Meet Elijah Perkins

Today we’d like to introduce you to Elijah Perkins.

Thanks for sharing your story with us Elijah. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
I’m a 27 years old Hip-hop music artist currently residing in Riverside, California. My artist name is the same as my regular name but spelled as ‘Elijvh’. I’ve been passionately creating music since I was a child but professionally started my career at the age of 23 in 2016. Ever since that year, I’ve went through a rollercoaster of a life journey as a young adult — evolving constantly as an artist and a human being.

In the past four years, I’ve gained friends, lost friends, went homeless in Tennessee for a month, made countless songs, improved my craft, experienced failure, earned some wins, traveled all over the US, visited many countries in Asia, but most importantly – gained priceless wisdom in my life. My main passion is simply being a “jack of all trades” type of artist but I have dreams and aspirations to inspire the world with my talents as a celebrity. This includes not only singing and rapping – but entertaining in new, inventive ways. As of 2020, I’m still passionately pursuing my dreams with no signs of stopping.

Has it been a smooth road?
Hardly. Being an aspiring artist who had no real connections with anyone in the music industry was tough from the beginning. I remember spending many years prior to my first self released album in 2016 trying to refine my craft because no one took me serious as an artist.

After leaving High School in 2011, I was a young man who had the biggest dream of being an artist who could do it all successfully. I loved to sing. I loved to write poetry. I loved hip-hop and it’s culture. I was exposed to all kinds of music from my parents and older brother. I knew how to make all kinds of beats. I grew up in a family household of African American musicians on my Dad’s side. I was surrounded by artists going out to Melrose as a teenager with some High School friends. So, it made sense that I chose to pursue a career in music.

If you stepped into the bustling doors of a 2013 Starbucks in Moreno Valley, I was the employee you’d see at your local Starbucks secretly writing rhymes on their phone. At that time, I had two jobs and was juggling attending classes in my local community college. There would be days on end where I’d send emails to countless blogs and publications begging for someone important to give me a shot. School wasn’t for me and I wanted to be out creating music freely and building my own fanbase.

Around this time, many people gave me a hard time because I was a soft spoken kid. I had to learn how to ignore all sorts of negative comments while I perfected my craft at home. This lead to a harsh breakup in 2014 with someone who didn’t want me to pursue my dreams. From there, I decided to drop out of college and pursue my dreams as an artist. You could say it was a giant leap of faith.

After 2014, I made a few fans online and gained knowledge building my own brand but I still had trouble getting any sort of professional help. It wasn’t until I had the opportunity to take a few songwriter’s workshops in LA by myself in Fall of 2015 which led me into a few studios in Hollywood observing some pretty famous artists and their teams crafting songs. This inspired me to go forth and build my brand even further. But I also made a few mistakes and met the wrong people who steered me in terrible directions.

That led to me ending up homeless with someone I thought I could trust in Tennessee. I lost a few managers. Lost many friends. Lost many members who laughed at me. Alienated myself with my town’s music community. All sorts of crazy things happened. But I never gave up as the years passed by. Today, I’m a completely different person (in a good way)! I’ve learned from so many mistakes and my future’s looking brighter by the minute since I’ve networked with all sorts of people from here to overseas in the Philippines who gave me a chance to prove myself. Now, I know my dreams will finally manifest itself real soon.

Can you give our readers some background on your music?
My artistry is my brand but I also run a self-made company that hosts my music called “Spirits of Tomorrow” or “SOT”. Spirits of Tomorrow could be looked at as a lifestyle brand, as well as something that represents my forward way of thinking. I’m looking to one day turn this brand into a multimillion (or even billion) dollar asset with merchandise, apparel, film, and more.

How do you think the industry will change over the next decade?
As of now, the music industry will continue to change rapidly in 5 – 10 years. The public’s tastes, superstars, and overall business model will definitely see to adjust with the times as always. It’s hard to say what will happen next in my opinion. But I find that exciting. I’m looking to be one of the key figures that is responsible for positive changes in this industry.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.elijvh.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/elijvh/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/elijvhofficial/
• Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/elijvhofficial/

Image Credit:
Kara Spinato, Luisa Hopf, Kaine Hel

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