Meet FLASCH | Non-Binary Queer Music Artist based in Los Angeles

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

Hi FLASCH, do you have some perspective or insight you can share with us on the question of when someone should give up versus when they should keep going?

I can’t give up. Giving up on my dreams is giving up on everything I’ve been working for my entire life. There’s no turning back.

I have no choice but to keep going. This is everything I’ve ever wanted, worked towards, dreamed of.

I feel really grateful that as long as I can remember, I’ve wanted to be a singer. One of my first memories was my grandma and I in her driveway in the valley picking cherry tomatoes, her teaching me my first real song, “You Are My Sunshine.”

My grandma was known for her premonition dreams, predicting major world events and always knowing too much, just like my dad, who always seems to know what I’m thinking, even from across the country.

My grandma told everyone that I was going to be a famous singer someday. I thought, if she’s always right about the future, I’ll take this one.

“And with a name like Flasch, you gotta be famous someday,…” was something people told me all the time growing up and to this day, which is part of the reason I wanted to just be “FLASCH” for my music – it feels finally like me. Full circle. Like everything is meant to be.

It also helped that I’ve always loved singing and dancing more than anything in the world. I have been a professionally trained dancer since I was 3 years old, where I’d spend 60+ hours every week dancing at the studio that my mom worked at so I could afford to go. (Thank you.)

I dreamed of someday being preparing for my future career as a performer of some sorts. Since the first time I saw Hannah Montana, I knew too wanted to a double life – pop star and “regular girl.” Ever since I was little, I dreamed of being a “ballerina”, to being a background dancer in music videos in Los Angeles, performing on Broadway, “being like Katy Perry” after seeing the California Girls music video, and leaving my town of 800 to move to Hollywood to start pursuing my dreams.

I can’t give up because there’s nothing I think about more than my Creative pursuits. Without music, dance, photography, videography, making clothes dying my hair, painting, drawing, editing, animating, cooking – everything I do in life now is art.

All I want is this. I want to sing to world and write and perform songs that mean something to people. I want to sing and dance and jump around and tour the world and build a community of people who resonate and are inspired and grow together. I want to be the role model I never had growing up. I want people to feel seen and heard. I want everyone to love more. I can’t give up because that would be giving up on my life purpose. I always felt the need to be kind to everyone I meet, to be a light, and to give love always and that love always wins. I want to help other people feel inspired and to spread kindness.

I’ve been working on growing my platforms, music writing abilities, the courage to quit my corporate 9-5, the confidence to be myself, and everything it takes to be a “pop star” my entire life. I feel closer and closer to my destiny everyday, whatever that even is, and I know I can’t give up. I have to keep working hard everyday towards my goals, or what’s left? I go work at Best Buy again and sit at a desk all day? Okay, I become an Influencer Manager for influencers and write them a check to go take some photos that I wish I taking, or I could stand in the stadium of a show that I wish I was on stage for, but I never tried?

I am so happy and grateful to even have the opportunity to be speaking with this editorial. Everyday I am dreaming while I’m awake. Life is a movie. Even on bad and hard days, I remember that I am so f*cking lucky to have the life I have and there’s no way I could give up now. I never knew if I would actually make it to Los Angeles, but I’m really proud of myself and everyone else that takes steps towards their dreams.

It’s not always rainbows and butterflies. However, my biggest struggle in life is my endocrine disorder, PMDD- Pre-menstrual Dysphoria Disorder. A taboo condition that effects about 1/20 women and AFAB individuals of reproductive age. Those with PMDD suffer from paranoia, fatigue, difficulty concentrating, disrupting work and damaging relationships, self-doubt, suicidal thoughts, and everyday feels like it’s your creeping deeper into your own personal Hell. 15% of individuals with PMDD attempt suicide.

There’s a lot of days where I want to give up. However, even with my dark thoughts, I have a beautiful spirituality that allows me to remember the beauty and love in life. I try to remember all the good things, to work hard, to rest, and to appreciate all the hard emotions as they make the happy ones even brighter. I try to remember reasons I can’t give up

People who say that my music makes their day and that it’s the first thing they listen in the morning – makes me not want to give up.

The people who tell me that me being open online about my sexuality and gender fluidity made them discover their own needs and identities makes me not want to give up.

