Today we’d like to introduce you to Chris Aarons
Hi Chris, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
Music started at such a young age for me. My parents always played music in the car. Some of my fondest memories were singing along to country music and classic rock on family road trips.
I grew up in Pflugerville, TX which was a small (not so small now) suburb of Austin; the Live music capital of the world. Music was everywhere around me.
When I turned 8 years old, my parents gave me my first trumpet for Christmas. I learned how to play by ear. My mom was always so impressed because I would play back the commercial jingles on my trumpet. When I reached middle school aged I played in the concert band and played all through high school. This really shaped my knowledge of music.
Surprisingly, I decided to go to school for Business, despite my affinity for music. It just seemed like the practical thing to do… I attended Angelo State University, in San Angelo, TX where my best friend Leigha was attending. She was a Theatre major and was heavily involved in all of the school’s productions.
One day, she mentioned that they needed guys for the musical Carousel by Rodger’s and Hammerstein. She said, “I know you can sing, I know you can act, you’ll figure out the dance.” I was reluctant at first, but she convinced me to at least audition. And sure enough, I was cast to play Enoch Jr.
This production was a pivotal moment in my life. The music director happened to be one of the voice professors at the college. One day I asked if I could be in his voice studio. I figured, “If I’m doing this musical thing, I should try to learn and do my best.” After one or two lessons, he sat down with me and said, “You have to be a voice major.” I thought he was crazy! At that point I had never been in a choir or sang classical music. After some convincing, I decided to take a leap and try it. That day I changed my major to Music specializing in Voice which I’m forever grateful for.
During my time there, I excelled in my studies and sang everything from country to opera. I was involved in numerous choirs, musical productions, and even started my own theatre company. I also was one of the few student accepted into the composition program where I learned how to write music.
I had this beautiful upright piano I got from a local church in my house. I loved playing that thing. It was warm and bright in its tone. It felt so peaceful to play. I also wrote (still write) poetry all the time. Most of which were very lyrical in nature. I started to explore writing music and setting my words to melodies at that piano. This is when I wrote my first single, Make Your Own Way. I remember calling my mom to play and sing it for her. She said, “people really need to hear this.” However, having completed a few songs by the end of college, I didn’t really know where to go from there, so I just set them aside.
2015, I made the jump from San Angelo to Orlando, FL. To support my now former spouse’s dreams. The initial draw was the theme parks. After moving here, I realized Orlando has so much more to offer! I spent some time working in attractions and serving tables while I was running the audition circuit. My goal was to land a job in entertainment at one of the major theme parks here.
I started looking for opportunities to sing when I found the Central Florida Community Arts Center. I joined their professional choir and the community choir as well. It was awesome to meet and perform with some wonderful people and musicians in our community.
A little over a year later, I went through a pretty nasty divorce. As terrible as it was to experience that, I’m grateful for all of it. While I was married, I never prioritized myself or my music. It was a transformative time of growth, finding myself, and figuring out what I really wanted out of life.
In 2017 I was introduced to Derric Johnson, who quickly became a mentor and friend. He started The Voices of Liberty here at Epcot. I sat down with him and his wife Debbie for lunch and the first thing he asked was, “what is your dream?” I went on to tell him I wanted to write and record my own music. As an accomplished arranger and choral director, he offered to help. I quickly got to work and wrote the lead sheets for 4 songs and arranged to meet with him at his house.
We sat down at his piano and he asked me to play them. I honestly was so nervous. However, I got through each of them just fine. He had such wonderful advice and insight. His ideas on using chords and melodies to tell a story were next level. I was so honored to learn from him. I continued to sing with him in various choirs and still keep in touch today.
I spent a few years performing in various theaters around the state. Including the Garden Theater in Winter Garden, FL. Theatre Del Sol in The Villages, FL and ended my tour at the Holy Land Experience. I was there from June 2018 until the Pandemic hit in 2020. While there’s not much I can say about that experience; I can say it was one of the most wonderful and interesting performing jobs I’ve ever had. I had the pleasure of working with some incredibly talented people there.
During this time, my writing started to ramp up again and I wanted to explore recording my music. I reached out my friend Natasha who I had met in a serendipitous way. My mom and her cousin were co-workers in Austin, TX and they connected us to potentially do something with music together. She was so gracious to walk through getting started as an independent artist and introduced me to John La Rosa a music producer/sound engineer at the TSM Studio in Longwood, FL. There, John was able to help me hire musicians and bring my vision to life.
I chose to start with Make Your Own Way because the message is so positive and encouraging. I thought it would be the perfect first song to release and hoped that it would inspire anyone that heard it. It released in February of 2020, I really felt like it was the beginning of something amazing!
I had some lofty plans to record more to keep the momentum going. Then, the world shut down for Covid. I didn’t let that stop me though. I was thankful to get in some studio sessions that April/May. Then I did a few remote sessions for my songs Rain and Alive and Well.
In the months following, I was jumping between my family and Orlando for a few months, when I met the most spectacular person, my wife Casey.
We were both online dating and while I was in Texas visiting family, I was just close enough to connect with her online. We connected instantly, but unfortunately I was flying back to Orlando that same day. “You live in Orlando?? That’s not how this works.” She said.
We had our first date over FaceTime and FaceTimed for what seemed like 20 hours a day for 3 weeks straight. She ran out of reasons not to come meet me and decided to fly here. She landed at the Sanford Airport. I waited at the bottom of the escalator with flowers. We met and immediately started what we call our Forever First Date. It literally felt like something out of a movie! Very long story short, we took off to Clearwater and were married 3 days after our first in person meeting!
