Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Garrett Young. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Garrett, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Do you feel you or your work has ever been misunderstood or mischaracterized? If so, tell us the story and how/why it happened and if there are any interesting learnings or insights you took from the experience?
Throughout my creative career, being misunderstood and mischaracterized has been a recurring issue. Having a diverse array of musical influences and not falling under a singular genre has sometimes felt like a detriment more than a benefit. However, fighting the urge to conform and staying true to my passion and influences has proved to be one of the most character building experiences in my life. It has forced me to push aside my doubts and find confidence in my own path. Combining rock and roll, rockabilly, outlaw country, surf rock and grunge has not always been the clearest road to follow, but it is what I love and I wouldn’t have it any other way!
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 Garrett and I am the lead singer/lead guitarist of The Garrett Young Collective, a four piece alternative rock band from southwest Colorado. We have two full length albums released, and have toured extensively throughout the West from California to Texas. I am fortunate to share my passion with three of my best friends, which includes my sister Callie. We love to put on high energy performances and showcase our musicianship. I am most proud of our original music, our dedication, and our camaraderie. I began my musical journey at the age of 10, and it has been a relentless pursuit ever since. From guitar, singing and writing songs, to producing the majority of our own recordings, music has been the focus of my life for over 15 years. What I believe sets our band apart is a wide array of musical backgrounds that create a unique original sound!
What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?
The most rewarding aspect of being an artist to me is sharing my creations and passions through live performance. Being on stage is one of my favorite things, and is the best reward to countless hours of hard work! It is such a raw and organic outlet for creativity, and hearing how your music has related to someone in a meaningful way makes it all the better.
Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?
An example of resilience from my musical journey would be from my teens when I began working with an acclaimed music producer. So many of my most valuable lessons came from this time. and I am so fortunate to have had those opportunities. However, as things progressed, contractual issues created too large of a rift to overcome. After parting ways, I had a lot of doubt and insecurity towards moving forward. It took a lot emotionally for me to regain confidence in my career, but I realized that I needed to take charge of everything I could control and go with the flow on anything I couldn’t. This led me to buckling down on all aspects of my music career, and even to studying Berklee online to learn the art of music production.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.garrettyoungcollective.com
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/garrettyoungcollective
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/garrettyoungcollective
- Youtube: www.youtube.com/garrettyoungmusic
- Other: Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/6bhS4xk1B0tRNkdx7oYHVa?si=oiR5dY9_ThytWKirbz2IBw
Image Credits
Lydia Young, Shelly Young