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

Hi Astreaux, thanks for joining us today. 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.

In spring 2023, I was contacted for the possibility of performing/emcee at a brand new hip hop club opening in Beijing, China. They said, “ it’s going to be 3 months under a work visa that can be extended to 6 months.” This immediately caught my interest.

I had moved to Los Angeles a year prior to pursue my music career, so it only felt natural that the following year I’d find this type of opportunity at my doorstep. As much as it was an easy choice, it also wasn’t an easy choice.

I had the best job as far as 9-5 type jobs go. I was working with a close friend who helped me craft the new sound and music that I’ve been working on since moving to LA. My girlfriend, who left Hawaii with me to move to LA, wouldn’t be able to fly out with me to Beijing. There was a lot going on at the time, but all I knew was that if I really want to do this, then I just have to do it.

So I went for it. Gave my job a 2 weeks notice, had talks with my family about being safe and smart overseas, and most importantly made myself admit that I’m doing for me and me alone. I took away every doubt or feeling that I had that wasn’t my own and looked at it from my own perspective. That’s when I knew, this is the best opportunity I have had up to this point and this is something rare to be able to accomplish.

So, June came around, I got my ticket info from the company and I flew out to Beijing on the 10th of June. I was studying Mandarin with Duolingo for a few weeks prior and felt confident in at least being able to read and count.

What I encountered was a foreign landscape with rich history, great food and really nice people. I never knew what to expect, but I wanted to go in with an open mind and a willingness to learn.

Throughout the course of 3 months, I worked at Pacstar Nightclub 6-7 days out of the week. Every night was a packed night, every shift was a party. It was something I haven’t experienced on a nightly basis, but once locked in to the amount of energy it takes to be on stage, I was able to carve my own piece of history.

At the end of my initial 3 months, I was invited to extend it to 4 months via new negotiated contract. With both sides in agreement, I stayed on and was able to create a home away from home in a time that could never be duplicated. By the time I got to the end of my contract in October 2023, I had met so many people, some famous, some world famous, but all just genuinely fun to be around.

Astreaux, 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?

I originally started in the creative industry as a poet. There was a power that came from able to articulate my thoughts into a pattern. Thru that pattern it made me recite it over and over, which turned into my words being my mental motivation. At first it was more sporadic, but the older I got into my teenage years, the more I felt the need to express myself.

After performing in a few clubs on the island of Oahu, I got incarcerated for an Armed Robbery in 2008. During those 8 years, I worked on my craft every day as a way of catharsis. Everyday I would have to at least write a new 16 bar verse if not a new song. That gave me the discipline to explore my storytelling songs as well as work on my metaphors and wordplay.

After release in 2015, I pursued my music career professionally and released songs independently. One of the things I was most proud of was taking the idea that I had for “Kurbside Worldwide” in prison and Turing it into a LLC music label that helped put local artists in Hawaii on stages as well as introduction into artist management.

After the pandemic, I moved to Los Angeles from Oahu to pursue my solo career. My determination to never give up even got me the chance to work in China and be apart of the number 1 hip hop club in Beijing.

Is there mission driving your creative journey?

I think the mission that drives my life is to do the things that feed my spirit. When I was younger I used to pray for money to be able to do things. Now, I pray for the things that the money brings and not the money itself.

What does money provide? Stability, comfort, the ability to do for oneself and freedom of choice. My mission now is to do and find the things that bring me stability, comfort and the ability to do for myself. To be able to experience live this way, is what has been making me enjoy living in my truth all that much more.

For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?

The most rewarding aspect is the journey on the process of creation, When I’m in the studio and I can hear the song start to come together, then that golden moment when it all clicks. Being able to physically manifest what you see inside of your head is a super power for sure.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: https://instagram.com/strolokomodo?igshid=MzMyNGUyNmU2YQ%3D%3D&utm_source=qr
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@astreauxguillotine88

Image Credits
Pacstar Beijing