Today we’d like to introduce you to Baylee Cannon.
Hi Baylee, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
Ok, here we go (phew). *cue wavy graphics and black and white* from just a wee lad it was evident that music and sound were something I had within me and needed to find a medium to get out and express. I am the music, we are the music. It fascinates me deeply that being “into music” or “naturally musically inclined” is something one does not even choose to like…you just…do. It’s like something you have to do. At least for me anyway. I had an old tune dusty piano that just came into our apartment growing up because it was too heavy for the last tenant to move out. I never was one to sing growing up (mostly because I never had tried and later found out how good it feels) so I would find anything to make little tunes and jingles with.
I don’t recall this but my Mom likes to tell the story of how in 2nd grade I got in trouble for causing a disturbance in class because I made a song with my flip-flops lol. Later in middle school, I picked up trumpet and brass instruments because my older brother had one he played for church. Flash forward to high school and I began to find myself interested in jazz and playing in the jazz band at school. But nothing starts my origin story like this next thing. Garageband in one of my classes, my senior year pops into my radar. I became OBSESSED with using the preinstalled loops and arranging them to make beats. Then that summer my friend Kodi showed me this app on his phone where you could make music too and I was HOOKED.
That’s where I feel I really began to blossom as a person. By expressing what I never could suppress, I feel like I unlocked who I am today. Now I make my music in FL Studio. I love to make music that feels almost meditative and reflective. I want you to feel when you listen (and also turn up if applicable lol). Having ADHD and a string of other neurodivergent qualities makes me love pressing butting and turning knobs and stuff so I make my music with cassette players, random microphones from the 70s, synthesizers, guitars, bass ukelele, and my voice. Nothing resonates and feels more human than your own voice. The music is in you, it’s your job to get it out. *cue waviness and color coming back*.
Can you talk to us about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way? Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
So I never sought to be an “artist” per se. I still consider myself someone who boops with this and bops with that until something cool comes out of it. My journey really started in college (I went for product design. Something I’m still passionate about but it definitely comes second haha).
I would make my terrible, awful, cringe, corny beats between classes and during classes. It’s been my pass time and my passion FOREVER. Covid hit, the class went online, and Baylee dropped out. Now in all my free time all I do is music. It’s all I know how to do and something I could never get tired of. So no, no bumpy road, but I love learning along the way.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
What I do most is music production. Occasionally I sing and release my own music too, which is beginning to be my next journey in music. I like to joke and say that I’m a “Vibe Curator” and that I find artists I like and believe in and try and craft something that might work for them.
I specialize in creating music that goes somewhere and doesn’t feel like “one note”. I use a lot of my tools in my toolbox AKA my synths, voice, and cassettes to give my music a little flair. What sets me apart is my curiosity about different sounds and genres of music and blending them into a beautiful sonic sphere.
Where do you see things going in the next 5-10 years?
So TikTok has really upended the music industry. Basically, it feels like a bigger pot than ever to swim in with artists and fight for a piece of that sweet pie. I think intros to songs will be brought down to sub-10 seconds because our attention spans are rapidly declining it seems. I often ponder what future music will sound like and I think we got our first taste of what Gen Z will forge into existence, HyperPop.
I think this genre that sprung up and still confuses boomers is the perfect example of the genre-bending, glitchy, electronic, who gives a fuck type of music to come. With music creation being so accessible (you can make it on an internet browser, and smartphone, both of which most people can get access to) it is bound to really speed up in growth and expansion in my opinion. The future is the computer as an instrument.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://beacons.ai/justbaylee
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/_justbaylee/
- Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@baylee_cannon
