Today
I am thrilled to bring you an interview I conducted with Brandon
Evans. And I have to start things off by telling you how nice
and refreshing it was to spend some time with this terrific, talented,
young man.
He
was soft-spoken, thoughtful, and incredibly gracious with his
time and attention as we spoke. There is no sign of insincerity
from him… as he would listen to my questions, pause in consideration,
and often cover a tremendous amount of ground with his replies.
And for those that know him… those that follow and interact with
him… and, in my case, for those that know his family… none of
his personality is a surprise. He is the genuine article. Incredibly
pleasant, and when talking to you, always seemingly happy to be
right where he is and not distracted by anything else.
I
just so happen to have known his mother, Robin, for many years.
She is about as even-keeled and grounded as they come. An easy
enough image of her can be created by how many people associated
with Brandon and his sister refer to her simply as Momma Evans.
It’s appropriate, and lovingly offered.
The
talent in this family is spread all around. His mother has sung
and performed. His sister, Briana, participates in cheerleading
and dance competitions across the country… and wins.
Then
there’s Brandon… which is where we were headed all along…
As
I sit to write this, Brandon has more than 25,000 likes for his
music page on Facebook. Head over to Twitter, and you’ll find
he just passed 275,000 followers. You don’t need to be heavily
involved in either site to know those are pretty impressive numbers.
Then
there’s YouTube.
Brandon’s
channel on YouTube has more than 90,000 subscribers. His video
for “Can’t Wait Forever”… 122,000+ views. Heck… his cover of “Wrecking
Ball” has passed 119,000 views. People are watching -- and people
are enjoying -- what this young man is offering.
In
June of 2013 he released a new song -- “Don’t run away” -- which
has a video you can check out, or better still, head
over to YouTube and check out all of his material.
(Trust me… not only is there a lot of it, there is also almost
always something new to enjoy.)
His
complete presence on YouTube includes a terrific selection of
covers and some high-quality productions of several songs. As
we noted, he is amazingly active on the social media platforms,
quite often posting comments, thoughts, and suggestions. And he
interacts with his followers at a dizzying pace.
In
short, not only has he earned this high level of support, he also
works very hard to maintain it.
On
the afternoon we met, Brandon and his sister sat with me for about
an hour. I would like to thank both of them for their time and
consideration.
Also,
since we first worked on this project, Brandon has been incredibly
busy. He’s been performing live and touring, and started 2015
off with the release of “Sky Rider”, a brand new single. In addition
to the links at the end of this page, you can find out more about
his material by checking out:
Sky
Rider at iTunes
Artist
page for Brandon Evans at iTunes
Sky
Rider at Amazon
Artist
page for Brandon Evans at Amazon
And
now… let’s get to it… Brandon Evans…
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~ ~ ~
I’ve
heard that some of your first memories involve being on stage,
singing with your mother.
(Laughs)
Yeah, that’s true.
I’ll
guess that I was probably 3 or 4 at the time I can first recall.
I can almost hear my mother singing “Circle of Life” as my dad
helped me up and I walked onto the stage while she rehearsed.
That
developed into a regular thing for me. Mom would be at a rehearsal,
and I’d be there stealing her microphone.
Was
there ever a moment where a thought -- like “this is for me” --
was in your head during those days?
I
don’t know if it was back in those first memories, but it wasn’t
too long after. The simple truth is, as much as I can remember,
I have always been singing. It could have been on stage back then,
or when I was 6 or 7 and in the car, or, really anyplace.
As
far as knowing it was something I’d like to do, that probably
came about when I was maybe 10 or 11. That was when I started
expanding things. Even today I still work on covers and mimicking
vocal styles and efforts from others. But about 8 years ago was
when I recall not just being fascinated by melodies, but also
the writing of music and lyrics, and the process of creating music
and songs and expressing things on my own.
It
was probably around the same time that I became aware of the idea
of being a performer as a profession. I’m fortunate to have so
much technology available to me, because it made finding out about
record companies and the industry easier. I could also follow
things, in and out of the mainstream, in ways that just weren’t
as simple twenty or thirty years ago.
