Life & Work with Hiram Torres

Today we’d like to introduce you to Hiram Torres.

Hi Hiram, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
I released my first single under my name, Hiram Torres, in December of 2021. Since then I’ve released an album and yearned fans through consistent music of high quality and great performances. I began playing instruments in grade school and went to college twice for music, achieving 2 Associate degrees; one in guitar performance and one in audio engineering. I typically produce and engineer all my own music; however, I’ve been more explorative with collaboration as of late. As I work on my second album, I’m also working on another project I hope to release this year.

Alright, 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?
I’ve definitely had some ups and downs. I’m super grateful to have been able to release my album, The Best Part Of The Painting Is Never The Center. I felt though I could have executed things better. It took six months past the album to release a video. I made a song for my lead single, “Forest Whitaker”, and it came out amazing. However, it would have been nice to have had it before I released the album. I didn’t need to rush things and I’m learning to take things slow. I had no audience, I could have sat on the album and got a proper rollout for it. It made no difference when the album came out, and I learned having a release plan, even with no audience, would have been a better idea. I might have been in a better position if I had did that vs. releasing it with no rollout. I was so eager though to give my album to the world and I can’t blame myself for that. I’m happy to have made the fans I’ve made and the connections I’ve made through releasing the album. I at least know what to do for my next album, which is why I’m taking my time on it. I think the next one is gonna be better than the first and I need to keep generating steam until it’s ready. I want all my video content done before I drop a single. I want all the artwork finalized and mixes getting finalized before I drop a single. I’ll keep playing shows, I’ll play the new songs, and one day a new album will be out. Everyone will know about it because I’m gonna make sure I get it the promo it needs.

Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I’m a rapper, producer, engineer and performer from Long Beach, CA. I love hip-hop to death and I make my version of alternative hip-hop. I make very experimental hip-hop at times. My debut album, The Best Part Of The Painting Is Never The Center, is a 55-minute concept album about my life, and it features genre-bending modern hip-hop production over my witty and punchy rap style. My most popular song is “Forest Whitaker” a trap banger with an incredible black and white video directed by my talented good friend Dyllan Ellis. Other songs I’m known for are “[HY] + [RUHM]”, “Smile Like Buscemi” and “Out The Bottle”. I’m very happy and contempt with my discography and I believe I’ve achieved a high level of performance at my shows. I’m always looking to push myself further and be the best I can on stage. Likewise, I am a perfectionist in the studio. Whether it’s programming 808s or harmonizing auto-tuned vocals, I try to do it all at the highest level. I wanna push boundaries sonically. I wanna experiment with contemporary sounds and tweak them into things no one has heard before. I feel like I’m put on this earth to push the boundaries of art, specifically music.

What makes you happy?
Lately, it’s my family and friends. They remain the most important thing to me constantly. My friend list seems like it’s sized up and I’m not upset. I enjoy being social again after the world closed down. I think I’m finally surrounded by good people not only achieving great things but striving to do great things. This makes me happy, and I’m super happy to support my people and help them achieve. Their wins are my wins too, just like my victories are shared with them, always.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: www.instagram.com/hiram_562
• Twitter: www.twitter.com/hiram562
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCdU-T7wMAoosPcybwumAeXQ
• SoundCloud: https://soundcloud.com/hiram-torres-551798022
• Other: https://linktr.ee/hiram562

Image Credits
Renee Torres Daniel Ramirez Jem Chrisope Christopher Darrel Gibbs Waldamar Stepien