Exposed Vocals Interviews Compton artist “Nandes”
Nandes is a Compton CA artist focused and determined to bring positive awareness and prestige back to the city that he loves while making thought provoking yet fun music in the process. He has been quoted stating ” Compton is not all negative, its not always a jungle out here, there are so many roses that want to grow from the concrete but simply lacks the resources to do so, I want to change that with my music”. Having being raised by a single mother Nandes is well aware of the struggles that can be ever so present in most urban communities. It was these very factors that led Nandes to write his very first rap at the age of 11,although he did not seriously start to write until his senior year of high school when a friend encouraged him to do so.
Fast forward 7 years after dealing with various trials and tribulations with his collegiate education, and working various jobs Nandesmusic released his free download debut EP entitled ” The Talented Tenth Compton Era” soundcloud, and Noisetrade.com and other various music platforms in the summer of 2015. As of July 2016,Nandes is hard at work completing his sophomore effort, an E.P. entitled “F.I.T. into the Social Media Theory”. That project is slated to be released in late October/early November , and it is preceeded by the lead single off of the E.P. entitled “Relationship Status ” which can be found and downloaded on Nandes’ soundcloud account.
Nandes has said ” I just want to inspire and restore hope in our communities much like the jobs artists such as Tupac, Nas, Lupe Fiasco, and Kanye West has done for their communities, I just want to be in the the company of greats!
https://soundcloud.com/
https://soundcloud.com/
Exposed Vocals: So tell us your story. Where did you grow up? What made you decide to become an artist?
Nandes: I am a Compton CA artist who is focused and determined to bring positive awareness and prestige back to the city that I love while making thought provoking yet fun music in the process. Real talk, Compton is not all negative,its not always a jungle out here,there are so many roses that want to grow from the concrete but they simply lack the resources to do so,I want to change that with my music. I was raised by a strong single mother and I am well aware of the struggles that can be ever so present in most urban communities. It was these very factors that led me to write my first rap at the age of 11,although I did not seriously start writing until my senior year of high school,when my friends told me I should pursue it, and it still took a minute for me to do so!
Honestly though I always believed that I could help spark change in this world,and this is just the beginning of an amazing journey that I am inviting each and everyone of you on!
Exposed Vocals: How did you come up with that name? What was your inspiration behind it?
Nandes: Well my middle name is Fernandes,and rather than try to come up with some elaborate stage name i felt it would be better suited to stay true to myself. All i did was cut the FER from the name,and there you have it fer [NANDES].
Exposed Vocals: What do you think about online music sharing? Do you ever give your music away for free? Why?
Nandes: I think that online music sharing is necessary in todays music landscape. Alot of times fans discover new music online so I definitely think it is a good thing. So far I have given all of my music away for free, I think that is the best way to allow fans to sample what type of artist you are and decide if they want to support when you do put your music up for sale.
Exposed Vocals: Since everyone was a start-up once, can you give any smaller or local bands or artists looking to get gigs and airplay some tips?
Nandes: My best advice would be to just get out in your area and start playing local open mics to start. Open mics help work miracles for your stage presence as well as giving you a platform to test out new songs on an actual audience in a low pressure supportive setting. My first big test of my single “Relationship Status” came at an open mic event put on by Open Kanvas,called “Raps and Laughs” super dope group of people who validated to me that the song was a hit,and no lie,playing that open mic has helped me secure bigger shows in the past few months than I never could have imagined, it also led to an opportunity that I recently had being featured on the August 4th,2016 addition of SyndicateRadioLA.com (Shout out to the team at Syndicate Radio,as well as Open Kanvas!)
Exposed Vocals: Do you ever make mistakes during performances? How do you handle that?
Nandes: I have made mistakes, nobody is perfect, Ive lost my breath during a song, Ive screamed my voice out during a song, Ive lost my balance while performing,but the key is to keep going,the worst thing you can do is let a mistake take away from the overall effectiveness of your performance. After all it takes tremendous courage to get up and perform in front of strangers anyway right!
