We recently connected with Felton Sparks and have shared our conversation below.

Felton, appreciate you joining us today. We’d love to hear the backstory behind a risk you’ve taken – whether big or small, walk us through what it was like and how it ultimately turned out.

I went to school for acting and dance and was able to work as an actor and choreographer in Boston for two years after I graduated. Then the pandemic hit, and I was forced to sit with myself for the first time in a long time. In that silence, I started to write music again. It was a part of my expression that I had put to the side because I was busy doing other things and it wasn’t my focus. As I unraveled these songs, I fell back in love with telling stories that were my own. As an actor, I was limited to the selection of scripts that theater companies were producing in any given year. And I was new to the scene, so I took whatever job was offered to me, resulting in being cast in shows that I didn’t particularly like. So I decided that, coming out of the pandemic, I was going to focus on original music and market myself as an independent artist. I didn’t really know what that meant or what it would look like, but I jumped in headfirst. I focused on crafting my songwriting, took virtual classes in music production, recorded with many different producers, learned photo and video editing for social media, and even bought a bass to learn how to play (it’s in the corner gathering dust). On the other side of 3 years and 7 single releases on all streaming platforms, I am aiming to find a balance between going back into acting and making sure that I am still able to tell my stories. Whether that is through music, social media videos, or stand-up comedy (something else I tried in the past year), I’m looking forward to seeing where this new risk takes me.

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.

Hi everyone! My name is Felton Sparks. I’m originally from LA and now live in NYC. I am a singer-songwriter-actor-dancer-writer-director and aspiring stand-up comedian and music producer. And in my free time I’m watching horror movies. I’ve always had a problem where I see something cool and immediately want to learn how to do it. I really admire people that can do ONE THING and that’s THEIR THING that they do VERY WELL. Sadly, I don’t think that will ever be me. I’m too curious! Because of that curiosity, however, I have been able to do some pretty cool things: I performed at the Pantages Theater in LA when I was 18, a short film that I wrote and directed was screened on the Warner Brother’s lot, I graduated college and closed my first professional show on the same day, I choreographed a show that then premiered Off-Broadway, I started an online sketch show called The Felton Variety Show, I sang my original songs alongside other queer black and brown artists, and I performed stand-up comedy in a basement in Brooklyn. It’s what dreams are made of. I believe that joy is important and undervalued. If I can write a sketch that makes somebody laugh or produce a song that makes somebody dance, I’ve done my job right. Artists such as Sammy Davis Jr., Ben Vereen, Ricky Martin, Gregory Hines, and Tina Turner have done this very well and I look up to them for it.

We often hear about learning lessons – but just as important is unlearning lessons. Have you ever had to unlearn a lesson?

Oh boy. I think most of adulthood is unlearning lessons that you were taught when you were younger. Most of those lessons come from unfair expectations that were put on you or an experience that you mistook for the rule but was the exception. The biggest lesson that I had to unlearn, and still struggle with, is that there is a straight path to success. When I was in college, or even high school, I thought that post-grad was going to be auditioning, getting cast, working a day job when I’m not in a show, rinse and repeat. However, I didn’t foresee my priorities changing with the pandemic and new relationships. As I pivoted towards a focus on music, I struggled for almost a year with a deep anxiety that I was throwing away my perfect path to success for a detour that promised no fruit. And while I didn’t reach any measurable level of success with my music, I knew that I would be much more fulfilled by taking that risk than sticking to a plan that, as much as I hoped it would, promised no success either. I also discovered that it was important to me to have close relationships, and those take time, effort, and attention to grow. Now, I sacrifice time that I could be devoting to my craft to spend time with friends and visit family. I firmly believe that living life is such an important part of the creative process, probably just as important as practicing. With all of this came a new lesson that felt like a deep breath: I’m not in a rush. I do trust that I will get to where I’m going, and that it will happen right on time. I choose to enjoy the journey.

Is there a particular goal or mission driving your creative journey?

Visibility is a big driving force for me. I am a short, mixed race, queer man and I don’t see myself represented in many spaces, if any. I think it’s important to demonstrate that, though I may look different from what you usually see on TV or in movies, I am similarly affected by things we all experience: love, grief, joy, heartbreak. Because of my background, I do think I see the world in a very particular way and that perspective is what fuels a lot of my creativity. Couple that with struggles with mental health and a long road to eventual self-love, I have a lot to say. At the same time, I never want to express in a way that people feel like I’m preaching at them, because that’s not how you get people to listen. People actually listen when they are comfortable. That’s why I often gravitate towards comedy and music. Some of my favorite songs sound fun musically and lyrically actually carry a lot of weight to them. A lot of the comedies that I most enjoy have a deeper underlying message. When I was younger, I definitely thought that writing sad songs and acting in dramas were the only ways to be considered a “serious artist.” I actually think it’s a lot more affective to package your message in something that’s easily digestible, like how some people wrap pills in salami to ensure that their dogs take their medication. There’s a catharsis in laughing and dancing through pain and I think we could all use that.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.feltonishere.com
• Instagram: @feltonofficial
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UClCTJ2E2yjxBf5nmEjaFQkw
• Other: TikTok: @feltonofficial

Image Credits
Curtis Brown Rob Shanahan Josh Walker