Today we’d like to introduce you to Brandon Burroughs.
Hi Brandon, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
It all started when my grandmother gave me a tiny midi Casio for my 9th birthday. I would spend hours in the dark just playing random keys, then learning all the songs that were programmed on there. I’ve always been highly introverted, I turned to writing the next year as it I became flooded with emotions but didn’t quite know how to process them and so I started writing poetry. When I got to junior high school, one of my best friend’s fathers turned out to be a professional Brazilian Jazz singer and had his own home studio. My friend had started rapping before me and asked me to just take a poem and say it over a beat, it was terribly off rhythm but it gave me an indescribable feeling of nervousness and excitement. I’ve loved it ever since.
My music has evolved as I have, and so how I’ve gotten to the place that I am today is a result of all the winding turns I’ve made throughout life. From being a single parent to almost dying in a total wreck accident to my spiritual journey and self-discovery, my music has always documented my views and often times a reminder of who I am in the moment.
Performances have played a large role into my evolution in how I’ve approached my craft. As I’ve gotten older, much like a lot of brands, I recognized people wanted more. I’ve been able to connect with the audience through African drum music, sage, positive affirmations whilst curating a message of love, happiness, strive and perseverance. It’s been liberating to come as my authentic self but just as rewarding to leave a lasting impact on anyone who has seen a live show of mine.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Not even close! I think a large obstacle I have faced is, being a parent so early. My girlfriend at the time got pregnant when I was 22, at this point I was doing a lot of shows in New York City, just trying to get my name out there – I had to drop everything I was doing to help support. No credit, no job, never had an apartment and a few months to figure it out?! It was more than enough to drive me up a wall, but we were able to make it through.
Things complicated when I moved to Florida divorce, car accident, no family here and now I have full custody of my two daughters. I mean your life flashes before your eyes, literally and figuratively when the thing you desire most out of life seems like a silly dream you thought of at your friend’s house when you’re 11….now you’re in your 30s like wow, here we are.
There in sets doubt…perhaps the most familiar foe for any artist….you start to list where you are and what you haven’t done and all the things weighing you down. Am I done? Am I too old? Am I good enough? Is what I create even worth it? Adapting mediation and a holistic lifestyle has certainly helped!
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I am a music artist, and I suppose I would say I specialize in connecting people’s souls and hearts and minds. I am most proud of the moments where I can physically see that in my performances. Someone cried at my performance for the first time in my life this year, I had a moment, but it didn’t occur until after the performance.
I thought to myself, “Wow, All those nights that I stay up writing, wondering if this song will touch people?” Here it was and all its glory! Big shout out to ‘Orlando House Party’ and their audience of over 200+ people that stayed locked in with me for 45 minutes!
Outside of music, I am a proud father raising two little women – they are everything to me. They continue to teach me in ways that would probably take up a lot of this interview, lol. Single parenthood is not for the faint, and not having any family in Orlando, Florida has truly helped me push the boundaries of what I feel I can and can’t do in life. If anything, my daughters have taught me that, impossible is always possible.
What makes me stand apart from others is, I am also a lightworker as we say in the spiritual community. I am a Reiki Master and very much into holistic living. Why did they set me apart? I think as an artist, we try to incorporate as much as we are into our works, and for me, this is no different. Both in my performances and in my writing, messaging and energy is everywhere and I do my best to provoke introspection, healing and love.
We’d be interested to hear your thoughts on luck and what role, if any, you feel it’s played for you?
O my, lol “luck” you know this actually considered a factor in business?! For me though, if you ask my dad, he would say “he’s the ‘almost’ had it guy’. Thereof been a lot of opportunities in my past, indie labels, Major label connects, Netflix opportunities and more that I could name – all of them have fallen through.
The biggest thing about being an artist or an entrepreneur is, accepting that “failure is another opportunity to start again” I believe Henry Ford said that.
So, I haven’t ever truly been the recipient of luck in my field, everything I’ve built, my brand, my level of showmanship, my songwriting have all been a result of a 11 years old grabbing the mic and being obsessed and stubborn, lol.
I’ve had just great people behind me – those who believe in what I can do, those who want to help me get there and for every single one of those souls, I am forever indebted. I love them wholeheartedly as much as I do with every listener who has continued to support my journey.
I have faith that luck is culmination of things and that those things take time, but that energy will make its way back to you for – what you water grows and I have been watering a lifetime.
Contact Info:
- Email: [email protected]
- Website: Thatmanvee.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thatmanvee
- Youtube: www.YouTube.com/user/brandonveemusic
Image Credits
Orlando House Party Tyla Harrington – Talbutt Thea Dakila Joyanne Panton
