Today we’d like to introduce you to Young Waldo.
Young, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
So, I’m an musician/artist. I mainly make hip-hop music but I’m capable of venturing out & trying other sounds when that time comes. I’ve really been into music & writing raps since I was a toddler. No one specifically inspired me to want to make music, it was just something that was embedded in me, especially from hearing all sorts of different music when I was around my dad as a child. From elementary school through high school, I made name for myself battle rapping against other kids in school & freestyling during lunch periods. The love I received from that let me know that music was definitely for me & that I should really pursue my dream as a rap artist. From there, I began officially releasing songs in 2012 on YouTube & eventually moved over to SoundCloud, which helped me gain an even greater following. That was also the same year that I first visited Los Angeles, which I fell in love with just after my first visit! It was everything I’ve ever wanted in life & I made it a goal of mine to reside in LA, making a living off of music & being a well-known figure in the industry.
Fast forward to 2019, I was granted an opportunity to fly out to California for a performance at one of my favorite store/venues in LA, the Sake Store. I was pretty nervous because I didn’t know how the LA crowd would accept my style of music but it turned out very well. As I was getting ready to depart from LA the day after the performance, I was hit with a surprising phone call, which ended with an opportunity to move to LA to further pursue my music career! As of August 2019, I have been living in Los Angeles, doing what I love most, meeting very cool people & making the best out of my new life. Even though I’m not yet exactly at my desired goal as far as my status in the industry, I am very happy with where I am because I’m one step closer to making my full dream come into fruition! I’m currently 25 years of age & have lots of time left to create my dream world plus more!
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Honestly, the road thus far hasn’t been the smoothest. While things do go how I want it to a good percent of the time, there has setbacks & roadblocks along the way. One of the biggest challenges is having to repeatedly hear “No” from those who you wish to affiliate with or not being received too well from some because what you offer is different from what they’re used to. It can make you feel like what you’re doing is not good enough & temporarily or permanently kills your confidence as an artist. That feeling was only temporary for me. I quickly remembered why I was making music in the first place & that even my biggest idols in music have went through the same thing & sometimes even worse & still found a way to their dreams. No matter what, you just having to keep going, keep moving forward.
We’d love to hear more about your work and what you are currently focused on. What else should we know?
I wouldn’t call what I have a company, but more so a brand. A lifestyle. My brand is everything from my music to my merchandise, modeling & my way of life. I grew up listening to Master P & No Limit Records and they heavily influenced my way of living and how I carry myself in the music industry. I’m most known for my ability to speak how I really feel, talk about my true interests in my music & my unique style of rapping & making music. I feel what sets me apart from others is that I make music for people like me & not for the industry, making me a vigilante in most people’s eyes. I don’t have to follow trends or try to please a certain type of crowd in order to succeed in this business & I’m very proud of that. I’m also very proud of the fact that I’ve built a following from the ground up all from my authentic material, that really means to world to me. To get on a song & talk about how I like shopping on Melrose, hanging with my friends & what makes me happy AND it is received well by many people means more than the world to me.
Is there a characteristic or quality that you feel is essential to success?
My determination, discipline & free-spirited way of thinking are definitely the top qualities of mine that play a major part in my success.
Contact Info:
- Phone: 7576392937
- Email: hollyhillswaldo@gmail.com
- Instagram: https://instagram.com/youngwaldo?igshid=czd73qtjunv4
- Twitter: www.twitter.com/youngwaldo
Image Credit:
Stunna Archives
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