We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Young Hansomme a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Young, so glad you were able to set aside some time for us today. We’ve always admired not just your journey and success, but also the seemingly high levels of self-discipline that you seem to have mastered and so maybe we can start by chatting about how you developed it or where it comes from?
My self discipline stems from my desire to succeed at chasing my goals. Really I just know that there are better things for me in life and I strive every single day to accomplish the targets that I’ve set. At an early age, even stemming back to my childhood years, there was a cognitive belief that anything I set my mind to, I would complete. I recall at first it being the actual completion of elementary school! I knew what it took to get the grades necessary to advance me into the next step of my education. Truth be told, I didn’t speak a word of English when my mom dropped me off in Kindergarten. I honestly remember just looking around and copying what the other kids were doing in order to learn the basics of counting and speaking. It was a challenge but I persevered through the difficulties and completed my goals. One of the sweetest things a teacher told me before I left elementary school to go to middle school was when she stopped me before I walked out the door. Tearfully she said “sweetheart I am so proud of you, when you first came to this school you didn’t speak a word of English and it was hard watching you struggle but, here you are speaking English like a pro and moving on up! I’m going to miss you.”
There will alway be challenges in life. Sleepless nights, long days, painful mornings, you just have to set your mind right in order to push through. They say if you want something really badly you will do anything to get it. For years I wanted to have certain possessions that seemed out of reach. I used to write down “I want a black Mercedes Benz” and “I want to live in Los Angeles” for many many years. People will ridicule you and make you think that you will never achieve those things because they themselves lack the discipline to achieve their own personal goals. You simply have to turn those naysayers/haters away. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve been called “crazy” for my desires. How people have told me “stop while you are behind” and never shown faith in me. The best thing you can do to remedy that is to look in the mirror and tell yourself you got this.
This is why Self-Discipline is absolutely critical to a person’s success. You can’t make someone passionate about something. That has to stemm innately. Passion is what fuels self dicipline. Passion for something is the reason you kick that discipline into high gear. It’s the reason you get up every single day and work like a dog. Therefore having the passion towards a goal is ultimately what will get you to your desired state.
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 Betito LePelch better known by my rap moniker Young Hansomme.
Music is something that I’ve always enjoyed. Every stage of my life can be reminisced by a song or a musical genre. For example when I was in my childhood years (1990’s) my mom bought me my very first CDs which were The Backstreet Boys & N ‘Sync.
She really liked that new age boy band music and since they basically polluted the radio back in the late 90’s I ended up being a fan of that jumpy, upbeat style of music. By the time I had hit my High School Rebellious years, I picked up skateboarding so as you can imagine I began to listen to more Rock & Roll / Alternative music. Blink 182 quickly became one of my favorite bands to date! Their music really brings me back to my teen years and how much I really miss skating with my boys. That eventually lead me to become a fanatic of the Vans Warped Tour which in turn introduced me to many of the bands that I listen to today.
Around the latter years of High School Hip Hop became a huge part of my life. I got to credit 50 Cent & G-Unit for starting that interest. Of course hanging out with friends who were also fans of rap. hip hop and gangster rap expanded my musical interest in that genre.
After college Electronic Dance Music made it’s way into my heart. I found myself buying tickets to rave’s, festivals and spending countless dollars on albums from Avicii, Swedish House Mafia, Tiesto, and many other EDM artists. Through this journey I began learning how to play certain instruments to further dive into my passion.
In my life, I’ve played the Saxophone, the Guitar, Drums, Bass and even picked up a turn table and learned how to mix tracks.
The Young Hansomme brand really started because to the 2020 Covid Pandemic lockdown. As most of us remember, that was a time in life when everything was completely closed. As humans we needed to find outlets to expand our creativity. A lot of people turned to watching TV or making social media posts. I chose differently.
For me I set a goal in mind to film a music video. That started me down this path. Eventually I wrote and recorded my first ever track and after achieving that goal of completing my first music video, I realized wow that was a lot of fun.
Next thing you know, I just rinsed and repeated the process and dropped a 2nd music video just 2 months later!
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?
Perseverance, Discipline and Persistence.
Discipline was important because I knew nothing of music production. I had to spend hours just listening to different musical beats in order to select the one that I wanted to use for my first track. This had to be integrated to my daily life which meant having to take time after work to focus on learning this craft that was totally new to me.
Perseverance was having to push through the hurdles which come at you with out you even knowing! I didn’t realize that I had to purchase a beat in order to even use it hahaha. I didn’t have the right computer software to create my own beats let alone the time to learn how to use that software. Thankfully I lived with a roommate that happened to be a musician so he really assisted me with the things I needed to learn.
Persistence was simply the fact that I wanted to complete an entire album. Technically, I am still working on releasing my debut album “Too Hansomme to Care” but as you can imagine I only have about 5 tracks and need another 5-6 more before I can put the album together.
What’s been one of your main areas of growth this year?
The biggest area of growth in the past 12 months has been networking. I’ve been doing a lot of my work solo. Writing my own songs, producing my own beats and recording my own audio all by myself.
Breaking into the music industry with no prior experience is a challenge but, not impossible. What I’ve done to get this process moving is through extensive learning, networking and staying persistent /adaptable.
Understanding the basics of music production, marketing, and the business side can be incredibly beneficial. It takes showing up EVERY SINGLE DAY and taking zero days off from improving your craft.
Networking is the most important things that young artists can do. I’ve attended industry events, concerts, and networking meetups. All of this in order to connect with professionals on social media platforms like LinkedIn, Instagram, and Twitter. Building these relationships can open doors to opportunities and mentorship.
Staying Persistent and Adaptable in the music industry is vital. This is a highly competitive and ever-changing industry. Being persistent, open to feedback, and willing to adapt will allow you to keep improving your skills and expanding your network.
By combining education, networking, hands-on experience, and showcasing your passion, you can overcome the lack of experience and carve out a successful career in the music industry.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: @younghansomme
- Facebook: @younghansomme
- Youtube: @younghansomme
- SoundCloud: @younghansomme
- Other: Spotify – Young Hansomme
Image Credits
All images property of Young Hansomme
