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

Marco, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Can you talk to us about a project that’s meant a lot to you?

The most meaningful project I’ve ever worked on is my current one. It’s been a long journey to where I am at right now and I’ve learned so much along the way. In the past, I was very much a soloist in that everything I wanted accomplished I figured out on my own, for lack of money, boldness and perhaps the humility to compromise. For better or for worse, I churned out song after song with a professional recording studio at my disposal, and presented them for the world to see. While in some cases it proved fruitful in particular with hip hop, when I transitioned to rock, the ability to mix this kind of record was out of my depth. As a result, the product came out amateurish, compromising my ability to gain much appeal. This brings us to today, where with these understandings in my pocket and more of a financial backing, I can invest in talent that can help me bring my vision to life. From session musicians, mixing engineers, to videographers, this new project will be my most presentable piece of music yet, and I am hoping I can finally breakthrough and make a living off of my passion.

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?

I’ve always been a creative person with the desire to produce art. Since my childhood, I made up songs and sang along to the radio spurred on by my father’s musical tastes and possessed an almost addictive attraction to melodies and lyrics. 50’s R&B was my first love, but it wasn’t until I discovered pop punk like Sum 41, that I ever considered making music myself. It was hip hop though, that opened the door for me. Hearing 50 Cent and T.I. I was inspired to start writing songs, then make beats, and before long I was recording. I got an internship at a popular Atlanta studio, learned how to engineer and in just a couple years I was distributing my own music. I even managed to get some songs featured on MTV shows. As I grew older however, I became jaded with rap music and started implementing guitar into my songwriting. I began with intermixing punk influences with rap but before long I had become a full-fledged rock singer, channeling my newest influences The Beatles, Buddy Holly and Nick Drake.

My taste is what sets me apart from other artists. I am a true student of music, always letting my curiosity drive me to hear new sounds and add to my array of styles, contributing to my compulsive habit of manifesting song ideas. Currently I’m sitting on thousands of song kernels and I pray for the opportunity to share the best of them with the world.

What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?

The single most rewarding aspect of being a creative for me is my love for music, the creation of it, the discovery, the journey and all the feelings and opinions that come along with it. Being able to be a fan and consumer of great music in itself has always been so rewarding which is why I pursued making it. Music is identity, therapy, relief, all the things you need it to be at any time. If my music can give people a fraction of the feelings I’ve received from others work throughout my life, I’ll feel like I have conquered the world.

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

My goal is always to get more people to listen. I genuinely think what I’m creating is influential, encouraging healthy individualism as well as absract thought. I have a vast backlog of ideas, due to years of inspiration and with the support of a fanbase some of these things I perceive to be great can finally be heard. My mission is to inspire the people take this musical jouney with me to grow in some way.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.marcorestrepo.com
• Instagram: www.instagram.com/goingmarco
• Facebook: www.facebook.com/themarcorestrepo
• Twitter: www.twitter.com/goingmarco
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/marcorestrepo1989

Image Credits
James Hemauer Marco Restrepo Elizabeth Clancy