Today we’d like to introduce you to SaifLove .
SaifLove, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
My music career started in college. When I wasn’t going to class, basketball practice/games, etc. I would hang with friends, go to parties with them, and freestyle rap for fun. At first, it was more so a joke but it became more frequent and it got to a point where instead of going to parties, we would meet up at one of our apartments and just listen to beats and freestyle. From there, I started taking it more seriously. I knew I had a voice and wasn’t so much a rapper so during our meet-ups, I started to experiment with my singing voice. After that, I wanted to sit down and actually write a real song. So that’s exactly what I did. One of my best friends, Austin Gunn, and I got together and we wrote our first song. I took that song to a studio in Miami, recorded it, and the rest was history. The feeling I had in the studio, singing my heart out, putting a full song together was one of best feelings I’ve had. That song was Anymore, which ended being the first song I ever released on all platforms. I got to where I am today through hard work and consistency. I know that’s such a commonly thrown around phrase but it’s just the truth. When you put the time in, good things happen.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
It has not been a smooth road. They say if it were easy, everyone would do it, right? When you decide to chase a dream, it’s difficult. I think one of the first challenges I faced and still face today has been self-doubt. Did I hit that note right? Are people going to like my song? Is this picture/video cool enough? It’s hard to not care what other people think because we all want to be accepted, we all want to be loved. This is something I’ve had a challenge with since day one. I’ve deleted posts, videos, postponed song released because I didn’t think I was good enough.
Another challenge or obstacle I had to overcome was understanding that people (your friends) don’t really care. People you thought were your close friends become very distant once you start to pursue your passion or dream. I’m not sure why but many artists/entrepreneurs out there I’m sure agree and have dealt with this same thing. In music, we all think that our homies and people we grow up with will be our biggest fans, share, listen, support our music but unfortunately, that’s not the case. There are different struggles every day and I’m sure as I grow, there will be even more. But, the beauty of the struggle is being able to fight through and overcome it. Being able to look back and say, “Yeah, I did that s**t” makes everything worth it.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
My name is SaifLove, I’m a singer-songwriter born and raised in Orlando, FL and owner of Keys To The Saif LLC. My music is a combination of R&B/Soul, Pop, and House. I released my first single, ‘Anymore’ in July of 2019. Since then, I have released over 20 songs on all platforms, including my first project, ‘Your Love is Saif’. One of my proudest moments was getting over 10k monthly listeners on Spotify. I’ve only been doing this for two years and that was a big moment for me. To know that over 10,000 people were listening to SaifLove in the course of 30 days was a huge moment for me. What sets me apart is my genuineness and my style. I really care about people and want what’s best for them. I want to see people succeed and be a part of helping them get there. When I say style, I’m referring to how I dress and look of course but also, my singing and music creating style. I don’t sound like many artists or try and steal someone else’s flow and that is something I take pride in. It’s very easy to just copy what the A list artists do but I feel like I’m true to myself and create what I want and what I feel in that moment.
What do you like and dislike about the city?
The weather is the best thing about Orlando. Being born and raised here, I’m not a fan of the cold. Cold states are cool to visit but I could never live in like New York or Colorado. The fact that I can go to the beach at just about anytime of the year is unbeatable. Being a creative in Orlando is tough. I think a lot of that comes from how small of a market we are but, I feel like everyone here moves a bit different than in the bigger markets. It’s all one big competition in Orlando and it’s you and your group vs. everyone else and their groups. People here aren’t always as open to trying new things, stepping out of their comfort zone, meeting new people and collaborating with them. For example, you go to LA, you meet four new people in one day, next thing you know you’re in the studio with them, shooting a music video, going out to dinner/drinks, etc. That’s not something you see as much in Orlando.
Contact Info:
- Email: contact@saiflove.com
- Website: www.saiflove.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/iamsaiflove/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/iamsaiflovee
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCvJeDhJx-M6qVQPuY981MLg
- SoundCloud: https://soundcloud.com/saiflove
- Other: https://open.spotify.com/artist/3Dz0f730wRRuOTGBx4jLUD?si=9vusMFC_SACAUssPoaz16g
