Today we’d like to introduce you to Isaiah Bradshaw.
Hi Isaiah, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
My passion for music began from birth. My family constantly played music and exposed me to the power it held. As I got older, I explored music further and developed my own personal taste, which mainly hovered around Hip Hop and R&B. Toward the end of high school, my friends and I freestyled for fun, and I realized my passion for music went further than just being a listener. From then on, I started rapping more and watching YouTube tutorials on how to make beats and mix vocals. My friends Brandon Macias, Ronnie Quest, and I would perform at up-and-coming shows around Los Angeles while we all continued to learn more about the industry and grow as musicians.
Throughout the years, I have had many opportunities and experiences stemming from music that I am grateful for. I graduated from UCLA in 2022 with a degree in African American Studies and a minor in the Music Industry. Additionally, I’ve been fortunate enough to have been influenced by a lot of people around me, and this has led me to produce different genres like House and Afrobeat, as well as explore new songwriting techniques.
I currently live with two musicians, and I’m focused on finishing songs and continuing to put out quality music. I produce most of my own songs with one of my roommates, Nathaniel Harris, and while I’ve been concentrating on production for the past bit, I want to dial back into being an artist. I am preparing a lot of music for 2024, and I’m excited to see what’s to come!
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
The journey hasn’t always been a smooth road, but I am grateful for everything I have experienced along the way. Throughout the years, I feel like I have shared some of the same struggles that many musicians and other artists face. Things like working a survival job even though you really just want to create or putting a bunch of time and work into a song or video to see it only get 100 or so plays. These are all learning experiences and stepping stones toward where I want to go. Personal issues and other things like these have also surely come up, but it was never anything that I felt like I couldn’t handle. I always try to learn from each mistake and improve with each day.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I am more than a music producer and rapper. I’m also a graphic designer, photographer, and video editor. However, when it comes to music, I think my specialties with production lay in sampling and drums, and with rapping, I am known for my lyricism. What I love most about sampling is the fact that you can turn one piece of music that could’ve been recorded 50 years ago into something brand new and fresh that listeners today love. With drums, I love trying new things and creating unique rhythms by messing with things like velocity and pitch, and my lyrical ways likely come from artists I was and still am inspired by like J. Cole, Joey Bada$$, or Biggie Smalls.
I think one thing that sets me apart is my ability not to give up. Through the trials I’ve faced, I’ve never once questioned if music is what I want to be doing with my life, and there is no doubt in my mind that I have what it takes to be doing music full-time. Additionally, one unique thing about me is that I am a musician with hearing aids. I have had hearing aids since the 4th grade, and I’ve never let it hold me back. I will admit that being a 4th grader and having to explain why I had hearing aids was not my favorite thing at first, but since then I have embraced them as part of what makes me unique. I never questioned if I would be able to do music; I just did it. The hearing aids are supposed to make me hear normal right? Lol. I will continue to create passionately in my own way.
What are your plans for the future?
My plans for the future are to keep releasing great music and trying to enjoy myself along the way. I obviously have more concrete goals that I hope will carry me to where I want to go, but right now I am focused on output and trying to find the right balance between things like work and music. I plan on making my first project and releasing it in 2024, and I’m looking to release some visuals with it as well. I don’t know that I have any big changes coming up, but I am always trying to make small adjustments to keep up with life and its ever-changing nature. I know there’s big things ahead, and I am just taking it day by day, striving to be my best.
Contact Info:
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Website: https://solo.to/isaiahbradshaw
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Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/
isaiahbradshaw42/?hl=en -
Twitter: https://twitter.com/
isaiahbradshaw_?s=11&t= lrIAN4ckdHbQnvu1xCy4Mg -
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/
channel/UCa-i7Kb0XmUXGNQbFNe_ Btw -
SoundCloud: https://soundcloud.com/
isaiahbradshaw -
Other: https://open.spotify.com/
artist/0cXN6IO8BbkBw9BBFh1YIw? si=HMtKm1fcQ8eIalq-nBhskA
Image Credits
Jack Stenzel
