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

Reuben, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Can you talk to us about a project that’s meant a lot to you?

The most meaningful projects I’ve worked on so far are the singles I’ve been working on for the last 2-3 years that I plan to release as singles. I have worked hard on writing and producing them and getting input and feedback from a lot of different people, which I’m very grateful for. This period has been incredibly tumultuous and chaotic in my personal and professional life and mental health. I also started ketamine therapy for treatment-resistant depression during this time. I had a songwriting coach during the writing and re-writing of these songs and I worked very hard to get them where they needed to be, despite the many ups and downs of life going on in the background. I have been performing them during my shows this year and can’t wait for everybody else to be able to hear them on streaming platforms.

Reuben, 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 Reuben Walton, and I am an Indie Soul artist from New England. In my music, I skillfully blend vulnerability and humor, drawing inspiration from 2000s pop, indie rock, and contemporary hip-hop. My 2021 single, “Get Out,” exemplifies my focus on empowerment. Since releasing a self-titled EP in 2019 with producer AVLI Music, I have shifted to regularly dropping stand-alone singles. Career highlights include performances at UMass Lowell and various venues across the Greater Boston area. Most recently, I have been supporting The ZYG 808 on his Build/Destroy tour and preparing new singles for release, including one that is a collaboration with The ZYG 808 entitled “He Didn’t Get It”, which was released on November 11, 2024. I’ve included the single artwork here!

My journey into music was a roundabout and deeply personal one. As a kid, I was captivated by music—it became both a stimulating escape and a way to process my experiences, particularly as someone on the spectrum facing behavioral challenges and shyness. Music has always held a profound emotional resonance for me, offering moments of beauty and expressiveness that are difficult to put into words but deeply human.

My initial exposure to music came through the eclectic tastes of my family. I grew up listening to artists like Mariah Carey, LINKIN PARK, Avril Lavigne, The Sundays, The Smiths, Björk, Liz Phair, Fiona Apple, The Innocence Mission, and Portishead, as well as genres like shoegaze, indie folk, dream pop, and electronic music. Early on, I began experimenting with music alongside a friend I met in a Björk fan group on MySpace. We embraced an experimental approach, playing with effects and creating freely without formal training.

Over time, I transitioned to songwriting, drawing on my talent for writing raps and poems. I also honed my vocal abilities by singing covers and developing original melodies. While I experimented with guitar early on, most of my music evolved from producing melodic tracks in the pop, soul, and R&B space—the “millennial wheelhouse.” My creative process became intuitive, driven by top-lining over my own beats and compositions. This allowed me to bypass some of the technical challenges I faced with traditional instruments and instead lean into my voice and songwriting instincts.

Although my guitar played a smaller role in my journey, it has occasionally surfaced in my work. For example, “On and On” and “Bittersweet” from my self-titled EP started as guitar-based compositions. However, my focus has always been on producing immersive melodies and dramatic, atmospheric statements that reflect the full spectrum of my influences.

I formalized my passion by studying Music Business at UMass Lowell and participating in summer programs at Berklee College of Music as a teenager. My self-titled EP was a significant milestone; I collaborated with my guitar teacher, Aston Wright of Mets Music in Mashpee, MA, to create charts for all the songs on my EP, for guitar, bass, keys, and other instruments. Ultimately, my music reflects a synthesis of everything I’ve ever loved about sound—a celebration of melody, beauty, adventure, humor, and emotion.

What can society do to ensure an environment that’s helpful to artists and creatives?

We really need to start taking streaming rates seriously and call out the unfair system that lets top executives at streaming platforms live in luxury while paying artists practically nothing. Music is one of the most valued parts of our lives, yet the way the system works now, it’s treated like it’s worth next to nothing. Getting paid fractions of a penny per stream is outrageous and sends a clear message that creators don’t matter as much as they should.

The thing is, this system isn’t some unchangeable force of nature—it’s something that was set up by governments, corporations, and industry leaders. And because it’s man-made, it can absolutely be changed. Whether it’s through new laws, pushing for fairer streaming models, or supporting platforms that put artists first, there are ways to fix this.

At the heart of it, this ties into a bigger issue: valuing workers. Artists, like anyone else, deserve to be fairly compensated for their work. The streaming model as it stands now is just one example of a system that needs a serious overhaul. Change is possible, but it’s going to take all of us paying attention, speaking up, and supporting the right kind of change.

Looking back, are there any resources you wish you knew about earlier in your creative journey?

Discovering events like the ASCAP EXPO (now known as the ASCAP Experience), music networking conferences, songwriting retreats, and writing camps was a real game-changer for me. I’m so glad I eventually became aware of those opportunities. I’ve learned that Los Angeles is such a major hub for the music industry, and it’s amazing how much inspiration and connection can come from just being in the right spaces. When I attended the ASCAP EXPO for the first time in 2015, it opened so many doors—it’s where I met the producer I worked with on my self-titled EP, which I released in 2019. Those experiences have taught me so much, and while it would have been great to have started exploring pop music and these resources earlier, I’m grateful for the journey and the connections I’ve made along the way.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.reubenwalton.com
• Instagram: https://instagram.com/reubenwaltonmusic
• Facebook: https://facebook.com/reubenwaltonmusic
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/reubenwalton/
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/reuben_walton
• Youtube: https://youtube.com/reubenwalton
• Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/user_details?userid=ptZBoFHuGeTUUBHHgNMV-A
• Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/reuben-walton
• Other: https://www.tumblr.com/blog/reubenwaltonn

Image Credits

Zyg Peters

@jremdoesitall on IG

Molly Sauter

Reuben Walton