One of the best things about social media and the internet, as well as playlists on music platforms is being able to discover new artists who aren’t mainstream or TOP 40 (yet). With that being said, we just discovered Bryan Bailey — a singer/songwriter who is trying to get his big break.
With all the chaos going on in the world, experiencing a pandemic, we couldn’t sit down with him in person but we did still get to sit down virtually and learn more about him, his story, and his love to music.
PopWrapped (PW): First off, I’d like you to first introduce yourself. Give the audience a good description about yourself, who you are, the type of music you are in, etc.
Bryan Bailey (BB): My name is Bryan Bailey, I’m 29 Years old and I am a singer, songwriter, rapper, and just all around creative. I was born and raised in a small town in Maine and I still live in Maine today. I make pop music with some hip hop, EDM, and pop punk thrown into the mix. I wrote my first song at the age of 12, recorded in a studio for the first time at 19, and have been pursuing music as a career since 2017.
PW: When did you know that you wanted to pursue music and when did you start making the steps to get in the studio, write music, etc?
BB: I fell in love with music at a young age. I was probably 7 or 8 Years old when I really started to get into bands and artists, watching music videos after school (back when TRL was on MTV ~ rip). My older brother took me to see 8 Mile when I was like 11 years old in theaters and I fell in love with rapping that night. I made a few (terrible) songs in middle school and then kinda just stopped making music throughout high school.. At 19 I wrote a remix to B.O.B’s song ”Airplanes” And the rest is history. I knew right then music was my passion, I booked a studio session, drove there in a snowstorm with my best friend and fell in love with the process of recording my emotions. For me it’s therapy, and if my music can touch on dark times of my life but make people feel good – then I’ve done my job as a musician.
PW: A lot of emerging artists I have talked with have some sort of experience or memory that was the initial push that told them, “Hey, I think this is what I want to do the rest of my life” … Did you have any of those moments and if so, what exactly was it?
BB: I think for me I’ve known music was what I wanted to do since the first time being in the studio almost 10 Years ago. I’ve definitely had a few moments throughout my twenties where I would question if it was still what I wanted, but I always remind myself of how much I love music and how it’s all worth the sacrifice and sleepless nights. After my first show in 2018, I knew there was no turning back. I headlined my first show ever in Portland, Maine and it was such a surreal night for me. I had been on stage a couple times prior but never had my own headlining show. That was a huge moment for me and definitely showed me how much my music can connect with people whether they are streaming it or watching me perform it live. I cannot wait to get back to doing shows once covid comes to a halt.
PW: The music industry isn’t an easy industry to jump right in. It’s all about who you know and what you can offer. How do you stay motivated to continue putting out music and working towards your dream when there’s times that aren’t as rewarding as a track or album being uploaded? Or someone noticing your music?
BB: The music industry is a roller coaster, and getting on the actual ride is half the battle. So many people give up at the first sign of failure or adversity. I just don’t have that in me, I don’t have any other option besides succeeding with music so I’ll fail 100 times to succeed once. That being said I think it’s super important to learn from mistakes and even more important to avoid making the same mistake over rand over. That and patience. If you can’t be patient you won’t succeed in the music industry. If you work your ass off and play it cool when you do meet the right people, good things will happen. Organic growth is the only way to the top of this crazy industry. Fake numbers, fans, etc.. that will never amount to any true long term success.
PW: A lot of artists say that selling out stadiums, or winning a GRAMMY are when they’ll be able to say, “I’ve made it”. Personally, the GRAMMYS have lost their credibility for me. When will you be able to say that you made it?
BB: I don’t know if I’ll ever feel like I’ve made it haha. That being said, the day I can sustain myself financially strictly off of my music- I will definitely feel like I’ve made my dream come true. Its not about the money (even though it’s nice) but just about being able to wake up everyday and make music that I love. If I can call this my career in a year or two, I will be stoked!
PW: What is success to you?
BB: First and foremost- it’s just being happy and grateful everyday. Music aside, if I’m happy then I’m successful because that’s what matters most to me. I can say most days I’m happy, however I for sure have my bad days and sometimes even weeks where I feel so down and out. In terms of music, I just want to release an amazing album every year and spend my summers on tour with my friends traveling across the country, playing shows for people that love my music. That to me is success.
PW: Anything else our audience should know about you?
BB: My new single Lightswitch just dropped a couple of weeks ago on Spotify, Apple Music, etc.. so definitely go check that out! The music video drops soon as well as some Merch so I’m amped for that! I also have a few new singles I’m getting ready to drop this fall so stay tuned for those and plenty of new music (and hopefully shows) to come in 2021!!
Be sure to follow Bryan’s journey on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook.
