Last year, for my nineteenth birthday, I released my first few songs on here, on a project simply titled, "hey." The intention was to just throw it up casually, I've always thought of making music, but never actually proved I could until this time last year. One year later, I can say that I've been completely consumed by the art and craft that is music. I've fallen in love with every aspect of making a song, from writing the lyrics, to learning how to better my production quality and recording "studio" I have at my parents' house back home. I've come a LONG way in one year, and this is only the beginning. Often times, I'll hear that the age of nineteen is kind of useless because there aren't really any traditionally set milestones that you reach when you get there. At 18, you're technically an adult. At 20, you're not a teenager anymore. But at 19, you're in this in between space. But that's not to say you can't create your own milestones. At 19, I published my first short collection of songs, and got hooked on music. At 19, I almost got kicked out of school for failing too many classes. At 19, I decided to change my life, and commit myself fully to everything I've always wanted to do, including music.

This song represents not only my thoughts about growing up, but also everything leading up to tonight, as I write this. In a way, I have lost some sense of youth, I can't say I'm a teenager anymore, which is insane to me because I can't even remember what it's like to NOT be a teenager haha.  Making this song really had me in my feels, because while I was writing it, I was imagining this night, transitioning from 19 to 20 years old. This song was made as a sort of anticipation to all of the thoughts I would think, all the things I wanted to do as a teenager but never did, and other things like that. But now that the time is here, it's oddly still. Growing up, I played a lot of pokemon games on my old gameboy, and somewhere I still have it hidden away in some drawer or something. But I remember this one phrase prof. Oak used to say when you misused an item in the game. "There's a time and place for everything, but not now." No matter how I feel about a nostalgic past, I know that right now, at this exact moment in time, is the perfect time and place to share this song, and my experiences leading up to it, with all of you. As I write this, I'm sharing a song that represents the sum of my youth, and the first moments of growing up, and what it means to grow older. I'm 20 now, and I have a lot of projects on the way. This is the part where I ask you politely to follow me for updates, and make sure you tell all your friends about this song, but only if you enjoyed it. Stay tuned, if you liked this one, you're gonna LOVE the next one.

If you've read this far, I just want to say a huge thank you for supporting what I do. I'd be lying if I said that I didn't care about the amount of people who listen to my stuff. I do care, and I want you to know that haha. I appreciate you taking the time to share yours with me, and hopefully you've gained something from me sharing my time here with you.

nineteen

Hey! Thanks for checking out my new song, the apocalypse song!  Lmk what you think!
Intro:
It's always really interesting to have super talented musicians up on the mic for the first time. When I first met Beatrice I was immediately hooked on her energy and super radiant personality. After briefly scrolling thru her feed (as new friends do) I found this one short video of her covering a song, and hit her up asking if she had ever thought of making music. She told me while she isn't really into writing, she'd be more than happy to help with a project if one ever came up. Thus, this collaboration was born. I had been holding onto this track since late November or early December, and was originally planning on dropping it with nineteen, along with a few other (now thrown away) songs. 
 
Recording:
But when I first heard her voice I knew she'd be a perfect fit for the track. It was fun getting into the workflow, Beatrice had never previously recorded like this before, so it was kind of a foreign process. It was neat to see her gradually relax as we continued to work, with each take getting smoother and smoother. Like a professional, she nailed it on the third try, I think I only edited like one part of her vocal haha.

About the Song:
I wrote this at 1:30 in the morning with nothing but the first line and the main idea in my head. "Hold on tight, it's the end of the world and the sky's on fire, reminds me of a beautiful girl..."
I just pictured this bright red sky, during something like a romanticized apocalypse scenario, and asked myself what I thought an apocalyptic love song would sound like. Maybe over the course of around 25 to 30 minutes, I had somehow managed to write this entire thing, and maybe only changed a word or two after the fact, but the majority was finished that night. My concern when I picked up my uke was that I was singing the song in my head in the wrong key. I'm not very knowledgeable when it comes to music theory, so I was nervous that what I heard in my head  (the lyrics) wouldn' match the chords I was playing alongside it. BUT THEN IT DID. And that's the story behind this song haha. I think I've only written like that one other time, with my only other uke song so far, called Juliet. Shameless plug.

Should I put lyrics here? Nah, I think you should all just listen to my words and let them speak for themselves, thru your ears, not thru your eyes.

the apocalypse song (feat. beatrice reyes)

Hey! Thanks for rocking with me! 

This will be the last installment of the "Justin-tries-to-be-a-soundcloud-rapper" era... at least for now. I just wanted to give it one more go before I try making other kinds of music. I've been thinking a lot lately about what I want to make, and the honest truth is I have no clue. Then I got to thinking about it more, asking an artist to stick to one genre is like asking a painter to only use one color, which is insane! Especially now, in the time we're in, I think that a more emphasized part of any fan-base per artist stems more from that artist's personality, aka social media presence. So, long story short, I'm not exactly sure what I want to do with my sound yet, but I do know that all I truly want is to get better at my craft.

I figure that in a year or two I'll be SO much better than where I am now, and I'm low key sorry to anyone I've collab-ed with so far (including this one) bc I know that if I met them a little more down the road the end result might be a little better. But at the same time, I'm grateful for this process, and taking these steps with the people that are here to help me along on my journey. So to Alex, (Arise, Sir!) and anybody else who I've collab-ed with and who are reading this. Thank you.

CHEAP TALK (feat. Arise, Sir!)

The song "M.I." is a play on words with the phrase "Am I." The idea of this song is about the accumulation of highs and lows getting to me from the road, and from simply myself. Life feels very inconsistent (especially right now) and it sort of puts you in a weird place where everything, including your foundation, becomes shaky and uncertain. Realizing that the experiences and situations around me, influence me too much at times and shape the way I feel. This song fleshes out that feeling. 

This song was written in Oxford, Mississippi and will be part of a greater travel album.

M.I.

Born and raised on the border of California and Mexico, now based out of Portland, Oregon. Self produced, recorded, and written (in a car). Music has always been the most understanding and safe place for me to go, and so I really hope my music could be the same for others:). Much love!

M.I.

Yeewhois

Related tracks