We were lucky to catch up with Rochester Juice recently and have shared our conversation below.

Rochester, appreciate you joining us today. It’s always helpful to hear about times when someone’s had to take a risk – how did they think through the decision, why did they take the risk, and what ended up happening. We’d love to hear about a risk you’ve taken.

I recently for the first time in a long time became a full time artist. It took me almost 2 years to build up the resources and confidence to take the leap. Its crazy because I’ve had some amazing opportunities that would justify me going full time a lot earlier but there’s something to be said about trusting you plan and seeing it through. I strategically laid out how I was gonna transition into full-time where in my younger years I would be more spontaneous. It’s still a struggle but I noticed that once I made that decision to remove the safety net and close that door a lot more doors started to open up that I didn’t expect. Now I take that lesson with me whenever I make big decisions and understand that faith is believing in what you can’t see and trusting that you’ve put in the work for it to all work out.

Rochester, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

My mantra is DREAMS DON”T HAVE DEADLINES so I’m all about perseverance and motivation. I’m very confident in my abilities and ambitious in my goals. Some of my biggest influences are Michael Jackson, Jay-Z, Kanye West, Bruce Lee, Kobe Bryant, Jiro Ono, Tina Turner and Snoop Dogg. I’ve worked with amazing talents like Boi-1da, Kardinal Offishal, Shawn Desman, Scott Storch and Drake. I’m also in a band called CUT THE L!GHTS and our music has been licensed to box office films, video games and streaming services. From films like SPIDER-MAN: ACROSS THE SPIDER-VERSE, A MAN CALLED OTTO & THE BLACKENING. To shows like YOUR HONOR, QUEEN OF THE SOUTH, RAISING DION, and a lot more. My Broken Toy Foundation which is inspired by my daughter Alyssa who suffers from cerebral palsy has raised over $10,000 for children with special needs. I loved performing since I was very young and was always the kid at the family bbq or thanksgiving putting on a show. So I’m not really surprised that I get to perform all over the world and have been honoured to share the stages with Chris Brown, Kanye West, Snoop Dogg and Nas.

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?

I dated a woman who grew up in a very structured environment and could never understand the concept of how a musician can have a successful career that wasn’t part of the small percentage that actually made it to the top. What most people don’t understand is that you don’t have to be as big as Jay-Z or Drake to have a stable and successful career in the biz. I’ve met tons of artists that aren’t as well known but are thriving because they tapped into what works for them. I think non-creatives and creatives a like need to understand that the music industry ike a lot businesses is all about relationship building and catering to your customers (or in our case fans). If you are consistent, true to self and willing to be comfortable in uncomfortable situations you can have a long standing career without a 1M followers on social media.

How can we best help foster a strong, supportive environment for artists and creatives?

I think society now knows that streaming an artists songs is not gonna help them pay their bills but there are so many ways that we can show support that can help them elevate financially. Of course buying tickets to show and copping merch helps put money in their pocket but if that’s not an option word of mouth is still the best form of advertisement. Sharing that artists music with your circle of friends and family helps a lot. Its not enough for someone to just “like” a picture or video. If you enjoy that artist make sure you are following them on every platform and subscribing to their channels with engagement. Even the most confident artist will have moments of doubt so letting them know they’re on the right path can do wonders for their creative spirit. For me, there were many times I thought about giving up but without fail every time that thought came in my head someone would send me a message telling me how much my music meant to them.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: http://bit.ly/3G7pg25
• Twitter: http://bit.ly/40RJpRW
• Youtube: http://bit.ly/40A789A
• LINKTREE: https://bit.ly/3Hre4Ox

Image Credits
Isa VIsuals Elisa Palazzo