We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Gen Rey. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Gen below.

Hi Gen, thanks for joining us today. When did you first know you wanted to pursue a creative/artistic path professionally?

A part of me always knew singing was my path, but growing up, it was looked at as a phase. Kids have dreams, and ‘pop star’ sounds almost as unrealistic as ‘princess.’ But it wasn’t until I was 8 years old in Calle Ocho, Carnival Miami, and one of the artists couldn’t make it, leaving the crowd in silence as they scrambled to get the next act in order. My sister was working the event, so she had the idea of letting me sing. I stood in front of thousands of people, no band or instrumental, just a cappella, and I sang my heart out. Hearing the crowd scream encore was a core memory in my life.

I know what you’re thinking; anyone is gonna clap for an 8-year-old. But what I felt up there wasn’t just about the kindness the crowd showed me; it was a sense of belonging. I knew I would never get tired of that feeling, and I wanted to pursue happiness, not money, not fame. If that came; great! But what I want is to be able to share my art and wake up doing what I love every day.

I think it’s a dream we all have, but we forget that dreams aren’t meant to be left in our childhood. And I just know that the little girl who was running around saying she was gonna grow up to be a pop star would be so proud of me for never letting anyone take that dream from her.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

My name is Genrey; I’m a singer-songwriter. I have always been surrounded by music—my mom is a singer-songwriter, and my dad accompanies her with the guitar. So, before I could utter words, I was mumbling melodies.

I started writing as a child, but as I got older and had more to write about than my stuffed animal named Pluto, I began to realize I love this so much more than I could have imagined.

My first release was called “Red Mustang.” I wrote that song when I was 16 years old and decided to release it at the beginning of this year because I wanted my 16-year-old self to have a place in my music. Regardless of whether that wasn’t my sound anymore, it was a part of who I was, and I have so much respect for every phase of a person’s life, good or bad. It’s what makes us who we are. [In this case I love that song.] My art is a reflection of what I’m feeling, and what I’m feeling may not always be positive or right, but that doesn’t mean it doesn’t deserve to be heard or that it doesn’t deserve a place in my life. Without dark days, we can’t appreciate the light.

The step that took me to ultimately start getting my music produced, was the need for a very drastic change. I had been working at a restaurant for 3+ years, in a long-term relationship for 7, surrounded by so many people who couldn’t care less about what happened to me. I was miserable, but I didn’t know why. I was in school for music because school made it easier to explain to people that it wasn’t that crazy of a dream if I could get a degree, right? I was living for everyone else’s approval, and my voice got lost. But then a worldwide pandemic hit, and silence struck. In the distance, I heard a faint voice, a voice I recognized; my own. I left everything at the same time. It wasn’t an easy decision, but in order for my new life to begin, my old one needed to end. But that story deserves more than a paragraph, so for now, I’ll leave it there. However, I will say if you don’t like the story you’re in, leave it. Life is all about choices, and the choices don’t have to be right or perfect. Just make sure they’re yours, not what someone else thinks they should be.

Life had a few tough personal challenges, and those challenges put me in a very dark place. But they also pushed me to begin my journey in the music industry, the beginnings of my journey as an artist. I had no idea where to start, so I began my search for a producer and decided to go to Argentina to record my vocals and get some pictures done for my covers. I had some family over there, knew some people, so it seemed like a good place to start over. Coming back, I got to work on the release of my first single “Red Mustang” on January 5th, 2023. I threw my first release party, removed all my old posts from my account, and posted about music for the first time ever. I wasn’t ashamed to say I was an artist, something I always struggled with. And now, January 5th, 2024 I will be releasing my first EP “Romanticizing,” a lot can happen in a year.

During this year, I began to attract people who were interested in the same things I was, who were also pursuing dreams. And there isn’t anything wrong with anyone’s route, but there is something wrong with making someone feel like less for not having the same idea of what life should look like. This year is the first year I felt like myself, good or bad, happy or sad, I was finally free to be me. And although you’ll never be free of judgment, I’m practicing on being free of caring about judgment. I’m not perfect at it, especially where you’re in an industry where judgment is unavoidable, but I’ve come a long way.

In the beginning stages of finally getting my music produced, I was so excited to be doing what I love that I went a little overboard. I shot four music videos with a full production team, putting in 17 hours a day for three days to get them done within the timeframe I needed. I was practically living in the studio. Whether I was editing content or planning and replanning my year day by day (I’m an over-planner), I was always happy to be able to work towards something I felt was worth my energy. I started singing at open mics often, trying to get my originals out into the world. One day I bought tickets to see my favorite artist, and I told myself, I’m gonna sing on that stage. And in four months, I conspired to plan to make it happen, and I did. It was a rush to see my goal get fulfilled, so I made a bucket list of places I want to play, and not only am I halfway through, but I’ve sung my originals at all these venues. Persistence is a very powerful tool, especially if your goals are high. If it were easy, everyone would have done it.

