Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Edi Callier. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Alright, Edi thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. What did your parents do right and how has that impacted you in your life and career?
“We have not been given the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.” “Fear is just F.alse E.vidence A.ppearing R.eal.”
“Be mindful of your words because death and life are in the power of the tongue.”
As the child of ministers, musicians, writers, visionaries, and poets, these words and many like them rang throughout my upbringing. Many children are taught that “the sky is the limit” but in my household, there was no limit on dreams, no confinement on goals, and my future was told to hold things “exceedingly and abundantly beyond what I could ever ask or think.”
Several years later as the man I’ve become, I look back on those days and all I can think of is just how grateful I am to have been blessed with the parents I was given. In this industry that I’ve taken a dive headfirst into (and even moreso in life itself), the words of my mother and father have kept me going, growing, and reaching for the stars.
I think one of the most important things any parent can do is find the burning desires and gifts within their children and nurture those gifts, encourage them in the hard times, and allow them to see their greatness within. That’s what my parents instilled in me and what I hope to one day be able to instill in children of my own.
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
I was first introduced to the creative side of music at a very young age in Portland, Oregon. While I was still in my baby crib before I could speak, my dad would bring me up to his studio sessions with headphones on to be in the atmosphere. Over time I began learning how to play different instruments, began listening to the music of artists and bands that inspired me (such as Earth, Wind, and Fire, Prince, Stevie Wonder, and Michael Jackson), found melodies that sparked joy, and ultimately began writing songs of my own. At about 5 years old, I recorded my first song… about Batman.
As time progressed, we moved across the country to the small town of Covington, Georgia where I honed my skills enough to join my dad in church as a musician and worship leader before venturing off to lead music departments in churches on my own. Still a developing artist, I continued my journey writing and performing songs outside of the church, playing at talent shows, open mics, and jam sessions.
After graduating high school and a brief period at Berklee College of Music in Boston, I began the next phase of my journey in Atlanta. There, I branched out as a musician playing for various artists and bands around the city and as a producer working for local artists while pushing my own artistry to the side. Feeling unfulfilled, I briefly withdrew myself from Atlanta’s music scene to spend time in the studio and return with a collection of newly recorded music printed on signed CDs. With those CDs, I ventured back out to the city’s open mics, shows booked as a featured artist, and appearances where I gave out and eventually sold out of product. Then, at the precipice of my growth as an artist at that time, I was faced with a life-changing diagnosis.
I found myself being rushed in the middle of the night to the hospital with word that I was just shy of falling into a potentially fatal diabetic coma and no knowledge of any history with the disease. Once stabilized, I was told that for the rest of my life, living would be like staying ahead of a bear chasing after me. As I laid in that hospital bed for a week without food or drink and unable to see or walk during one of the busiest times in my career at that point, I made myself a promise.
“When I leave here, there are no more half-steps, no more ‘almosts’. If I make it out of this hospital alive, I’m spending every day that I have left working towards achieving my goals, manifesting my vision, and doing what I love.”
Upon discharge, I immediately made life changes and charged full speed ahead at everything I’d ever dreamed of. In the following 6 months, I trained my body, regained my ability to see and my ability to walk and run, I adopted a plant-based lifestyle and proceeded to perform on massive stages in front of thousands of people, paid tribute to the legendary Prince alongside legendary musicians in their own right for a crowd that I can only describe as a “sea of purple”, opened for artists such as Tank and Lil’ G Jenkins of Silk, and stepped foot on the legendary Apollo Theater Stage in Harlem, New York.
Gaining the attention of scouts from FOX Television, I then landed my debut featured television appearance on the first season of FOX’s ‘The Four: Battle for Stardom’ where I met some of my closest friends to this day and performed in front of an audience of millions and a panel with the likes of DJ Khalid, Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs, Meghan Trainor, and Charlie Walk. My time on the show swiftly ended with a verdict that I was too “sweet” for the competition but upon my arrival home, I was greeted by an army of new fans that loved what they saw and loved my “sweet” nature.
