By Joe Vickrey
Images courtesy of ote.jpeg
Utah’s own Joey Segura has made a name for himself as ote.jpeg, a budding Hyperpop artist who recently spent a formative year in Tokyo, Japan. From rubbing shoulders with J-Pop group Super Dragon to viral TikToks, Joey has accomplished so much in a very short time. I was lucky enough to chat with Joey about his path to Japan and what’s coming up for him next.
Joey’s musical journey began in high school when a friend asked him to rap on a track in their basement. While this experience ignited Joey’s love for music, he actually didn’t work on music again until he was 25.
“The uncertainty of pursuing music full-time kept me away until I had enough savings to give it a real shot without worrying about whether I’d be able to pay rent the next month or not,” he said.
Finally, Joey decided it was time to give his music “the effort and attention it deserved.” Unsure where to find collaborators, he turned to TikTok where he half-jokingly posted that anyone could sleep on his couch if they wanted to make beats for him. His longtime collaborator ote.midi actually responded to the video and they spent the summer making ote.jpeg’s DYNAMICS EP.
Now seems like a good time to explain that ote is the abbreviation for midi and jpeg’s crew, Overthought Entertainment. Joey clarified that most of his fans will simply refer to him as jpeg.
Continuing with his story, Joey added, “After a year of pushing with little results in the US, I got wind of the growing Hyperpop / Digicore scene in Tokyo, and it seemed like a perfect opportunity to go try music full time in a place where I would almost certainly stand out.” Moving across the world is a bold move that most might find crazy, but it shows just how much Joey believes in his work.
Why Japan? Joey had gone on a volunteer trip to Japan and learned Japanese prior to his choice to go all-in on his music career. “Given my background with Japan and the growing scene out here, it just felt natural to come out and give it a shot.”
Joey’s adventure was made possible all thanks to a working visa he got to be in Japan. However, the visa only allowed him to stay for a year. Getting signed to a Japanese record label would allow him to stay in Japan to continue to build up his career. Understanding the power of social media, Joey explained, “The first big step toward signing has been just posting incessantly on social media.” He took to TikTok to ask people to listen to his music so he wouldn’t get deported. It was this specific prompt that caught the attention of the internet and went viral.
Having not thought about it much, Joey posted his initial viral TikTok like he would’ve any other video. “People seemed to really resonate with the message, and when the opportunity to really change someone’s life only costs a like or comment, it’s pretty easy to want to throw some support their way.” Not only is that a great outlook, but it’s great advice for all of our local artists hoping to get their music heard. Support is easy, and people are eager to give voice to the sincere.
However, the explosion of ote.jpeg’s popularity isn’t a happy ending just yet. “The label journey is still very much a journey. Thanks to my friends I’ve been able to begin conversations that will hopefully lead to label support,” he said. While he didn’t land a major deal in time to renew his visa and has had to return home to the states, he’s built a massive social following that’s leading to bigger opportunities.
“If I could go back and tell my younger self anything, it would be to relax and create at your own pace.” Joey added this piece of advice as he warned that there’s always more work to do as an independent artist. “You can always post another TikTok, go to another event, or email another potential collaborator, so it’s easy to feel like you’re falling short even when you’ve given your best.” Lastly, he added a reaffirming piece of advice for aspiring artists, “No career or level of success is worth losing yourself in the process.”
Despite all the challenges he still faces, the future feels bright for ote.jpeg. He speaks so optimistically about his upcoming projects. After releasing a series of singles this summer he shared, “The goal for this year was really just to get some of the back-catalog cleared out.” He dropped a 5-track EP entitled ACCELERATION in early December and has an album coming in 2026.
Continuing in his favorable outlook on the whole journey, Joey mentioned how welcoming Japan’s music scene had been to him. Even though the process of integrating into a scene where he didn’t know anyone was tough, he’s been grateful for all the love and support he’s received thus far.
Make sure to follow ote.jpeg on Instagram and TikTok and check out “HOUSEOFGLASS” – his most popular single from the new EP.
