Today we’d like to introduce you to YCJ.
Hi YCJ, so excited to have you on the platform. So, before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
I feel like I’ve always been very connected to music since a young child. Through the influence of my older stepbrother, I started freestyling on beats for fun at about 9 yrs. old. This developed into filling notebooks with full songs. As I got into middle school, I began to learn music production in order to provide myself with original beats to rap on. By the time I was in high school I was recording myself in my bedroom using my cheap DIY studio and began releasing music publicly to SoundCloud in 2016. This allowed me the opportunity to really grow and develop as a producer-engineer and songwriter as I was finding my sound and honing in on my craft. At this point, everything I had learned was self-taught and came from YouTube so after high school, I decided to come to Orlando to attend full sail university. Since living in Orlando I have received my degree in recording arts and in the meantime completely taken my career and set of skills to the next level. Through networking and attending local events, I have made many useful relationships, connected with countless artists & creatives, and been blessed with numerous opportunities to perform live all over the city! The series of live performances I’ve done here in Orlando really revealed to me my strong passion for performing and is how I came to brand myself as the Crowd Pleaser. As a very passionate artist, I continue to strive to push my own music to the world, as well as offering services to other artists such as songwriting engineering, and production.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way? Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Throughout this journey, life has had its share of ups and downs. Moving away from home faced me with the challenge of building my own foundation and establishing my independence. I’ve certainly been met with unforeseen circumstances and uncomfortable situations along the way but I feel like my pursuit of the music has kept me on track and given me a sense of direction. One of my most notable moments of difficulty is when I was in between apartments and having to figure out my living situation while still attending school. I found ways to persevere and the music was always a strong motivation for me.
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?
One thing that sets me apart as an artist is the fact that I’ve taken on the role of producer artist and engineer for majority of all my music. Having an in-depth understanding of these three aspects of the music has had a tremendous effect on my approach and creative process. Aside from being an artist, I’m extremely proud of how far I’ve come as an engineer. With all of the work I’ve done on my own music, I’ve made it to the point where I can confidently help other artists bring their dreams and visions to life.
Is there anyone you’d like to thank or give credit to?
I would like to give a shout-out to my good friend and business partner JayG (@Theonlyjayg). Upon meeting at the start of our time in Full Sail he took me under his wing and taught me a lot about music production and the music business. He is now founder of Faders2Records, a production company offering audio, video, and marketing services to local artists and small businesses. I work with Faders2Records as one of the lead engineers.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://linktr.ee/YCJMedia
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thegreatycj/?hl=en
- Youtube: https://youtube.com/channel/UCpSshLAWgGbUJz0Agn1seug
- Other: https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZTR8kanwc/
