Today we’d like to introduce you to Forest Green.
Forest, we’d love to hear your story and how you got to where you are today both personally and as an artist.
I grew up in Redlands, CA – skateboarding & playing basketball with a diverse group of friends. Then somehow for us, skateboarding turned into partying, which lead to concert/event-going, which inspired us to get into making beats.
We’d love to hear more about your art. What do you do and why and what do you hope others will take away from your work?
I’m a music producer focusing mainly on creating new sounds in the hip-hop, R&B & electronica worlds- trying to create something totally new & unique. I aim to stick out in today’s saturated musical landscape. Recently I’ve been aiming to keep my music more danceable rather than contemplative if that makes sense. In past years I spent all my time trying to create unique & experimental sounds which oftentimes didn’t have enough rhythmic predictability to be danceable- so with my current works I’ve become a bit less daring in hopes of being more digestible.
I also do a lot of freelance work as an engineer & collaborator. Currently working out of MOAG studios in LA, I spend most of my time working on other artists songs, albums, artistic direction, etc. My skills range from helping an artist write a song both lyrically & compositionally, to designing their aesthetic & style, to the final steps of mastering & marketing. A lot of these “skills” have come to me innately as I’ve been immersed in the artistic/entertainment industry world for about ten years now, working with many great artists to learn & be inspired from.
Through working with so many artists I was inspired by, I created a DIY publishing company called Forest & Friends. Forest & Friends is also the title of the collaborative project I’ve been working on, which is essentially all my production & engineering + vocal performances & co-production from some of my closest collaborators. I released the first installment of Forest & Friends on my birthday in March 2018 & I’m putting the finishing touches on Forest & Friends 2 as I say this. There’s no release date yet, but I’m aiming for sometime before September 2019.
What do you think it takes to be successful as an artist?
I define success as being financially stable without sacrificing one’s artistic integrity. Of course, there are other factors like how much exposure an artist is receiving, how many plays their songs get, etc.- but for me, keeping my integrity & finances in order are definitely my two most important vices as a full-time, moderately responsible adult & artist.
To answer the 2nd part of your question- I feel is very important for an artist to show their face/presence consistently (if not constantly) to have success in today’s world of hypermedia. I’ve watched careers take off due to one social media post, & I’ve seen artists lose all their buzz due to lack of social media posting. We all battle suffer from social anxiety & stuff like that, but I think artists tend to beat themselves up mentally (more than others) if they didn’t get the feedback they hoped for from their last song or post or if their career isn’t turning out like they imagined. It’s important for today’s artists to stay positive & true to their artistic visions even if the gears are turning slower than dirt. It’s also important to have hobbies outside of artistic creation. Say one works full time as an artist & their only emotional outlet is their art. Naturally, it would be hard to escape the pressures of being a professional.
Do you have any events or exhibitions coming up? Where would one go to see more of your work? How can people support you and your artwork?
Search Forest & Friends on any streaming platform & my project will pop up. I’m on Instagram & Twitter @forestvvv, typically shitposting but I occasionally sprinkle show announcements, musical content & career updates in there. I’m hoping to put together some Forest & Friends shows together before 2019 is over, so following me on social media would be the best way to stay informed.
Contact Info:
- Address: West LA
- Instagram: @forestvvv
- Twitter: @forestvvv
- Other: soundcloud.com/forest_bae
Image Credit:
Chika Alozie
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