Exposed Vocals Interviews “Shawnee”
Exposed Vocals: So tell us your story. Where did you grow up? What made you decide to become an artist?
 Well, I grew up in Johnstown, Ohio, A small town about 20 minutes outside of Downtown Columbus, since i was 3 years old until my parents split . Before that i lived in Dallas, Texas and my dad was with a label down there . And even a little after they split up I was with my Dad everywhere he went so i had always been with the music scene and i still remember a lot of it . The music videos with nice cars, big mansions, professional studios and lets not forget about the females . So like any other kid i saw a lot and i idolized that person and to me at the time was my Dad . Nobody ever pushed me to write music but I’ve been doing it since i was 6 and still going strong . All my brothers and sisters are musically inclined so you could call it whatever you want but its always been an passion and obsession .
Exposed Vocals: How did you come up with that name? What was your inspiration behind it?
 Pretty simple . Everybody called me Shawnee and still do to this day . It just stuck with me.
Exposed Vocals: What do you think about online music sharing? Do you ever give your music away for free? Why?
 All the time ! Honestly, I dont really worry about making my money directly off my music . I’ve always known how to get money in different ways . People also arent going to care about you enough to invest in you until you make a name for yourself, which is kinda sh*tty but if I offer you a free service I just have networking and thats just proving i have what it takes so i can one day make money directly off my music and actually get a pretty penny . But if you can market your business successfully thats 90% of the battle but doing it is not as easy as you’d think . I quit my job and started back from the bottom to take a different approach because i know i got it which also ties in with my last answer . Im so dedicated to my music that i dropped everything i was doing … Obviously Im doing something right . You just gotta ask yourself how bad you want it .
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?
 Take your time ! Dont rush and put a whole bunch of singles out, waiting for one to go viral. I mean it definitely could happen like that but you gotta run a project like a campaign . What fans are you targeting ? What people would really relate to my music ? My mentor tells me to not focus on getting everyone’s attention and just to worry about gaining a loyal fanbase which isnt hard if you have an image in your head . And a little secret… nobody ever hurt standing on the side of the road slanging demos and tickets . People will show interest if you present yourself the right way by having goals set high. Just staying prepared will always have your confidence through the roof .
Exposed Vocals: Do you ever make mistakes during performances? How do you handle that?
Oh yeah, who doesnt mess up . You just gotta truck through it and dont just stop . Number one rule, NEVER STOP .
Exposed Vocals: Do you tour? Anything interesting happen on tour that you think our readers would enjoy hearing about?
 I haven’t toured yet . Im working on it though ! I skipped a lot of steps in my artist developement while i was working . Blew my money and my last mixtape “Dirty J’s” really paid for it . Invest the money you have , i cant stress that enough ! You will regret it if you’re serious about this business .
Exposed Vocals: Where do you usually gather songwriting inspiration? What is your usual songwriting process?
 Everywhere I go . If I have an idea I put it down at that moment . Get to it later and you’ll forget .
Exposed Vocals: Do you have a band website? What online platforms do you use to share your music?
Soundcloud: www.soundcloud.com/shawn_
Twitter: @Shawneeboi_
Instagram: shawneehiphop
Facebook: www.facebook.com/
Im on most social media sites like the ones above but i mainly release all my songs on soundcloud . Thats where all my fans know where to go to get my music . Its just conveinent for me and everybody considering its a free service, not to mention, Im the only one marketing myself so i put a lot of focus into one music site instead of promoting 6 different music sites .
Exposed Vocals: What are some really embarrassing songs that we might find on your mp3 player?
Jeez, why you gotta ask me that ? haha Im not really sure . My last mp3 player had High School Musical because of my step sister and i will admit i had one song i kinda like … mind you this was years ago . Shoutout to Emily Roberts haha
Exposed Vocals: If you were given half a million dollars and a year off, what would you do? How would you spend it?
I’d snag a verse from J. Cole and Gucci Mane first then probably Young Thug if I had enough. I have an endless variety of styles , i know if i had the money to back me up nothing would be an issue .
Exposed Vocals: Any planned studio upgrades? What are you working with now?
Right now I’m with Nyte Lyfe Entertainment recording my upcoming project . He has a very nice studio set up but hopefully soon I can catch a break and get into the multi million dollar studios . Shoutout to my man Raven . He’s posted up in Columbus . If you’re serious hit any one of my social sites, email, or call me 740.274.9465 to work with him or me . If you got the bread we put in the extra effort .
Exposed Vocals: How do you find ways to promote your music? What works best for you?
 Really just consistantly talking to people through social media and blogs . I also have an app , im not gonna tell you what it is because they’ve been messing up and Im paying cash for their mess ups but its slowly getting worked out but basically its a social media marketing app . It will definately help you find your crowd .
Exposed Vocals: If you could perform anywhere and with any artists (Dead or Alive) where and who would it be with? Why?
Lil Uzi Vert anywhere . I’ve seen countless performances and dude knows how to get his fans hype . Dude is crazy .
Exposed Vocals: So, what’s next? Any new upcoming projects that you want to talk about?
“Dreams to Reality The Mixtape” Coming to you soon again my soundcloud is:
www.soundcloud.com/shawn_
I have a few hot singles out but Im just getting stuff gathered up so it should be out very soon .
Exposed Vocals: If you weren’t making music, what would you be doing?
Turnin up ! Im not your average person . I lived that “fast pace, rockstar lifestyle” before i turned my music into an actual business . I’ve work tons of jobs but im not cut out for a normal persons position so i just stopped it when I was 18 and im still doing good .
Exposed Vocals: Do you remember buying your first album? Who was it? What was going through your head?
I dont remember ever buying music to be straight up . There are so many different free ways to get music and no i didnt understand the concept of buying someones album to support them . But now look whats going on, you cant get anybody to actually buy music because there are so many free options .
Exposed Vocals: How do you juggle the rest of your responsibilities while trying to stay ahead in your music life?
 Sounds corny but its really not, I just go with life . Whatever is thrown my way I’ll shut it down and its on to the next one . Simple as that .
Exposed Vocals: What should fans look forward to in the next year or so?
 Im not sure but big things are happening . Im not even sure if i wanna be independant or not but my phone is just starting to blow up with A&Rs and stuff so if the money’s right, Im the man for the job !
