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

Marqevius, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. We’d love to hear about when you first realized that you wanted to pursue a creative path professionally.

I knew I wanted to pursue a creative/artistic path professionally when I was little. I always knew that I loved music. My grandmother, aunties, and mother were in a local family gospel group. I am not a singer by no means, but the inspirations of music always been with me. I tried to figure out ways I could express my interest in music and starting a music podcast/radio show was a great avenue to get my foot in the door in the music industry.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

I am Dj MarQ, host, producer, and curator of On The MarQ radio based out of Atlanta, Georgia. This platform is gears towards discovering new R&B and Neo Soul independent artist. I prided myself on getting interviews with the artist to allow their vocals/voices to heard instead of being muted with other more established music platforms.

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

The most rewarding aspect of being a creative is seeing the excitement in the artist when I explore their music and giving the artist the opportunity to talk about their music and brand. There are a lot of hungry artist out here that are seeking platforms to promote their music. Also, I love the feedback from the OTM family when they ask me “who sang that song?” As a creative, my mind goes to a space where I try to convey my feelings and voice in my shows. Whatever I feel is the type of show that I curate. In essence, On the MarQ radio saved me and it is my therapy. I hope that is translated in my shows and inspired my audience in this journey called Life. Truly, I believe that music is its own ecosystem that can foster healing and paint a beautiful picture in a world that is hurting.

We’d love to hear the story of how you built up your social media audience?

As far as building an audience on social media, I searched for groups that are similar to my platform. I joined online groups to promote my show. Furthermore, I included my audience by allowing them to have a voice. For example, I dedicated a whole show to British UK music artist called “The British Soulvasion Experience.” Conceptually, I want my audience to feel like their where in the UK. So, I searched and reached out to locals in that region and asked to be apart of that particular show. It exposes On The MarQ internationally for the platform, but allowed locals in UK to have a voice and let them know that I am here for them, which builds more social media activity and interaction. Also, when I curated a show, whatever song I play, I would tag the artist on instragram not only for my listeners to get the chance to know the artist, but the artist also would know that I hear their music and I appreciate what they do in the music industry. This marketing strategy creates growth on social media, but most importantly, building connections for future shows and opportunities.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.mixcloud.com/onthemarq
• Instagram: onthemarqradio