[gallery type="slideshow" link="none" size="full" ids="151745"] What got you into music, and if you had not gotten into music what would you be doing today? I fell in love with music way back when I was a kid. I would drive around with my dad and listen to cassette tapes of classic rock and sometimes hip hop music. From that point on, I could not get enough. My parents put me in piano lessons at a young age. Eventually, that evolved into me wanting to learn guitar and drums. Instead of playing outside, I would lock myself in my room and play guitar for hours on end. Eventually, I learned how to play by ear and would listen to a lot of pop punk music because it was usually pretty easy to play. I was sucked into bands like Blink 182 and Fall Out Boy. I can't really answer what I would be doing if it was not for music. There was never a real alternative.   What do you like to do when you are not playing music and how does that influence your creativity? If I am not playing music, then I am probably watching movies or playing Call of Duty with my brother and cousin. Movies always open up ideas for me because they tap into emotions. I doubt shooting people in Warzone does anything for my creativity, but it is nice to break up the routine of making music everyday.   How long has music been your career? My brother and I started Valid Point. in 2017 and I haven't stopped or slowed down since. I started pursuing music full time shortly after COVID hit. I dropped the Mannequin album around that time and started to get some momentum and realized that I could accomplish so much more if I pursued it full time.   Where are you based out of and how did that influence your music? I currently live in Nashville. There is so much talent out here, and I run into a lot of people everyday. Yes, there is a lot of country, but there is a pretty decent pop/hip hop community here as well, and I am honored to have made music with people like Ryan Tucker, Gretchen, Landon Sears, CVNDER and many more.   Tell me about the best and worst shows you have played. I haven't really played any shows yet. However, I did walk out with a boxer for a championship fight in Memphis and perform a song. That was cool! He won by the way.   If you could play any show with any lineup, who would be on the ticket? The ultimate would have been to play with Juice WRLD (rest in peace). I would love to play or open for Kid Laroi. Really anyone who is making waves with the melodic hip hop scene would be a dream come true.   What is some advice that you would give to someone who is just getting into music? Don't quit. Be consistent. You will get better as time goes on. I just went back and listened to my first album and laughed because I have come a long way. It is funny listening to past songs and thinking about how I thought "this is the best thing I have ever made". The irony is that I think about my new stuff, but I bet I have a different opinion in a couple years. My other advice would be take the good with the bad. You can get 100 great comments, but 1 negative one can ruin your whole week. You can't please everyone and that is ok. Just believe in what you are doing, and keep going.   If you could go back in time and give yourself advice, what would it be? Honestly, I would tell myself to rely on other talented people, not just yourself. In the beginning (and even now), you have to wear a lot of hats. I produced, mixed, mastered, and did everything in between and it shows hahaha. Connect with producers and engineers and trust that people can make you sound better. Don't be the guy who doesn't trust anybody and know that you are not the most talented in every field. My stuff sounds so much better now because I work with other producers/engineers/writers/DJs etc.   Of your songs which one means the most to you and why? "Cigarettes" with Matty Beats is my favorite song. Matty is so talented and he has a way of pulling out the best in you. I put my all into the writing on that one and dug deep. We have both had rough pasts with alcohol and substances, and I felt really comfortable talking to him about really uncomfortable subjects on that project. I also really pushed my vocals which can be intimidating when you are recording with other people in the room. I remember having ideas and tossing them or cutting a bad vocal and being down and he would be like "no dude that's sick, just go again". I am thrilled that I have worked with him and have more on the way, but I am happier that I can call him a friend.   What is the creative process for you, and what inspires you to write your music? Melodies. A lot of times producers send me beats and I do not open them for a long time because I do not want to hear it unless I am in front of a mic.  Things come to me pretty naturally and quickly.  I have recorded some songs in 10 minutes.  I stopped writing a while ago, and just punch in vocals when I think of lyrics.  It streamlines the process and it comes out more naturally to me than sitting down and hashing out lyrics.

What kinds of messages do you like to get across in your music?

I go from stories about my past and dealing with sad topics a lot.  I think this goes back to my love for pop punk music.  I remember listening to songs like "Remembering Sunday" by All Time Low and thinking "these guys are making me feel better even though they are talking about sad topics.  It felt good to know I wasn't alone.  I hope to do that with my music.  Other times, I just wanna have a good time, and that comes out in songs like "Guillotine".

Do you ever have disagreements when collaborating and how do you get past them?

Yes. Sometimes (especially when dealing with bigger artists) it is difficult to get on the same page. In those scenarios, knowing that I am the smaller artist, I tend to follow their lead, but a lot of times it just doesn't work out. I want to name drop so badly, but I know that would be in poor taste. Long story short, if you can't get on the same page, sometimes it is best to just not see the project through with them. It becomes a project that isn't cohesive and doesn't make sense. But for the most part, the people who I work with are friends and it is easier to connect because we know each other.

What are your plans for the future, and do you have anything that you want to spotlight that is coming up?

I will continue to drop a song or two a month and keep figuring out what the people want to hear. After that, hopefully we can put together some tour dates if it makes sense. I love traveling and seeing new faces!   Social Media Links: https://linktr.ee/Validpointmusic