Meet Steve Reason in North Miami

Today we’d like to introduce you to Steve Reason.

Steve, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
I am a Saxophonist, Producer, songwriter, singer from Miami. I’m Haitian American. I was born and raised in Miami. My professional musical journey all started in 2007, when I first wrote a song Called ‘Time” at Florida Memorial University. After serving in the Marines I came home, applied for school, and was accepted with a full scholarship from the late Melton Mustafa Sr. He was a world renowned trumpeter/Jazz Professor that took my understanding of music to the next level. At this time I was focused on increasing my skills as a saxophonist. I got into songwriting while watching so many talented vocalist at my college sing. It inspired me to take singing more seriously. That time in my life was very difficult. I was dealing with adapting to regular civilian life, as well as dealing with my dad who had multiple strokes while I was away, a brother who had a mental illness, and a Mom who had been stressed from taking care of them both on her own. Which is one of the reasons I came home after finishing my active duty.

While in college I was always the type of person to have these crazy musical Ideas and dreams of being a superstar sax player singer. One day while in a recording session with a producer named Kirt Pascal in spring of 2008, I said to him I’m going to start singing. That day he laughed at me and although I laughed with him, I said “I’m serious, I’m going to really do this”. I started writing more and playing the sax more. I had one song ready called “Time”, so I started performing. I had a guitar player, who is one of my best friends accompany me to whatever gigs I could get to perform my song. Performing my song got me noticed by a songwriter/actor named Vaine who would years later become one of my long time co-songwriters and best friend. Meeting him at an event called the bohemian room, which was hosted and put on weekly by a woman named Ingrid B. She had the top poetry spot at that time and would let me come by to play the sax. From there Vaine heard me perform my song and approached me with an opportunity to work a producer named cortex who has a company called HollandJungle music. This would be the first time I got to record my voice as an artist on a song called diamond queen.

After recording many songs and songwriting, I was able to release an Ep of songs to kind of introduce some of my work to people. Although the songs were recorded, I wasn’t happy with my voice. It needed to be trained the same way I trained with the sax. This is when I figured out that I was going to have to invest more if wanted this to be my career. The following year in 2009 I got a job working at the fontainebleau Hotel in Miami Beach. I was already working for FedEx at the time but needed to make more money. I decided that I was going work both jobs and go to school full time. I worked 2 jobs for a year. The money that I earned I used it to record. While at the hotel I was referred to a gentleman named Abebe Lewis from circle house studios. I worked out something where I could record songs towards an album. Little did I know I would become intern a year later at circle house studios. After recording 5 songs I picked a song called “Just Leave” to be my single in 2010, which was mixed by Lu Diaz. Who is one of the mixing legends of Miami. I performed the song where ever I could but could not create traction.

By fall of 2010 it was time for me to quit both jobs and focus on finishing my Bachelors of music (Jazz Studies). My goal had always been to finish school because I’ve always wanted to promote to young artist that you can do music and still achieve a degree. In 2011, I graduated with my Bachelors and started a band called Reasonable Doubt. A close friend of mine spoke to the head manager Club Play and I was able to get the band a tryout to be the house band for the club. We tried out literally 2 weeks after graduation and got the slot. For the next 6 months we would perform cover songs and originals in front of club goers, comedians and celebrities every Wednesday night. It was a great opportunity to practice, meet people, and understand what it means to be a performer.

Although the gig ended 6 months later, I was also interning at circle house studios as well. Abebe Lewis the same gentleman that helped me record a series of songs for my demo, was the same person that gave me an internship opportunity. My job was to keep up with Inner Circles social media and also run errands that studio needed done. Inner Circle is a world renowned reggae band with songs like “Bad boy” and “Sweat (a la la la long). After a couple months, I would be fortunate enough to be in the studio with them. I would do vocal references for their lead singer as well as demo new songs written by the band as well. It was an amazing experience to watch these gentleman do music everyday. They gave me so much knowledge about music industry and how people can be in it.

