs that I won't do. And there's songs that I will do. It's all feel. And sometimes on this tour, we would switch it up and add songs last minute because there were certain people [that] asked me for certain songs— we would make last-minute switches. Yeah, man. It's all feel. It's a lot of feel, for sure.

How do you come to that decision?

You really have to know your audience. There's gonna be some cities I feel like, Oh, I could do these songs because I feel like this is a mega fan base, it's a bigger show. And then if I have a show where it's smaller, I'm like, I don't need to do these little things in there. If I know it's gonna be a younger crowd, I don't need to do like these covers [...] It's a whole vibe, man.

You recently released your EP "Love, Jeffrey" on January 5. Can you tell us the process behind making that EP?

I think "Love, Jeffrey" is kind of a return of me getting back into my love era. Because I think for a good couple [of] years, I was writing sad songs. "Love, Jeffrey" is just me kind of reintroducing, Oh, I found someone new to talk to, and I'm finding love again. So, I was definitely inspired by someone with this next project.

Do you have a specific favorite song?

I really like "Chamomile" and "Better With You." And those are songs I'm doing on the tour. I really love those songs.

What was the process like for writing those songs?

First, experience. I didn't write for a bit, and I just lived. And then, you know, you gotta live sometimes and then gain experiences through things before you write about it. I hung out with a girl for a good while; I got to know her more, and "Chamomile" was inspired by this tea that she would love to drink every time I'm with her. Every night, she always loved to drink chamomile tea before she slept. So I made those references to, you know, it's like these subliminal messages.

What do you appreciate about being on tour?

What I appreciate about being on tour is, first and foremost, meeting my fans, seeing what my music means to them, and feeling their energy when I'm on stage. Two, it's just a really cool way to travel too, and I love to travel, you know, even though it's tiring, I'm just like, wow, I get to see the world through something I love to do. That's, I'd say, my two favorite things. And eating foods, trying foods...

Is there a specific city in terms of touring you've been like, Oh my gosh, I love this city?

Surprisingly, I love Seattle. Seattle has been one of my favorite cities for a really long time. And then when I returned back to the Bay Area, it's like, Oh, this is a familiar place, because I've been going here since I was a kid. But then this tour, I would go to places I haven't even been to yet, like Atlanta, all of Texas, Nashville. And then places like Montreal, and then seeing like, Oh, wow, I have fans here. I was like, Dude, I wasn't even expecting this.

And so what do you have planned after you wrap up [since] this is your second last show?

After this, I'm gonna enjoy the summer. And then I'm going to take next year off of touring, and I'm going to start working on my new album this fall. I actually am gonna be making my first R&B pop album, which is kind of like Justin Timberlake, Jung Kook [...] A lot of people don't know but I actually grew up as a dancer. I was a dancer before I was a singer. So I'm gonna start incorporating and showing people the dance side of me. And incorporating like, Oh, Jeff [can] sing and dance.

Follow Jeff Bernat on:

Instagram: @jeffbernat

YouTube: @JeffBernatMusic

X (Formerly Twitter): @jeffbernat