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

Ayel, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. We’d love to hear about when you first realized that you wanted to pursue a creative path professionally.

I realized this was the route for me after I released a couple of songs, just as a hobby. It was truly just a form of expression, like a way that I could vent. And at the time I was inspired by projects like Lost Tapes by Nas and Good Kid Maad City by Kendrick Lamar. After I dropped 2 songs, I was able to recognize my level of influence and took it serious immediately. I knew I had a lot to learn and still do, I didn’t want to neglect that responsibility of speaking for/to people though, so basically I knew from first attempt.

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?

I’m Ayel, an artist/songwriter and founder of Seventeen Summers. I’m originally from Kansas City, currently living in Los Angeles.

My relocation to LA was recent, within the last 2 years. Before then I spent my career building a catalog of my own music and my brand. I released about 7 bodies of musical work, performed at concerts/festivals with acts like Eric Bellinger, Rae Sremmurd, A Boogie W the Hoodie, Gucci Mane, etc. I also put together my own events, as well as creating merchandise giving a people a way to represent and support me at the same time. Although I accomplished a lot in my hometown, I hit my ceiling and was ready to expand.

Since my relocation I’ve written for artists such as Trippie Redd, Ty Dolla $ign, Bryson Tiller, Roddy Ricch and more. I have helped build numerous indy artist’s EP’s and Singles, too.

My services include everything from Top Line (vocal melody & lyrics), production, and even mixing records. If interested in building a song or even a EP, we can start from scratch. I like to be just as invested in the work as the client is.

I’m also open to features and live performances. For any service, [email protected] is the best way to reach.

How about pivoting – can you share the story of a time you’ve had to pivot?

A time that I had to pivot in my career was in 2016. I was known for only rapping in my music, which is great because that’s my heart. But, while the industry was shifting on the major platform I wanted to make sure I was adapting with it. I created a song called “Motion” that was dancehall inspired and that what was hot at the time. Motion did amazing things for me and my next pivot would be making the rapping/singing worlds mix in my catalog. Which brought me to where I am today.

Looking back, are there any resources you wish you knew about earlier in your creative journey?

Knowing how to produce or make beats can get you a long way. Even if that isn’t your main aim, it’s good to know the ins and outs so you can contribute if you truly want to personalize your music. Also, being a producer may get you into rooms that only being an artist cannot.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: Instagram.com/@ayel_music
• Linkedin: http://linkedin.com/in/ayel-m-3589b9258
• Twitter: Twitter.com/@ayel_music

Image Credits
@amirabdul_ @ezramenace