Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Tonee Marino . We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Hi Tonee, thanks for joining us today. How did you learn to do what you do? Knowing what you know now, what could you have done to speed up your learning process? What skills do you think were most essential? What obstacles stood in the way of learning more?
Regarding learning how to write and produce my own music, it was a gradual process. I started out with zero musical experience whatsoever. I taught myself how to write by scrolling through beats on the internet until finding something that clicked, and once I did I’d try to hum out a melody and rhythm, then replacing that with words to match whatever vibe I got from the instrumental. Over time I got better and better, but I was tired of searching for beats that I didn’t create, because I felt I couldn’t achieve my vision 100% that way. So I decided to take up producing, learning how on the producer program FL Studio. After a few years of dedication, my beats were sounding better, more unique, and the mix was sounding professional. The same with my lyrics as well. The more songs I wrote, the better I got at coming up with complex bars and punchlines that people could relate to or just appreciate for the creativity of it.
Tonee, 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’m Tonee, a 20 year old artist and producer from New York. I got into music at 12 years old, starting out posting covers of popular songs on social media. After gaining traction through that, I eventually began putting out my own records which I now write, produce, and co-engineer myself. A goal I keep in mind when making my music is to motivate the listener to be the best version of themselves, and also build a friendship through relatable topics I sometimes speak about on my more serious, less party-driven records. I’d like them to know they’re not alone in whatever struggle they may be going through, and to keep their head up during hard times. Aside from my own music, I also produce beats for other artists, as well as songwrite & engineer. What sets me apart from other creatives in my field is my work ethic, and my uniqueness. I’m very creatively diverse, being that I listen to many different genres and styles of music I’m able to create good songs in any genre I take a stab at. I’ve found success with my unique mix of modern rap and house music, which people have been listening to the most out of my catalog. I’m of course proud of the numerical accolades I’ve achieved, whether that be number of followers, streams, crowd size at live shows, etc. but the thing I’m proud of most is the number of people I’ve inspired on my journey. I’ve been to many different schools and youth events all throughout the Tristate area, doing motivational speaking and performances, trying to show kids that they can really achieve anything they put their mind to. I also try to get back to as many DMs as I can that ask me for advice and things of that nature.
Any insights you can share with us about how you built up your social media presence?
I started out by posting cover videos of popular music on socials. The progress was always very gradual, but over time the numbers started to multiply. The more you do something the better you get at it, and the better you are the more people want to see you. But a key for growth has always been consistency. Find a style of content that suits who you are, and once you really perfect that, make sure you come up with a schedule for uploads. I’d upload on all socials, because the more markets you’re in, the more reach you have. Be very self-analytical, theres always room to improve. Once you start to see something work, go harder at it and you will see the growth.
What do you think is the goal or mission that drives your creative journey?
I have a number of goals I’d like to achieve through my journey. Firstly I just want to keep growing as an artist, I feel like my potential increases by the day. I put a lot of work into perfecting my sound, and I’d like to keep experimenting with new sounds and just make music that people want to dance to, or relate to, or get inspired and motivated by. I also would like to devote a large part of my life to helping people in need all around the world once I’m in the financial position to do so. My main mission in life though is to make God and my family proud.
Contact Info:
- Website: toneemarino.net
- Instagram: Toneemarino – https://instagram.com/toneemarino?igshid=OGQ5ZDc2ODk2ZA==
- Facebook: Tonee Marino – https://www.facebook.com/toneemarino?mibextid=LQQJ4d
- Twitter: Toneemarino – https://twitter.com/toneemarino?s=21&t=HicOOXwpE4jHDS8ABBbVRw
- Youtube: Tonee Marino – https://youtube.com/@ToneeMarino
- Spotify: Tonee Marino – https://open.spotify.com/artist/21UFN5zFxnMGuYahHjcd0p?si=xoHGcaZ3Tw6BZlqrtJ9OEQ
Image Credits
All photo credits go to Eric Snell (Instragram: @esnelldesign)