We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Asher Yelo a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Alright, so we’re so thrilled to have Asher with us today – welcome and maybe we can jump right into it with a question about one of your qualities that we most admire. How did you develop your work ethic? Where do you think you get it from?
In the beginning, work ethic was exemplified day in and day out by my parents. By baring witness to two English creatives moving to America as new parents with a 5 and 2 year old in 2008, I saw what it looked like to struggle yet always lead with hope and purpose driving every action. From making career altering decisions to cleaning the toilet, even though they obviously would rather not. But it didn’t matter to them because they loved me, they loved my siblings, they loved the Lord, and they knew that their calling was to love on those who are in this crazy city of LA. And for them to foster in me that “character is not defined by who you are when everyone sees you, but when you are the same man or woman when no one is around” caused me to realize a whole other level of resilience all the way from infancy that most people will never fully encounter. So, work ethic to me is simply an extension of my desire to be excellent and a man of character. I don’t strive to work hard, I look faithfully to what God’s entrusted me with and steward it with diligence. Whether it’s my music career as an artist, producer, and writer, or as simple as vacuuming the house, I will do it well. Not because I want incredible results, but because I have found wisdom and joy within the process of accomplishing and failing at something.
Thanks, so before we move on maybe you can share a bit more about yourself?
I was introduced to music production at 11 years old and fell in love with the process of creating music. At the time, I was heavily inspired by production heavy genres such as Film Scores, Dance/Electronic music, and Trap, so I indirectly learned so much about how to structure songs, build cinematic universes, and tell a story without even using words. At 14, I started writing songs, poems, stories and sonnets, anything that allowed me to tell a deeper story. And at 16, after all my turbulent hormones and voice cracks chilled out, I started singing. And with these 3 elements all put together, I could now build entire worlds, narratives, and heart wrenching stories in a whole new way. And long story short, some really amazing people in the industry started to take notice. By the time I was 19, I managed to get signed to Quincy Jones Productions as an artist, have placed songs on the OWN Network, Disney, Pixar, and more, have had the opportunity to produce and write for many artists, k-pop groups, and visual media companies, all because I just love telling stories! That for me is what makes me most excited; getting to share and express how I see the world and helping others express how they see it.
There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?
The first quality that has been absolutely invaluable in my journey, one that I think a lot of people miss, is having a sense of identity. If someone asks me who I am, I know the answer, and it isn’t an answer that has anything to do with what I do. What you do and who you are are very separate, but in today’s current state, they get mixed and interchanged all too often. The second quality would have to be the skill of listening for two reasons: 1) an ear for sonics and tone (obviously for musical purposes), and 2) an ear for listening to the wisdom that surrounded and still surrounds me. I believe we were made with two ears and one mouth for a reason; one should always listen more than they speak, no matter how much one knows or doesn’t know. And then the third quality would be servant leadership. In my mind, the deep version of true servant leadership is this; to lead is to get low and in the dirt, to the places people are too proud to go and to love on those who exist in that place. The more obvious version is that true leadership is not commanding others to do certain things, but to live out a life that creates a path for others to follow. These three have always been important to me and will continue to be even more so as I develop as a man, creative, and businessman.
How can folks who want to work with you connect?
A few years ago, I realized that there really is only so much I can ultimately say from my own experience, and knew that moving forward, collaboration in every avenue is an absolute must. Not just for creative purposes, but for continuing to understand the human condition and people’s hearts more intently. Fortunately, I can sing, produce, write, dance, draw, paint, film, and many other things, so if you happen to do something creative, we can probably make something amazing together!
I am 100% looking for more artists, producers, and writers to frequently collaborate with since it can get quite laborious doing everything myself. And ultimately, it’d be so dope to just have a whole creative hub of videographers, VFX artists, choreographers, dancers, lighting specialist, sound engineers to work with moving forward. I know I will be a very busy and prolific artist and am going to need help with my tour, music videos, events and all that jazz. I’m always looking at insta dms, so you can send a message to me @asheryelo, or reach out to my manager, Alyssa Lein Bryant, at a@alein-creative.com
Contact Info:
- Website: asheryelo.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/asheryelo?igsh=YTQwZjQ0NmI0OA%3D%3D&utm_source=qr
- Youtube: https://youtube.com/@ASHERYELO?si=PQ4f9OWGl01ukuiz
- SoundCloud: https://soundcloud.com/asheryelo?utm_source=clipboard&utm_medium=text&utm_campaign=social_sharing
