We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Balex.mp3 a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Balex.mp3, appreciate you joining us today. Can you talk to us about how you learned to do what you do?

I’ve been a student of music for the past 15 years. I started learning the saxophone in 2011, 5th grade band class. I experienced the power of different pieces playing in unison with one another, and spent the following 8 years refining my abilities. After high school I laid down the saxophone in favor of the bass and guitar. In 2023 I played around with Garageband for the first time – YouTube was my teacher. 2024 was when all of the puzzle pieces came together. I wrote lyrics, recorded, and produced my first original song, “Man in the Mirror”!
I wish I had found a community where I played my stringed instruments sooner. Playing with others, especially when they’re better than you, drastically speeds up the learning process.
The skills that were most essential were my patience and persistence, my knowledge of musical puzzle pieces (What’s a bassline, what’s a melody? How do they help a piece flow with itself?), and my personal taste. I also have an aptitude for identifying weak points and fixing them, often presenting as perfectionism.
The biggest obstacle that stood in my way was vocabiulary and slang. Knowing the vocabulary of what you’re learning enables you to ask the questions you need to ask. That’s why being a part of communities is so important, because you learn how the walk and the talk in those settings.

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 Balex.mp3, but you can call me Balex! I’ve been playing music for the last 15 years, but in the past year I’ve learned how to transform my life experiences into sonic diamonds. As a recovering people pleaser, it used to be foreign to express how I truly felt, in favor of ‘keeping the peace.’ Now I write, record, produce, and release music – it’s all independently, authentically me. My music lies somewhere between introspection and overthinking – it can sound aggressively excited, longing, bitter, soulful. I want people to know that my music is the result of me spending precious time pursuing a connection with myself, a connection that I can share with others – and you can do it too, in whatever way you choose to express yourself.

How can we best help foster a strong, supportive environment for artists and creatives?

Building a bridge between streaming and media ownership is the best way for society to directly support artists and the arts. The streaming bubble is detrimental to the success of creatives; built on convenience and access, streaming is useful, but flawed. While streaming gives people wide access to the artists they love, it does not create meaningful support for smaller, independent artists. Platforms like Bandcamp, however, bridge the gap between streaming and media ownership. Smaller artists can sell digital copies of their work, as well as physical media and merchandise through this digital platform. Additionally, it creates a direct link between the artist and the supporter – the artist’s message is no longer reliant on the winds of an algorithm. Direct support through media ownership has always been the most pure way to support artists, creatives, and the arts – and I believe in a future where it’s as convenient to directly support artists as it is to stream their songs.

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

You get a crazy feeling whenever you listen to a song that you imagined and created with your own two hands. It’s the feeling of wearing an ex’s t-shirt that you kept – comforting, but with depth and complexity. It’s self-understanding, criticism, nostalgia, remembrance – from every single song, every project. And to share that with others… how beautiful. I’ve had incredibly personal, vulnerable conversations sparked by my lyrics, my sound. To connect with others on a deeper level because of the vulnerability I share with the world is truly wonderful.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.balexdotmp3.com
• Instagram: @balexdotmp3
• Youtube: @balexdotmp3
• Other: TikTok – @balexdotmp3