Exposed Vocals: Do you tour? Anything interesting happen on tour that you think our readers would enjoy hearing about?
Nandes: I have not toured as of yet, although I did open up for Baby Bash at the Gaslamp Restaurant and Bar on August 6th,2016 in Long Beach. Through that booking I have had the opportunity to work with some of the best in the business, most notably Young Baca Productions, and his “We The West” and “Block Party” showcases! ( Shout out Young Baca for giving start up artists as well as myself a platform)
Exposed Vocals: Where do you usually gather songwriting inspiration? What is your usual songwriting process?
Nandes: I honestly draw my songwriting inspirations from within. I really don’t have a formula, I just write what I know and what I feel.
Exposed Vocals: Do you have a band website? What online platforms do you use to share your music?
Nandes: Www.nandesmusic.com
Instagram:@nandesmusic
Twitter:@nandesmusic
Facebook.com/nandesmusic
Soundcloud.com/nandesmusic
Snapchat: nandesmusic
Exposed Vocals: What are some really embarrassing songs that we might find on your mp3 player?
Nandes: LOL probably the song “Stand Out,and Eye to Eye” from the Goofy Movie soundtrack,lol I love those songs and that movie!
Exposed Vocals: If you were given half a million dollars and a year off, what would you do? How would you spend it?
Nandes: I would use about 200 thousand to pay off whatever is left on my moms mortgage, 16 thousand to pay off my car,and use the remaining money to craft the best possible album and tour i possibly can!
Exposed Vocals: Any planned studio upgrades? What are you working with now?
Nandes: Right now the majority of my recordings come from Red Room studios out in Gardena,my boy A.T. already got state of the art equipment, if you in the LA area check him out!
Exposed Vocals: How do you find ways to promote your music? What works best for you?
Nandes: Honestly I found that face to face hand to hand promotion has worked best for me. I do promote online but its something about the genuine connection you spark with someone when its in person.
Exposed Vocals: If you could perform anywhere and with any artists (Dead or Alive) where and who would it be with? Why?
Nandes: I would want to hold LA down and sell out the Staples Center! I would also like to perform with Barry White, Wyclef Jean, Michael Jackson, Nas,J.cole, 2pac, Dee-1, man its to many to name,but i feel as if all of those artists were true to themselves and did what they wanted to do musically,so I know it would be a dope show with all of those creative forces working together!
Exposed Vocals: So, what’s next? Any new upcoming projects that you want to talk about?
Nandes: Yes,I have an E.P. entitled “F.I.T the Social Media Theory ” which is basically a testament to the times that we live in,explaining the highlightings and lowlights that my generation experiences being the social media generation. The project is going to feature production from my boy Don Won,and guest features from my boy Huned P,shouts out to them for helping guide me when I was just starting out! The project is slated for a late October/ early November release.
Exposed Vocals: If you weren’t making music, what would you be doing?
Nandes: I’m in school for psychology,I have always been fascinated by how flawlessly our brain seems to work,so that would be my area of focus, I actually want to use the music as a platform to secure the funds to open my own Psychology practice somewhere down the line!
Exposed Vocals: Do you remember buying your first album? Who was it? What was going through your head?
Nandes: The first album I ever got was by Sammie” From the bottom to the top” I was 10 years old and my favorite song was “I like it” lol
Exposed Vocals: How do you juggle the rest of your responsibilities while trying to stay ahead in your music life?
Nandes: Personally I just keep God first,and prioritize, I won’t lie, it does get hectic trying to juggle everything, but honestly i just try the best I can!
Exposed Vocals: What should fans look forward to in the next year or so?
Nandes: Fans can look forward to alot more music, alot more shows, alot more videos,like I said I am releasing the “F.I.T the Social Media Theory” project in the coming months,my lead single off that project is entitled “Relationship Status” and I am in the process of getting that music video done, you can also check out my E.P that I released last summer entitled “The Talented Tenth Compton Era” available onnoisetrade.com/nandesmusic , Â Stay tuned and #bedope!
