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

Cameron, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today We’d love to hear about a project that you’ve worked on that’s meant a lot to you.

The most meaningful project I’ve worked on thus far is my upcoming EP – DARKMATTER. its a collection of 6 songs that express an emotional journey I went through when I moved to California 6 months before the pandemic. it ties in themes of love and existential thought in trying to find yourself. I would classify it as dark pop, but its also theatrical in nature so it shows a wide variety of the soundscapes I can make. it will be released mid next year and im excited for the world to hear what I can do. if you’d like a taste you can listen to ‘Blood Moon’ on any streaming service now!

Cameron, 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?

my love for music began when my dad forced me to go a Rock n Roll summer camp because he thought I had something special with my voice and musical ability.. or because I was a little ADHD brat and he didn’t want to deal with me hahah! I remember the first day he dropped me off I was so shy and standoff-is because I didn’t know what to expect, but I found some insanely talented people and remember leaving after the first day wanting to never leave.

I started off playing music from a very young age, I was able to listen to a song once and play it back instantly. when I got to highschool I challenged myself to learn as many instruments as I could to the best of my ability. I played everything from Flute, Trumpet, French Horn, Trombone, Clarinet, Saxophone, Piano, Guitar, Bass.. etc etc. I fell in love with being a student of music, not of genre. all music Is precious and should be shared and enjoyed equally, I love everything from metal, to jazz and folk.

Also during high school I acted In a bunch of movies and music videos, I starred in the Brothers Osbourne “Shoot Me Straight” Music video and starred in LoCash’s “I Know Somebody” Music Video. my love for performance and entertainment grew bigger and bigger.

once it was time for college, I was going for a degree in acting/performance but knew I couldn’t sit still and wait for opportunity to pass me by, so I dropped out and auditioned to become the lead singer for a Cirque Du Soleil Christmas Show which performed at the Grand Ole Opry for 3 months, then the following year we went on a North American Tour.

after that, I moved out to california for a little bit just before the pandemic (bad move. on my part) but linked up King Luko (Popp Hunna + Bruno Mars Engineer) and worked on some unreleased tracks. the pandemic made it very hard to find stable income so I moved back to the motherland Nashville and began writing more material and playing shows.

last year I released my first single “Blood Moon’ which has been a fan favorite. its the perfect late night existential drive song. the lyrics touch on deep topics like the concept of Ozymandias and how people spend their lives chasing money and power.

my most recently project im working on is a 6 song EP that highlights catchy, smooth, and repeatable songs. its called DARKMATTER and will be out mid 2023!

that’s my short story and its ever growing as I strive to be one of the greats of musical like Freddie Mercury, Paul McCartney or Michael Jackson.

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

I began thinking I was going to act on broadway and do the whole NewYork cycle, but slowly I realized I wanted to make a name for myself from my own art, not performing someone else’s. id love to establish myself into a position where I can star in movies like Purple Rain with Prince or Labyrinth with David bowie and also write the music for it. I knew I had to create art that would get people talking and I felt like I could only do that if I work on the art that best suits my abilities and character. so I decided to give temporarily put the acting on pause and focus solely on what I do best which is singing and making music.

Are there any books, videos or other content that you feel have meaningfully impacted your thinking?

the best tip I could give artists is read up on everything you can about your hero’s and inspirations. there is a quote “I see further because I stand on the shoulders of giants” and that’s true. soak up everything you can and learn from both the victories and failures. its a like a free cheatsheet or guide to how to proceed. however its not a rulebook that you must follow. take everything in but make sure you are living your story and not someone else’s!

Contact Info:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cameronbortz/
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/cameronbortz
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@cameronbortz
• Other: Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/7nBjoxMLeZV461oqTd8Yge?si=2Di1f6UySVGNDtwvHKLefQ