Rising Stars: Meet Séamus

Today we’d like to introduce you to Séamus.

Hi Séamus, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
I started singing when I was a junior in high school doing choir to get service hours. My choir teacher convinced me to do a solo for the song “Mary did you know” at the school mass. I ended up falling in love with it and started doing vocal lessons with my choir teacher, Ms. Scoggins- the person who started it all. And who I still keep in touch with today! Choir then led me to pursue Theater and Musicals. My senior year, I played Jack in “Into The Woods” and ended up winning best actor.

Then After I graduated high school in 2015, I was enrolled at Musicians Institute in Hollywood and got my Associate of Arts in Vocal Performance and an emphasis in Keyboard Proficiency. As of recently, one of the many great people I met at MI, Yuki Kodo, has been helping me manage my music career and is another big reason why I’m able to pursue my dream. Since then, we have been working on projects and developing the artist that Séamus is! My biggest inspiration for singing would have to be my Nana (who passed away in 2014) and my choir teacher Ms. Stephanie Scoggins (who is still with us!). Their stories are just as similar as they are inspiring. They are two of the strongest and most loving people I know and I will always think of them I sing.

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
There have definitely been some struggles along the way. I, being more on the shy side, am very much still on my journey of self-expression and self-love. My struggle stems from being bullied at a young age. I was an easy target for bullies given my lazy eye, weight (at the time), and homosexuality. I’ve let myself listen to those voices for way longer than I should have. To be honest, they still haunt me today but I’m finally starting to make that change and tell myself that I am beautiful and worthy of pursuing what makes me happy. Confidence is something I still struggle with and practice strengthening. Music helps bring me out of my comfort zone and express myself more. Ultimately, I would love to become a recording artist. As a queer artist, think it’s really important to portray queer culture more so queer kids can feel more represented and less alienated. My only regret is not tending to this personal issue sooner. I feel like I could have achieved so much more with a better mindset. But today, we’re taking risks and doing more things that bring me out of my comfort zone. My plan is to turn my experiences into art to help those who have the same struggles as I do.

Can you give our readers some background on your music?
I am an aspiring recording artist! I am an advocate for self-expression and pushing the boundaries of what’s accepted in society through my music and image. So far, I am most proud of my Christmas EP titled “Overjoyed”. I believe that challenging societal norms and my portrayal of queer culture is what sets me apart from others. Not too many men are willing to put on some lipstick and heels but the ones they do are more powerful than you’d think.

We’d be interested to hear your thoughts on luck and what role, if any, you feel it’s played for you?
Luck has brought me so many blessings along my music journey. And the fact that this is only the beginning makes me that much more grateful. I would have never found my love for music if it wasn’t for my choir director giving me the extra nudge I needed. I met my manager/Best friend (Yuki Kodo) along with so many other great people at Musicians Institute. Yuki has opened doors for me in ways that leave me indebted to her forever. I am so lucky to have found my business wife in the beginning of my music journey.

Contact Info:

• Email: [email protected]
• Website: Seamusofficial.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/seamus.ic/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/seamusofficial/
• Youtube: youtube.com/channel/UCirwCZMhhdVft7zoxMT817w

Image Credits
Dina Yohanes Yuki Kodo