Exposed Vocals Interviews HIGHSTRUNG
Exposed: SO TELL US YOUR STORY? WHERE DID YOU GROW UP? WHAT MADE YOU DECIDE TO BECOME A ARTIST?
HIGHSTRUNG:
I grew up a little bit of everywhere do to my pop’s being in the military, but the city and state where i got most of my life experiences good and bad was Killeen TX. Growing up there, a lot of people assume because it’s a small town that there isn’t much that can possible go on, but it is a city with the biggest military base in the world.
So we get people from all over, so as a kid growing up in a small city with some of the cockiest people in the world placed in a small city such as Killeen with not much to do you could only imagine the things we got into, and experienced not to mention exposed to just being in Killeen wanted to be an artist because as I mentioned before moved around a lot as a child so I never had the luxury of saying this was my best friend since kinder garden or 1st grade. so music sort of became that for me, it gave me a chance to express my emotions by putting it into music on my life experiences, it started as a hobby that my friends and I enjoyed watching me do, but I had one homie name Greg that seen it past a hobby and told me it was a passion that I owe to the world to display and i started realizing I could get others to believe in what I was doing because I believed in myself.
Exposed: HOW DID YOU COME UP WITH THAT NAME? WHAT WAS YOUR INSPIRATION BEHIND IT?
HIGHSTRUNG:
well the definition of Highstrung is many things but it related to me most with edgy, temperamental, excitable, and wired and these things explain what i am about as a person and as an entertainer. my father actually brought the word to my attention, during one of our many conversations and at the time i was going by “TexasBoy” and i felt for the lyrics was able to deliver i felt i needed more of a serious name that would stick
Exposed: WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT ONLINE MUSIC SHARING? DO YOU EVER GIVE YOUR MUSIC AWAY FOR FREE? WHY?
HIGHSTRUNG:
i think that the era and time that we are in, online music sharing has become very important, obviously the music industry isn’t what it used to be before we had internet. now you got youtube sensations, and the internet blowing people up in the comfort of their homes. so now a days sharing your music on the internet can make you the next big thing, i give music away for free on many different free sites that will allow me to upload it. you have people who literally live on the internet, and some spend all day searching for underground music or the next big thing so the amount of exposure you could gain from sharing free music, could do wonders for your career and if you are an artist like myself who put blood, sweat and tears, displaying passion in the music that you record, giving music out for free is the best thing you can do. Plus, the reward you get back is better than anything in the world feel m, you get dope fans and supporters and as an OG told me once if you prove your passion in something money will follow.
Exposed: SINCE EVERYONE WAS A START UP ONCE, CAN YOU GIVE ANY SMALLER OR LOCAL BANDS OR ARTIST LOOKING TO GET GIGS OR AIRPLAY SOME TIPS?
HIGHSTRUNG:
the advice that i give any and every one that is trying to get in a position that they want to be in is simply remain hungry no matter what and never become complacent, and always remember how hard you worked to get where you want to b, so no matter what comes for you, you will always prevail over it because you realize you been too much to ever let anything stop take anything from you that you know you deserve. and the times where it feels hopeless and you just want to quit is when you should grind the hardest because you never know how close you are to getting where you always dreamed feel m. and fuck the haters use them as motivation not to prove them wrong but to prove yourself right.
Exposed: DO YOU EVER MAKE MISTAKES DURING PERFORMANCES? HOW DO YOU HANDLE THAT?
HIGHSTRUNG:
Unfortunately, we all mistakes, but I haven’t made a mistake that the crowed, was ever able to tell was a mistake only me and my crew knew, whether it be me fumbling on a few of my verses, or slipping on stage I always made it seem like it was a part of the show because one thing, a great performer always knows is the show must go on. You never let one mistake cost you a great show you have to remember people come out to see you deliver what you make them feel in your music so you make it happen no matter what.
Exposed: DO YOU TOUR? ANYTHING INTERESTING ON TOUR THAT YOU THINK OUR READERS WOULD WANT TO HEAR ABOUT?
HIGHSTRUNG:
Yes, I tour almost every year, although this year will be the first time I tour on my very own tour entitled “The Successful Failure Tour”. um that’s actually a good question I have so many stories man i could go for days and tell you the things that go on the road, let me see, oh well there was this one time we were headed to Oklahoma to open for Future at Langston University and long story short we ended up leaving our dressing room which was a locker room with soccer goals and sports equipment and shit piled in it, and we went to his where they had chicken and sodas like a damn buffet. we started eating all the food and stuffing shit in our bag that was supposed to be for him lol. we not sure if they ever went in there but i know they had to be pissed when they see we ate most of the food.
Exposed:WHERE DO YOU USUALLY GET SONG WRITING INSPIRATION? WHAT IS YOUR SONG WRITING PROCESS?
HIGHSTRUNG:
life inspires me to write music, I get inspiration from everyone and everything, I am extremely vigilant and observant to my surroundings, some of the stories I tell might not even be mine in particular I might tell a story that I felt would make a great song that someone shared with me and usually I listen to a beat a hundred times and decide what it is saying to me and words come flowing, or I might not have a beat at all and I’ll just write a song based off feelings that I need to get off my chest because I don’t know how to express my feelings to a person, so music is my escape.
