We recently connected with Elliott McKenzie and have shared our conversation below.

Elliott, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Did you always know you wanted to pursue a creative or artistic career? When did you first know?

Believe it or not, music kept calling my name despite me doing other things! During my adolescence and early adult life, I worked in the military and in corporate jobs. Despite doing these and also obtaining a bachelor’s degree, music kept reappearing in my life in different ways, calling my name. For example, I learned to write songs and arrange while still serving on active duty in the Marines overseas in Japan. Friends of mine who knew I sang introduced me to a fellow Marine who produced music and had a small recording studio in his barracks room. After working with him and a few other fellow Marines who rapped, we ended up collaborating on two separate albums! That was my first exposure to songwriting and recording. After being honorably discharged from the Marines I decided to go to school and get a bachelor’s degree. After doing this, I worked in corporate America for three years doing career counseling, operations, and event planning. Even during those three years though, music kept calling my name. People who knew that I could sing would ask me to perform, speak, and make music. I ended up giving in and finally purchasing my own recording studio equipment and pursuing my passion of music on the side. In 2017 everything changed when a music video I did went viral. From there I recorded and released multiple singles along with my first album. Finally, in 2021 I decided to quit working corporate jobs and pursue my true calling in music full time. Now, I finally get to do what I love full-time! I am currently working on my second album while also pursuing other ventures such as acting and photography.

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.

Hey! My name is Elliott! My story is quite long, interesting, and inspiring but, I’ll do my best do stick to the primary points. I was born in LA and adopted from foster care by an amazing single mom who also adopted my older brother & sister. Raised in Southern California. After dealing with mental and physical ordeals due to being born addicted to drugs, I decided to do something bigger than myself and join the Marine Corps. I served for four years and deployed to Ramadi, Iraq as a part of Operation Iraqi Freedom. I also served in Presidential Support Duty in Washington DC. I was honorably discharged from the Marines then everything changed. Immediately after getting out, I experienced severe problems with PTSD, depression, and anxiety. I ended up homeless for over a year and a half then couch surfed before returning home to my family. I was lost, unmotivated, and had no idea what to do with the rest of my life. After speaking with an amazing therapist with the VA who was able to educate me about how to naturally fix my issues, I turned to my talents in music as a form of therapy. After purchasing recording studio equipment, I learned to record myself and started using songwriting as journaling and performing live as a way to physically vent my emotions. Doing so started to help and ended up saving my life. I teamed up with a fellow Marine Corps Veteran and we wrote and recorded a song about PTSD and filmed a music video for it. That song and music video ended up going viral. I started getting a lot of media coverage from news channels, daytime television shows, and newspapers. Both my music and my story were inspiring people worldwide and I had no idea. After this, I kept going. I recorded more songs about mental illness to inspire people and recorded my debut album. Fans all over were commenting, messaging me, talking to me in person, and reaching out to tell me how my story and my music inspired them and saved their lives. This in turn inspired me to make this my mission! Now, I am a full-time R&B Singer/Songwriter who writes songs about overcoming hard times, mental illness, and life’s struggles. I now have a full website, brand, and have been featured in media worldwide. I have had the pleasure of performing at huge stadiums like Crypto.com Arena, the Rose Bowl, the LA Memorial Coliseum, and others. Along with music, I am also an Actor and Photographer. I have been featured in feature films, short films, TV, and others. My photography focuses on portraits and professionally elegant images for models, corporate staff, entertainers, and more. Currently, I am writing and recording my second album while working on expanding my brand, opening new doors, and creating more opportunities for myself and my listeners. I absolutely love what I do and love the opportunity to make a positive difference in the lives of others.

What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?

So when I started this entire process into music, I did it not thinking much would come of it. When I released the song and music video about PTSD, that was when everything really came to fruition for me. I released that thinking maybe 50 people would see it. Now, it has well over 150,000 views and comments from listeners who say the song has inspired them or changed their lives. That song along with the multiple other singles I have released since also have a lot of positive feedback. I’ve had so many people reach out to tell me how my music has motivated them, inspired them, or even saved their lives. The amazing feedback I’ve received from my fans over the years has been the absolute most rewarding aspect of doing what I do! I now have a few of the most powerful quotes tattooed on my arms from fans saying that my album saved their lives. I now am in a mindset of dedicating myself to inspiring as many people as possible.

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?

One thing I think that non-creatives might not see or fully grasp is all the years of hard work, training, education, and honing our talents that goes into what creatives do. Yes, a lot of it could be natural talent but, to turn that talent into a profession takes years of dedication, learning, and focusing on the different aspects of what we do. Myself as a musician for example had to learn the science behind music songwriting, recording, mixing, and mastering in order to make the my music. I also had to study the business side of the music industry for years to understand how to turn my talents into an income generating business. I’ve also spent decades working on my singing and working to become better each day. When I first started singing years and years ago, I didn’t sound as good as I do now. I had to work at it. Another thing that non-creatives might not grasp completely is all the external work and the teams that go into what we do. For every concert you’ve been to, there are hundreds of people who work tirelessly backstage and to set everything up. Stage setup….lighting….sound engineers….stage hands…..operations….security…..etc. For every one famous performer, there are hundreds of people who support them, make them look and sound great, and ensure the success of their careers when nobody is looking. These amazing people who do such important work definitely need to be recognized!

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.elliottmckenzie.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/elliott_mckenzie
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/elliottmckenziemusic
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/elliottmckenzie
• Other: You can also just Google “Elliott McKenzie” to find everything about me