Today we’d like to introduce you to Blake Alexander.
Blake, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
I was born on August 8th, 1997 and raised in Bakersfield, CA., My mother and father always pushed my siblings and me to be the best that we can in every avenue. I first began writing creatively in the 3rd grade. During this time, my favorite teacher introduced to us a silent writing period for the class to partake in. During this period, she instructed that we were to sit for 15 minutes and write whatever was on our hearts or minds. This allowed a voice to speak that I didn’t know I possessed. I developed a fondness for writing poetry and short stories which stayed with me throughout my journey through high school and college. Although during high school, I was mainly focused on playing basketball at the next level, I still wrote as therapy.
During my final year of high school, one of my best friends passed and it changed my life. It made me realize how important time is. Being that my friend was 18 at the time, it left a scar that no sport was able to heal. As I graduated high school, I possessed aspirations of playing Collegiate basketball, followed by professional ball. In the fall of 2015, I went on to attend Vanguard University in Costa Mesa, CA, along with my brother who was a Junior at the time. Upon arrival, I was supposed to talk to the head men’s basketball coach about potential scholarship money. Which was something that I truly was in desperate need of. After having a conversation with him, he told me that he was only able to give half of what I needed. This then caused that dream to fall short. I was thoroughly scared, I didn’t know what was next for me. I immediately looked towards my “Backup plan”.
Which is now my degree in Public Relations. Towards the end of my freshman year, I befriended a friend that was on my floor and through a conversation and a leap of faith, I discovered my purpose and a true outlet for my creativity. Within the early start to my career, I’ve had the blessing and privilege to open at Venues like the Observatory in Santa Ana & The Glass House in Pomona for artists (EX: Trinidad James, Saint JHN, etc.). Currently, I plan and do a lot of recording and work behind the scenes as I plan to roll new music out in early 2020.
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
This road hasn’t been a smooth one, but this is something that I’ve accounted for. Some of the main struggles as an independent hip hop artist is funding your own product. Getting the money to make the song and to be able to market it to its fullest potential requires a lot of safety. Recently I’ve been dealing with the health of my granny which has caused for a lot of impromptu trips and also was just a very heavy situation. Another struggle is not having instant access to a producer. Currently, I’m taking the steps to learning how to produce my own music, but I will not do that until I feel 100% confident in my ability to do so. Another struggle is the amount of hats that we have to wear as independent artists. Through this struggle, I am educate myself on the game and what it entails. I see this as a blessing.
We’d love to hear more about your work and what you are currently focused on. What else should we know?
I am an independent hip hop artist/songwriter. I’m known for my ability to paint a picture with imagery and storytelling to help guide listeners to an easy understanding of my life. Through all of my songs & features I speak my shameless truth and my perception of life, this makes me proud and confident in every word that I say. I am comfortable in my own skin. This is also what separates me from other artists in my genre.
I am currently prepping, finishing and organizing new music while getting together promo so that I can get the ball rolling around the start of 2020. I am currently hoarding alot of music as well, so I have some options as to what piece of myself to give next. I’ve made alot of different songs within this time. I feel like I’m falling into my sound, and it’s a great feeling.
What is “success” or “successful” for you?
I define success as a “win” that results in a step forward. Any time that you take a step forward it helps you get to where you’re supposed to go. For example, I was told by Matthew Miz at 1st Gen Records that the journey in music is a brick by brick process. He also said that we can’t view every opportunity as “THE” opportunity, but to view it as another brick. This is how I view success. So ultimately gaining a thousand fans, then two thousand, and so forth. Just moving forward while I continue to improve on myself so that my words are able to received on larger stages.
Contact Info:
- Phone: 881-864-8310
- Email: blakealexandermusic@outlook.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/blake_alexander_foe/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/foemusic/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/foe_andrews
- Other: https://open.spotify.com/artist/4oISLv7pU7tkdSTUM4ECA6
Image Credit:
Visionary Media
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