Lyric Video for Amos Saint Jean's New Single "Simply Incredible"

Check out the lyric video for inspirational artist, Amos Saint Jean's new single "Simply Incredible" (Also, available on iTunes for download)

Establishing Your Sound/Formula

Being a professional musician & producer in this music industry for more than 15yrs requires a lot of guts and "stick-to-it-tiveness." I've learned so much through observing other professionals and industry greats and its helped me to establish my own sound and formula.

Well, it's tough to establish your own sound and create your formula. Reason is that for many, it's convenient just to become a "carbon copy" of another successful musician or producer and its tougher to do the necessary ground work to develop your own thing. 

So what do you do with a music industry that has a lot of "carbon copies" and not too many "originals"????  

You continue to create... That's my answer. You continue to push past the unfamiliar and experiment with your sound until something breaks through.

Quincy Jones, David Foster, Timbaland, Jimmy Jam/Terry Lewis, Teddy Riley & Harvey Mason are some of my favorite producer/musicians.

I've been able to gleam from their work and learn to establish my own formula. It's an ever-evolving process to establish your sound, because you can not stop learning and gleaming from industry greats such as these guys... 

So, all I'm saying is... Don't just shoot to just be a "carbon copy"... Learn to become an original.

Later!

What Happened to all the INDIANS?

You know what? Time flies.....

I'm saying that to say that I've been doing this music thing for over 20+years now and I'm realizing that I'm becoming one of the "older" guys now, LOL...  I remember when I was the "up-and-coming" young musician... Now I'm referred to as "Uncle" and/or "Big Bro" LOL!!!

What an adjustment, smh...

Well, I've slowed down on production work significantly to adjust my personal life.. you know.. Marriage, New House, Job Promotion...  It gets hard to balance it all so sometimes you have to press the RESET button and start over.

Being an artist, producer & songwriter in this new age is almost discouraging.  Nothing against social networking, but it has allowed a lot of newcomers to blossom overnight.  The ones who've been working before the social networking "bubble" came are now almost like dinosaurs...smh.

I say all that to say, it's tough to stay relevant IF you don't know who you are.  Thankfully, I know who I am and what I possess. BUT it can be difficult, cause you can get tempted to "cave in" and "compromise" to fit in today's norm, but you must stand strong and believe that your time is coming and when it comes you will "rise to the occassion."

These days you must learn to encourage yourself, cause if you're waiting for others to do it...it probably won't happen, LOL...  The other day I said to myself, "Why does everyone wants to be the CHIEF? What happened to all the INDIANS?"

LOL!!

It's a tough reality nowadays, that everyone wants to be in the front of the stage and totally bypass the back of the stage.  Like I said before I am glad that I know who I am, but there are a lot of people out here who don't know who they are.  Many people think they're supposed to be the CHIEF, but actually they might be most effective as the INDIAN.

What's wrong with being the INDIAN? What would this world be if it was filled with a bunch of CHIEFS? Smh, it would be totally INSANE and CHAOTIC I think...

Well, I encourage you today to evaluate yourself, look in the mirror... take the time to ask yourself...

"What am I... a CHIEF or am I an INDIAN???"

Now, you have to be honest with yourself... don't rush it...take your time and when you finally figure it out, GO FULL STEAM AHEAD and be who you are destined to be.  You'd be surprise how much of an effect you can make if you operate in the area of your strengths instead of the area of your weaknesses.


Until then... Peace!