During my time of interning I was also recording sax covers and uploading them to YouTube. I did a cover of “Good Feeling” by Flo rida that got a great amount of views around January in 2012. That same video was seen by Abebe and he played it for Flo-rida’s manager Freezy. He thought it was cool but I guess it didn’t impress him much, which I understood but there was a songwriter with him and I only know him by face until this day. He never introduced himself to me, He only told me that someone here is looking for a sax player. After practicing the sax in the pool house during my lunch break I was approached by the same songwriter who introduced me to Tony Sal. He introduced himself to me and asked me to come into his studio session to hear a song. He played a song called “Burning” by an artist he was managing at that time named Mia Martina, who had a song called “Stereo Love” on the radio at that time. After playing the song he asked how would I like to come to Canada to perform as the sax player on her show. While my heart started to race I said “Oh shoot, Hell yeah”! He laughed and said “let’s do it”.

By February I was on a plan heading to Toronto, Canada. Little did I know that I would spend the next two years touring all over with Mia Martina. That experience taught me what it really was going to take for me to be an artist. It got me to see what many artist don’t get a chance to see until they are usually on a certain level with their music. I took every practice and every show seriously because I wanted to be one of the greats. I became an important part to her show with hard work. At the time I was still working on music but I was working on house music with a local Miami DJ named Felipe Kaval and also got a pianist involved named Ej “Blackpanda” Lewis. I was playing at Nikki beach as well so it made sense at the time and I wasn’t familiar with house music so I really wanted to learn. Watching these two produce while I wrote lyrics to their production motivated me to start producing as well. The following year 2013, I would start producing my own production and ideas. In March of 2013 I decided to stay home to produce for the next 4 months. I needed to learn the production software as well. I woke up everyday at 8am and didn’t go to sleep until 3 or 4 in the morning.

I used that time to perfect my production capabilities, I would go to studios to play on other artist’s music. While doing so I was blessed with being featured on song called “Pure Honesty by Jae Millz who was signed to Young Money at the time. I was introduced to him by a longtime friend who’s a photographer/videographer named Adolphe Chancy Jr. A couple of months later, I also got a placement playing sax on one of “the Games” songs on his mixtape. Little did I know that all this was leading up to me getting signed by an indy label. I was introduced to a rapper by a producer named Tracksion. I played on a few songs for this rapper and He played those songs for his dad and that’s when I got a call one day by their Label A&R. I got the call and went to their studio to meet the father. He wanted me to play sax on a song that was being dedicated to Mandela. They were surprised that I was able to record my part in one take. That night the label owner asked me to do an album with me and on October 13th 2013, I signed my first record deal. I stayed with that label for two years then decided to move on.

I was at the Label and had no money. I had to get a job while I was signed. Once I left the label I kept my job and for the next 3 years I would take that time to work on building my production, songs, and my musical style. Once fall 2017 came I left my job and went to LA. LA opened my eyes in so many ways that I came back home to finally prep my music again for release. Now here we are in 2018 and I have recently released my new single “Broken Love” in Korea and it will be released here in America on October 31st and then I’ll be heading to Europe this fall to perform on my first cruise production. I am really looking forward to what else this year will bring and I can’t wait to hear people’s reactions to my new music.

Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
It hasn’t been smooth at all. The thing about being an artist is sacrifice. I had to sacrifice not going out. Not going on dates and not spending money or even having money to spend. It’s hard to work a full time job and give your artistry full time as well. Many artist struggle with this. Aside from that you also have to deal with emergency family issues. My mom got very ill in 2016 which made me have to push many things to the back burner but when she recovered I felt the energy to harder than I’ve ever gone.

Steve Reason – what should we know? What do you guys do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
Aside from being an artist I also am a musician at heart. I play at weddings, private parties, and Bar Mitzvahs. This is the aspect of my sax playing that’s pretty cool. This is how I’ve been able to meet so many people from different places in the world. I’m proud that I have been able to make people smile when I play the sax and have touched many hearts. What sets me aside from many others is that I can do so many things and what I can’t do, I’m not afraid to pick it up and learn it.

I play at nikki beach every Friday from 2pm to 5pm if anyone wants to come out and check me out jamming with the DJ.

My single will be released in Korea by the 31st of October by Soundrepublica. They released my song on the 27 of August in Korea and I’ll be heading to Europe this fall to perform for two months.

What moment in your career do you look back most fondly on?
The proudest moment was when I got the chance to perform in Russia in 2013, in front of 30o, 000 people in Moscow. That will forever be remembered, I remember freezing on stage for a few seconds, because I had not seen anything like that in my life.

Contact Info:

• Phone: 7866812577
• Email: stevereason@gmail.com

Image Credit:
Adolphe Chancy Jr.

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