Today we’d like to introduce you to Brandon Lee Richardson.
Hi Brandon, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
I was born in Garden Grove, California. Before my first birthday, I moved to Yonkers, New York with my mother where I was basically raised.
I’ve always been a creative person, even as a little kid. When I was young, my mother taught me how to draw and I remember picking up the skill pretty easily. Around that same time, I signed a deal with a local modeling agency in White Plains, NY doing print ads. I did that for a while, but my interests started to evolve as I grew older. I started getting into basketball and that quickly became my favorite thing to do. I played on multiple teams and my friends and I would always spend our summers playing ball at the different courts around the neighborhood. And for years, I wanted to eventually play in the NBA. But when I was around 14 years old, the idea of doing something creative circled back around. When we weren’t playing basketball during that summer, my friend and I would write songs to any beats that we could find on the internet. Eventually, I got tired of writing to other people’s beats and I wanted to try making my own beats that I can write to. Shortly after that, I downloaded a torrented music program and began teaching myself how to make beats. From then on, I immediately had this instinctual feeling that music and creating art will play a major role in my life.
In high school, I became obsessed with perfecting my craft. I didn’t have any connections or mentors in the entertainment industry, so everything I learned had to be self-taught. I taught myself how to play piano, rap, sing, compose, arrange, produce, record, mix records, and master records. I felt like if I was going to do this, I need to be one of the greatest. And since there wasn’t anyone who could really help me at that time, I had to work towards it on my own and create my own opportunities. I’ve basically kept that same mentality ever since.
It wasn’t until college that I was able to start building connections and learn from mentors. The professors I learned from are Grammy Award-nominated/winning producers, writers, and engineers and I was extremely fortunate to be able to study under them. In addition to that, I was able to learn a lot from my other classmates as well. It was the first time I was completely surrounded by people who wanted to do the same thing as me. The experience helped me refine my skills as an artist and get my work to an “industry-ready” level of quality.
After college, I founded PAZ Music Group. It’s an independent label/collective where I, as well as some other artists, create and release music through.
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?
The road has been anything but smooth. When I started making music, the internet wasn’t really as big as it is now. I wasn’t able to look up any tutorials or anything like that. So the fact that I had to teach myself everything made it a struggle. I learned mostly through trial and error and because of that, it took me a lot longer to get to where I wanted to be.
On a personal level, there were obstacles as well. When I was first starting out, most of the people that I was surrounded by weren’t artists or didn’t have any interest in that world. It’s nothing negative on their part, but not having that relatability factor made it hard to stay motivated at times. On top of that, the cultural perception around aspiring artists wasn’t the same as it is today. Most people felt that if you weren’t incredibly talented at an early age, it’s best to just give up and think about doing something more realistic. And a lot of people saw talent as something that only certain people are naturally born with. They didn’t see it as something you can work towards getting better at. And since I wasn’t that great at making music yet, a lot of people (aside from those closest to me) didn’t take me seriously when I told them what I was trying to do.
But despite all of that, I still knew that making music and creating art was what I wanted to do. So I kept pushing forward and continued working on my craft.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I’m a music artist, producer, writer, and storyteller. People that follow me mostly know me for my music and the music that I produce for other artists. As far as my own music, I’ve developed a sound that blends Hip Hop, R&B, Anime Soundtrack, and Electronic styles of music. The work that I’m most proud of is, without a doubt, my debut album “Brando.” It’s available now on all major streaming platforms! As a whole, the project is based on my life from when I was born, up until present-day. It’s definitely my best work and it’s an album that’s story-driven, which I feel isn’t really common these days.
We’d be interested to hear your thoughts on luck and what role, if any, you feel it’s played for you?
To be honest, I really don’t think about luck too much on a day-to-day basis. Just like most people, I’ve had my share of unfortunate and fortunate things happen to me. The only thing I can do is be grateful for the fortunate things, while using the unfortunate things as motivation to keep working harder at my goals. It’s a little cliche, but it’s the only way I know how to keep moving forward.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.brandonleerichardson.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/brandonleerich/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/brandonleerichmusic/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/Brandonleerich
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCKFSZWBIUOEGC2GrObUmXJg
- Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@brandonleerichardson?lang=en
Image Credits:
Roger Richardson Manni L. Perez Brandon Lee Richardson