Writing in my manifestation journey every night makes me not want to give up.

Every new stream and monthly listener makes me not want to give up.

Editing my music video 48 hours and being almost done makes me not want to give up.

My dad saying that he never got to be a musician, but wishes he could’ve makes me not want to give up.

Writing a song that opens a portal to my ancestors while I sing it makes me not want to give up.

Getting 200 people or 2 Million people see my TikTok makes me not want to give up.

Learning and growing so much everyday from my peers and co-creators make me not want to give up.

Riding on my Electric Scooter 8 miles to a writer’s session because I don’t have a car makes me not want to give up.

Petting a fluffy cat makes me not want to give up.

You reading this makes me not want to give up.

Getting to live today and tomorrow makes me not want to give up.

Nothing can stop me. Only I could stop me.
“There may be people who have more talent than you, but there’s no excuse for anyone to work harder than you do – and I believe that.” by Derek Jeter I don’t really know anything about baseball player, Derek Jeter, but I had this quote on my wall all of middle school and high school.

Can you give our readers an introduction to your business? Maybe you can share a bit about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
I think I a have a unique point of view in the music industry, as not only an independent artist, but also a professional photographer and videographer.

I feel like I have an advantage in some ways in the marketing and visual components of music. I love making music videos, roll out content, Tiktoks/reels, visualizer, everything – I try my best to help my friends and use my skills to teach and help my friends grow their platforms as well so we can all change the world and share our art to everyone! I founded my own production studio called “LA Celebrity Studio,” @lacelebritystudio just recently started in 2022, taking me from just being freelance photographer for a full-service production company where I hire myself and my network to work on your projects. 🙂

I think I finally know what I want to do with my branding, rollout, music videos, and everything. The past year living in LA, everyone has told me what to do all day long – and I can take that, but also I felt like I was being pulled in every direction and being told mixed things by people who are barely successful themselves. (Classic LA)

I’ve come to realize that the best thing that I and we can do is to be ourselves. We are put here for a reason and that’s to live our truth and dreams, and if we aren’t showing that to ourselves and the world – are we even living?

The more spiritually I feel like myself the more I can conquer my life!

This past year has been a lot of me coming to terms with being non-binary, doing my hair however I want, wearing whatever I want, and now singing whatever I want!

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.
Ooooo…

Things to Do-

Silverlake Flea- don’t leave without checking out (@unseenclothing_) and (@ nwahswar) booths.
Scootering around anywhere – I love scootering down Sunset.
Silverlake Reservoir! LA River! Melrose area to walk around and Melrose Trading Post if you haven’t been!
The BEACH DUHHHH
Any mountains. Malibu canyon…. anywhere…. I love living in LA!!! (For context, I lived in Minnesota for most of my life and college and just moved back to LA a year ago since childhood)

Favorite food and drinks- Honestly, I can’t really afford to go out to eat and I don’t really drink lol. but…. FOR BOBA – SUNRIGHT TEA!!!!! I also like Backyard Bowls the 2 times I went there, Hollywood Thai, Mel’s Diner, HOME, Kura Sushi- lol also I love cooking, so yeah, who wants to take me out?

I honestly love being in the studio making music, shooting music videos, modeling, taking self-portraits, filming with my VHS at the beach, I just love to always be creating – not even for social media or work, but because I love it and I want to remember this beautiful life.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
I would love, love, love to give a shoutout to someone who’s believed in me more than anyone and that is my friend, Cara H.S. Cara and I met the first week of University through my ex-boyfriend (lol). Cara is a brilliant drummer, producer, and musician.

Long story short, Cara and I traded services based in 2018, when Cara offered to “produce a song for me,” in exchange for some videography work to promote her production services.

Cara produced majority of the music for my music project, CyberGirlfriend, that grew from 17 monthly listeners to 50,000 in 1 year through TikTok, social media strategy, good content, and I guess bedroom pop music that people liked!

I can’t even explain the amount of appreciation I have for career personally and professionally, but Cara – truly changed my life. Thank you for everything. <3

Website: https://beacons.ai/flasch/

Instagram: instagram.com/flaschflasch

Twitter: twitter.com/helloflasch

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/c/FLASCH1111/

Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@flaschflasch

Image Credits
Photos by Gabriel Mendoza Weiss and Self-Portraits by FLASCH