RebEL – What You Like

Check out the new song from RebEL – What You Like

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Exclusive Interview

Tell us about where you are from and how you got to this position today.
Lived all my life up in the northeast. My family came to this country about 25 years ago from the Dominican Republic and Cuba and I was born in the predominantly Latino city of Lawrence, Massachusetts, US. I grew up there listening to local radio stations that forever turned me on to the r&b and hip-hop of the 90′s. This shaped me into an artist of both genres with bilingual skills in English and Spanish. And now that I’ve just turned 21 I’m determined to expand and travel to get my music heard wherever there are fans, whether that be the U.S. or any other destination.

Tell us more about the current song you are promoting to everyone.
What You Like is a “good time” record. A party song for the weekend. It was written to have a lot for people to tune into. It showcases some of my singing, bilingual rhyme schemes, a beat that’s perfect to dance or rock your head to, and of course some personality as well. I mean people have got to get to know me through my music.

Tell us about one of the hardest challenges you had to face in the industry?
Honestly, I haven’t experienced too many challenges at this point. I can say that financially I’ve hit some tough spots; however, I work full time to take care of that to ensure I’m still doing what I love. Or I can say that it’s been tough trying to get my name out to A&R reps with how many people around the world are really trying to pursue these career plans, but I work hard to produce good quality music and get my records out there. If God’s given you a gift for the arts, it shouldn’t matter what challenges there are. If you really want it, you’ll find ways around those difficulties. My incentives are to keep moving regardless of what I come across.

What was one of the biggest set backs in your career and how did you bounce back?
I’ve had a few times where I’ve been slowed down. Just with recording my music at one time, everything was a setback. Couldn’t find any good quality studios. Producers were slim pickings. That really slowed me down. It had taken much longer than expected but I got to work. I mean you have to. No one is going to come and help you off your ass. I must have tried 10 different locations to record within a month trying to find the best and I’ve always felt like time is of the essence. It all comes down to wanting it and with that, you must have the balls to go after the problem and make that setback a memory.

What are some things artists need to be careful of?
I feel a lot of artist need to be careful of what music really is. People forget it’s all an art and it’s about self expression. I’ve heard numerous artists who try to sound like someone out there in the industry rather than themselves. That’s what music is about. Being yourself. Another thing is I’ve seen a lot of artists hold themselves up on their own pedestal backed up by nothing but praise from family and friends. Often times this leads to artists developing big heads for their own music which is one of the worst things to have. That can truly blind you to what is real good music.

What suggestions do you have for other artists like yourself?
My own suggestions are to keep sweating. I mean anyone who can dream can set their goals on something. So chase after it, work towards it until you’re sweating. Until you’re exhausted. Until you’ve done everything you can do to progress in that day. Don’t sit around waiting for someone to come to your door and offer to make you the next big artist. It won’t happen. Be proactive and don’t let anything stop you. Life experiences make it difficult for some artists to continue pursuing these careers. You never know what God will throw at you next. But it’s the determination and persistence that will turn you into something. Every day is a gift. Don’t waste it, get work done.

What is one of your favorite ways to promote yourself and your music?
One of my favorite ways to promote my music is simply through cds. A pretty obsolete way of promoting compared to mp3 and online capabilities but if they want them, I’ll never say no. I like to promote all of my music online as well. I’m always creating new records and it’s easiest to just keep updating my sites with them. I promote my music for free. There’s still a lot of people who have yet to hear my kind of music and I won’t charge anyone to get a taste. If you like it stay tuned. I got more coming.

Where can people visit you?
My official website is up at elsmia.com
Downloads are on soundcloud.com/rebel_talk
Become a fan at facebook.com/elsmia
And catch me on twitter @RebEL_TALK