We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Nevin Shoker a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Alright, Nevin thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. If you could go back in time do you wish you had started your creative career sooner or later?
I definitely wish I would’ve started it sooner. Even though I started creating and making music at the age of 14, I didn’t move to LA to fully pursue my passions until I was 23. If I had moved to LA when I was 18 and went to college out here then I feel like I would’ve leveled up a lot faster. Mainly due to the creative environment that exists out here. My hometown of Modesto, CA is a quiet place mainly for families. There wasn’t much out there in terms of the music scene so I feel like I missed out on some great opportunities while I was in college when I could’ve simultaneously have been getting my education while submerging myself into the LA music scene.
Nevin, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?
My name is Nevin Shoker but I go by the name ibeshocker. I am a Hip-Hop recording artist and audio engineer. I mix and master music for clients as well as for myself and I’ve been chasing my musical endeavors since I was 14. My earliest inspirations actually began with the video game Rock Band. From there I really fell in love with rock music. Eventually I discovered artists like Logic, Mac Miller, Wiz Khalifa in the early 2010s during the blog era. I started watching videos of Mac Miller when he was in high school and I thought “wow. This kid is the same age as me and still in high school. And here I am in California watching his music video.” That was a moment for sure where I thought to myself that anything is possible and if he can do it I can do it too. It served as my earliest inspiration. From there I started writing my own music and creating my own music videos. Even though we had low budgets, I was able to fundraise thousands of dollars alongside my fans to continue funding these storyline based music videos that looked like they were high level productions, while in reality it was a bunch of kids all serving their roles and trying to make something amazing happen with limited financial resources. The first video we created in 2021, a song called “F*ck You” ended up gaining 2.6 million views on YouTube. All thanks to the power of those who donated and believed in what my team and I were wanting to do. The next video we created for “Fall for You” also saw some success as well gaining over 20 million views in total on TikTok. It was an amazing time period. Even though it was during Covid, it felt like we were all finally able to clearly see the vision and knew what we had to do to get there. Of course as an artist and creative there are always the ups and downs. After covid ended and music wasn’t bringing us as much money, my team and I all had to get jobs to continue funding our living expenses while LA rent kept increasing. It’s been a struggle financially for sure but that’s never stopped me from plotting up new videos and continue chasing my passions. I’m hoping to start a new video rollout beginning in 2024 and I can’t wait to share the new music and visuals with all of you listening!
Is there something you think non-creatives will struggle to understand about your journey as a creative?
I think it’s hard, especially in relationships for your partner to truly understand what it is you do when they are used to financial stability and traditional career choices. There’s nothing wrong with their point of view and what they want for themselves. I would love to have financial stability, but for me I see life like this: we are spending 85% of our lives at work. We see our coworkers more than our families. If I am going to spend 85% of my life working, I want it to be a job that I love and am passionate about. If I can make music 24-7 that would be a dream in itself, but unfortunately I can’t do that due to finances. I still work a normal regular job to keep the roof over my head while I continue to chase my dreams. I think sometimes though it’s hard for a partner to understand what it is exactly that you see in your head because they can’t really relate to it. I think compromise and communication in this situation can go a long way and as long as you continue to grow in your career and show that you are willing to make sacrifices and do the things that you don’t want to do so that one day you can do the things you do want. It can really go a long way.
How did you build your audience on social media?
I found that social media and especially tik tok is like everybody has their own tv shows. Everyone is a micro influencer and not a major celebrity. Everyone has a niche. The best thing I can say is niche down and don’t just perform lip synch songs and say”new song out now link in bio” the second you do that people get the ick because they think you’re trying to sell them something. Instead live your life like normal and let the camera capture it. Don’t force your tik tok videos and expect a result from them. Detach yourself from the result and fall in love with the process.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://instagram.com/ibeshocker?igshid=MTNiYzNiMzkwZA%3D%3D&utm_source=qr
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nevin-shoker-235998174
- Youtube: https://youtube.com/@ibeshocker209?si=wK0AD9pOfq8a502M
- Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@ibeshocker?_t=8i4bY6W2sGt&_r=1
Image Credits
George C https://instagram.com/midnightblue_gc?igshid=MTNiYzNiMzkwZA== @midnightblue_gc