Exposed DO U HAVE A BAND WEBSITE? WHAT ONLINE PLATFORMS DO YOU USE TO SHARE YOUR MUSIC
HIGHSTRUNG:
Yes, I have my personal website which is officialhighstrung.com i also use sound cloud www.soundcloud.com/realhighstrung as well as my youtube which has my music videos www.youtube.com/strung25
Exposed: WHAT ARE SOME REALLY EMBARRASSING SONGS WE MIGHT FIND ON YOUR MP3 PLAYER?
HIGHSTRUNG:
I would say pick anything before my latest EP “Successful Failure” hahaha I honestly don’t have much music that i have created that I am embarrassed about, but if I had to choose I would say the mixtape I dropped 2 years ago entitled “Serving Bars” I decided to hop on industry beats and kill them but every song sounded like the original only it was my lyrics somehow, it was just something personally that I shouldn’t have dropped and I had to redeem myself after that. so I was extra motivated, and I would also say some of my early – I’m talking super early songs that I created before I dropped my first mixtape. I tried to get rid of them all but somehow they still pop up on cd’s at times and I be like man turn it off!!!! lol
Exposed: IF YOU WERE GIVEN A HALF A MILLION DOLLARS AND A YEAR OFF WHAT WOULD YOU DO? HOW WOULD YOU SPEND IT?
HIGHSTRUNG:
Well I think I would spend it with friends and family the year that is because I know when it’s over I’m going to want to be on my grind tough after non-stop, and as far as the money of course I’m going to ball out and stunt just a little bit but the rest would be invested in things i want to get done and put back into the business, to flip and make more money
Exposed:ANY PLANNED STUDIO UPGRADES? WHAT ARE YOU WORKING WITH NOW?
HIGHSTRUNG:
We pretty much have all we need for the studio, we just added a new compressor which has my vocals sounding clear as water, we have a state of the art microphone, and booth as well
Exposed HOW DO YOU FIND WAYS TO PROMOTE YOUR MUSIC? WHAT WORKS BEST FOR YOU?
HIGHSTRUNG:
I personally think being out here promoting myself with my team is the best way, as well as social media, and fans and supporters word of mouth, simply because can’t nobody get you out here better than the people who really ride for you and well nobody should believe in you more than yourself.
Exposed: IF YOU COULD PERFORM WITH ANY WHERE AND WITH ANY ARTIST (DEAD OR ALIVE) WHO WOULD IT BE? WHY?
HIGHSTRUNG:
that’s a hard question because there is a few dead like Pac, Eazy-E, Big but I’ll be more realistic I think I would say Jay-Z I have always respected his craft and his ability to paint pics with his rhymes as well as deliver a great product every time so I would be honored to share the stage with an artist of his stature.
Exposed: SO WHATS NEXT? ANY NEW UPCOMING PROJECTS THAT YOU WANT TO TALK ABOUT?
HIGHSTRUNG:
well as of right now we are preparing for one of the best EP’s that will be flooding the streets here soon entitled “Successful Failure” and “The Successful Failure Tour” and all I have to say is I’m always in the lab working and the new stuff I got in the works is going to be amazing when I have a chance to bless everyone’s ears with it.
Exposed: IF YOU WERENT MAKING MUSIC WHAT WOULD YOU BE DOING?
HIGHSTRUNG:
Honestly I would probably be a bum on the street, because music is what I’m passionate about and I really can’t see myself doing anything else I never even created a plan b because I believe in plan a so much, some say that is stupid or crazy but ask how many people living their dream, not many can tell you that they are because most created a plan b, so when plan a go to hard they use plan b as an excuse to resort to
Exposed: DO YOU REMEMBER BUYING YOUR FIRST ALBUIM? WHO WAS IT? WHAT WAS GOING ON IN YOUR HEAD?
HIGHSTRUNG:
I think the first album I bought on my own was LiL BOW WOW “Beware of the Dog” and I just liked him at the time I was like 12 when I got it because I was amazed at his lyrical talent knowing we were the same age, but when I found out JD (Jermain Dupris) was writing his lyrics i was mad disappointed lol but it also made me want to enhance my lyrical talent to be that good at such a young age.
Exposed: HOW TO YOU JUGGLE THE REST OF YOUR RESPONSIBILITIES, WHILE TRYING TO STAY AHEAD OF YOUR MUSIC LIFE?
HIGHSTRUNG:
well its def. not easy I think everyone has their own struggles when it comes to being a starving artist so to speak. for example I’m a father, musician, friend, son etc. I face adversity everyday but you have to learn to smile through the bull shit and never let anything block your shine or what you feel you were destine for feel me. like they say always keep your eyes on the prize.
Exposed:WHAT SHOULD FANS EXPECT IN 2016?
HIGHSTRUNG:
you can simply expect greatness, and for me to continue to deliver great music to the people my final destination will be at the top can’t tell you the route I’m taking to get there but one thing is certain and that is that i will be there ya dig. expect webisodes showing the tour giving my fans and supporters inside access of The Successful Failure Tour and look for us to come to a city or state near you, you def. do not want to miss out on my team and what we have to come in the near future.