We caught up with the brilliant and insightful LEIF a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Hi LEIF, thanks for joining us today. Are you happy as a creative professional? Do you sometimes wonder what it would be like to work for someone else?

I don’t know if “happy” is a good word to describe it. I feel like happiness is a temporary feeling that comes and goes in whatever you do. I think a better word is “fulfilled” which is something that can last longer. You can think back at what you did and ask yourself “was that fulfilling?” “did it feed my soul?”. It requires a lot of self belief, self motivation, and self discipline to be a music artist, music producer, singer/songwriter, or any creative in that regard. And with that comes a lot of insecurities and self doubt. Those are NEVER fun.

I think most of my creative journey has been taking L’s, dealing with people who don’t support you and dealing with people who doubt you, dealing with self doubt and insecurities. I don’t consider those happy/fulfilling moments at all. The fulfilling moments come from rising above that. Every creative dream starts with delusion and you have to be delusional enough to believe in yourself to rise above that. You have to be delusional enough to outwork everyone around you. You have to be delusional enough to work extremely hard so that your skills/talents match your delusion. It took me a long time to realize that I shouldn’t chase happiness but instead chase fulfillment.

I’ve seen a lot of my college/high school friends who were also musicians/creatives move on to 9-5, high paying jobs. I definitely get envious seeing them with their new cars, new houses and comfortable lifestyles. But then I hear them tell me about how unfulfilled they feel and how they think there is more to them than their jobs and lifestyles. They tell me a lot of how jealous they are of me for chasing after my dreams and feeling free to be 100% authentically myself. I can’t speak for everyone but the 9-5 lifestyle is a trap and it shapes you to become a person that you aren’t. I’ve seen it take peoples joy, especially their souls, despite them having money. I would love to be more comfortable and to have a great lifestyle but I value my soul over all of that.

Moral of my story is to do what you love not just trying to be happy but to be more fulfilled.

LEIF, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

I’ve always been a musician and singer since I was a kid. I knew since I was young that this is all I wanted to do. In college where I studied music as a Music Industry major and Voice major, I landed a studio job running sessions as a producer, sound engineer and song writer. From then, I knew I could make money making music for people, so I dropped out. After college during COVID, I used the unemployment checks to build and run my own studio in my basement called Backhouse Studios. In my studio business, I work with clients with any of their musical needs. I can produce instrumentals, write songs, record, mix and master. I also worked as a studio and gigging musician for other studios or other bands who need players, since I am a multi-instrumentalist. I can play drums, keys, guitar, cello, and sing.

My clients tell me me all the time that they come to me because I can do it all. Instead of hiring studio musicians, I can play every instrument. I can guide singers through vocal recording sessions and arrange amazing vocals because I am a singer. With that, I can also mix and master very well as an engineer. My work has been placed with bigger artists such as NO1-NOAH, DREEZY, Dubba, CHIKA etc. My work has also been played on the radio nationwide including my hit record (that I’m the main artist in, produced mixed and mastered) called “Lucid” that landed me an interview with IHeart radio and played on DC’s famous HOT 99.5.

Once I got my bearings in the music industry as a producer, engineer, gigging and studio musician, I realized I wanted to fulfill my artist dreams as well. I now have the focus to put myself in the limelight to be an artist. I produce and write all of my songs with the help of my close network of songwriters and producers. As an artist, I’ve been featured on HOT 99.5, IHeart Radio and The Washington Post.

As a result of my multi-faceted skills, I started a label/music collective and music group with my close friends in the industry called The Washington Rizzards (WRIZZARDS), where we produce our own shows playing our own music individually or as a group. We also write together, release songs, and support each other’s musical careers and endeavors in every way. Through this we were able to get a write up from EARMILK and The Washington Post.

We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.

As an artist, my close colleague and best friend, J Matty, entered a talent competition with our hit song “Lucid” and won. With winning came with a big check and many opportunities including getting to pre-open Jingle Ball, get interviewed by IHeart Radio and Hot 99.5, getting on TV and potentially getting a deal. The company that held the competition really saw something in us and wanted to manage our career as a group. We were naive about the industry at the time and took the opportunity. From then on we noticed how they wanted to change everything about us, from how we looked, which opportunities to take and even our music. We realized that even though we were talented and hardworking, we had zero leverage with how to guide our career while working with this company. They were very strict, controlling and we didn’t feel free to do what we wanted and what we thought was smart for us. We then decided to part ways with the company because regardless of the opportunities we gained, we werent able to use them in the way that felt authentic to us. We then realized how cold and opportunistic the music industry is. Once we part ways, we decided that we can do everything ourselves. We can grow our own audience, produce our own songs and do it the way we want. Through that we were able to grow our own audience and create our own opportunities.

J Matty and I co-founded the WRIZZARDS, an all filipino run music label/music group where we elevate each other as artists/creatives, with Bema Tadey and Tina Carzon after parting ways with the company. Through that we were able to sell out shows, build our audience, and get featured on EARMILK, BeatThisPH and The Washington Post. Our music is also being heard from all over the world including radio stations around the country and overseas like the Philippines. We also were able to open for bigger artists such as filipino King of R&B Jay R, filipina comedian Christine Gambito aka HappySlip and all girl group Boys World.

The biggest lesson I learned from this experience is to stay strong and true to who you are. There are many opportunities out there that seem like it could be your big break when it really isn’t. As and artist and creative in this new climate, you can make your own opportunities and build your own audience through social media and live performances. Sometimes, the slow road is better than the fast one.

What do you think is the goal or mission that drives your creative journey?

My biggest goal is to always be authentically myself in anything I do. I know now that there will always be people who will resonate with my message, work and story. As long as I do great work and be undeniable, I will always gain opportunities.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://withkoji.com/@leify_tree
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/leify_tree/?hl=en
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LeifyTree/?show_switched_toast=0&show_invite_to_follow=0&show_switched_tooltip=0&show_podcast_settings=0&show_community_review_changes=0&show_community_rollback=0&show_follower_visibility_disclosure=0
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@leify_tree

Image Credits
Pictures By: Tina Carzon Dionte Martin Emily Singh Jacob Weber