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

Hi Chad, why did you decide to pursue a creative path?
I wanted to put on big shows with catchy music and really capture the magic of finding a new favorite song or experience. Once I realized I could put these together with videos for instagram it really made me want to push the limits of simple video concepts with no professional help. All of my videos are recorded and edited in my room by myself and i’m always looking for new ways to improve visuals!

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
I make Lo-Fi Jazz Chill music and some Jazz Synth Pop Singer Songwriter type music. All inspired by video game music and anime music. I try to blend the catchy melodies and chord progressions of those types of songs and bring it into a more mainstream accessible form. I play keyboard, guitar, bass and I sing / produce. My earliest days of music started in high school when I played Guitar Hero everyday until the hardest difficulty became too easy for me and I decided to try real guitar. I found that alot of the finger motions and rhythms translated onto real guitar and I learned more techniques from YouTube videos. This led me to play in several bands over the years, all very different from one another. I’ve played synth keys for a disco synthpop group, bass for a shoegaze pop rock group, synth keys for a psychedelic rock group and various other one time performances. If there’s any one thing I want the world to know it’s that anyone can learn and perform music. It requires a system of breaking down the methodology and techniques, finding the way that works for you and finding music that resonates with you that you would want to learn!

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
Favorite spots in the city consist of Barcade and Nintendo World! Of course there are a few underground retro video game shops that I always frequent as well as a few record stores that sell all kinds of vintage knick knacks. I also enjoy good clothing stores, vintage thrifting is always fun but I prefer a nice independent graphic tee shops or random model figure shops in Chinatown. Along with a few bars I used to frequent such as Piano’s or the Library.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
Video Game Music is my biggest influence hands down. All of my work comes from video game or video game inspired music and sounds. Other influences are Stevie Wonder, Michael Jackson, Lo-fi, Jazz/Fusion, Rock / Heavy Metal and Classical. Honestly there are so many people that’ve helped me get to this point and I could name drop too many people but mostly my parents for shaping my musical influences. Music has always played through my house since my earliest memories so music has been very engrained into me from a young age. Another musician that really helped pave the way for me is Brooke D. She’s a good friend of mine and actually connected me to this interview! I was super inspired by her story, moving across the US by herself and starting a music career in NYC within a month of her move. I’m always inspired by artists and creatives who push the limits of their surroundings to create something that inspires other people to make the same change.

Website: https://liinks.co/chadmusic_
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/chadmusic_/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/chadmusic_
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/chadmusicny
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCEp8UEQlESLTRiz2pLcqdXg
Other: Twitch – https://www.twitch.tv/chadmusic_

Image Credits
Photographers – Brooke D. , Patricia Villate Graphic Artist – Maya Menon

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