I
can understand that idea. When I was younger, you might have to
wait three or four or more hours to hear a particular song on
the radio, even if it was one of the most popular songs that week.
And now, you can hop on the internet and find even the rarest
and most obscure songs within one or two search efforts. Is the
internet one of your major sources then?
(Nodding)
Absolutely. I find a lot on the internet.
And
yet, it’s funny, because even in just a few short years so much
has changed. If you go back to those days when I was 10, 11 and
12, Lady Gaga and Justin Bieber hadn’t really done anything yet.
Myspace was still big.
But
even as it grows and changes, the internet is still the biggest
thing. Everyone has to be there, posting on it or viewing what
has been posted. All of the biggest artists are on it, using it,
and often are using it in ways no one ever expected it to be used.
In
the early days for me it was Michael Jackson and Usher. And being
able to not only hear the music, but to see so many great performances
just added a level that’s hard to explain.
Does
that make it difficult? Meaning the internet. So much of writing
music, especially lyrics, can come from a personal place. And
then here you go, sharing it with the world, and in a format where
it can be seen over and over again.
I
really like writing my own material, so I’d say yes.
A
lot of artists don’t write their own material. And it’s not easy,
especially when you are reaching into very personal areas for
inspiration. Often the most personal thoughts, which can be very
scary and difficult to share, can produce the best results. Plus,
there are thoughts and events and themes you simply don’t want
to touch.
Demi
Lovato’s recent stuff comes to mind. I like it. I like it very
much. And yet look at everything she has been through in the past
year or two.
To
your question, everyone is watching, and sometimes no matter which
direction you go in people want to critique it immediately. These
days, the speed and ease of technology means the response can
be instant and very public.
The
thing is, and this may be a bit off from what you mean, I love
interacting with people. It’s great. So an added element is that
once out in public, many times you don’t know who you are interacting
with. People want to be friends on Facebook, and yet you don’t
know for certain who it is that you are responding to.
And
there you are, potentially in a lightning rod kind of situation.
Exactly!
I want to believe it’s really rare, but an example would be the
person you think is your age or older is actually just 10 or 11
and knows enough with computers to click the right boxes and open
an account, and then they want to be your friend. Take that concept
and go to extremes. It can be very scary.
The
thing is though, honestly, it’s very important for me to connect
with people. That means an exchange of trust. I really appreciate
my fans. I want the fans, and even their parents, to feel they
know who they’re supporting and who they’re with. I think if I
stay true to myself, working hard and delivering the best efforts
I can, that level of trust will create a great connection between
myself and an audience.
And
that’s something I’m aware of when it comes to producing my material.
I’ve worked on 90-100 different songs, and to this day we’ve only
released 13 tracks.
What’s
been the hardest part so far?
Getting
started. (Laughs)
I
think it was probably around 2010 when I started posting some
covers on YouTube. Basically, I had seen others doing it, and
figured if they could, then so could I.
I
covered a Jason Derulo song. The very next day I was thrilled
to see it had more than 20,000 views.
The
reality is, I’m still pretty young and learning about what I enjoy
and want to do. Seeing those views, and then having reactions
on YouTube, Twitter, Facebook and so on, it is really great seeing
the support grow. And yet, I’m outside of the party and dance
music. I really appreciate a soulful voice, and the comeback of
cool music. People like Gotye and Justin Timberlake.
Early
on I worked with Kevin Wales. (Editor’s note – with the song and
video “Can’t Wait Forever”) I will forever be grateful to Kevin
for what he taught me. I am blessed to have worked with him. Lately
I have been with Dave Brown, and we released “Don’t Run Away”
earlier this summer.
I
guess what I’m saying is, if you want to be successful, it’s all
hard and all different. And I want to be involved in the entire
process.
Different
labels, different markets, work on things like sales of albums
and singles. Some people only hear, or only record, two or three
songs and don’t even have a full album of material. It’s hard
to get music played on the radio, even when you have a great fan
base already in place.
Talent
can only get you so far in the process. You have to constantly
be working on things, moving forward, and, sometimes, be in the
right place at the right time.
So,
in one way of describing it, you’re looking to be more than just
the singer, and you want to think long term about your efforts.
Yes!
