Interview with ACTHEKiDFROMSPACE

- November 10, 2023

Montreal-based artist and sound engineer ACTHEKiDFROMSPACE is a self-taught talent with a unique sound that defies genre. Drawing influences from Rap, Afrobeat, and R&B, his music is a smooth blend of freestyling and intentional lyricism, inspired by his personal experiences.

With a focus on connecting with listeners and touching lives globally, ACTHEKiDFROMSPACE is set to release a two-song care package, "Virtues & Vices," on November 17th.

We got to dive a little deeper into his artistry in the following interview.

How did the project come together? What is the story behind its formation?
I started writing music at around 12 years old. Mind you, I wasn't very good. But as the years progressed, I started developing more confidence in my talents and even began teaching myself how to sing. After my football career ended, I decided I really wanted to do music full time. I was fortunate to meet my friend Damien Knight who introduced me to his sound engineer, Collin Sylex. At Collin's studio is where I began to record music and I quickly realized that I could actually be successful in this. So over the next two years I started saving up to build a professional studio in my own house, while still managing to take sound engineering lessons with Collin. That leads me to where I am now, making music and dropping music weekly due to the freedom of knowing how to sound engineer and having a studio just a few steps away.

Can you describe your musical style and sound? How would you define your unique sound?
I've always had trouble limiting myself to only one genre of music. I make a wide range of sounds that go from Rap, to Afrobeats and even R&B. As long as it has my signature sound, the boundaries are limitless to me.

Who are your biggest musical influences? How have they shaped your music?
Growing up, my Dad was always playing music. So I have a wide range of inspiration. Its probably why I like to work between genres. I like artists such as Meek Mill, music about hustling and defying the odds. I also like artists like 6lack, who bring a smooth eccentric sound to music. And very many more.

What is the your songwriting process like? How do you create new music?
My song writing process varies. Sometimes I'm able to freestyle the whole song, and sometimes I like to take time to write it out. It usually starts with me listening to an instrumental that I connect to and then an idea that I can build off of. A lot of my lyrics come from experiences that I have lived, and some are to ensure the listener can feel the same way when they are listening, as I felt while writing and recording.

What are your goals and aspirations as a musician? Where do you see yourself in the future?
My aspiration is to become a successful artist and live financially independent off solely my music. I want to be able to touch as many people globally around the world with my sound as humanly possible. I see myself achieving just that in the future and nothing less.

Are there any upcoming projects, releases, or shows that fans should look forward to?
My usual sound is afrobeats-influenced and many of my fans have been asking for more rap songs. When they ask, I deliver. I have a two-song care package dropping on November 17th, titled "Virtues & Vices," which contains the songs "Crawling Out The Dirt (Freestyle)" & "Picasso."

Can you discuss any challenges you've faced as a an artist and how you've overcome them?
To me, making the music has always been the easy part. The hardest part is getting that music heard. I remember working so hard on making quality music and then being discouraged that it wasn't being given the recognition that I believed it deserved. It added to many mental health challenges that I was already facing at the time. Once in a better mindset, I was hungry to take matters into my own hands. If they didn't want to support me locally, I'd make sure that they would globally. I started reaching out to many artists across the globe and getting collaborations which helped my fan base rapidly expand. At the same time, I'd spend hour upon hours doing research on music marketing, sending emails to blogs, playlist curators, radio stations, etc. All that work really did pay off. I went from less than 100 monthly listeners to almost 20k monthly listeners in only a few months. I won't stop pushing myself any time soon and I pray that the growth will follow.

What advice would you give to aspiring musicians or bands trying to break into the industry?
My advice would be to be patient. It takes many years to grow in this industry. Don't let your numbers diminish your sense of self worth as an artist and destroy your mental health. Always put your mental health first. You only have one brain and if you burn out that brain, you become useless. Work as hard as possible and drop as much music and content as possible. Don't worry about what other people think, it's your dream, not theirs. And lastly, just enjoy the process. You'll look back one day and be really proud of yourself if you do.

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