We were lucky to catch up with Mekfly recently and have shared our conversation below.
Mekfly, appreciate you joining us today. Did you always know you wanted to pursue a creative or artistic career? When did you first know?
I’ve been making music since I was 16 years old. I remember thinking of it more so a hobby that I really had a major passion for. It wasn’t until senior year talking to a good friend of mine who also makes music and had been professional at the time who told me to start taking music seriously. I’d always known the path music could lead to but I came to understand in the midst of that pivotal conversation what was truly possible. From that day since, I’ve had the goal in mind of where I want my music to be and where I want to build my career. It stopped feeling like a hobby and quickly became my second job.
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 find the hardest thing about creating music is my mood and what I’m crafting may not match but it’s ultimately the story that feels the most genuine because of what I’m going through. For example, I love making happy melodic summertime music but unfortunately, that’s not where I am in life. The music and sound I’ve moved toward feel more mature, and slightly darker in tone, but it’s what comes naturally, and fighting against that is when I begin to make music that doesn’t meet the standards I’m looking to represent and put forth. But I hope with this music resonating more within myself that my fans and listeners can relate to the things I’m talking about with my new album coming soon.
I think the thing I’m most proud of is my ability to continue to create, not from a technical standpoint, but in the sense of the need and want to create. No matter who is listening to the music today, tomorrow, or years from now, I hope I still have this love and passion that keeps me coming back to my studio to create and experiment because this has been my therapy for a long time.
Learning and unlearning are both critical parts of growth – can you share a story of a time when you had to unlearn a lesson?
One lesson that I had to unlearn is about “playing the game”. It’s no secret the hoops and gimmicky things artists have to do somewhat uncomfortably to build their name and brand and I don’t believe music is based upon one path. Living out in LA when I was younger I was constantly told to make music targeted to “Radio” or that my sound in certain songs was too different from the modern sound and I would adjust to every comment made.
I finally needed to figure out for myself that my path in music is my own to carve out and that commercial success isn’t the only success. It’s overall given me a greater appreciation of what music can be and it makes me pull inspiration from a much more honest place and I’ll be better for it in the long run.
Is there something you think non-creatives will struggle to understand about your journey as a creative?
I think non-creatives and/or new creatives should know it’s never easy being vulnerable and sharing your art with the world but when you do it’s not only brave but much needed. What makes our human existence so precious and unique is how common and shared it is while also being so wildly varied. Hearing similar ideas and even new concepts, topics, and perspectives is what makes creating art and consuming art so exciting to me.
So I hope every creative knows that there are people who are waiting and anticipating newer artists across so many mediums to offer new perspectives and the perfect way to start is to jump in how you feel comfortable, whether that be guided by video, trial and error, etc. Regardless as long as you’re creating what you want to create that’s all that matters.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.fogwoodrecords.com/mekfly
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mekfly_official/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCSH15hBjIv3Tt4Z6XHpxadA
Image Credits
Photos taken by my beautiful wife (Deborah Mekki-Araujo )