Hello VALSON, thanks for being with us today at Planet Singer! Your latest release, the excellent EP, “All Good Things End,” is one of the best releases of the decade, and we can’t wait to know more about your artistic journey, so let’s start from the very beginning. When did you discover your passion for music?

I’ve had a passion for music as far back as I can remember. Music was a constant in my household growing up. My mother had very versatile music taste so I grew up listening to music from multiple genres. My passion for making music came when I was around 12 years old. My mom bought me my own computer and then I just started writing songs on it.

Let’s talk about your EP, 6 incredible tracks that dig deep into the listeners’ emotions, feeding them a clear vision of our society and its ups and downs. Can you tell us more about this project?

All Good Things End was a very necessary body of work for me to make; for my own artistic growth. We were two years into a pandemic, then you add all of the unrest, wars, and chaos that’s happening and combine that with battles inside my mind, my personal life, my spirituality and you start to feel everything and nothing at the same. My outlet, my communication strategy, my escape, and my coping mechanism has always been music. So I decided I needed to write about it. That’s when the record started. 

“All Good Things End” is incredibly modern, both in arrangement and narrative. Can you reveal what your creative process is? How does your music come to life?

The creative process for All Good Things End began in March of 2022. “Pray for Me” was the first song I actually created with the theme of the record in mind, however, it wasn’t the first song I wrote that’s on it. “Flowers on My Grave” was the first song I wrote for the record, however when I wrote it in June of 2021 I never intended on it being a part of a project. It was supposed to be a standalone single. However, right after I wrote ‘Pray for Me” I came up with the title “All Good Things End” and I realized “Flowers On My Grave” fit right in. 

“All Good Things End” is about acceptance. I think when we’re young we live in a haze where we think everything will last forever. Friendships, family, careers, our idols, our parents, your favorite TV show. Then the negative things like pain, depression, anxiety, hardships, death. You hold on to the good hoping that it’ll stay that way forever and you feel like the bad times go on forever and you’ll never catch a break. So we act and we do things to cope with the changes in life; in healthy and dangerous ways. I was at the lowest point I’d ever been in my 20s when I started that project. I had a goal in mind though to find solace, understanding, and peace with the fact that all things will come to an end. I reference a lot of my childhood in the record. Professional wrestling was a major part of my world growing up. My favorite wrestler is The Undertaker. So, the song “The Last Ride” is named after one of his finishing moves and I chose to use motorcycle sounds to reference his American Badass era where he entered every match on a motorcycle. “Armageddon” was also one of my Pay-Per-Views, specifically in 2005 when The Undertaker beat Randy Orton in a Hell in a Cell match. “Welcome to the End” is partially about one of my childhood friends who lost his life to drugs, my cousin who was murdered last summer, and my parents but also autobiographical of the last decade of my life. 

Typically when I make music, it starts with a title. With the title in mind, I typically write and develop the chorus first. I grew up primarily listening to R&B and Hip-Hop music but I discovered Pop & Country music when I was in 7th Grade and it taught me the power of a good chorus/hook. R&B and Hip-Hop music taught me how to tell a story/make the listener feel what I’m saying through verses and how to punch in metaphors, and Pop music taught me how to capture their replay through a catchy hook/chorus. 

After I write the chorus I’ll start the beat. I’ll sing the chorus out loud and use the “tap to set BPM” feature on my DAW to get the song’s tempo. Then I typically beatbox how I want the drum pattern first and then use that to lay the drums. After that, I’ll create the bassline. Then I’ll either create a melody loop or use one from a producer pack. After that, I like to add “bells and whistles” to the song to give it individuality and character. Depending on the vibe of the song. My favorite instrument to make melodies with is definitely a synthesizer. After I have the beat at least 90% complete I’ll record the first demo. I play demos in my car….a lot. I think the car is the best place to test the acoustics, vocal arrangements and leveling. I’ll listen for days and make little notes on vocals and production. Sometimes I’ll re-work an entire song through this process. For example “Armageddon” was originally called “When the Sun Goes Down” however throughout the production of the song it shifted into a completely different concept. 

Your second EP will be out in June. What can we expect from it? Will it follow the path of “All Good Things End?”

This new project is a departure from the subject matter in All Good Things End. I found a new level of confidence in myself in this new record. I talk about things that I thought I never would in my music; like my relationship with my siblings. I know it’s only been 6 months since my last record but I learned and experienced a lot very quickly after I wrapped All Good Things End. The last record was from a standpoint of opening up about things that I struggle with and areas I’m vulnerable in. This new record is still full of vulnerability but from a confidence standpoint. I’ve always been confident in my abilities, but I’ve sat in a lot of rooms where I had to minimize myself to not harm the egos of those around me. I told myself that I wouldn’t subject myself to that way of living anymore. I know who I am. I know what I want. I know what I bring to the table. I mean… I built the table. I’m not minimizing myself, my expectations of the people I surround myself with, or the goals I set for myself. I don’t ask for or expect anything that I can’t provide on my own. If you get it, great. If not, that’s cool too. Either way, I’m standing on it.

Where do you find your inspiration?

I find inspiration everywhere. I watch a lot of TED talks, public speaking, and things of that nature. It’s easy to feel inspired in different ways after watching those. I find inspiration through life experience. The reason I started making music is because I wanted to share the experiences I’ve gone through and have been motivated by. 

If you could collaborate with one of the artists who influenced you the most, who would you like to share the stage and a song with?

Kanye West, for sure. I have my top 5 dream collaborators but Ye is definitely top of the list. I’m not necessarily the typical hip-hop artist you hear on the radio today. I genre bend a lot throughout my music and I used to pressure myself to stick to one sound. It was always in my head that I couldn’t find my place in music if I didn’t stick to one sound that I could be known for. Kanye West’s music helped me through that. When you listen to his albums, you can hear how he incorporates so many different genres in one album and yet it’s still a cohesive body of work. None of his biggest hits sound the same in my opinion. They all have different elements of different genres. That’s my goal for my music. I don’t want to have to lock myself to one sound for my entire career. I want to draw influence from all genres throughout my music while still maintaining my musical identity. That’s also why I choose to produce my own music.