Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Emerson Pimentel. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Emerson, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Are you happy as a creative professional? Do you sometimes wonder what it would be like to work for someone else?

Making music has made me the happiest I’ve been. I know what it’s like working part-time/full-time jobs, and I also I understand the importance of those jobs to everyday society. Being able to work in an industry where I fell in love with my craft is the best thing to ever happen to me. There’s been many times where I’ve wondered and questioned whether or not doing what I do is meant for me, as there has been an enormous amount of growing pains leading up to where I am at today. Luckily, I’m blessed with an amazing support system in my friends and family that were able to guide me into a greater path into my career. There’s still a long road ahead of me left for me to reach the final goal, but the journey keeps me motivated to keep achieving and thriving as time goes on.

Emerson, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

I go by the name Empxct (pronounced Em-Pact). I’m a 22 year-old Hip-Hop artist from Anaheim, CA. I’ve been recording music since I was 13 years-old, and I haven’t looked back since. My mom is who got me into living music at a very young age, playing Hip-Hop and R&B everyday at home. I got into my industry by trying to put myself out there as an independent artist since I was 13. My musical inspirations include Eminem, J. Cole, Kendrick Lamar, Joey Bada$$, 2Pac, N.W.A., The Notorious B.I.G., and Nas. I believe what sets me apart from others in my industry is my willingness to learn and grow as both an artist and a person. Throughout the 9 years of making music, I’ve had different styles and variationd of the music I put out, but the biggest thing that has remained consistent throughout the years is the authenticity in my music. I’ve always told myself and made it my mission to keep myself and my music as authentic and real to who I am as a person as possible. The biggest thing I’m proud of is being able to find something I love doing and building on top of it for a career. I took a risk being in the music business, as it’s extremely difficult to not only build a proper foundation, but to keep building on top of that foundation is twice as hard. I heard Dr. Dre say a quote that stuck out ot me, which was “anybody could get it, the hard part is keeping it”. Anyone is able to achieve a goal, but you have to work hard to maintain that goal and maintain the position you are at. I believe that in not just the music industry, but in life as well.

Is there something you think non-creatives will struggle to understand about your journey as a creative?

The biggest and most obvious misconception that people have on creatives is that success comes quick. In some cases, it’s true, but the chances in that happening are extremely slim. I’ve been working on building a presence in local music scenes and on social media since I was 15 years old, primarily on Instagram, and most recently TikTok. The key to grow and to build a steady stream of followers ad support is consistency. What we do outside of social media plays a role in what we do on social media as well. One big example I can use is performing and releasing music. As an independent artist, the biggest way to grow a fanbase and a local presence is to be able to perform at local venues. When we perform locally, always share your social media to the audience to help grow your online presence. Online, promote new shows that you are performing and new projects that you’re working on/getting ready to release to keep the work consistency and the fanbase growing. It takes a lot of patience and growing pains to keep this cycle going. There will be times where you wish that success comes in instantly, but it rarely does. To surprise people, it takes a mental and emotional toll on small creatives like me. We constantly have to work 24/7 to even scratch the surface on what we want to achieve in our resective industries/careers, and it feels like 1 off day sets us back. The work behind the scenes really goes unnoticed to most, but it’s something that’s required in order to be successful.

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

The most rewarding aspect for me personally as an artist is being able to inspire people. One thing that I do not take for granted is postive feedback from the people to consumse my content. It’s one thing where you have people tell you that your work is great, and they wish you nothing but success in your future, but it’s a whole different feeling when someone tells you that they’ve been moved by your work, and they feel a connection with what you’ve put out in your catelog. I’m someone who for a longtime felt as if I wasn’t “contributing to society” with the career path that I chose. With music, I know the feeling of having a connection with a certain song or album that helps me either get through the day or even get through a certain roadblock that you’re facing at the time. I never knew before that my work had the same capability of connecting with people. It’s something I will forever be blessed with, and something I will always appreciate when I get messages like these, whether it comes from close friends and family, or even people who I’ve never met who are naturally fans of my music. It’s a feeling that’s worth more than any monetary gain that I could ever receive.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: @OnlyEmpxct
• Twitter: @OnlyEmpxct
• Youtube: @OnlyEmpxct
• Other: TikTok – @OnlyEmpxct

Image Credits
Full Sail University Corrupted Photography