Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Keylo. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Keylo, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Did you always know you wanted to pursue a creative or artistic career? When did you first know?

As a kid, I’ve always gravitated towards music. I grew up around my Uncle Twan, rest his soul and my older cousin and they put me on to different music and my love grew. I used to burn CD’s on limewire, make mixtapes etc. Once I started college for Mass Comm, It hit me that this was something I wanted to do professionally and one day make a living from it and the rest was history.

Keylo, 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?

So I’m from a small town called La Grange, North Carolina. I got into music from being exposed to it around my family, my uncle specifically going up. I’ve always been into tech, video, and audio so it was second nature for me to get into music. I got my foot in the door when I discovered Pro Tools back in undergrad and took all the Pro Tools courses and that got me my headstart. Once I hit grad school for audio tech, that’s when I dived deeper and got serious about recording and producing. Once I finished grad school I moved to Atlanta to pursue my music career and landed an internship at Icon Studios, and then eventually became one of the staff engineers there. That’s when I got that real-world experience separated from the technical aspects that I learned in college, which was very detrimental to my career and learning how to work with clients.

Different services I offer for clients that I have gained are recording, engineering, mixing, and producing tracks. That goes from working in the studio with clients hands-on to making songs from start to finish. What sets me apart from others is my humbleness, willingness to help others, constant state of learning, resilience, and dedication to getting the best product possible from anything I’m working on.

I’m most proud of taking the risk to move to Atlanta to gain opportunities, create relationships with the people I’ve met, and being in certain rooms with artists. There’s a lot more work to be done, but I’m also aware and thankful that this is still a place and plan that I once prayed and dreamed for. I look forward to what’s to come for me in the future and there is no ceiling for my goals. One of the main things I want my potential clients or followers to know about me is that I love this and I worked hard to get where I am. I went through multiple trials like anybody else and I’m still pushing to make a name for myself and my own sound. I want to make the best music possible that’s organic and feels good to me and the people!

In your view, what can society to do to best support artists, creatives and a thriving creative ecosystem?

Society can continue to post, share, retweet all artists/creatives to reach a bigger audience. It costs nothing to share something that you genuinely are interested in. Most people will post or share something funny, but everyone should also keep that same energy when it comes to artists/creatives. A simple gesture can make somebody’s day to keep them pushing because sometimes you have downs being an artist.

For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?

The most rewarding thing about being a creative is seeing your work coming to fruition. Whether that’s an artist rapping on my beats, having people trust me to mix their music or taking my creative input on songs. That goal, journey, and product are the most rewarding and seeing clients happy with what I provide. It’s that battery in my back that keeps me going and focused to take on the next project or task. It’s euphoric to do something therapeutic for me that can benefit others to express themselves.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: @DopeByTheKeylo
• Twitter: @KeylosMusic