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

Rob, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Can you tell us about a time that your work has been misunderstood? Why do you think it happened and did any interesting insights emerge from the experience?

I do not believe that not giving the people what they want is being a snob. I see art as pure expression based on one’s experiences executed through learned abilities and their capabilities.

The current musical landscape is filled with songs about romance and I have nothing against love songs as I have many favorites among that lyrical genre. However, with my own music, I’d like to put a spotlight on other themes that matter in life whether it affects us directly or indirectly – deeper subjects in the spectrum that are rarely given attention. A lot of musicians are obsessed with writing songs that appeal to masses yet in a shallow way, and most of it is simply pandering to what most people like.

Music is misunderstood as nothing but entertainment not just by the audience but also by their creators. And while it is true that music entertains, there’s also a whole other side to it – to show the reality of the world from different perspectives. We should also be able to see beauty in rawness, in darkness, & in suffering.

But at the same time, I don’t believe in creating something totally different just for the sake of being different. Instead I feel that each artist has to ultimately create their own voice, to carve their own identity just as each person is totally different from everyone else.

Rob, 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?

I am primarily a songwriter and performer. Since 2006, I have been producing my own music and as well as other artists’ songs through my own label Jam Lemon Records.

As an artist, I started as a vocalist from bands whom I wrote songs with. After a decade, I officially went solo with a backing band. I make music in different genres: rock/alternative, folk, electronic, instrumental, ballads.

As a producer, I try to challenge the artists to take a different approach in songwriting, arrangement, & production – to veer away from a tired formula. As much as I respect all artists, I am not keen on accepting clients who have nothing different to offer in the current musical landscape. I like working with artists who are not too drenched in the influence of limited genres.

In your view, what can society to do to best support artists, creatives and a thriving creative ecosystem?

Unless it’s an already popular artist, society takes artists for granted when in fact the world would be bleak without the arts. Books, stories, poems, films, visual arts, design, and songs give us deeper meaning and understanding of life. These unknown creatives are the ones that keep that going. People should remember that all artists they adore started out small. What can be done to support and keep the arts thriving is, firstly, for the government (both local and national) to give importance to artists through promotion and financial assistance; and secondly, for the masses to fairly pay the artists directly for their creations without any hesitation.

Do you think there is something that non-creatives might struggle to understand about your journey as a creative? Maybe you can shed some light?

The reality is not one person will ever fully understand another and I accept that. Still, it’s frustrating for us artists when non-creatives look down on us for being in a non-lucrative career. Money is the way of the world and that is true, which is why most artists also have regular jobs. But there are also those ones who abandon the financial aspect to be able to entirely focus on their art. Non-creatives are not able to grasp the idea of contentment through simple living yet rich in self-actualization.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.facebook.com/robequizamusic
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/robequiza
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/robequizamusic
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rob-equiza-79a09398/
• Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/robequiza
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/robequiza

Image Credits
Rany Raccoon