Today we’d like to introduce you to Isaiah Weatherspoon.
Isaiah, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
I’m a professional drummer and music producer. Born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, my parents saw that I gravitated to music at the early age of two. One day as a toddler, I was sitting in my car seat while my parents were driving. My dad was playing the local gospel radio station. The song that was playing in the car was “Blessed” by legendary gospel singer Fred Hammond. I began to tap along to the music in my car seat that was being played while keeping the right time and beat. My parents both looked at me in amazement because they couldn’t believe that I was keeping time with the groove of the song. Since then, my love for music and drums increased. It was then that I received my first drum kit around age four from my grandmother. I would practice drums for hours until it was time for bed. I then started playing drums for my church children’s choir on Sundays. The eagerness to practice didn’t stop at a young age. Throughout my teenage years, I played drums in many different bands which genres ranged from Jazz and Gospel to Rock and Blues. All of these amazing experiences led me to the prestigious Berklee College of Music in Boston, MA at age 17. Now, at age 23, I can honestly look back and thank my parents for always supporting me in my gift. They’ve made huge sacrifices to help cultivate my gift from driving me to shows, lessons, and gigs to encouraging and praying for me. All of those things I am greatly appreciative of.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
This past year has not been a completely smooth road and I am sure that many others can attest to this. Although I was very fortunate to have support from my family, one main struggle that I faced this past year was figuring how to navigate my transition from college life to the real world as a musician in the midst of a pandemic. However, through prayer and being around my loved ones, and consistently working on my musical skills, I was able to get through rough times.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I am a professional drummer and music producer. Although I am still growing in my career, I believe that I am known for being musically versatile in regards to music production and when I get behind the drum set. I always felt that it is important to serve my client’s needs musically by being open-minded to different musical styles. I believe having this viewpoint can open new doors to future cool ideas and opportunities. I love to make people nod their heads to a nice, fat groove while leaving a smile on their faces. I think this trait is what makes me unique as a musician and creative. I am most proud of graduating from the prestigious Berklee College of Music ’19. One of my most memorable college experiences was playing for musical superstar Justin Timberlake in Berklee’s 2019 Commencement Ceremony.
Justin Timberlake received an honorary doctorate from the college along with Grammy Award-winning female-rapper Missy Elliot and Tony Award-winning orchestrator Alex Lacamoire. I remember playing one of Justin’s hit songs titled “Can’t Stop the Feeling”! My hands and face were sweating in nervousness and pure excitement as I held on to my Vic Firth drumsticks knowing that Justin, Missy and Alex were sitting right in the VIP front row of a crowd consisting of over 8,000 people. As I vamped on the chorus section of the song along with my other talented Berklee friends and colleagues, I remember Justin walking on stage with us. He then walked toward the center of the stage and started sharing the microphone with one of the vocalist performers of that night! As Justin started singing, I couldn’t believe it! I couldn’t believe that I was actually performing on stage with Justin Timberlake. This moment was surreal!
Can you talk to us about how you think about risk?
I think risk entails one taking an action to pursue a certain task, plan or idea without knowing if the outcome/result will turnout for the better or for worse. I think one major risk that I’ve taken in my life is working to pursue a career related in music and the arts in the heat of a pandemic. Now at 23 years of age after receiving my degree in Music Production and Engineering from Berklee College of Music in 2019, I think this past year has been very eye-opening for me considering recent changes to normal life in our society. Last year, I remember feeling slightly disappointed at first because I was a new college graduate ready to travel and take on many new opportunities in my career, and then Covid-19 was declared a worldwide pandemic. Seeing businesses, venues, restaurants and other establishments temporarily shut down was so discouraging to me at first because it initially brought a level of uncertainty not only to myself but to the whole country.
However as time passed, I realized the positive side of my experience during the pandemic. It helped me to develop more of an entrepreneurial mindset. During the pandemic, I used my Performance and Music Production skills to add more recording equipment to my home studio. It was then that I was able to use my useful investments and social media platforms to post new music content and collaborate on many musical projects with talented musicians, and creatives from all over, ranging in an array of genres. Initially, what I thought would be a negative situation, turned out to be a blessing in disguise. If I had not taken a risk by putting myself out there, then I wouldn’t have known that I could be of good help to other artists and aspiring music industry professionals. I thank God and my family for supporting and encouraging me along the way.
Contact Info:
- Email: [email protected]
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/isaiah.weatherspoon/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Isaiah-Weatherspoon-Music-224537441684192
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/user/phenom1108
- Other: https://open.spotify.com/artist/7DitJhTqgVrvvJlECdoEae
Image Credits:
Yuwei Huang, Alesis Drums, Dave Green Photography
