Meet ILU | Singer/Songwriter/Musician

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

Hi ILU, is there something that you feel is most responsible for your success?
The most important factor behind my art is staying true to myself. I create from places that I resonate with in the physical, mental, and emotional realm. When I create my art it comes from the desire to share my inner and outer world and it’s a bonus when my listeners/audience resonate or feel hear/seen through it. I think there is this trend in modern, popular music nowadays where the artist is speaking about topics or ideas that are recycled and emotionally detached because it is trendy or catchy and it diminishes the quality and true reason for art. I have always told myself it is important not to succumb to that pressure of creating for the sake of being trendy or catchy. My music will always be a product of my emotions and desire to express them.

Please tell us more about your work. We’d love to hear what sets you apart from others, what you are most proud of or excited about. How did you get to where you are today professionally. Was it easy? If not, how did you overcome the challenges? What are the lessons you’ve learned along the way. What do you want the world to know about you or your brand and story?
What sets me apart from others is that I remain versatile and refrain from putting myself in a particular musical category. My music library is all over the place so I think that really influences the idea of remaining genre less for me. My songs range from indie/punk to techno. I absolutely love singing on anything I enjoy and feel something for. I am really proud of the fact that I have been given a unique voice that makes it possible to sing on any genre I want to. I am also really proud of the fact that I have always stayed true to myself and haven’t oversexualized myself or my music to be noticed. As a person, I am attracted to things that are a bit unorthodox and dark but I still remain soft, humorous, optimistic. That’s something I think shines through my music.

I still have so much I want to experience and accomplish as an artist and I think a true artist knows that the journey never ends. It definitely hasn’t been an easy journey but it has always been worth it. Being born an artist comes with emotional turbulence that is a bit extreme at times. Thankfully music has always been an outlet but can sometimes be a trigger as well. As an independent artist who also works a full-time day job it is hard not to experience stress overload, imposter syndrome, etc. I think the hardest thing to this day is accepting the fact that my day job does take so much time and effort away from the work and effort I put into making music. There’s this resentment that comes with that realization at times and the desire to just create full time is so overwhelming. Overall, I engage in positive habits like eating healthy, journaling, praying, exercising, positive self-talk, and managing/planning my time effectively. Overall, I’ve learned that being an artist is all about the highs and lows and channeling that energy into the art is what it is all about.

I want the world to know that singing and songwriting to me is truly the only time I feel like I am myself. I get lost in it and hope my listeners can get lost in my songs too.

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 would 100% do a cute thrift/library day around Laguna Beach and Calabasas. I would also go to the Huntington Library and have a cool picnic/paint day there. The Museum of Death and Mystic Museum would totally be on the itinerary followed by my favorite pizza spot Burattino Brick Oven Pizza. Another favorite of mine would be rollerskating at Long Beach City Beach while listening to my favorite music. Last but not least I would have to hit up my favorite places to catch live music like the Black Rabbit in Hollywood, The Night Owl open mic, The Den in Santa Ana, The Room 13 hotel. Of course visiting some cool goth bars or speakeasies like Bar Sinister, The Cauldron, Alex’s Bar, Davey Wayne’s, for a drink before hitting an underground techno show is a must too.

I think the most exciting people, places and things to check out are usually very secretive and not too well known by the masses.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
I want to thank my friend Andre Orellana for encouraging me to step into a studio to record a hook for him back in 2015. Without that invite and experience my interest and decision to pursue music as a career would have definitely been delayed by who knows how long. I also want to thank my artist friends Lalo (Topboy), Jovany, James, Ethan, and Brandon (Deadscar) for seeing something special in me and encouraging me to keep going at it 100% when I experience discouragement or imposter syndrome (it’s a real thing lol.) These dear friends of mine have always shown love and encouragement that comes from nothing but a genuine desire to see me succeed which is really hard to come by in this industry. I also really love and appreciate every single one of my listeners who give my music the time of day and who also actively share and push for my success as an artist. Lastly, the books the Artists Way and The Creative Act have provided me with an abundance of tips and information that have encouraged me to approach my creative process in a way that has made it more consistent, fun, liberating, and successful.

Instagram: @ilumusic__

Twitter: @ilumusic__

Youtube: ilumusic__

Other: Apple/Spotify: ILU

Image Credits
Photographers: Michael Williams, Shayna Carter, Jai