Justus West
Soundwaves & Sunflowers
A Grammy-winning guitarist and producer whose story moves through survival, resilience, collaboration, and a growing vision to create space for the artists coming next.
Interview
Industry's Most In-Demand Guitarist
Artist Collection 05
Introduction
A solo vision taking shape
Justus West has built a career beside some of the most recognizable artists in modern music. After earning a Grammy with John Legend, appearing repeatedly on NPR’s Tiny Desk, and touring across major stages, his most personal ambition is still ahead of him: becoming fully known as a solo artist.
His story is not only about access or achievement. It is about survival, self-education, the influence of his mother, and the belief that music can become a platform for other people to find their own path.
01
The First Meeting
Warmth Before Recognition
A quiet coffee shop meeting revealed both the scale of Justus’ influence and the generosity that keeps him grounded.
Pasadena, California
First Impression
The room already knew him
Meeting Justus in Pasadena felt less like interviewing a distant industry figure and more like reconnecting with an old friend. His warmth arrived before any mention of awards, tours, or collaborators.
Within minutes, another customer approached him to explain how deeply his work had inspired him. Justus gave the moment his full attention, making sure the fan left with the photograph and memory he hoped for.
The Resume
Respected before becoming a household name
Justus has worked across R&B, hip-hop, pop, and jazz with artists and producers including John Legend, John Mayer, Mac Miller, Beyoncé, Kanye West, Thundercat, Miguel, Future, Alicia Keys, Masego, Ariana Grande, Timbaland, Terrace Martin, and many more.
He also became a familiar presence on NPR’s Tiny Desk and spent years performing on global tours and festival stages. The résumé is extraordinary, but it remains only one layer of the story.
"The people who stand out are the ones who do not stay down."
— Justus West
02
Survival
A Life Returned
A medical crisis during his teenage years changed how Justus understood time, purpose, and the reason he was still here.
A second perspective on life
The Turning Point
Waking up each morning
As a teenager, Justus suffered a severe and unexplained medical reaction. After repeated transfusions failed, specialists turned to plasmapheresis while his family was warned that he might not survive.
He continued waking up. After months of recovery, the experience gave him a new relationship with life and a sharper sense that his time had to be used intentionally.
After Recovery
Taking every open door
Once healthy, Justus intensified his pursuit of music. The following years moved through competitions, relocations, couch surfing, long drives, church gigs, touring opportunities, and difficult personal setbacks.
The path was unstable, but his commitment was not. Each interruption became another test of whether he would continue.
03
The Road
Choosing Atlanta
At a literal fork in the road, Justus followed instinct instead of retreating toward safety.
The Call
A hometown hero changed the direction
While driving home after another difficult chapter, Justus received a call from Bernard Harv, Justin Bieber’s music director, inviting him to join a tour based in Atlanta.
He pulled off the highway and looked at two directions: one toward home and one back toward the uncertainty he had just left. He trusted his instinct and returned to Atlanta.
Age 11
First Paid Performance
Justus accepted a paid guitar gig at a nearby church and discovered that music could become both a calling and a livelihood.
Age 12
Jazz Clubs
He began entering jazz clubs through back doors to perform with working musicians and absorb the language of live music.
Teen Years
Self-Directed Education
Homeschooling gave music room to become part of his curriculum, while focused repetition became the engine of his growth.
Age 17
Movement Without Stability
Competitions, Nashville, Atlanta, Alabama, church stages, couch surfing, and unexpected setbacks shaped his independence.
The Call
Back to Atlanta
A touring opportunity arrived while he was driving home, and he chose to turn around and keep moving toward music.
04
The Practice
Purpose To Learn
Justus’ greatest skill is not simply guitar technique. It is the ability to enter deep focus until a new language becomes natural.
Learning through total immersion
Hyperfocus
The discipline behind the instinct
Justus describes learning as purpose-driven. When he decides a skill matters, he can spend days studying, experimenting, and repeating until the idea becomes usable.
That intensity shaped his guitar playing, production, songwriting, and visual experimentation. Rather than waiting for mastery, he builds it through immersion.
Process
Music is never linear
His creative process begins with movement rather than certainty. He follows the song without demanding that it prove itself too early.
The work becomes clear through making. Judgment arrives later, after the instinct has had enough room to reveal where it wants to go.
"You have to make it and see where it goes."
