In today’s age of uncertainty, pursuing a passion requires a lot of courage. To then further stray from the trend of fabrication, expressing sincere vulnerability through music takes another tier of bravery. This level of artistry was displayed with our first featured musician in the discussions of handling writer’s block, finding inspiration in our every day surroundings, and succeeding in reaching the expectations we set for ourselves. An insightful interview with an artist willing to give their all into what makes them the happiest.

Welcomed by a smile at the front door, we were led to his room. Walls decorated by posters of his greats. Guitar collection gleaming, perfectly racked near the door. The barking of the family dog heard from outside the window. Aldrey sits before his laboratory - we began.

C: Christopher

A: Aldrey

C: For those who yet have the pleasure, who are you and what do you do?

A: My name is Aldrey Rafael. I am a singer, song writer from the Central Valley. I make music.

C: How would you describe your music to someone who has never heard it before?

A: Genre wise, if I had to, I would classify myself as alternative R&B. I don’t like boxing myself in one category. Growing up I listened to so many different artists, I have so many different inspirations that have shaped my versatility.

C: Who are some of those inspirations and artists?

A: Number one would be John Mayer. I initially tried my “best impression” of John Mayer’s guitar playing. {Chuckles}. But since growing as an artist, I have created a style of my own. People like Frank Ocean, Kings of Leon, the 1975, and Tom Misch..

“Writer’s block is definitely tough to get out of, but I also want to believe that it isn’t real.”

C: Outside of music and other artists, are there any other places in life you draw inspiration from?

A: Recently I attended the Van Gogh exhibit in San Diego. Felt like my eyes just opened up. I was so drawn to his work and how his mind operated. It was beautiful to see art in a different perspective. I had to thank my friend for taking me, I really needed it. At the time I had a mental block that was keeping me from writing. Experiencing the Van Gogh exhibit was something needed to get me out of that mindset.

You can take inspiration from anything. I feel like what a lot of people don’t do is find the beauty in things that are right in front of them. That’s something I’ve been trying to do more.To be more present and find the positivity around me rather than the negative in my daily life. Big or small.

C: Any other processes when writer’s block is encountered?

A: Ah man. Writer’s block is definitely tough to get out of, but I also want to believe that it isn’t real. I think it’s more so of your own mental telling yourself that you can’t write a song at that moment. Once you get into that mindset, you’re stuck. I believe one can write any song whenever they want to if they really put their mind to it. It might not be the best song, but you could do it. I think it was Stevie Wonder who wrote so many songs in a day or week, to eventually write a gem. That’s how I’d like to frame my perspective. If I could write a bunch of bad songs, but have that one gem? The bad songs are worth the gem and the gem motivates you to keep writing and writing. With each song you write, the better your craft.

C: When first listening to your latest EP, Last Call, what immediately struck a chord with me was how personal and genuine the lyrics were throughout the entire project. The relatable experiences of love and heartbreak being carried by your guitar, the emotion in your lyrics. Who or what was the biggest inspiration for Last Call?

A: Most importantly to me, Last Call was a testament to myself to see if I could actually make music that people would listen to. To prove I was the singer, songwriter I’ve always wanted to be since I was young. Seeing that I could accomplish just that and people did want to listen to me, it was a big confidence booster.

As far as the influences of Last Call, a lot of the stuff I write about is from simply going through life. I write down my own personal experiences and make music out of them. Hopefully Someone can relate to it and I can make them feel good or some type of way when they’re listening to it.

C: What does the timeframe look like as far as first starting to write the songs on the EP and when they finally all came together?
A: The first track, So Far Gone, was actually written back in 2015-2016 in my first year of college. The project was unknowingly in the works ever since, I was still unsure if I wanted to release music around that time. Started from 2016 and finally took action in the middle of 2021.

C: You definitely succeeded in proving you could create music that people would like. With pun intended, What’s the next move? Is there an upcoming album or EP readers could be looking forward to?

A: From the research I’ve done, it’s best for artists to drop a single once every month or so. Put as much promo into it. Different remixes etc. To grab more listeners and build up your own hype. They suggest making every release unique. Instead of a repetitive format, each release should be treated as an occasion. I want to drop more music and have an EP coming sometime in September. There will be two singles dropping from the project and hopefully a music video leading up to the release. It’s called When You’re Ready.

C: :In comparison to Last Call, how would you describe the emotions in When you’re Ready?

A: I would say When You’re Ready is more of a grown approach to Last Call. Last Call was such a vulnerable project. When You’re Ready is the same in that regard, but a more current approach to how I’m feeling about those personal experiences and what I’m dealing with today.

There’s a lot of uncertainty in life. Not just with relationships, your job, and everything else. This is a big moment for me in terms of am I actually ready to progress and do these things that I’ve been talking myself up to do. Am I going to be ready for anything that’s coming ahead.