Today we’d like to introduce you to Giovanni Christian.
Hi Giovanni, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I love to look at my story as a journey, a story that begins a new chapter every year. As a kid, I was never driven towards the in crowd, My family is from Trinidad, so I spent a lot of my time by the ocean. We grew up outside, learning about nature, swimming, and reading. My mother performed on the weekends with my aunties and they would sing for the locals. I hated it in the moment because I wanted to go play!
My uncles would stress about life and your true purpose. When I would come back home after a summer visit, I wouldn’t want to do the normal. I wanted to understand my passion for music. I met my first mentor at 14 and he began to mold me into a teenage pop star. I learned the recording process and the constant flow of touring and radio promo. At the age of 15, I signed my first record deal. As an eager teen, I learned the business early, I had more fame than money. The downside of entertainment, However, I started taking acting classes and was trained by Betty Bridges. She helped me get on different television shows and movies. I loved the feeling of film. The harsh reality of acting is that it is a gift. I wasn’t disciplined enough to understand the full potential of my gift just yet.
I fell into a slump of loss, confusion and uncertainty. In 2014, I ran into an old friend I grew up with in Woodland Hills, we hung out and he asked “What was I up to now”? I honestly had no answer. I told him I was trying to figure it out but my body wouldn’t allow me to stop! He asked was I still doing music and that his cousin was Ray-J. He was looking for new talent. I said sure, why not! About a month later, we arrived at his office and Ray-J was being himself. The only difference I noticed was the professional businessman he was behind the camera. I admired that and soon had to find my purpose amongst the crew. I didn’t want to be just part of an entourage, I knew I had more drive and ambition than that.
I went back for my love of film and picked up the camera and started following him around behind the scenes of his album run. I started filming him in August 2014, I didn’t stop filming until Dec 2016. He was non-stop and keeping up with Ray-J was extremely challenging, He would never sleep, however, following him every minute on the minute allowed me to see into his world. I met a lot of industry producers and kindred people that genuinely started noticing me for more than just the videographer. Around 2019, I started recording music again and it was difficult at first. I thought it would be easier to lean on my industry friends for features or beats. Boy was I wrong! The people I once knew started turning a blind eye to me because I was doing music. It was cool when I was the videographer! I never let it derail me and dropped my first EP “California Love” in Feb 2020. This was a month before the pandemic and the world shut down.
The pandemic was unfortunate for those who were affected by it. This time allowed me to focus and dig deeper into dropping more music. I dropped project after project, I learned the engineer aspect, producing, and collaborating with artists that started to hear the GC sound take off. In 2021, I was dropping so much music that Ray-J called and asked me to come to Miami. I lived with Ray-J and his family, this time it was family man Ray-J. It was different than the past persona I used to film, he was more calm and business-driven to the max. His mentorship about business was impeccable. He started teaching me about the next steps as an artist and what comes next, what deals are good and bad.
My story is still being written but life is a journey and God will bring things full circle to help you understand the next chapter. Learning how to be independent taught me how to own my master’s and publishing. I learned every job behind the scenes of music. I built a catalogue from true purpose and never gave up!
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
It has been the road that God has wanted me to understand, I can’t question the bad days, I would have to question the good days as well… I would say it has taught me a lot about myself, I love the fact that if you put the true work in, what is made for you will attract and you don’t have to chase it. The chase is your freedom and peace. Love what you do and remain humble through the journey of life. I allow God to lead and never try to do more than what isn’t in me!
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
I love to look at myself as an anomaly. Something that goes left deviates from the plan of others. Growing up back and forth from Los Angeles to Trinidad, reggae and R&B music has always been played in our house. Love was always the foundation of family. It kept things human and showed our inner emotions of us. The smooth, sexy lyrics of realism always attracted me to R&B music, I like to say my sound is unheard-of because of the visions of how I write it. I don’t write present tense, I write future because my mind is writing scripts, The pain, heartbreak, happiness, the smiles, the true friendship of life is how I would describe my music. The songs I wrote in 2020-2021 explain the triumph of what I went thru to get to 2023-2024. Manifestation of where I wanted to see myself. I set goals and visualize these ideas thru songs. I am most proud of what I can do for my friends and family now. The scarifies I endured, the friends I lost, the days I felt like everything was in vain, being able to do for them and give true love puts a smile on my face knowing I can share my journey with them.
Before we let you go, we’ve got to ask if you have any advice for those who are just starting out?
Yes. Rule number 1, never give up. Don’t stop, if this is your true passion and you can wake up every day for ten years and not see a dime from the work you are putting in then please don’t stop. Dreams are a visual concept, not a lottery ticket. You have to show grit, discipline, and underlying confidence to achieve those dreams. During my down periods in entertainment, I went back to college and received my bachelor’s at Cal State-Northridge in Psychology and master’s from UCLA in Entertainment Business. Even when you think you have down periods, challenge yourself to never stop learning and unlocking your true potential. What you may think is your true purpose may lead you to the best doors you never thought you could open. Do not settle for mediocre, push yourself to try new hobbies and skills. I love to use fitness as an outlet outside of entertainment to keep my mind sharp and open. I will always have my mind and body once the curtain has closed.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: @therealgiovannichristian
- Youtube: @giovannichristian
- Other: https://music.apple.com/us/album/love-and-envy-vol-iii/1689752131
Image Credits
Honey Gonzales
