Rising Stars: Meet Angel Lizama of Burbank, CA

Today we’d like to introduce you to Angel Lizama.

Hi Angel, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
My musical journey began at the age of eight. I vividly remember watching Michael Jackson’s concerts and being in awe of his aura, presence, and the sheer spectacle that was Michael Jackson. I instantly knew I wanted to be like him. My early interests were rooted in Pop and R&B, but everything changed in middle school when I was introduced to Hip Hop. Artists like Eminem, Dr. Dre, Tupac, and Mobb Deep became huge inspirations for me. They taught me how to use complex wordplay, intricate rhyme schemes, and unique flows to tell stories and send powerful messages through music. I fell in love with writing, freestyling (even though I’m still not the best at it off the top), and experimenting with different flows and cadences.

The Weeknd, my biggest inspiration, naturally drew me toward R&B. When I entered high school and discovered Kiss Land and the original trilogy of mixtapes, I was completely hooked. Dark R&B became a genre I couldn’t resist. Now, artists like Brent Faiyaz and Avenoir are always in rotation, constantly influencing my music.

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?
The road to success in the music industry—one I’m still navigating—has been far from smooth. Creating art that you’re proud of, expressing yourself, and pouring your blood, sweat, and tears into your craft is incredibly rewarding and therapeutic. But it’s when you realize just how much you need to navigate to find success that the journey becomes truly challenging.

Once you start focusing on the numbers, securing support, and budgeting for things like music videos and studio time, you quickly understand how much you have to give in order to receive anything in return. Don’t get me wrong, I love the grind—there’s something fulfilling about working hard for this—but it would be a lie to say it doesn’t take a toll on your mental and even physical health. Rejection and failure are inevitable, but they’re also crucial learning experiences. I’ve learned to use failure as a tool to reassess my approach towards future projects.

Another struggle is finding the right studios and collaborators. Sometimes, you end up working with people who just want your money and offer little more than the bare minimum. Other times, you’re left out of your own projects entirely. That’s why teaching myself to mix and master, and producing everything from my bedroom on my phone, has been one of my proudest accomplishments. It’s shown me that I can rely on myself when no one else is around.

Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I’m a musical artist known as fxlln. I write songs, produce, engineer, and compose, with R&B and Hip Hop being my primary genres. My music often explores House, Alternative, Post-Punk, and UK Garage/Future Garage. I’ve had a love for music since childhood, and growing up in a family that’s deeply involved in music, there was never a gathering without a karaoke session. Among my listeners, I’m known for my hard-hitting instrumentals, cinematic soundscapes, genre-bending projects, and honest lyrics that can sometimes feel uncomfortable to write due to the rawness of the topics I address.

I’m most proud of the music I’ve released recently. In 2024, I dropped three EPs, each with a distinct vibe. The first, Desolation, is a dark R&B project that explores heartbreak, numbness, a hedonistic lifestyle, and the cycle of self-destruction. Next was TENSHI, an aggressive Hip Hop and Trap project where I vented about the people in my life who hurt me, and threw in some hard-hitting bangers perfect for the car or the club. Finally, Solaris marked a shift in tone, blending House, R&B, and Pop sounds, with tracks like “For Life,” which was inspired by the New Jack Swing sound Bell Biv DeVoe and New Edition were known for.

But the project I’m most proud of is my album Indifferent II: Lost Again, released earlier this year. A sequel to my 2022 album Indifferent, this album features some of my most honest, raw, and powerful songs. I dive into topics like trauma, the loss of childhood innocence through abuse, fatherhood, and faith. On some tracks, I speak about my own traumatic experiences as a child, while on others, I reflect on becoming a father and my commitment to breaking the toxic cycle of suppressing emotions and resorting to aggression. I’ve never been this open with my music before. Creating and releasing this album felt like therapy, allowing me to find peace with things I never fully healed from before.

Is there a quality that you most attribute to your success?
I truly believe resilience is essential if you want to achieve success. It’s about pushing through every rejection, every time I’ve dropped a project and only received three streams, and watching others succeed while rooting for them—but also wondering what I’m doing wrong. I honestly feel that if I hadn’t stayed consistent and learned to take the hits when I needed to, I wouldn’t be where I am today. I’m further than I’ve ever been before, but still not quite where I want to be.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: @_fxlln_
• Youtube: https://youtube.com/@fxlln?si=8L2CB88Av25w-iPy
• soundcloud: https://on.soundcloud.com/WBE2wJkFYaywJvPBA
• Other: https://open.spotify.com/artist/3M3NMVqj3axCdWt0LQnB2B?si=YPful6aNTLOAqOKsCblukQ

 

Image Credits
Photos by Vanesa Melendez @thevanesamelendez on Instagram