We recently connected with Kenny Villiami and have shared our conversation below.

Kenny, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. It’s always helpful to hear about times when someone’s had to take a risk – how did they think through the decision, why did they take the risk, and what ended up happening. We’d love to hear about a risk you’ve taken.

I took the risk and bet on myself having a successful music career. At the age of 18 I graduated high school and had an extended circle of friends and people I knew around the time that had plans of going to college or a university, while others already had jobs lined up. At first, I had no idea what I wanted to do specifically, but I knew that working for someone else long term was not for me. I transitioned from writing poetry to writing music and Hip Hop lyrics and within a year or two i saw these same people from high school struggling to make a living at some dead-end 9 to 5 or struggle after years of college with educational debt. I had attempted 2 years of junior college but only lasted a semester and a half because I wasn’t feeling fulfilled. Granted the music journey was not at all easy or easier than most paths people I knew have chosen. However, I feel it was more difficult than the 9 to 5 and educational path. It was totally out of the norm and i had no hook up or grant to learn about this. I had to learn through trial and error for 10 straight years. Going broke, losing friends and family, relationships etc. Even going homeless for a short period of time. I had gone through all this and ended up meeting new friends and people that believed in me. Now I have my own management. I have made a fair amount of money in this game and have opportunities falling in my lap left and right. I have become a staple in my city and one of the most influential people within the Orange County Hip Hop scene. The struggle and pain plus long nights and hard days made it worth it. The losses and lessons further developed my work ethic. All in all, sometimes the path less taken ends up being the most rewarding.

Kenny, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

Well, I go by Villiami which is my artist’s name and also my real birth given name. I am Orange County California born and raised within a specific section most residents call ” The Anaz ” which is the shared space between the cities of Santa Ana and Anaheim California. I first got started in creative writing at the age of 14 when I was writing poetry. After graduating high school, I began writing songs and lyrics. By the time I was 20 I had recorded multiple songs and released. Early 20s I began performing live at local venues and developing relationships with the local promoters and venue owners. Thus, creating a normal circuit for me to push my music and clothing merchandise. In the beginning I had dedicated almost all my time into writing and recording in the studio. While others my age were out partying and living, I was laying my foundation brick by brick for the first 5 years of my career. This demanded a lot of work on my part and a huge amount of sacrifice. By the time I hit the age of 25 I already had a solid spot within the music scene in my section and my name was growing. Through all this experience I learned to deal with people of all kinds. As far as business goes, I’ve had bad experiences and good experiences. I also started investing in the next generation of Orange County artists. Guiding them through my mistakes so they don’t make the same ones. Offering my resources if I spotted any potential. What sets me apart from other artists out here is i choose to focus and amplify what makes me different rather than follow social and industry trends and guidelines to promote a made-up image. I put thought and effort into my music rather than go for whatever is trendy or garners attention in a very short attention span type of time we live in. I am proud of everything i have done up to this point so i cannot pinpoint something directly. I will say that I am prouder of myself for going through these 10 years of ups and downs and can still be here in a good position to tell the story. If you want to know more about me and my journey? Villiami.com. We officially own it and you will not find nobody else but me when you look it up. I have worked to the point i no longer need an introduction because my hustle and music speak for itself as well as me.

In your view, what can society to do to best support artists, creatives and a thriving creative ecosystem?

All I can say is to think about your favorite artist right now. If you are really a fan of what they do, take the time to do some research on their journey. Once you do that, take an interest in your local artists while keeping in mind that everything your favorite artist had to do in order to get where they are? This small-town local creative is doing the exact same thing. It should give you a sense of hometown pride seeing somebody that wants to represent where you both originated to the rest of the world who might not be aware of your hometown.

If you take the time to buy tickets to their shows, buy their merch, stream and play their music. All that goes a long way. You are literally the fuel that keeps them running.

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?

Unless you have spent money and time pursuing this? You will never understand. The long hours, days, weeks, months even years that go into this without seeing any tangible results and finding the will in yourself to keep going.

Unless you are an artist or involved in music? Do not try to suggest what they can do better to promote or improve their sound. Expressing yourself creatively is by far the hardest thing to do. Unless you have that kind of experience under your belt then your opinion holds no weight, and you should stay in your lane.

Nobody is going to understand the losses because all that they see is the immediate results or the imitation of a lifestyle.

All in all, you have to be fully submerged in this just to understand half of what it takes to stay in this.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://villiami.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/villiamiii/