Vocals, Lyrics, Mixing, Prod

Q: Tell us about a project you worked on you are especially proud of and why. What was your role?

A: A project I am especially proud of is "Forever Home". Anthony Leon, Kristen Cardella, and I made a song and video to raise awareness for foster youth. We teamed up with "Together We Rise" where viewers could donate to support the foster youth. The positive response on the song was massive, and I was so happy that we could make such a positive impact in the lives of others. I really want to make music that helps others in some way, so this was really reassuring to me. In this project, I was a lyric songwriter, a vocalist, and a mixing/mastering engineer.

Q: What was your career path? How long have you been doing this?

A: In third grade, I heard Kanye West's "808s & Heartbreak" and I was fascinated by the use of autotune to capture the emotional sound of the album. I wanted a laptop strictly for recording my own cover of "Heartless" and using autotune, and that's exactly what I did when I got one (I wish I still had that project file). After that, I didn't really like what I made, so my interest in creating music stopped for a while. I was always listening to music, but until senior year of high school I never created again. My friend who was a DJ at the time was performing at Lollapalooza and he inspired me to follow my dream and say, "You know what? Just like my inspiration Kid Cudi, I can help the lives of millions". Ever since, I've been working on music in some way, shape or form whether it be through vocals, beats, mixing, or something else.

Q: Can you share one music production tip?

A: Ask yourself this: If you were listening to the song, how would you want it to sound? This takes away the aspect of "what will others think of this" and allows you to really focus in on your intuition when making production choices. There is no right or wrong, and that's what makes music beautiful.

Q: What do you like most about your job?

A: Making a positive impact in others' live and helping others through music

Q: Which artist would you like to work with and why?

A: Kid Cudi because his music is very relatable and it helped me during times I was struggling. He also performs with a ton of emotion, which is a driving force in my music. I also love the vibe of the instrumentals in his songs.

Q: What type of music do you usually work on?

A: Hip-Hop/Rap and Electronic, but I'm open to working on any genre.

Q: What do you bring to a song?

A: Passion, emotion, authenticity, heart, and meaning

Q: What's your typical work process?

A: It truly depends on what I'm doing. If I feel like writing, I usually look through beats online, keep them playing, and think of some flows, melodies, etc. that I could write over the beat. Then I take the flows/melodies I like best, and I write the lyrics to them. If I'm feeling like making an instrumental/beat, I'll usually mess around in Serum to make an interesting sound to start of the track. I usually start with chords, add melodies, and fill drums around. Sometimes, if I'm feeling groovy, I'll start with the drums. In terms of recording/editing, I'll usually record about three takes of the vocalist before mixing. Then I'll comp vocal into one main take. After that we'll usually record some ad libs, harmonies, and other layers where desired to fill up the sound. After this, I'll mix the vocals to fit into the instrumental.

Q: Tell us about your studio setup.

A: I have a home studio setup with two Yamaha HS5 speakers. I have a Rode NT1-A microphone to record and an acoustic shield to capture any possible sound from reflecting. In addition to the NT1-A, I have a few other Audio Technica microphones. I use a Scarlett Focusrite 2i2 audio interface through which I plug in my microphone to record as well as my speakers to hear sound. I also have Sony headphones to monitor sound during recording and mixing. I have a full Novation Impulse Midi keyboard along with a mini one. I also have a Casio keyboard with some preloaded sounds. I work mainly on Logic Pro X, but I also use Ableton Live 10 Suite.

Q: What other musicians or music production professionals inspire you?

A: In terms of an artist, Kid Cudi is my biggest inspiration. In terms of production, I love the sound of Dot Da Genius, Flume, and Kanye West.

Q: Describe the most common type of work you do for your clients.

A: I typically record vocals, mix vocals, and master tracks. I also write and record my own verses as features on others' songs.