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

LJ, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Learning the craft is often a unique journey from every creative – we’d love to hear about your journey and if knowing what you know now, you would have done anything differently to speed up the learning process.

My learning especially with music came from a lot of trial and error. When I was first starting to make music, I reached out to established rappers and artists from my hometown but I didn’t receive much feedback or instruction from them. So instead of waiting or giving up because I didn’t have the support I wanted, I began to teach myself and through many hours of experimenting, creating, and studying artists I admired, I learned skills that I still use to this day.

One thing I could’ve done to speed up my learning is staying consistent with my practice. To me, consistency is the only skill that an artist needs to succeed because with consistency comes the most growth. Regardless of whether a piece is “perfect” (nothing ever is), or not, working on it and putting it out is the best thing to do. But the focus of your consistency has to be to get better and not just to “get it over with”. Consistency without improvement is stagnation.

One of the biggest obstacles that stood in my way early on was procrastination. I would often miss self-set deadlines because I waited until the last minute or because I underestimated the amount of time I would need to make a quality product. Being self-disciplined is another skill that is extremely useful in building consistency.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

Yeah, my name is LJ the Angel, formerly known as LJ the Alien. The change in name comes from the decision I made to give my life to Christ. I got into making music and performing through open mics in New Jersey, some notable spots being the Nuyorican Poets Cafe, the Dragonfly in Somerville, NJ, and Ohmies Yoga Studio in Roselle, NJ.

I create music that I hope will bring more young people to God, especially in the trying times we are living in. What sets me apart is my unique lyricism, my laid-back style, and my warm personality. I believe that my journey mirrors that of many young people today and I pray they see themselves in my work.

Faith is extremely important to me and although it’s not easy to do, I put my full trust in God and let Him guide my steps.

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

The most rewarding aspect is finishing a piece or project and seeing people react positively toward it. As an artist, I’ve struggled a lot with basing my art on what people would think of my creation. There were times when I wouldn’t release music because I was afraid of what others would think or say about it. Lately though, I’ve been unapologetically putting out music which has been especially beneficial since I began releasing Christian rap music. And the most surprising aspect of it is the positive feedback I’ve received from strangers and support from my friends and family. Where I expected to be ostracized and shunned, I was accepted and celebrated and that is one of the most rewarding feelings ever. It makes me feel like I’m on the right path.

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

My goal at the moment is to give God glory and to use my voice and ability to bring more young people to Christ. I’ve noticed that my generation isn’t attending church as frequently as generations past, and I want to change that. I think if I can reach my target audience, there will be a resurgence in the amount of people in my age group who attend churches and are committed to God.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lj_the_angel/profilecard/?igsh=OWFrOHJxOXJqeGc0
• Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/lj-the-angel

Image Credits

Kore Richards (@koresrich)