Hey Alwa, excited to get started! Could you give a background of yourself? Where did you grow up?
I was born and raised in Santa Cruz, and have lived in various parts including Capitola, the westside, scotts valley, watsonville, and midtown. My mom is Japanese, English, Irish, and French. And my dad is black.
What inspired you to pursue music? When and why did you decide to seriously pursue it?
I grew up with music in the household, my dad is a drummer. I started writing poetry around 8th grade, and then started rapping in 10th grade, as my friends at the time wanted to make a rap group. In 2016 is when I took it more seriously. By then, most of the friends I had started making music with no longer were pursuing it, and i realized that if i wanted it, i would need to go after it myself. I started 88 Over Everything, an independent label and house for all of my music related activities, including performing, event production, music production, and video production.
Who are your favorite artists, and what settings do you listen to them in?
Right now my favorite artists include J cole, Drake, and Nas. I typically get inspired by various artists though, and frequently try to find and listen to music that is “outside of the box”, because i think thats where true inspiration can be found. Normally I listen to music while I am driving, or in the background during the weekends. Life is pretty busy these days, so I dont get to listen as much as i wish i could.
It is super cool to hear you talk about life in Santa Cruz in your songs! How has the Santa Cruz area influenced you and your style?
Santa cruz is my home, but I have always had mixed feelings about it. As someone who is a minority here, its hard not to feel out of place or judged for simply existing. On one hand, I think Santa Cruz is a town that preaches free love, solidarity, and attempts to support the arts. On the other hand, I have found much of it to be performative and hiding the racist undertones that few people have been willing to publicly address outside of the past few years. If you listen closely to my music, you’ll see a lot of it is just me telling my story, in the hopes that it can reach someone, and possibly help them to feel a little more included, or understood.
Beyond that, I am highly influenced by local artists I grew up listening to, and actually went to a house party shortly after high school that shaped a big part of my career. I would include, Duce Company, Slop Opera, Serendipity Project, as groups and bands that really showed me what a Santa Cruz hip hop artist could be.
How has your experiences and identity influenced your views on life and music?
I recently showed someone my music, and they responded “its a lot like an autobiography right?”. And I thought that was such an insightful statement. When I first started writing music, I wrote what I thought people wanted to hear. Over time, I found the confidence to tell my story, and keep things real to me. Now, every song that you hear is from a piece of my life. Whether its my strengths, weaknesses, pain, joy, and everything in between. I am lucky enough to be able to write purely from the heart. I talk alot about the struggle of growing up poor, or feeling misunderstood. I talk about needing love, but finding it in unhealthy environments. I talk about my growth, and what I hope for the future. Really my music is just an open book and view into my life.
How has your family or being a father affected you?
When I was younger, I had promised myself that i was going to be a better dad than my father, at an early age. We never had a great relationship, and he left some time ago. That impacted me more than I realized, and it bleeds through during my songs. When I became a father myself, I remember I had mixed feelings the day i first held my daughter. I felt happiness, that I had a chance to love someone fully. I felt scared, because her life was now in my hands. And I felt anger, that my dad had the same chance and had decided to turn away.
Being a father helped me heal alot of those initial wounds, and watching my daughter grow up has been one of the most beautiful and challenging things in my life. I would not be anywhere close to where I am in my life without her, and am grateful she is in mine. I know a lot of artists that gave up on their dreams or held back and said it was because they had children. I personally think kids should inspire you to work harder and achieve dreams, because what they choose to believe they can do is a direct reflection of what you do.
What are some challenges you have faced in your music career?
One of the biggest challenges is finding a way to prioritize time. For me, music doesn’t pay the bills. Meaning monday through friday from 9-5 my time is accounted for. That leaves a small window in which I have to decide where the best use of my time is. Is it recording music? Something I love to do but that wont provide stable income in the moment. Is it filming for other artists, which provides income but doesnt feed the soul. Or is it just resting, so that I have the energy to continue. Its definitely made me realize that if its something you want bad enough, you have to come up with a strategy, and be kind to yourself, because no one can do it all.
What have you learned being an up-and-coming artist?
My biggest take away from being an up and coming artist is that so much of success can depend on chance. But I think we all create our own chances. I try to present as much content as possible online, because that increases my chances of something extraordinary happening. I think a lot of up and coming artists think that they just need to swing once, and knock it out the park. I have learned that you have to keep swinging, even when you knock it out the park, and possibly for the rest of your life.