She has always been incredibly supportive of my music career and helps in any way she can. She actually recorded the harmonies for my song Alive and Well when we made it back to the studio in December that year.
We now have a beautiful little girl together named Penelope. She’s our world, our light, and our inspiration.
I started to delve into learning to produce music myself. It was certainly more cost effective and generating totally new ways of thinking about and writing music. I spent a good 3 years learning all that I could and then I asked John to be my mentor on Mixing.
This has propelled me into what I would refer to as the “New Era” for Chris Aarons. What you’ve seen so far is only the tip of the iceberg. Everything leading up to this point has molded and shaped me into the singer/music producer I am today. I have a new sound, new ideas, and SO much new music on the horizon. I can’t wait to show the world what I’ve been working on!
My mission is to inspire, tell a good story, and make great music! If only one person is touched or inspired by my music in some way, then I’ve done my job. It’s a part of me. I have an innate sense that I have to keep making music, and I’m going to do just that.
You can find me on every major streaming platform, TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube. At the time of this writing, I’ll be releasing a cover version of The Christmas Song (Chestnuts Roasting On An Open Fire) on 11/29/2024. It’s a modern take on the Classic piece with elements of Lo-Fi and jazz. In addition, I’m releasing a bonus trumpet solo cover as well.
This journey may have taken years to gain momentum, but I’m primed and ready to show the world who Chris Aarons really is. The greatest days are ahead for me! Thank you to everyone who has supported me and helped me along the way. I’m beyond grateful for all of you!
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
It hasn’t been a smooth road, but every bump along the way was a learning experience that shaped me into who I am today.
Honestly, the biggest challenge I faced was myself. I have a tendency to overthink most things. I also can get caught up in perfectionism. It could sometimes halt any progress I was making.
Though I still have my moments, I’m definitely overcoming this now. Last year I challenged myself to create and release a song in the matter of 2 weeks. Whatever I had at the end of the 2 weeks was going out to the public whether I liked it or not. I held myself to it and released the most ridiculous and fun EDM version of Jingle Bells. I proved to myself that not only can I do it, but I was proud of how it turned out regardless if it wasn’t perfect in my mind.
Consistency has become a true saving grace in helping me leap to new levels with my music as well! I adopted a mantra my wife heard from a video somewhere that says, “Reduce to the Ridiculous.” It means to start working towards your goals with ridiculously small task everyday to build consistency and prevent burnout. I decided to show up for myself every day. So now every day I make sure to sit down and work on my music, even if it’s only for a few minutes. However, it usually turns into hours of doing what I love!
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I’m an independent artist and music producer. Having such a diverse background in various genres of music, the music I write tends to incorporate different styles into each song. You may hear a blend of jazz chords in a pop song, you may hear me rap a verse (in the near future), or you may hear some Latin beats under an EDM track. I also really love to use Foley in my tracks as well, which is where you create realistic sound effects to enhance the story.
A part of my mission is to tell a good story, so you’ll hear a lot of my real life experience in most of my tracks. Even some of the most challenging and traumatic parts of my life have been written into songs as well. However, I do believe there’s good to be found in every situation. Whether it’s a learning experience, or creating a path to lead you where you’re meant to be.
Another part of my mission is to inspire. Music has always been there for me in the toughest of times. My only hope is that the music I create can be there for somebody else when they need it the most.
Let’s talk about our city – what do you love? What do you not love?
I have so many favorite things about our city. There’s so much to do! It’s amazing how you can experience so many different things and still have more you’ve never done.
A perfect day in Orlando for me would be stopping by Craft and Common for some great food and coffee, go around the corner to Stemma Craft Coffee for one of their Té de pulpa to go (if you’ve never had it, you HAVE to try it!), and take a walk around Lake Eola. Then I would head over to Wekiwa Springs to take off on a canoe for a few hours to unplug. Followed by Maxine’s on Shine on my way back for some incredible food and improvised poetry from the owner. Then finish off the evening with my family at Disney for fireworks.
I love that we’re not too far from the beach and there’s so many incredible places to eat. Some of my favorites include Kabooki Sushi, Naradeva Thai Restaurant, Market to Table, The Strongwater Tavern, Earls Kitchen + Bar, and many others. I’d definitely consider myself a foodie.
Our city is vibrant and full of culture. I love the local live music and theatre seen. There’s always something wonderful happening.
There’s not too much I dislike other than the traffic on the major roads and around the theme parks.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://chrisaaronsofficial.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/chrisaaronsofficial?igsh=d3g4OGxiY3RkZWow&utm_source=qr
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/share/sMCu92mQPXGkYvQZ/?mibextid=LQQJ4d
- Twitter: https://www.x.com/caaronsofficial
- Youtube: https://youtube.com/channel/UCZBz1-2LNHSpsluPLof9tKg?si=XagHF7vXSKeL8f0H
- Yelp: https://www.tiktok.com/@chrisaaronsofficial?_t=8rkjQxM6WFi&_r=1
- Soundcloud: https://open.spotify.com/artist/3s5OjR8qUi2c0wjs05jcQi?si=wfqj2Aq1TSGwH854c4woGQ
- Other: http://linktr.ee/chrisaaronsofficial
Image Credits
Daniel Ortiz
