Ryland Staples | Staff Writer

Trevor Jackson has a lot going for him right now. The season finale of the popular television show, Grown-ish, where the 21-year-old played one of the love interests of the protagonist, has just premiered.

The budding star has taken his talents from our televisions to our playlists. His new album, Rough Drafts, Pt. 1, has 15 tracks of smooth beats and slow lyrics.

Jackson takes us on a trip though emotion, passion and just flat-out love. Jackson said in an interview with Vibe, “It’s things I’ve been through, what we all have been through … about love, pain and everything in between.”

It’s important for young adults to acknowledge that mistakes exist. It’s OK to mess up or to not be completely sure about everything we do in life. Jackson said, “[The album is] called Rough Drafts because I feel like, especially in [this] day and age, everybody is trying to be perfect.”

He continued: “They’re trying to emulate something on social media. Everybody wants the finished product. They see other people doing well and want to skip a few steps.”

The album starts out slow, with the first song being an introduction of multiple voices making discouraging comments that Jackson has heard all throughout his career as an artist — things like, “You should just stick to acting,” “Just quit,” “Why do you even bother?” and “Put the pencil down!”

This is a great album to put on while you are trying to just calm down and chill out. This is an album that is both entertaining and mesmerizing. The songs fluidly flow from one to another and allow the listener a glimpse into the life of an illustrious young adult in Hollywood.

Freshman marketing major Isiah Wells said, “I really enjoy every track, it is a smooth album that gets me relaxed when I am trying to focus on work that I am trying to do. To be honest, I never really thought of Trevor Jackson as a singer. However, after hearing this, I approve.”