Today we’d like to introduce you to Lothario Parris.
Hi Lothario, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
Well, I was born in Trinidad and Tobago originally, and if you know anything about the islands then you know our music is all rhythm. The core base of our sound is how it makes you move. So I would like to say I’ve always loved music since I was born, but I didn’t fully realize this until I came to the States in 2008. I remember walking out the airport and immediately feeling that first brisk of cold air sweep me off my feet. The first two songs I heard on the car ride home were Kanye’s “Flashing Lights” and Amerie’s “One Thing”. Those two songs blew my mind because up until then (I was around 7 or 8 here), all I knew was Soca (Soul Of Calypso) music. I could never forget that initial feeling of “whoa”, what are these sounds and how are they making this.
Growing up in Long Beach, CA I attended the famous Long Beach Poly High School. I took a music theory and piano class during my time there but what really made me want to produce my own music was the project “Flower Boy”. Tyler, The Creator’s fourth studio album. I heard that, and my 16-year-old self knew if I was ever going to make music this is what I would want it to be. Complex but simple, beautiful but mean, just everything in that realm. So after playing basketball for three years, I quit my senior year and took music seriously. I started releasing a slew of ep’s, tapes, and albums on SoundCloud, from my senior year of high school to my freshman year of college. All self-produced and engineered. After really messing around and figuring out my sound, I decided it was time to take this show on the road, aka to streaming. I released my first single “Forever” (February 2021) on all streaming services alongside a music video. That experience really opened my eyes.
I realized I was a hands-on person with my visuals as well as my music. So after that release I went back into the lab and curated my next project. “Crowd Pleaser”. A mixtape of sounds I just wanted people to hear and know what I’m capable of. I had a whole grand video planned for the lead single, but I shot a little too close to the stars and things ended up falling through. The project was still released in February of 2022 and I still had a rollout with trailers, a digital magazine, and multiple interviews. Learning a lot from that experience, I’ve been performing at various locations in the Thousand Oaks/ Los Angeles Area. Gearing up to drop my debut album “Beaudry” in 2023, this time around I’m crossing all my t’s and dotting all my i’s, and maybe putting some squiggly lines on some other letters or something. 😉
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?
Being a creative that cares about your work is tough. Being a creative in this day in age, working with social media and the internet is tough. I think my biggest struggle is comparison. I’ve fallen victim to comparing what I have done at my age with my idols. It is, of course, a good and a bad thing, but it does keep me on my toes. Constantly striving to put out music that pushes the craft is an honorable task, and that’s the job I’ve accepted.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I am an all-around bada**. I’m a producer, engineer, artist, and world builder in general. I specialize in making beats, engineering, and producing wicked songs. I think what sets me apart are these god-given ears to pick out melodies. I always have endless ideas for melodies on songs, whether it be vocal or instrumental. This has allowed me to explore a lot of different types of music because sometimes I might lay something down that resembles a Bossa nova vibe without knowing. Then when I play it for people they tell me what it sounds like, and I go down a rabbit hole exploring that genre. And the cycle continues.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://linktr.ee/lothariop
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lothario.parris/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/lothario_p
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCUJnhrEqYTkH7OBeMuV4e2g
- SoundCloud: https://soundcloud.com/youngtrini
Image Credits
Obinna Anyanwu Austin Drakem Brokeboizu Kevin Aiello