What is something you would like to highlight that people may not otherwise see or know about being a recording artist?
I would say, it’s easier than most people think. Nowadays the technology is there, you can make an entire song off your phone, shoot the video for it with your phone, and upload it to youtube/spotify/itunes etc within 24 hours. I think its just a matter of how bad you actually want to do it.
The music industry is notoriously challenging. What about it would you change if you could?
Something I have often spoke about is the lack of mental health support in the music industry. most artists, are artists because we feel so much. We are sensitive by nature, and the same sensitivity that causes great art, can also cause a lot of pain without the right support. I would mandate that any record label who signs an artist provides mental health support directly to them, at least once a month with the option of going weekly as needed.
88 Over Everything is a local record label that many people probably don’t know about. Is there anything people should know about them? Anything you want to shout them out about?
Yes! 88 Over Everything is an independent record label run by me, which includes Alwa Gordon, the recording and performing artist, along with Shiesty Tracks, the producer. We produce projects, events, videos, podcasts etc. Essentially anything an artist would need, we provide. We have recently been looking to expand our offering through grants, and have piloted a program that would offer these services to artists at NO charge. We are still waiting to hear back from our sponsors, but if you read this and think you want to get involved, let me know!
Are there any hobbies you do that give you an outlet as a creative person, or that help you in your music? What do you find inspiration in?
I think so much of my work is creative work, that I don’t have a creative outlet. When I want time by myself, I enjoy skateboarding. It’s something I have done forever, but still makes me feel like a kid again. I am inspired most by the experiences I have. Often when I feel uninspired, I take it as a reminder to put a pause on the creation of music, and go live more. That can be as simple as putting the laptop down and watching TV, or as complex as booking a trip outside of the city. I think it’s so important to reset our creative brain as much as possible.
What is your favorite part of the music making process? What about the process do you dread doing?
My favorite part of the music making process is when I see the results. Often, I recorded the music by myself, and produced the beat. No one outside of my immediate household has heard it. Then I release it, and perform it. It went from being something I created in my room by myself, to spreading live in person. When I see someone in real time connecting with the words I wrote, there’s really no better feeling. All the other thoughts I had in my brain at the moment are lost, and I find myself feeling truly connected to the art. It’s hard to describe but it feels spiritual.
How do you feel about performing live versus working on something in the studio?
I think both are equally rewarding, but if I had to pick I would say performing live. The energy exchange and the authentic reactions are priceless. And most times, I leave the performance with more inspiration and ideas for the home studio.
Do you have any aspirations you are looking forward to?
I would love to make music/creativity my full time job, and be my main source of income, and also have more flexibility to spend time with my daughter. It can be a tricky balancing act, but one I am hopeful will be easier the more aligned I am with my passions. Beyond that, I am looking forward to the day I can add “Grammy Award Winning” to my name when I am being introduced.
What are you most looking forward to in the rest of 2024?
I have a few projects coming out, namely one with Alexandra The author, and a few solo pieces. I am excited about those, but also about supporting some other artists as well with content/production and helping to elevate them. I have said it before but there is nothing more joyful than being able to help the people you believe in.
Where can people find your stuff, or connect with you?
Best way is via Instagram, @alwagordon, I typically post the most recent updates there. Beyond that, spotify, youtube, apple music. It’s all under the same name. If it’s for booking or business of course email is great, 88overeverything@gmail.com.
Is there anything else we should know about you?
Fun fact, not a lot of people know I have real world industry experience. Back in 2011 I dropped a mixtape called 11th hour, which led me to be on some pretty cool peoples radar. They flew me out to Las Vegas to work on a few songs, and I got to work with Poo Bear (writer for Justin Bieber/Chris Brown/112) and the Audibles (producers for Justin Bieber/Lupe Fiasco and more). The whole experience was life changing, ultimately it showed me a real life example of people doing what I wanted to do, while supporting themselves financially. The best part was, when I was in the studio, it felt like “hey, this is what I do”. Oftentimes when I am working with artists, and I can see they don’t fully believe in the dream, I think back to those moments and remember that I have seen first hand it come true, and try to pass some of that energy along. So much of this comes down to self belief.
Thanks Alwa, thats all the questions we have for you! Get your ticket to the NEXTies to come say hi to him and other movers and shakers being highlighted at this years’ May 17th NEXTies awards! See you there!
