Meet Lando

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

Lando, so great to be with you and I think a lot of folks are going to benefit from hearing your story and lessons and wisdom. Imposter Syndrome is something that we know how words to describe, but it’s something that has held people back forever and so we’re really interested to hear about your story and how you overcame imposter syndrome.

In my eyes – dealing with imposter syndrome is an inevitable reality when you make the bold choice to pursue a dream, I think of it as simply the gap between the version of you who has achieved your highest dream, and the current version of you striving towards it, staring you in the face. It isn’t “fake” – it’s the cold truth that there is a lot of tedious, slow work required to incubate into the artist capable of achieving your highest vision for your life. To overcome this uncomfortable feeling – the feeling of not yet having the skills I needed – I leaned into craft.

When I decided to dedicate myself to music, live a passionate life and embark on my hero’s journey, I had no background in singing or songwriting. I committed to doing 2.5 hours of “singing drills” every day and working with opera coaches once a week to develop my craft, as well as writing one song every day. I thought it would take me ~6 months until I felt capable of sharing my music and creating boldly, it took me 3 years, and I’m still growing as an artist every day. I didn’t miss a single day of this slow work (other than planned rest days 1-2 times a month). For most of this time I felt like an imposter, but gradually as my craft and my artistry grew, I developed the self-belief necessary to dispel and combat these thoughts. Prior to that, you quiet the inner critic with faith in your plan, the knowledge you are sticking to it and earning it one day at a time, and belief in the daily work you are doing to get to where you want to go.

You don’t combat imposter syndrome through avoiding it and lying to yourself, you lean into the daily work, becoming the version of yourself needed to accomplish your dreams. Slowly, through that process, you earn the knowledge that you are not an imposter, but a master of your craft.

Great, so let’s take a few minutes and cover your story. What should folks know about you and what you do?

I’m a full-time recording artist, singer, rapper and songwriter in Manhattan. At my core I’m a writer, as poetry and storytelling is the only thing I’ve ever felt truly gifted at and called towards. I’ve written hundreds of songs over the past few years and am working to establish my career and build a community, spreading messages of hope, one-ness and spirituality through hip hop and pop records.

What’s unique about my story is that a little over 3 years ago, I had no background in music whatsoever and was working in Private Equity finance, living a dispassionate, unexamined life headed towards resentment and depression. After “achieving” the hollow trappings of success I thought I wanted, making it to New York finance from a small town in Canada where I grew up, I realized this external success and materialism brought me little fulfillment and meaning. I found myself sleep-walking through life, living for weekends and vacations and procrastinating and avoiding my work. I committed to finding my passion that would allow me to serve the world, contribute my creative essence to humanity and dedicate myself to a craft I could be proud of. I was not drawn to numbers and finance and found myself constantly writing raps and poems in my spare time. I earnestly asked the universe to reveal my passion to me, and after months of searching, started to daydream about music as a medium to share my writing. I had always loved to sing (not well) growing up, and had a deep desire to express myself through the voice. As the path became clearer, I committed to doing 2.5 hours of singing daily, working with opera coaches, and songwriting every day.

What followed was the journey of a lifetime, and a complete inner transformation. This beautiful path of becoming an artist has unfolded over the past three years. I’ve learned to sing, play piano, developed my writing craft beyond my highest vision, and learned the spiritualty and philosophy of creativity and being an effective vessel or “channel” to transmute art into the world. I stuck to my anchor habits of singing and writing every day and through this discipline, slowly worked to quit my job in Private Equity and formed a plan to pursue a full-time music career. Roughly one year ago, I left my job to be an artist full-time. I’ve had over 20 live performances, have released 9 single records on Spotify and other platforms, and have recorded many more with an album on the way for this year. Through this transformation and through living my dream, I’ve become a kinder and more loving person, have repaired family bonds, have embraced self-love, and become someone I’m proud of and a light to my community and circle. I want to inspire others to do the same.

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

1. Radical Discipline: I think especially in the arts, people romanticize talent. I’ve found discipline to be far more reliable. I didn’t start out as a good singer, in fact, I was pretty bad. But I committed to vocal training every single day, no matter what. Over time, that changed everything, and now my voice is my strength. If you want to develop a craft, don’t wait for motivation. Set a minimum standard and honor it daily. This will root you on your path and give you the daily evidence you need to quiet the inner critic. It will move you closer to your new identity daily. Your consistency will become your confidence.

2. Creative Curiosity and Surrender: The best work doesn’t come from trying to be impressive — it comes when you let go and become a channel. I learned to stop forcing songs and start listening for them, to cultivate a mindful sensitivity and awareness when moving through the world. Creativity isn’t about control, it’s about openness. Meditate, journal, get quiet enough to hear what’s trying to come through you. That’s where the magic lives.

3. Faith: When I walked away from private equity to pursue music full-time, there was no roadmap. No safety net. Just intuition. Trusting that voice — the one that said, “There’s more for you than this” — was the boldest thing I’ve ever done. For anyone early in their journey, I’d say: learn to distinguish between fear and intuition. One shrinks you. One pulls you forward. Follow the one that expands you and which path excites your heart and truest Self the most.

As we end our chat, is there a book you can leave people with that’s been meaningful to you and your development?

The Creative Act by Rick Rubin changed the way I view myself as an artist — and more importantly, the way I relate to the world itself. That book gave language to what I was already feeling in my bones: that we’re not inventing ideas, we’re tuning into them. We’re all creators on a cosmic timetable, and our work is to become a sensitive channel to create beautiful “diary entries” or offerings to the universe.

One of the biggest takeaways for me is this idea that artists are antennas. We’re not the source — we’re the receivers. The more open, curious, and still we become, the more clearly we can channel what wants to come through us. That perspective took so much pressure off. I stopped trying to force brilliance and instead focused on clearing space for it. This is also the single biggest tool in my arsenal to combat “writers block” or feelings of inadequacy on slower days where creativity feels slightly out of reach.

Another concept that hit me deeply was detachment from outcome. The book talks about creating for the sake of the art as an offering — not for praise, not for metrics, not for virality. That idea shaped how I approach every song. I no longer write to impress, I write to express and honor myself and the world. And ironically, that’s when the most resonant work happens.

That book reminded me that the highest form of creativity isn’t about ego — it’s about surrender. And that’s something I try to return to every day. I liked it so much I even got the cover of the book as a small tattoo. I’ve recommended it to everyone in my life that I love.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://lando.komi.io
• Instagram: lando_mp3
• Youtube: LANDOMUSIC_NYC
• Soundcloud: LANDO
• Other: Spotify: LANDO
  Apple Music: LANDO
  Tiktok: lando_mp3