Last year, I felt more lost than I had in a long time. It wasn’t my first time, of course, but this time I had a lot more uncertainty. Over the last several years, I went through quite a few tough situations, and they just kept compounding. Like the old saying goes "When it rains in pours". At one point it all became overwhelming. I lost focus, got distracted, and my foundation became rocky.

I’ve always been passionate about self-improvement and becoming the best version of myself, but I had gotten so thrown off by life’s curveballs that I started focusing more on career goals and made my life goals an afterthought.

By the end of last year, I was pretty upset with myself for not having a better life and not being very happy internally. I was extremely frustrated, but I took a deeper look at why I was feeling this way. I accepted that I needed to improve many small habits, behaviors, and alter my outlook. I set new goals for my personal life and told myself that this year I would attract and earn the better life I wanted.

As I’ve recalibrated my thinking and refocused on my personal growth, better and more fulfilling things have come into my life. Though life still does its thing and can have difficult moments,  overall, I feel happier than I have in a long time. This shift takes work, but it’s worth it. It’s already had positive effects on my  personal life, my career, my art… literally everything. I’m excited for the future and what’s to come.

Hopefully sharing this can help someone else out there who may be lost or trying to find their way.

The person you choose as your partner has a direct impact on your life and future. Your partner can either be an anchor or a rudder (ship analogy). An anchor will hold you back, keep you from moving forward. A rudder will dictate your direction and keep you on course. Choose wisely.

I always envisioned my music being worldwide, but for many years my music didn't spread around the world as much as I had hoped. I love writing articulate and creative lyrics, so the majority of my songs obviously had English vocals (my native language). Now that I've been releasing mostly music with no lyrics, it's been spreading so much further. Obviously there are various factors to the growth (including my new focus on genres/styles), it's not just a lack of English vocals, but with me being a music producer and a vocal artist, I've definitely leaned more into less to no vocals, on most tracks and I'm seeing a more rapid amount of reach. My top 10 cities of my music listeners are in other countries, not in the USA. This is interesting, mind blowing, and exciting. Being streamed in over 140 countries is a dream come true. I'm gonna continue to work my ass off to deliver bangers for the entire planet and earn myself the ability to do some world tours in the near future. It's on and poppin!

When I decided to shift my focus to electronic music production during my rebranding process, I knew that if I wanted to perform this music, I’d have to learn to DJ. As a hip-hop artist, I’ve performed for many years, touring across the country and rocking a wide variety of shows. Those who’ve attended any of those shows have seen the care and passion I put into not only entertaining but also creating moments of sincere connection. Performing is one of the greatest feelings in the world, and I have been looking forward to getting back on stage. But now, with electronic music, I gotta replace my microphone with a DJ controller, which is a new avenue for me. DJing is nothing like music production; it’s like learning a new language and a new sport. The tools, timing, techniques, everything is new to me. I’m really learning from scratch. It’s a bit unnerving and a little frustrating, but also very exciting. I never intended to become a DJ, but this is what I must do to perform my electronic songs. I’m taking this very seriously and will do my best not only to learn and develop the necessary skills, but also to honor DJ culture and treat it with respect as I enter as a humble student. I’ll be on stage soon. It’s on and poppin’!

I also want to mention Nilou for being very encouraging and motivating in my process of learning to DJ. We both recognize this as an important aspect of my music career moving forward that will lead to bigger things. She has truly been the one pushing me not only to practice consistently but to “get good” quickly. LOL. I really appreciate and embrace being pushed. You do not achieve greatness without becoming uncomfortable, tired, and working hard. I felt it was important to mention Nilou here because, in the near future when people, or even I, look back at the beginning of this chapter after much growth and success have been achieved, she deserves much of the credit. Thank you Nilou!

Every bit of my growth, accomplishments, achievements, and support I've gotten is from me being 100% authentic to myself, my audience, and to my art. I don't pretend to be anything I'm not, I don't front and BS ppl to make it seem like I'm bigger or more important than I really am. I will not accept nor participate in any of the cap, BS deceptions, that many others in the entertainment industry engage in. All of my streams, views, and followers are legit, and I will continue to operate in the most authentic way possible. I will eventually have a much larger following and audience, and I don't mind it taking longer to grow, so long as it's rooted in merit. I'm honest, hard working, sincere, passionate, and I only want to gain and celebrate what I've earned.

All the things people will currently say I'm good at and have talents in, I used to be terrible at. I made garbage videos, wack music, was trash at talking on camera, made lame designs, and had no natural talent or noticeable potential. On top of all that, I had so many people doubt me and think I was dumb for even trying to pursue dreams that I had no skills in. It was relentless, persistent, and extreme hard work that led me to get better and better over time (and without any guidance [I'm self taught]). It took me even longer than I had hoped to get just decent, but slow motion is better than no motion. Passion, tenacity, and an obsession to improve are essential, but it doesn't make your journey any easier. However, it does take you further than others will ever imagine. I told myself, "I don't care how long it takes, and what hardships I must endure (and it's been A LOT to this point), I will work so hard that I eventually become undeniable." I'm still on that journey, but it is gratifying that little by little, more and more people are starting to notice. But I can't get too comfortable... "Jobs not finished."