Meet Aaron English

We recently connected with Aaron English and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Aaron, so great to have you on the platform. There’s so much we want to ask you, but let’s start with the topic of self-care. Do you do anything for self-care and if so, do you think it’s had a meaningful impact on your effectiveness?
Self-care is now vital in my daily routine – and I have my girlfriend, Beth Inglish, to thank for that. Her commitment to well-being and maintaining balance in her life constantly inspires me. Her influence – treating self-care as non-negotiable – has rubbed off, and now my work week is filled with pauses for yoga, tai chi, swimming, hiking, kayaking, a long bath, reading, meditation. It has made me more focused, resilient, and effective in my music (and music biz) work. It is one of the strangest and most wonderful ironies that when you commit time towards working out, or to intentionally resting…you end up with more time and energy to pour into your work than if you hadn’t. Weird, but it’s a lesson well-learned at this point…and I’ll happily take it.

Thanks for sharing that. So, before we get any further into our conversation, can you tell our readers a bit about yourself and what you’re working on?
Nashville-based singer-songwriter/pianist; my music blends American rock & folk with the traditional music of Africa, Brazil, Celtic Europe & the Middle East.

I feel so fortunate to have had an absolutely fascinating career in music: I’ve toured the U.S. and Europe countless times, had a song on the Fox TV drama “Bones”, had a Top 5 radio hit in Italy and a Top 20 in the U.S. I did a U.S.-State-Department-backed music tour in Pakistan last year.

I also run a charity, the International Youth Music Project, that supports music programs for orphaned & refugee children around the world.

I’m excited to be releasing a new album this year – in memory and in honor of my father, who passed in 2023.

If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?
Perseverance, adaptability, and collaboration. Perseverance helped me stay committed to my goals over all these years. Adaptability allowed me to embrace new styles and technologies, keeping my music – and ways of promoting it – relevant. Collaboration with other musicians and industry professionals enriched my creativity and opened doors all over the world.

Hang in there: take care of yourself, pace yourself – so that you maintain the strength, peace of mind and grounded perspective to keep at it. True to the cliché, a music career is a marathon, not a sprint. Always be open to learning and evolving. Actively seek out collaborative opportunities on both the music and the business side.

What was the most impactful thing your parents did for you?
They always supported me in whatever I wanted to do. I could explore and discover what I loved and was good at without them saying, even once: “Hey great, but can you you make a living at that?” Instead, it was: “Does that make you happy? Then go for it!”

That’s the gift of having teachers for parents, I suppose: they know that that happy, engaged, inspired kid is the kid that’s most likely to flourish.

Contact Info:

Image Credits
Photos by Casey Moore, Dirk van Tellingen & John Partipilo

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