That’s exactly it.
Whether
you enjoy their music or not, Taylor Swift and Lady Gaga are involved
in all aspects of their careers. That trust, that honesty I mentioned
a few minutes ago, that’s what you get from them. Everything done
for their careers, from writing to performing to promoting, involves
their efforts and input. You can say some of it is image and branding,
but it still has their stamp of approval, that honesty behind
it. And you can see how respected their audiences feel, and how
loyal they are in response.
People
don’t see this as a career. Many don’t appreciate the long run.
I don’t want to just jump in. I’m doing this because I absolutely
love it, and I want it as a long term career.
Song
writing. How does it work for you? Music first or lyrics?
For
me the melodies come first. I add the lyrics to that.
I
find that the melody is the deeper feeling of the song. It creates
whether the song is dark, light, happy, and so on.
It’s
a process though, like anything. I would guess I usually have
10 or 11 melodies floating around in my head trying to take on
a real form that I want to use.
Do
you play any musical instruments?
I
approach my voice as my instrument. I am learning how to play
the guitar, and I used to play the violin. I can also play the
piano a bit by ear.
All
of that said, it is my singing that I focus on. I practice my
singing and take voice lessons. So I do work on my singing all
the time, the same way a guitarist would pick up a guitar and
practice.
Considering
how many levels of the industry are available, would you be happy
focusing on one aspect more than another? For example, more songwriting
and less performing.
(Pauses)
It’s an interesting question, but it’s not the way I’m thinking
about my future.
Songwriters
get to do a lot of different things, and often things an artist
can’t. A successful mainstream artist can find it very difficult
to change out of an image, and create a new personality or perception.
And
some people simply don’t want to be viewed as role models.
So
for whatever reason, there are going to be people that are attracted
to certain parts of the business, and they aren’t as pleased with
other parts of it.
For
me though, I’m really blessed to be in the music industry, and
doing what I like. So that focus you mention is wide open, on
a career from working on my own material all the way to performing
it. There might be some things that I like doing more than others,
and even some things I’ll eventually find I don’t like. Right
now I view them as part of the work, and part of taking chances
to improve and get better.
And
honestly, when I get to interact with people, there’s nothing
better than seeing people smile and have them tell you they enjoyed
something you worked hard on.
Do
you ever wonder about how a song will connect with its audience
as you’re working on it?
Sure.
I mean, it’s not something that I use to force a song. I don’t
find it determining what lyrics I use and so on.
You
hear all the time about how people say that a song, because of
the feeling it created or how the words connected, made them feel
better. And I’ve had people say things like that to me. It’s great.
I really do enjoy making people happy.
When
I’m working on a song though, I’m trying to almost sculpt something.
I’m using music and words to create it, but the general concept
holds true. I’m giving something form, and doing that with my
thoughts on presentation.
That
means crafting the music and the lyrics, yes?
I
don’t know if I can really explain it, but I really believe that
in a song a note and a word can both have the same effect for
someone listening to it. A person can just as easily not understand
what a musician is trying to create with the music as they can
miss the idea of a phrase or lyric.
A
good portion of songwriting is expressing yourself, but you’re
also really looking to connect. You want someone to listen to
what you have to say. You want someone to listen to the song.
You
might change the beat around, or try different instruments. You’re
the artist. If you want to use a kazoo because it breaks the tension
with a bit of humor, or because you think it makes the absolutely
perfect sound you want in the song, go for it. Do what you need
to do to find that hook.
You’re
very active in social media efforts. Do you find the marketing
of your music, of your brand, to be difficult?
I’ll
say it’s different. And at times it is work. But I don’t know
if difficult is the right word.
For
me, the social media efforts fall into a few different categories.
Obviously some of it is marketing. I want people to know what
I’m doing, and to be aware of what I’m working on. That’s the
business side. But I am equally interested in just talking to
people. I want them to know I appreciate their time and feedback
on my work.
When
it comes to recording though, marketing is such a different world.
Sometimes the label might not like what you’re working on, or
they prefer to focus the attention on a different song than the
one you think is the best one. It’s tough because sometimes the
business world doesn’t relate to the artistic world.