It’s better to have something out in the world than to wait for your project to be perfect. Not only will your supporters love seeing your growth, but you will too. It also gives you an opportunity to find more people to work with as well as for them to find you. You’d be surprised at how many collaborations start from an Instagram DM. That perfectionist mentality has stopped me from pursuing music for years, but what has set me apart this new year was taking my own advice. I released even when I felt maybe it wasn’t perfect, I try even when I’m scared. I’m consistent, persistent, I set a goal, and I do everything to achieve it. Because it’s better to have tried and failed than to never have tried at all. Rejection therapy is real, and you get a whole lot of it as an artist.

But after everything I mentioned, I can honestly say how proud I am of who I’ve become this last year. I never could have imagined leaving everything behind and pursuing my dreams, but here I am, actively choosing to do it every day, even when I’m scared, anxious, or feeling unproductive. I’ve built that trust within myself, which has in-end increased my confidence. I’m not at the finish line, but I have enjoyed taking the scenic route, and I am proud of where I am right now. So with that, I want to end this by saying, you owe it to your inner child to be proud of what you’ve become, even if it isn’t where you thought or hoped you’d be. This is your story; you decide when it starts, changes, or ends. So for me, this is only the beginning. I look forward to taking you guys along the journey.

What can society do to ensure an environment that’s helpful to artists and creatives?

Being an artist, influencer, or even a small business owner with a job reliant on a social media presence is so scary. You’re completely relying on other people’s opinions of you to make a career and your dreams come true. You can only invest so much in yourself before it’s out of your hands. It’s not like going to work and knowing you’re making this consistent pay by doing x, y, and z. Your livelihood is at the push of a button, and that button is on the other side of the screen.

So, whenever I see a fellow artist, I understand the hardships they have to face and overcome in this industry. So when I see a post, I like it, comment, support it because it costs you nothing to hit a like, but to a creator, it’s helping them pursue their dreams. A way to help is to look for new artists, new music you enjoy that might not be so popular, then don’t gatekeeper it. Share it, express your love, opinions, and thoughts. You don’t know who you might find, and together we can help give talented upcoming artists a platform, an opportunity to be heard.

We’d love to hear the story of how you built up your social media audience?

I’ve been in that loop of how to find my audience. I’ve thought to myself, there are so many artists out there saying the same thing, feeling the same weight. What can I do that’s different, that stands out? And the answer has been said time and time again, and will continue to be the same. It’s so simple, yet so hard to apply: Be yourself. Yes, it’s cliche, but it works. Authenticity is everything; you can’t replicate it because even if they try, they aren’t you. Be real, find your niche, find content you enjoy making, and be as consistent as possible. And that doesn’t mean overloading yourself with content that the quality exits the room. Find a balance and keep going, even if at first the only like is your own. Your people will find you, so long as there’s something to find, so don’t let yourself procrastinate out of fear, get started. There’s nothing an audience loves more than being able to see the growth of their favorite artist or content creator, so don’t take that away from your people, don’t take that away from yourself. Grow with your page, learn from it, and be proud of yourself every step of the way because the hardest part is starting.

Another thing I think is worth mentioning is to not let judgment or negativity influence your creativity. The main factor of authenticity is that you’re subjective; not everyone is going to like you. I’ll even go as far as to say, if you don’t have a single hater, you’re not being authentic enough. So celebrate when you get your first mean comment; eventually, you’ll have a fan base of people who defend you. And I know it’s tricky to have a successful video because when you make it, you now have to maintain that weight, stay relevant; you’re competing with your own success. But we artists, we choose to accept that this is part of the journey. Social media is intertwined with a successful career in music, a small business, or any kind of artistry. It’s the biggest tool to help you prosper; being somebody comes at that cost, but that cost should never be your mental health. Make sure to always have your priorities straight. Social media can be fun if you release the pressure; attract, do not chase, the rest will flow. And if it isn’t for you, there are people who dedicate this as their career, so you can always hire someone! Hope this helped, good luck!

Contact Info:

• Website: https://officialgenrey.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/officialgenrey
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Officialgenrey?mibextid=LQQJ4d
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCm4W7upJhJGSMQqyj56Omxw
• Other: TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@officialgenrey