We were lucky to catch up with Dr. Antwan “Amadeus”” Thompson Sr. Ph.D. recently and have shared our conversation below.
Dr. Antwan “Amadeus””, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. When did you first know you wanted to pursue a creative/artistic path professionally?
As a baby I held drumsticks in my hand I had no idea that I was going to be in music but my parents recognized the God given gifts and talents I had as a baby and they tapped into it and they supported it and Im so grateful for that the moment I was able to be able to understand and recognize that it was music I locked in, dreamt big work extremely hard and never looked back and the rest is history.
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.
My name is Amadeus & Im a Multi-Platinum Music Producer, Music Director, Touring Musician, Drummer, Motivational Speaker, Music Educator & Author. Ive been apart of the Music Industry/Music Business for over 25 years. I’ve been blessed to produce for over 100 artists such as Jennifer Lopez, Chris Brown, Justin Bieber, 50 Cent & G-Unit, Lil Wayne, Tyga, Keyshia Cole, Cee-Lo Green, Young M.A., Dave East, Busta Rhymes, Fabolous, ESPN, MTV, BET, VH1, Burger King and many more. Im also the Music Director & Tour Drummer for Atlantic Records recording Artist Trey Songz & I’ve been in this role for 15 years to present, Im a resident drummer at Drai’s Nightclub in Las Vegas & I’ve been in this role for & years to present. Music has always been my love & passion since a child I’ve dreamt of doing all that Im doing now it was extremely difficult to achieve but I wouldn’t take no for an answer. Born & raised in the BRONX 169th St. Washington Ave to be exact I was surrounded by negativity, drugs, violence, gangs & etc and instead of allowing that to point me in the wrong direction I chose to allow it to inspire me to purse music and make something positive with my life so I can honestly say music saved my life. During the pandemic I was able to make another one of my dreams come true which is to write a book and I was able to accomplish that alongside my co-authors Lynn Hobson & Trina Stackhouse to write & release The Story of Amadeus “And The Beat Goes On” book out today. Its always been a love & passion of mine to speak to kids and young adults whenever and where ever I can to encourage them to chase and live their dreams just like Im doing and I wanted to create a book to share my story to be able to leave them with something tangible often times kids aren’t fully listening and paying attention so it may go in one ear and out the other ear so the fact that Im able to give them the book of The Story of Amadeus “And The Beat Goes On” they can have something to go back to if there ever discouraged, doubtful or down and in need of inspiration. Music has really changed my life and opened doors I never even thought of so I feel its important for me to use the platform if gave me to give back and be a blessing to as many people as I possibly can!
For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?
Its a real sense of freedom and its one of the best feelings in life. Think about it as a musician/music producer you create nothing into something. When I turn on my musical equipment nothing exists maybe an idea maybe a beat thats in my head but when the equipment is turned on and your press play nothing will happen until you start to create your magic and thats the beauty of it, its so much fun to be able to be apart of that creative process and then its the part of the actual lyrics and songs being created to the beats/tracks. So when the audience, listeners & fans appreciate and love whats been created its an incredible feeling especially when the songs are performed at shows and concerts. One thing I’ve learned by traveling is that music is worldwide music is universal no matter where you go in the world people love love love music no matter the country, state, city, ethnicity, background, religion etc its something special that brings people and the world together and Im grateful to play a part in it!
Can you tell us about a time you’ve had to pivot?
With me being in the music industry/music business for over 25 years I had a few moments when I had to adapt and pivot. Lets start with the fact that the internet didn’t exist so everything I did I had to do face to face so in order for me to be seen and heard I had to show up to places live and in the flesh and hand my beat tapes and beat cd’s and of course if the internet didn’t exist there was no social media so I believe and of course just my thoughts it was a lot more difficult to be seen and heard back then. Once the internet was introduced to the world it was a life changing moment and it shifted the world and the business. I remember my brother/friend Steve”Styles”Rodriguez educating me on Instagram and why I needed to join it because I felt it was going to be a distraction to me but he insisted that I join because theres fans out there that would love to connect with me and people would love to see the behind the scenes behind what I do on a day to day basis and honestly it was the best decision I’ve ever made in life and business. So thank you to my brother Stevestyles. Then there’s the music and the sound which always changes and evolves over time and my answer for that is I love to be put on and educated on whats next I’ve never been the type of person to become angry or bitter with a sound or style of music because I understand clearly that everything changes and in order for you to continue to be successful you have to be able to evolve and thats something I do very well because I embrace the youth I embrace the future in music and I learn to understand and appreciate it. I’ll end with this relationships are EVERYTHING!
Contact Info:
- Website: www.IAMKINGAMADEUS.com
- Instagram: @AmadeusPBM
- Twitter: @ProducerAmadeus