We had the good fortune of connecting with Brandon Stewart and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Brandon, can you walk us through the thought-process of starting your business?
For me it was the opportunity to build on something I love to do, and to use it to help my family. I’m a big dreamer, probably more so than anyone in my family, so being able to show them – hey if you really want to do something go for it! Really means a lot to me and not just for them, but for anyone out there scared to start a business

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
Aside from Candles, I make music as DNYL, I released a project last year called Rice&Peas. It was the story of me coming up, some of what I had seen and experienced as far as family, relationships and life, it was the essence of what makes me who I am. I’m super proud of it for that very reason. To be honest I’ve never been an extrovert, so being able to share my story through music has been a big accomplishment, something I hope to do more of. I try to show people that it’s cool to be regular, to be YOU! Especially in world where they make us all feel like we have to be rich, or driving this car or wearing these clothes. Nah! I feel like we should stick to who we are and embrace all those little things that make us different. It’s cool to be different.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
In Los Angeles I was staying in Long Beach, if a friend came by I would probably take them to the pier for sight seeing and to be by the water, we could go to a Taco spot, there’s a place in Long Beach called El Sauz – their tacos are AMAZING! Downtown Long Beach is pretty nice too so if not Tacos maybe Sushi. I think the most fun things to check out is really nature, museums, anything artsy, in the past year I’ve gone to parks like Griffith Park and really got to bask in the beauty of the city and just nature in general. I feel like we don’t do that enough at times, it’s easy to get caught up in work and responsibilities. The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I’d love to give a shout out to my mom. It’s probably a bit corny but she’s always been my biggest motivation. I don’t come from a rich background and she raised me and my sisters as a single mother. The reason I push so hard to be great and to accomplish these feats is to help put her in a better situation, help us live a life we’ve never been able to. Hopefully I can achieve that goal one day

Website: Shoprevedeminuit.com

Instagram: @theDNYL

Twitter: @TheDNYL

Other: You can download Rice&Peas by visiting: https://music.apple.com/us/album/rice-peas/1507594247

Image Credits
All photos taken by @shotbywave

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