Today we’d like to introduce you to Roniit Alkayam.
Roniit, please kick things off for us by telling us about yourself and your journey so far.
My story started at a young age – playing piano and being generally obsessed with music all throughout my childhood. This evolved into starting my first band in high school and quickly realizing you cannot rely on others to be as invested or work as hard as you. Over the last ten years I’ve gone from dabbling in music production to becoming someone that lives and breathes art in many forms. I’ve spent many years creating music but also taken year-long breaks to renovate my fairytale gothic house in the woods. I’m all over the place and I like it that way. I just want to be surrounded by art and be creating it in many ways. It’s my way to process what I feel and remember my life. I feel art can be like a living time capsule.
Can you give our readers some background on your art?
My art is the purest expression of my emotion. It’s taken many forms these days – primarily music but by necessity to promote my music, I found a passion in creating visual art as well. I’m so incredibly sensitive and really the only way I know how to process my emotions and feel at peace is to create art. My art is so intertwined with my life at this point, and really it follows my healing journey. Though I didn’t have a rough childhood by any means, I somehow came into this world with intense anxiety. My stress has manifested in physical ways in my body after years of being in a constant fight or flight state. As I’ve grown older, I’ve become less and less tolerant of living my life this way. Over the last few years, I’ve been on this journey to find the source of my anxiety and cure it. My art is really about this journey. Some of my songs are written when I’m in a more optimistic and hopeful place – I feel those songs are really peaceful and healing for myself and others. Then other songs are written when I’m in a very dark place and the process of writing them helps me get out of the dark bleak void and into a space of light and hope.
My message is that it’s okay to be vulnerable and tell people that you’re struggling. It’s okay to cry and release your pain, its okay to be sad or happy, or whatever you want to be. I just want people that I hear my music to be inspired to live their truth. I want people to be inspired to follow their dreams and find the path the makes them feel at peace.
Do you think conditions are generally improving for artists? What more can cities and communities do to improve conditions for artists?
I think the conditions today are better than ever. We have so many outlets and ways to express our selves. There are so many creative ways to make a living these days. That being said – I think Los Angeles is a particularly hard place for artists as the cost of living is so high and the way most of us make our income is online. It’s been easier for me to leave the city and live 1.5 hours outside of it in Crestline, CA. My income stays the same no matter where I am, so it’s up to me to choose how much I want to spend on my cost of living. That being said LA is such an inspiring place for artists and the best place to meet like-minded people and collaborators. At the same time, it’s easy to start comparing yourself and feel swallowed by the immense talent. I suppose there are pros and cons to living in LA – but I think I’ve benefited immensely from being surrounded by other artists from all over the world that move to LA to follow their dreams.
I do however think big cities just need more community and support. More people encouraging meetups and less people encouraging competition.
What’s the best way for someone to check out your work and provide support?
My music can be heard on Spotify or seen on Youtube. Supporting my work really just means listening with intention – feeling the music and taking the time and space to close your eyes and go inward while you’re listening. I want to take people on introspective journeys, rather than be the background music to a party.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.roniit.com
- Email: [email protected]
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/roniitmusic
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/roniitmusic
- Twitter: www.twitter.com/roniitmusic
Image Credit:
Ashley Joncas, Tiana Ecstasy
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