— Justus West
Justus West has earned the admiration of peers like John Mayer
Mayer, one the modern day guitar gods, even commented onJustus’ social post claiming he is one of his favorites on the guitar. Additionally, Justus holds the record with the most Tiny Desk appearances as a guitarist with 8 performances!
05
The Foundation
What His Mother Taught Him
Resilience, more than recognition, became the standard by which progress was measured.
Justus' Hero
Watch Film
Home
Less about victories, more about resilience
Justus credits his mother as the most important influence in his life. She encouraged his education, protected his potential, and taught him that mistakes mattered less than the willingness to rise again.
Her own strength as a singer and songwriter gave him an early example of creativity joined with perseverance.
06
Collaboration
Sacred Sessions
Working with Mac Miller showed Justus how openness, trust, and friendship could reshape the meaning of collaboration.
A brief but pivotal friendship
Mac Miller
Music without unnecessary pressure
Justus remembers Mac Miller as open, curious, and unusually generous in the studio. The relationship deepened during the period surrounding Mac’s final live performance and continued through private sessions at his home.
Those moments became sacred to Justus—not because of status, but because the work felt honest, relaxed, and rooted in mutual respect.
A friendship between mac and justus
In Performance
"It was a special experience playing with Mac"
Legacy
Redefining culture through impact
The loss reinforced Justus’ desire to build a career that leaves something larger than credits or applause. He wants his music to influence culture positively and his platform to create access for people who have talent but lack resources.
07
The Next Chapter
More Than A Guitarist
Awards and collaborations established his reputation. The next challenge is to establish the full world of Justus West.
Solo Artist
The most ambitious goal yet
Justus is a Grammy-winning and multi-nominated musician, but he does not see recognition as the final destination. His ambition is to be understood as a complete artist—one who writes, produces, performs, directs, and creates a world with its own emotional language.
The solo career is not a departure from the years spent supporting others. It is the form those years prepared him to build.
Recap
Sango Studios x Justus West Pop Up Event
Shot by Kiannacreates / Kiana Sumitani
A night we'll never forget
01 01
08
The Collection
Soundwaves & Sunflowers
The garments translate Justus’ movement through music, his hometown roots, touring life, and the optimism that continues after struggle.
01
Collection Study
Soundwaves & Sunflowers
Soundwaves represent the career built through rhythm, collaboration, and live performance. Sunflowers represent warmth, survival, and the instinct to keep turning toward light.
Artifact 01
$150.00
Sango x Justus West Sound Wave Jacket
The collection’s central garment translates the movement of sound into a wearable surface, connecting Justus’ guitar language with the visual rhythm of the collaboration.
Artifact 02
$120.00
Sango x Justus West Hometown Hoodie
A tribute to the places and people that formed Justus before the global stages—home as a source of memory, resilience, and direction.
Artifact 03
$70.00
Sango x Justus West Tour Bag
Built around movement, the tour bag reflects the years spent carrying music between cities, studios, rehearsals, festivals, and new opportunities.
Artifact 04
$70.00
Sango x Justus West Hometown Tee
A direct and accessible expression of the collection’s roots, carrying the hometown story into an everyday piece.
Artifact 05
$60.00
Sango x Justus West Sunny Bucket Hat
The sunflower motif becomes a symbol of optimism after hardship—a reminder to keep moving toward warmth even when the path changes.
Closing Reflection
What Justus taught us
Justus West’s story is a study in persistence without certainty. Survival gave him urgency. His mother gave him resilience. The road gave him independence. Collaboration taught him openness. Music gave every lesson a form.
His next chapter is not simply about stepping into the spotlight. It is about using that light to help other artists see a path forward.
Written and photographed by Kai Matsukuma.
AC5: Sango Studios x Justus West Garments
Designed in collaboration with Justus West. He is one of the most exciting, well-respected, and in-demand guitarist currently in the music industry. Sound waves and sunflowers inspired this collection.
AC5: Sango x Justus West Sound Wave Jacket
- Regular price
- $150.00
- Sale price
- $150.00
- Regular price
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$0.00
AC5: Sango x Justus West Hometown Hoodie
- Regular price
- $120.00
- Sale price
- $120.00
- Regular price
-
$0.00
AC5: Sango x Justus West Sunny Bucket Hat
- Regular price
- $60.00
- Sale price
- $60.00
- Regular price
-
$0.00
