Life & Work with DeAnte (Ante) Payne of Los Angeles / OC

Today we’d like to introduce you to DeAnte (Ante) Payne.

Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
I started out curious and passionate just like anybody else, trying things I was interested in until I found what stuck. Music was that for me; I had no idea in the beginning that it would be when I started. I started my earliest exposure to music right before junior high school and continued through junior high school, high school and even undergad. Studied music literally 11-12 years straight. Along the way I got as involved as I could with extra curricular activities, involving myself in business camps, internships, dual enrollment classes, etc. I’ve always had the mindset to try to be ahead of the game and maintain a multi-faceted approach to being a well-rounded individual, and I’ll have to credit the Memphis community and mentors I had in general to help pave the way. I carry that same foundation to this day, and it has helped me land opportunities and walk in rooms I would have never imagined I would.

We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
I don’t think it really has been necessarily a smooth road for anybody. We all have our own struggles that are parallel to others’, I identified my struggles, in the midst of external circumstances, as mostly to do with battling myself. Battling and shifting my mindset to use anything I was going through as creative juice and motivation to keep going. I think that’s the biggest underlying struggle that we don’t talk about as much. There have been times where we had no lights growing up, I’ve lost friends and family, had to struggle with starting over after having gear and resources stolen from me, and I’m sure other factors that could have given me any reason to stop. But, I was raised to choose to tame my mind, direct my thoughts and shift my perspective and learn from those experiences, allowing them to shape me into a better person, not the opposite.

Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I specialize in various facets of the music/entertainment industry. I’m a musician, instrumental artist, music producer, music teacher, and sound designer. I’ve interned in music publishing, house and stage mgmt. for concerts, toured, and right now working in corporate HQ for a national music retailer. I’ve produced music and accumulated hundreds of thousands of digital streams, performed music internationally, and have had the pleasure of spreading my knowledge and impact on K-12 youth- teaching jazz music, improvisation, piano, percussion and music theory. I received my bachelor’s degree in music business in spring of 2021, and I am most proud of my intentional approach of just becoming as well-rounded as possible. I’ve done so many different things relevant to what I love that it has molded me into an individual with a lot of unique experience, and it continues to keep building.

In terms of your work and the industry, what are some of the changes you are expecting to see over the next five to ten years?
As the music industry has never really ceased to change and shift drastically, even as long as I’ve been involved, this era we are currently in definitely embodies significant change with how far we’ve come with technology obviously. Things have become easier and more seamless, but also forces creatives specifically to fastidiously hone into their craft, to diligently learn the game and become as versatile as possible, especially with the prominence of AI technology. All these things have both positive and negative effects on individuals, especially DIY and independents, but there’s also beauty in that those who really have put the work in being diligent enough to take the long road, learn as much as possible and be immersed in everything that makes them unique will have the opportunity to show what true authenticity is in this realm.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: https://instagram.com/anteofficial
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/antemusicofficial?mibextid=wwXIfr
• Youtube: https://youtube.com/@ante.official?si=f-gblKGQglRJ8GHI