NEOVAII is an electronic musician hailing from the USA. Finding his passion for music at a very young age, Neovaii has previously worked in genres spanning from Alternative Rock to Pop, until finding his calling in Electronic music. From there, his work with various electronic groups, ranging from Dubstep to Trap, has been featured on Billboard Heatseekers charts, Next Big Sound charts, and others.
WHAT OR WHO INSPIRED YOU TO GET INTO MUSIC?
As a child, I’d frequently mess around with instruments but really got into it during high school when a few friends and I put together a rock band. At first, we were inspired by artists such as Muse, Radiohead, Oasis, and The White Stripes, among others. Over time, that passion evolved into production, and my interests and inspirations shifted, with inspiration drawing from artists such as Skrillex, Deadmau5, and Diplo, to name a few.
HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE YOUR STYLE OF MUSIC AND PERFORMANCE? HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE YOUR PHILOSOPHY AND STYLE AS AN ARTIST?
It’s always been a bit tough to label music for me, but I’ve settled into describing my sound as Electronic Trap Pop. Generally, I think of music much the same as lyrics in the sense that it can capture a feeling or an emotion, but far more vaguely than lyrics would. To that end, I write music with the idea of capturing a certain feeling, with the vocals on top serving as an enhancement to that.
WHAT DRIVES YOU TO CREATE, AND HOW DO YOU DEFINE SUCCESS FOR YOURSELF IN MUSIC?
I’d like to think that for me, motivation comes from trying to push myself out of my comfort zone. Challenging myself in that way is what I think is the main driving factor. Success for me is defined by the impact that the music has been able to have on the listeners.
THROUGHOUT YOUR CAREER, WHO WERE THE MOST BENEFICIAL PEOPLE IN GETTING YOU TO WHERE YOU WANTED TO BE? WAS IT MANAGEMENT, ASSISTANTS, A&RS? HOW DID THEY HELP?
As an independent self-released artist, getting the music out there was definitely a challenge starting out. I had reached out to A&Rs, promoters, and creators in the hopes that they might believe in the music. I feel extremely grateful and lucky that the community of trap and electronic music curators on YouTube believed in the project and helped to provide it with a platform.
SOMETIMES BEING IN THIS BUSINESS CAN BE REALLY OVERWHELMING. DO YOU HAVE ANY TIPS FOR MAINTAINING PERSPECTIVE AND NOT SWEATING THE SMALL STUFF?
There have been (and there still are) plenty of moments where I’ve felt overwhelmed, or focused too much on a single failure, which can easily lead to a mindset of constantly thinking of everything that’s going wrong. In my case, I’ve been able to mostly overcome those mental traps by taking a few steps back and reminding myself to be grateful for the good things in my life, like my friends and family.
DO YOU HAVE ANY ADVICE FOR YOUNG ARTISTS AND MUSICIANS JUST STARTING THEIR CAREERS, BASED ON WHAT YOU'VE EXPERIENCED?
I’d say that if you’re looking to get your music out there, it pays to do lots of research into the community surrounding your specific niche and genre, and try to become a part of it. Reach out to creators, curators, and promoters within that community, and most importantly never give up trying.
YOU'VE WORKED WITH MANY GENRES SPANNING FROM ALTERNATIVE ROCK TO POP AND ULTIMATELY FOUND YOUR CALLING IN ELECTRONIC MUSIC. WHAT DID THAT JOURNEY LOOK LIKE FOR YOU, AND HOW WAS IT WORKING WITH SO MANY DIFFERENT GENRES?
When I initially started getting into music seriously, my friends and I were writing Rock music through software called Guitar Pro. It was a very simple and rudimentary piece of software at the time, meant mostly for writing guitar tabs, but allowed for some more complexity with drum programming and some layering. Messing with that software for the first time sparked an interest in production, and, over time, I moved to Garageband and eventually Logic Pro and Ableton. Throughout that journey, I had tried my hand at producing Rock and Pop with friends as part of bands, and eventually Dubstep. Since then, I’ve been producing Electronic music.
IS THERE ANYTHING YOU KNOW NOW THAT YOU WISH YOU WOULD'VE KNOWN WHEN YOU FIRST GOT STARTED IN MUSIC?
Something I wish I would’ve known starting out, and still struggle with today, is to try not to be too precious about anything. Being flexible and adaptive can be really important, and it can be difficult to let go of an idea once you’ve committed, but sometimes doing just that is the best thing.
WHAT'S NEXT FOR YOU? ANY UPCOMING PROJECTS OR PLANS FOR 2021-2022?
Certainly! I’m currently working on my 2 next albums, which I’m really excited about :) I’m hopeful that they’ll release sometime in early 2022.
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