Justin Magnaye’s latest EP “Golden Child” is a rebirth into being unapologetically him

Photo credit: Rey Aldana

With his latest EP release on June 3rd, Justin Magnaye introduces the real, unapologetic version of himself. The 25-year-old New Jersey-based singer-songwriter spent the last ten years of his career doing what he perceived would bring him mainstream success: exploring the pop-rock and indie genres. Now, he's returned to his roots with his latest R&B-inspired titular single, "Golden Child." Over a loop beat interspersed with brass wind instruments, Magnaye raps about the triumphs of returning to himself and to making art he enjoys, regardless of what others may say. The rest of the album is dedicated to Magnaye's girlfriend, with Magnaye going in and out of belting croons about love over lo-fi R&B beats.

"Golden Child" is a sneak peek of Magnaye's third album, "Loverboy," which will be released this fall with 16 tracks. Below, Rice & Spice talked to Magnaye about the process of making "Golden Child" and how he's evolved as a musician.

R&S: Congratulations on the release of your latest EP, "Golden Child." Could you talk to me a little bit about when you started working on the EP and whether there was anything you were going through at the time or anything in particular that inspired you?

It was after COVID in 2021, and I got to the point where I was doing indie music at the time. I  [was in] New Jersey, where everyone [was] doing it [indie pop music]. It [was] the thing all the popular artists [were] doing. I needed to stay true to myself in the realm of how I wanted to perceive my own music. I loved pop music growing up, and I wanted to go back to the Bruno Mars pop R&B style. So this past summer, I decided to write R&B again, go back to how I started my career, kind of pay homage to it. And the first song I wrote was "Brooklyn Bridge," which is on "Golden Child." Very first inspiration was this girl that I met at the job that I used to have – she's my current girlfriend now. So, the entirety of the EP is basically an homage to her. "Golden Child," the song, is the transition from "Hey, instead of kind of going with the flow of how everyone else was going, let's change direction and kind of go the same route that you've always been going, which is just being yourself." It's about being unapologetically me. 

How would you describe the whole album as a whole sonically and lyrically if you had to in a couple of words?

I think it's more along the lines of maturity. I could say a lot about it, but it just shows growth and it shows compassion. It's more mature and very grounded. Lyrically, it's glorious. It's redeeming. I'm in my redemption arc. It's almost like a blossoming flower.

Production-wise, who did you take inspiration from for this album specifically? You mentioned Bruno Mars, but were there others?

Anderson Paak, J. Cole. A little bit of Kanye, but it's more so on the likes of the jazz hip-hop artists.

Why did you name the EP "Golden Child?" Is there a significance behind that title?

I designed all the covers myself. I love the hands. It's very innocent, right? All the other singles' covers have to do with hands. I wanted the first three to be innocent backgrounds. But then "Golden Child" has a completely different vibe. It's a darker background just to contrast all the other three; it's me going out there in a messy type of way. I named [the EP] "Golden Child" because it's a rebirth for me, and this is where I really shine. I'm in this new era of Justin Magnaye, where it's just unapologetically me, sonically and lyrically.

I wanted to go a little bit more into your career as a whole. Talk to me more about how you started making music and what happened when you first started that brought you to this point.

I did all the shows in the theater, every talent show known to man. I got into America's Got Talent, but I didn't make it past producers' round, same thing with The Voice and American Idol. But every time someone was like, "You're not good enough," or "You're not ready yet," I had to keep going. I'm the type of guy [who] kind of just has to prove to myself that I have what it takes. Let's say I don't have what it takes. You can bet I'm gonna prove that wrong for as long as I live.

What has the reception been so far, either on social media amongst friends and family? What have you heard about the album from people around you?

The past trauma of me growing up and hearing, "Oh, you're not good enough," or "Oh, you're not ready yet." — It's always given me a drive. But, you know, respectfully, I love the fact that I'm hearing all these nice things about ["Golden Child"]. Like it's the best thing I've ever heard. It's on repeat. I see the algorithm – it's on people's daily release radar, thousands of streams. I normally get hate messages sometimes. I never got a single one about this one. And it's kind of scary to see. Did me and the team actually figure it all out? Because I don't know what I would do if I didn't have that chip on my shoulder.

What's next for you other than the album? Do you plan on going on tour? 

Everyone thinks I'm done with the "Golden Child" EP. No, not at all. I have 12 more tracks for you guys. But afterwards, I do want to play shows again. My manager, Eddie, has been really pushing me to get back out there because I've taken a year-and-a-half hiatus from live shows. But at the same time, I need to release "Loverboy" first before even thinking about that [...] I can't hide behind guitars and drums and all that stuff live on stage.