We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Megan Kasuyama. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Megan below.

Megan, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today We’d love to hear about when you first realized that you wanted to pursue a creative path professionally.

I was 18 & I had just graduated high school, it was summertime and I was about to go to university. I really wasn’t in the best living situation, wasn’t ready to take on debt and live the same way for another 4 years with the hopes to move out somehow in between all that. It felt impossible at the time. So I ended up leaving with my best friend Paul. We had nothing but backpacks, sleeping bags, a few clothes, & a small savings. We both played music but weren’t very good & didn’t take it seriously. We couch surfed for a bit & ended up living on a farm with this amazing mosaic artist named Elizabeth. She had built her whole property through believing in her dreams & pursuing her art. She had even left her home too when she was around our age & traveled across the country from Michigan to San Francisco just to be an artist. It was in that moment I realized I would never give up on my dream. I would rather give up everything material in the world before giving up on my dream of speaking & connecting through the power of music.

After that we made our way back to LA, made it the mission to find every piece of musical equipment that had been scattered amongst friends & family, & through that, manifested a place to live & create a musical collective where we played music every day. Since then, I have never stopped playing and have always sought new ways to innovate my craft & connect with other people in the community. Music is a language that not only connects, but heals the soul. When I decided to pursue my passions, & stop listening to what society told me to do, it was like the whole world opened up for me. I will never forget the pure magic that came from that decision.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

I am Kasuyama, a Japanese / Mexican musician from Los Angeles. I write songs from my experiences that I hope connect with other people & their experiences too. Music helped me get through some crazy times in my life & I hope to do the same for others with my songs.

I’m just a musician in a sea of musicians, just riding the wave & enjoying the people I connect with on this magical journey. I hope to tour one day & travel the world doing what I love, playing these songs & connecting with different minds. I’m proud of never becoming discouraged from this journey. Having admiration for other musicians’ success rather than envy is a trait I’ve developed over time & am forever grateful that I did.

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

When people tell me different things they feel from my songs. Like one person will say it was a love song; another will say it was about someone who passed away; & another will say it reminded them of nostalgia or childhood. I love that, because people hear what they connect to. They don’t have to know the intention behind why I wrote these songs to connect or interpret them in their own way.

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

I would really like to leave a positive impact on this world. Like no matter where you come from, you matter, & you can find happiness. This world is filled with so much destruction, hate, & greed. At times it feels so hopeless & I remember feeling like that so much as a kid. I can only imagine what other children feel all over the world. I want everyone to feel like they deserve happiness & that they can & are destined to achieve it. I’ve always been a strong activist minded individual and would love to use any platform I attain to support the community and causes that I stand for.

Contact Info:

• Website: http://bio.site/kasuyama
• Instagram: http://instagram.com/mkasuyama
• Other: Spotify:

Image Credits

Pic 1 – Isaac I Trevino
Pic 3 – Christian A Cadena