We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Parker Louis a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Parker , looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. The first dollar you earn is always exciting – it’s like the start of a new chapter and so we’d love to hear about the first time you sold or generated revenue from your creative work?

Once I dove into playing guitar, and writing my own songs, I knew I wanted to get out and perform. My friend Luke and I had this duo setup at the time – he was on drums, and I was on vocals/guitar. We would jam in his basement everyday after school. Our first real gig was this birthday party for our friend’s little sister. We were in 10th grade, she was a few years behind us. We set up in front of her garage, in a neighborhood across town. I had a little amp I put my vocals through, Luke’s kit had duct tape all over it, but we did our thing in front of about fifteen 8th graders and their parents. We played a bunch of random shit. Radiohead, Nirvana, Bobby Blue Bland, Jimi Hendrix. I remember we did this Black Keys song and added a breakdown we wrote ourselves. It was a blast.

At some point, this random man across the street started yelling to turn it down. Like 3-4 times. He was clearly drunk, and the father of the girl whose party it was just kept telling us not to worry/keep going, but it was getting increasingly awkward as this 50-something disheveled drunk guy kept shouting at us waving his cup around in the air. All of sudden he’s right in the driveway with a hammer – runs right up to me as I’m singing “Creep” and starts swinging his hammer at me.

I stepped back, he connects with my mic stand and knocks it over. We stop playing while he’s screaming, scaring these kids and causing this giant scene, it was hilarious. The cops came, he was arrested I think. We made a hundred bucks. Felt like a million.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

My name is Parker Louis. I am a producer/singer/songwriter/multi-instrumentalist from Columbus, Ohio. I started playing guitar in 6th grade, learning every Nirvana song I could find. My Dad bought me this Tascam 4-track recorder, and I was all-in. I was writing songs, recording my friends. The whole thing became a part of me immediately.

After studying music + production in college, I toured the country and started producing alongside other artists. I’ve co-produced over 20 projects since 2016. In 2020 I had the opportunity to perform two original songs (Rise + Say Less) for the legendary Colors Studios in Berlin, Germany. I started working with Secretly Canadian in 2022, an amazing boundary-pushing record label full of unique artists.

I tend to make music in the R&B lane but I feel like genres are outdated… the lines are blurry now and I think that’s a good thing. I follow my taste. Groove/feel and color are everything.

I’ve played some historic stages alongside some of my favorite artists, and those moments are so special to me, but I think I’m most proud of the records I’ve released. Finishing a creative project and sharing it with the world takes so much time/thought/doubt/love/intention/courage and so I’m grateful for each song/collaboration that I’m able to complete and share with people.

After being in the game for a decade, I’ve found that allowing yourself grace as an artist is probably the most important thing to hold on to.

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

For me, the most rewarding part of being a creative is the work itself. Taking an idea from thin-air to final form is such a beautiful thing. You never know where you’ll end up. Typically it’s somewhere you wouldn’t expect. It can be difficult at times to get to that place, but when you do it fills a void inside that can’t be replaced by anything else.

Do you think there is something that non-creatives might struggle to understand about your journey as a creative? Maybe you can shed some light?

I think many folks outside of the music industry aren’t aware of the effort it takes to carve out a career for yourself. There isn’t really a blueprint to follow. There are levels to everything, but as an independent artist, you have to be able to manage an entire ecosystem separate from the music piece. You have to be the booking agent, the manager, the tour manager, the agent, the creative director, the financier, the designer, the merch person, the distributor, the label, all while executing the vision you have for yourself as an artist. It can be overwhelming if you let it, but luckily I enjoy the process…

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.parkerlouis.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/parkerxlouis/
• Twitter: https://x.com/parkerxlouis
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/c/parkerlouis
• Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/parkerlouis

Image Credits

Jon Blanchard, Benjamin Willis, PJ Ford, Jazmin Bryant