Meet Kobe Henderson

We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Kobe Henderson a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Kobe, we’re thrilled to have you on our platform and we think there is so much folks can learn from you and your story. Something that matters deeply to us is living a life and leading a career filled with purpose and so let’s start by chatting about how you found your purpose.

Pardon my cliche, but I feel like my purpose found me. Or at least, over time, I became more aligned with an ever present drive to create music. Simply put, nothing else puts goosebumps on my skin like the right alchemyof notes, rhythms, and sonic textures.

In 2021, however, everything crystallized. That year, I helped orchestrate a small festival that became so much more than just music – it transformed into a channel of change, raising thousands of dollars for the San Diego Black LGBTQ Coalition. In that moment, my artistic passion fused with purpose. The goosebumps I’d always felt from creating music were now amplified by the knowledge that these same sounds could lift others, could fund real change, could matter beyond the melody.

I discovered that my art could be a bridge between beauty and impact. Music wasn’t just my calling anymore – it had become my instrument for good, my way of harmonizing personal passion with public purpose. The notes I play now resonate with something greater than myself: they echo with the possibility of change.

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?

My name is Kobe Henderson, but all of my friends call me Gooby. So if you’re reading this, feel free to call me Gooby. I’ve been making music since I was a young’n and I’ll be doing so until I’m an old’n. Through every twist, turn, and tangent of life, the one constant has been the compulsion to concoct musical creation. I’ve done so with my peers, in solo projects, in bands, in academic settings, and more.

These days, I’m part of something special called Membership, an indie rock outfit where four of us combine our musical DNA into something entirely new. We share more than just music – we live together in a Historic Filipinotown house with a rooftop that serves as our stage, offering a panoramic backdrop of LA’s sprawling skyline. Up there, we’re building something bigger than ourselves: a community where positive vibes flow, asses shake, and the rooftop quakes. We’ll see how long the neighbors let us get away with that.

Watch for our first release – three songs we’ve battle-tested live, dropping March 28th, 2025. It’s been almost a year in the making, and we’re ready to share what we’ve been cooking since April 2024.

If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?

The throughline of my journey has been an unwavering drive to connect with fellow humans – not in pursuit of personal gain, but driven by genuine curiosity about the stories, passions, and peculiarities that make each person tick. My most cherished opportunities and meaningful collaborations have sprouted from these authentic connections. There’s a certain magic in letting conversations meander beyond small talk, in showing up consistently for your community, in celebrating others’ wins as if they were your own.

Then there’s follow-through – that unsexy yet crucial companion to every creative endeavor. I’ve learned that ideas are abundant but execution is rare. The artists, musicians, and creators I admire most aren’t just dreamers – they’re finishers. They transform abstract visions into tangible reality through relentless iteration. Each completed project, no matter how small, builds momentum that carries into the next.

But none of this happens without discipline – that daily decision to show up, to put in the work even when inspiration plays hide and seek. It’s about building systems and routines that support your craft. Some days that means dragging yourself along, knowing that it’ll feel better tomorrow knowing you did. Other days it’s setting boundaries around your creative time like it’s sacred (because it is). Discipline is the invisible architecture that turns sporadic bursts of motivation into sustainable progress.

To those early in their journey: invest in genuine connections without expectation. Follow through ferociously on your commitments, especially to yourself. And embrace discipline not as a constraint, but as the foundation that makes space for your creativity to flourish. The path won’t always be clear, but these three companions will help guide you through the fog.

What do you do when you feel overwhelmed? Any advice or strategies?

One of my personal favorite songs I’ve ever made is one called “Resuscitate the Sun”. The first verse is as follows:

“Resuscitate the sun
My luck is playing dumb
I count down from 10 before I count 0 to 1
Resuscitate the sun”

That concept of resuscitating the sun is bringing back the joy in life when it looks like it’s all but gone. And the line about counting down before counting up is about the need realign and reset before you can move forward.

When overwhelm creeps in, there’s no path around it – only through it. The first step is getting out of your head and back into your body. Nothing beats meditation and journaling.

Physical movement is the other half of this equation. Whether it’s lifting weights, running, or dancing alone in your room, getting your body moving processes the excess energy that builds up under stress. The body needs to work through what the mind wrestles with.

Then there’s the art. Once you’ve centered through meditation and burned off that anxious energy through movement, whatever overwhelm remains becomes raw material for creation. Channel it into your craft. There’s something powerful about transforming that weight into something tangible, something that might resonate with others navigating similar waters.

It’s not about making the overwhelm disappear – it’s about learning to surf those waves rather than getting pulled under.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: https://instagram.com/goobystuff
• Other: https://distrokid.com/hyperfollow/gooby2/resuscitate-the-sun?utm_source=SendGrid&utm_medium=Email+&utm_campaign=website

Image Credits

Alex Vasquez