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

Pendrick, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. When did you first know you wanted to pursue a creative/artistic path professionally?

I’ve always had musical ideas in my head and played drums in church and school and growing up, but I didn’t know exactly how to turn my passion into an actual career. after high school I joined the ARMY with hopes of joining the army band but I never did get into the music Side of the military because instead of being in the band, they made me an infantryman. which is pretty much the frontline fighter and honestly I hated it . one day I was on a roof in baghdad midway thru my 1 year trip to Iraq and I was watching making the band on the classic iPod with the wheel lol. In the video I saw Bryan michael. cox instructing day 26 how to sing certain parts of the song , and his voice sounded very similar to mine. not super singy, but good enough to translate the idea for the artist . seeing that studio behind the scenes footage was monumental for me and I knew instantly that I wanted to be a producer/songwriter. a year later I was out of the military and in phoenix Arizona learning audio engineering at CRAS.

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

So the easiest way to understand what I do, would be to compare it to a coach, or a personal trainer, but for music. I help artists make songs and push them beyond their normal boundaries. helping tell them words to execute , emphasize, and arrange their thoughts musically to give them a polished song/sound.

Im really proud that I’ve been able to sustain a career in this industry and be well respected and collaborate with literally the biggest writers and producers of our generation. im especially proud to have collaborated with hundreds of upcoming artists, and major stars.

Ive always loved the idea of helping the underdog reach a whole new level so im excited to continue meeting and developing the new stars of tomorrow.

Any insights you can share with us about how you built up your social media presence?

for me ive always been a bit more introverted .I knew that I wasn’t into partying or clubs , so I had to find other ways to network. for me that was always social media . online u have access to EVERYONE , as long as you present yourself in a way that shows your value . as far as my content its usually my journey. people have gotten to grow with me during my acscent. im constantly making music, putting on instagram live showcases, trying new trends and just generally showing my personality on my page .

How about pivoting – can you share the story of a time you’ve had to pivot?

so I started as a producer. ive always written songs in the background but I was primarily a producer the first 7 years of my career. around 2018 music started shifting and I basically fell out of love with the beat making part and decided to change my name and completely focus on songwriting . I changed my name changed my look completely and became PENDRICK. aka Pendrick Lamar. it was one of the best decisions ive ever made because it allowed my value to be extended into a whole other niche , and still maintain the relationships and knowledge I had developed as a producer.

Contact Info:

• Website: penstateu.com
• Instagram: @pendrick
• Twitter: @akapendrick
• Youtube: YouTube.com/songwriterpendrick