As time progressed, I found myself back in the Atlanta music scene and began building on my newfound fan base. However, now having a taste of something greater, I was no longer satisfied with where I was and I began working towards my now higher goals. In the midst of the climb, I was then faced with a string of losses including the loss of my grandfather, uncle, close friends, and my closest friend, drummer, and brother in music, Claudius ‘Stixx Loredo’ Angol. With these losses overtaking me, I once again retreated from the music scene and embarked on a separate journey of self-discovery.
During that time away, I took up work with a production company that specialized in the setup and breakdown of concerts and festivals for artists such as Elton John, the Jonas Brothers, Queen, Khalid, 6LACK, John Mayer, Jennifer Lopez, Tyler, the Creator, and more. It was seeing those crews and shows that reignited the flame inside me and reminded me of the promise I’d made to myself years before:
“…no more half-steps, no more ‘almosts’.” “…I’m spending every day that I have left working towards achieving my goals, manifesting my vision, and doing what I love.”
With the continuation of my musical journey in mind, I began planning my next steps and in that planning, courted the idea of continuing my journey elsewhere. I packed my bags, booked events, and made my way to the west coast to get a taste of what was to come on a month-long trip to Los Angeles, California. I was met with wonderful opportunities, amazing new friends, reunions with old ones that had moved away… and a warning that something unknown was making its way to America.
A week into my trip, I stood before a crowd filled with excitement when we were then told to return home because a city-wide quarantine was in effect. Now, having spent the money I had on Ubers and AirBnbs, my schedule was immediately cleared, all of my gigs canceled, flights delayed, and I was now stuck in a panic-stricken version of the city I was hoping to call home. A godsend, I was approached by a friend about using the downtime to help produce an album while staying at their house for the duration of my trip. I agreed and little did I know, I was about to enter into a new chapter of my life that would change everything moving forward.
I sat for days in a room with my computer, midi-keyboard, guitar, and microphone. With nowhere to go and nothing else to occupy my mind, I began creating. With no plans, no deadlines, and no agendas, I found myself fully liberated in my creation process. Day in and day out, I was producing, writing, and recording until after 7 days, I sat back and realized that I had finally done what I had previously been too occupied to do: I finished an album’s worth of work, what would go on to become my first released full body of work, ‘LOVE: the eXperience, Vol. 1′. Now armed with this new project, a vision of where I wanted to be, and a new sense of determination, I returned to Atlanta to say my final goodbyes and gather the last of my belongings. It was official, I was moving to LA.’
Two years into my time as a California resident, I’ve spent about half of that time actually in town. Since the move, I’ve traveled across the United States doing what I love sharing my story through music, I’ve heard stories from people around that have experienced an impact in their lives from my music, and I’ve had the honor of gracing stages that I’ve only dreamt of such as The Viper Room on the Sunset Strip and The NAMM Show, and most of all, I’ve found my purpose and I’ve been using every single day that I have to achieve my ever-evolving and expanding goals, manifesting my constantly growing vision, and doing what I love with the people that I care about.
What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?
The most rewarding part about being a creative for me is making things that I enjoy and creating the music and art that I always wanted to see and hear as a kid and having that thought in the back of my head that someone somewhere out there is experiencing it for the first time the way I experienced artists that inspired me as a child.
: Is there a particular goal or mission driving your creative journey?
I want to help people around the world through my art. Music is a universal language and is one of the easiest ways to get to a person’s inner being. I believe that as artists, we have a responsibility to reach those people that need what we have, be it for healing, confirmation, or any other reason. I’ve spoken with people over the years that have gone through hardships in life unlike anything I’ve ever experienced yet somehow, they’ve told me that the music I’ve created has helped them through it. Moments like that have become what I do this for more than anything else.
Contact Info:
- Website: http://www.edicallier.com
- Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/edicallier
- Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/edicallier
- Linkedin: http://www.linkedin.com/edicallier
- Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/edicallier
- Youtube: http://www.youtube.com/edicallier
Image Credits
NiXe Media, Quentin Jackson Photography