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

Hi Braeden, what are you inspired by?
I am inspired by anyone who is willing to push and achieve the unthinkable. I’m inspired by those who aren’t worried to express themselves artistically. I’m meeting more and more creatives everyday and the collective grind that everyone possesses fuels the already burning passion I have.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
So I love what I do and I love what I make. I’ve been making my own music now for about 8 months and I’ve been at it ever since. My music is sort of a fusion of many genres like Hip Hop, Rap, R&B, and Pop. Kind of like what a lot of people are pushing for. But with all of the noise, I try to differentiate myself as much as possible. Experimenting with different sounds and mash them together along with my variety of flows. Above everything, I try to keep the music as real as possible. Honestly, the same with others, but it took me a while to really have the drive to actually put myself out there with these songs because they’re all personal stories and situations about myself. I still struggle with a lot of challenges, but at the end of the day, I still love what I’m doing. It’s a therapeutic and passionate force that keeps me going. My goal is to never lose that love. If people want to hear my story and connect it with themselves, I’m all for it. My favorite artists have helped me with their music through it all. I hope one day I can inspire others and help people with my music. It would be my dream

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
I live smack dab in the middle of Orange County. To be honest, there’s a lot of things to do here. You have the beach right there, you have hiking trails, great food spots, and everything you’d pretty much expect from California. I live in a very tourist attractive location so there’s all kinds of things to check out. Honestly if you looked it up, we’d probably have it. 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’ve been making music for a while, but I wouldn’t be where I am without the support of all my friends and family. Specifically my closest friends who pushed me into releasing music in the first place. I didn’t have the confidence or drive to really move this thing forward until my friends let me know.

Website: 8rae.com

Instagram: https://instagram.com/8raeden?igshid=16pf8o2vekn3l

Youtube: https://youtube.com/channel/UC4mQSSoJOjsDZw_uu2akayA

Image Credits
All pictures were taken by Ethan Pham https://instagram.com/ethansnothome?igshid=6vnb8snealrw

Nominate Someone: ShoutoutLA is built on recommendations and shoutouts from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.