Meet BL4RE

We recently connected with BL4RE and have shared our conversation below.

BL4RE, sincerely appreciate your selflessness in agreeing to discuss your mental health journey and how you overcame and persisted despite the challenges. Please share with our readers how you overcame. For readers, please note this is not medical advice, we are not doctors, you should always consult professionals for advice and that this is merely one person sharing their story and experience.
Since I was a little kid I had been dealing with Bipolar and ADHD. Being an adult with bipolar can be challenging at times. You go from being in a perfectly fine state of mind, to feeling like the world is crashing down on you.

The thing that keeps me level, and knocks me out of my manic states is making music. Even if I can’t come up with something I think is amazing it still helps to sit down, collect my thoughts, and put them to a beat.

Thanks, so before we move on maybe you can share a bit more about yourself?
As a teen I used to play guitar and sing in a pop punk band named Drop*42. We played dozens of Maryland venues including the original iteration of The Recher Theatre in Towson. In 2018 — long after the band had disbanded — I decided to try my hand at making RnB music. I was a huge Justin Timberlake fan as a kid and wanted to try to morph my pop punk voice with some soothing beats. Over time my friends started calling me a rapper, and I’ve done quite a bit of melodic rapping, but Rnb is what I feel I’m best at.

I pride myself in making high quality music, with a splash of innovation. Over the year 2023 I didn’t make or release much of my own music, as I was working heavily on projects for clients, as well as bettering my mixing skills. I run a home studio out of my apartment, and it’s started bringing in a decent bit of money at this point.

At the end of 2023 I made a promise to myself that I would go back to my roots, and make another RnB project that would showcase all I’ve learned with beat producing as well as lyric writing. It’s an EP called “Thanks 4 Nothing” and it will be dropping very soon, following the release of my upcoming single “The Wave (feat. Ri Marquis)” which should be out at the end of January.

Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?
1. The ability to adapt.

Music, like any other form of art, is ever evolving. I’d be lying if I said I don’t want to be famous. Thousands of people screaming my lyrics back at me is all I’ve dreamed of since I was 6 years old singing Garth Brooks in the back of my mom’s car. That being said, if I want to be heard, I’ve got to adapt with the trends sometimes.

2. The ability to take criticism.

Since I started releasing music as BL4RE, I’ve made a few friends who are also trying to achieve the same goals as me. We created a group called Fairy Tale Entertainment. I send practically every song I make to these guys for feedback and criticism. Not everything I make is perfect, and sometimes I need someone to tell me, “Hey man this really ain’t it. Try again.” They can be ruthless at times… but they have to be, and I love them for it.

3. A knowledge of pop culture.

No, I’m not talking about watching TMZ, or watching Reality TV. In rap and Rnb there are a large amount of pop culture references used in punchlines. Sometimes I just scroll Instragram and look at what’s trending. Current events are always good to be up to date on when writing lyrics.

What’s been one of your main areas of growth this year?
In the past year I’ve been through hell and back. I lost the love of my life to brain cancer. We were engaged and planning a wedding. It all happened so suddenly. If you remember, I mentioned earlier that I have Bipolar. My depression got severe, and I had to lay low for a while and focus on myself. In the past 12 months I’ve learned to love myself, and to embrace my own differences. No two people are alike, and that’s what’s so beautiful about life. If you’re struggling, you can and will get better. It just takes time.

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Image Credits
Pbj Photography Harrison Webb

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