Meet RETRO E | ARTIST/SONGWRITER/STYLIST

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

Hi RETRO, can you tell us more about your background and the role it’s played in shaping who you are today?
As a child growing up I struggled a lot with being included in anything because of my childhood. My Birth mom struggled with drug use, so my 7 year old brother at the time had to take care of me and my other 3 siblings. We were poor. No clothes, no shoes, no food. It took the system a while to know we weren’t being supervised by an adult so this went on for a while. I was a 2-3 year old so of course I don’t know the exact time lapse. Although, after they noticed we were then placed into foster care and split up. My 2 brothers went to one home and my sister and I went to another. We were bouncing from home to home until finally we were adopted out by my older cousin in Flint, MI. It was traumatizing as a child. Always feeling excluded and not knowing exactly where tomorrow would bring.

But, I didn’t let it stop me. I went on to be an All A student graduating Highschool with honors, making the national society of highschool scholars and All-Academic on my Varsity Basketball team. I didn’t stop there. I went on to College In Detroit, MI and was the starting guard for my team. I broke records and set records for most points scored and made the Deans List every year. I graduated from College Cum Laude. And USCAA All- American for basketball. After I graduated I started a non-profit organization and went back to writing. I started doing music and slam poetry very young around the age of 9/10. I needed an OUTLET. So as an adult getting back into writing made me feel Whole again. Being a music artist now just feeds the younger me, saying things I never got to say and connecting with ppl I never knew I could connect with. I packed my things in my car and drove from DETROIT MICHIGAN to LOS ANGELES CALIFORNIA. And so far I have been on the radio 10 times in total, and have performed all over LA area 25-30 times.

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.
I started writing poetry at the young age of 9 years old. It was a way for me to let out my frustrations with life and explain myself in ways I couldn’t verbally say. I often wrote with so much emotion that I later turned it into music. Being a child with nothing and literally turning it into something, still moves me a way that will help me continue to keep going.

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.
The beaches here in LA are very beautiful, especially to a Midwest individual. So, I would probably take my friends and family there when they come to visit.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
My older brother Flemund was only 6/7 taking care of me and my other 3 siblings while my mother struggled with drugs. And anytime I called on him for ANYTHING he always come through for me just as he did when I was a baby. He deserves all the shout-outs I can give. He is a real stand up human being.

Instagram: E2retro

Youtube: RETRO E