Q: Hey, can you tell us a bit about where you come from, and what made you want to start a career in music?
A: I’m from Corona, California and I grew up just wanting to perform. I took theatre and choir and even picked up the guitar just wanting to be on stage. In a way I slowly became more and more involved with music and was consistent with my obsession with it this long. Originally, I only wanted to write my own music and perform it, but I realized I needed to have a band first. I didn’t know too many musical people, so I opted for teaching myself different instruments. Then I needed a producer, so I taught myself how to record my own music. And since I started doing it by myself, I had to learn how to release it myself. This resulted in me getting more hands on with every step of the process that now I can’t imagine not being part of every single step. I get the most joy recording in my home studio and putting together various sounds and being able to bring it to life by performing them.
Q: And what other artists have you found yourself listening to lately?
A: The main artists in my current rotation include Kaytraminé, DLG., Nothing But Thieves, and Robert Glasper. Lately, I’ve also been listening to a lot of house music and finding new artists there.
Q: Who were your first and strongest musical influences?
A: Prince and R5 are the two that really pushed me to work on my musicianship and helped inspire alot of my songs. R5 is Ross Lynch’s band and it includes his siblings as fellow bandmates. I was obsessed with R5 so much, that I taught myself how to play their second album “Sometime Last Night” from cover to cover on guitar and bass and used that to practice playing along to. I grew up listening to Prince from my parents and enjoyed his music. As I learned about Prince’s story, I found more things I liked about him. It was very inspiring how he did it all himself when it came to the creation of his music.
Q: You have just released your new EP, ‘Meant To Be’. Is there a story behind it?
A: This project was created in the midst of learning a big life lesson that heavily resonated with me. I was put to the test these last few years where I dealt with changes (both good and bad) that I’ve wondered how I got to this point and where I’ll go. I started writing about the journey of what I’ve been through to get to where I am currently and how I learned to just accept that everything happens for a reason and that it’s all meant to be and will work out how it’s supposed to. If I had accepted this fact earlier, I probably would’ve saved myself the trouble. But maybe it was worth it to go through the motions because I came up with these beautiful songs. On a brighter note, a lot of these songs are influenced by my girlfriend who’s helped inspire many of the lyrics in the songs.
Q: Can you share the main themes or messages conveyed in the songs on “Meant To Be”?
A: The central theme for this project is found within the title itself. Everything is meant to be and it’ll work out in the end. “Pineapple” expresses a breath of fresh air after coming out of the fog where you go through the bad parts to get to good and enjoy the reward. “Champagne Kisses” talks about the honeymoon phase of a relationship where you’re obsessed with every part of your partner and crave them. “Memories” reflects on the good ole days and the memories you share with those closest to you and keeping the fun going so you can new memories. “Thinkin Bout You” is a battle of the past vs present you where you reflect on how much you’ve grown since the past and learning to accept it’s meant to be the way it is.
Q: What do you feel are the key elements in your music that should resonate with listeners, and how would you personally describe your sound?
A: I believe my lyrics should resonate with people because for this EP, I pushed my vocals more forward and emphasized the lyrical content on my songs. These cohesive songs each tell part of a narrative that follows from one track to another.
Q: Were there any specific musical influences or inspirations that shaped the direction of this EP?
A: Funny enough my first influence R5 rebranded themselves as The Driver Era a couple years back, so that became the main influence for shaping the songs which are very eclectic yet flow together. Other artists such as push baby, Steve Lacy, and The 1975 played a role in shaping the project.
Q: Could you describe your creative processes? How do usually start, and go about shaping ideas into a completed song?
A: My creative process is different for each song I’ve done, but it typically starts with a voice memo or a melody that I hum in my head and take it and produce in my DAW. Other times, lyrics come first and I spend time just crafting the sound and filling out the space. For this EP in particular these songs came from very unique situations. “Pineapple” was originally started as a school assignment that ended up with me finishing it and surprisingly rapping over it. “Champagne Kisses” was inspired by a quote someone said in a group chat. “Memories” felt like an actual process because I had my girlfriend choose the instruments for the song, the arrangement, and the lyrical content. On top of that I timed myself and created the first demo in about 2 hours. “Thinkin Bout You” came from a fellow producer that’s featured on the track. KooyaBeats is a Twitch streamer and when he played the instrumental beat, I fell in love with it and he gave me the chance to write to it. So I took the beat, rapped over it, and added additional instrumentation such as guitar which helped to fill out the sound and finish the song.
Q: What has been the most difficult thing you’ve had to endure in your life or music career so far?
A: Probably finishing songs. I have so many song ideas that I end up starting a bunch of new ideas that I fall in love with but never finish due to me chasing a newer ideas. It’s the main reason why when I first started putting out music there were large gaps in between releases. I’d like to think I’m getting more consistent because I’ve been putting things out at a good rate. I’m already working on the next project and organizing what’s to come. With me being more focused it’s allowing me to finish piecing it together soon and keep up this consistent output.
Q: On the contrary, what would you consider a successful, proud or significant point in your life or music career so far?
A: I feel like a broken record because I will never stop talking about it, but playing on stage with my idols. In 2021, I saw The Driver Era in concert and they brought me up on stage at the Fonda Theatre and I played guitar for one of their songs. It was quite literally my five minutes of fame playing in front of thousands of people alongside Ross Lynch and Rocky Lynch. It was my opportunity to thank them for inspiring me to get to where I’m currently at, and show off the musicianship that I learned from years of studying them. The video is my most viewed on my YouTube and it’s crazy to think that it happened so soon in my musical journey. When I was younger, I made it my mission to get to a place in my music career where I could thank my idols for their inspiration and it happened already. Now as for what’s the next accomplishment? Whatever I put my mind to.
