YEAR: First
MAJOR: Music
HOMETOWN: Brooklyn , N.Y.
What’s your instrument of choice and why?
My first guitar I got when I was eight years old. I started writing my own songs when I was 12 but I never really looked at singing as an instrument until I was 16 when I started singing in choirs.
Who are your biggest influences?
Ben Gibbard. Regina Spektor. Modest Mouse. The Killers. Radiohead. Nas. Damien Marley.
Who have you been listening to lately?
Just the other day I listened to the entire album ‘Demon Days’ by Gorillaz. That was really good. Infected Mushroom.
What’s your plan for the future?
I have a band called DudeManDude. I want to work until I make a name for myself.
Any advice for aspiring musicians?
It’s really all a matter of perservering. If anyone says you can’t, then keep on going and use that as motivation. Music and art in general is harmless. It’s just a means of expression. Put yourself as much as you can into whatever you’re doing.