Plus,
I think sometimes that growth and development becomes a part of
the marketing. Someone like Gaga is already making different music
than what she started out with. Often an artist’s first experiences
are designed at pleasing anyone else except the artist. It’s that
attempt to do whatever you need to do in order to make it.
I’m
still trying to break out as an artist. And yet, I still want
to be comfortable with who I am. So that marketing, that brand,
it’s really important for it to reflect me.
Does
that make you nervous, about what you say or what others want
to do with your career?
Scared.
Nervous. All of the above?
Here’s
what I know. I’m willing to work hard. I feel I’m smart and aware
of my strengths, and willing to take critiques and suggestions
about how to improve the things I might not be able to do as well.
As
a songwriter, the process for me involves putting in a tremendous
amount of work, and also a tremendous amount of emotion. But the
biggest things about all of it… the marketing, the performances,
the music… is that 20 years from now I want to still be excited
about what I’m doing today.
You’re
writing music, staying in touch with people on Twitter and other
platforms, and doing so many other things for your career. Do
you ever have time for you?
(Laughs)
Not really. But I’m young and motivated, and doing what I enjoy,
so I’m definitely not complaining.
I’ve
adjusted to the pace for the most part, and I do find some down
time.
This
will sound a bit sappy I suppose, but I’m always focused on making
myself better than who I am today. And I mean that as a performer
and as a person.
I
really do believe that support builds on a personal level. As
an artist, I need to make a connection that people understand
as “this is for you”. It’s not just doing covers and posting videos.
It’s not just posting tweets. I really want people to look at
me and say “I like this kid”.
I
want to be honest with people. I hope they’ll respect that, and
in turn stay with me for a long time.
I’m
not sure how to phrase this, but I find that really interesting
since the media, and even people in general in this post-it-all-online
age, have a way of building a person up only to tear them right
back down.
Isn’t
that sad?
I’m
not going to even try to defend people that are doing dumb things.
Unfortunately there are people that get money and attention and
fame, and in whatever example you want to look at they don’t know
how to handle it.
But
sometimes the incidents get blown way out of proportion. It isn’t
fact-based reporting. It’s jealousy. There are people out there
that only seem to find their happiness when other people fail,
which is sad.
I
try to push the negative away. Some people give it too much attention.
Look
at someone like Johnny Depp. To me, he always seems nice and approachable.
He tends to keep his personal life private as much as that’s possible.
In
this business, there has to be a certain amount of understanding
about what you’re getting into. No one gets perfect reviews on
every project. And there is going to be an increased spotlight
on things. I just want to do the best I can, appreciate and respect
those that assist and support me, and as I said, always be a bit
better tomorrow than I am today.
So,
what’s next? How can people keep up with you, your work, new releases,
and everything else?
I’m
working on an album, and really hope that soon I’ll be able to
share some announcements.
There
is a section for my material at YouTube, where people can see
my videos and hear the songs.
Facebook
and Twitter are also fantastic places to look for me. For Facebook,
I have a page set up as a musician under the name Brandon Evans.
And my Twitter account is @bevansisme. If you Like or Follow those,
you’ll not only be able to get all of the latest information,
but I can pretty much guarantee you’ll see it as soon as it comes
out.
And
I’d like to thank everyone that has been supporting me. It’s great
to hear back from people that enjoy what I am doing, it means
a lot to me and I really appreciate it. It definitely makes me
want to work even harder on new projects.
~ ~
~ ~ ~
I
want to thank Brandon for sitting down with me, and for working
on this interview. I sincerely hope you’ll take the time to check
out his efforts.
Brandon
Evans web site
Brandon
Evans at YouTube
Brandon
Evans on Facebook
Brandon
Evans at Twitter
The
pictures you see in this article have been provided by Brandon
Evans for use with this project and on the In My Backpack web
site for associated promotional purposes. All rights to these
pictures belong to Brandon. They cannot be used for any other
purpose without the permission of Brandon Evans and/or his authorized
representative(s).
The
material in this article was originally posted at In My Backpack
in April 2014. Unforeseen circumstances created a need to work
on the material after that, so we did some research, reached
out to Brandon, and updated the effort for re-posting in April
2015.