Breaking Boundaries: An Inside Look at Edwin Honoret's Artistic Voyage
By.Alicia Zamora
In the ever-evolving landscape of the music industry, many artists face the dilemma of whether to stay with a label or venture out independently. Edwin Honoret, a talented singer-songwriter and former member of the acclaimed band PrettyMuch, has made a significant shift from being part of a major label to embracing independence as an artist. Now based in Los Angeles, Edwin is carving out his own path, focusing on authenticity and a deep connection with his fans. In a recent interview with Alicia's Studio, he opens up about his transformative journey, sharing insights that reflect his growth both personally and professionally.
The turning point in Edwin's career came during his time with Warner Music, where he and his bandmates recognized their substantial fan base and realized they could thrive independently. This revelation reshaped his understanding of success, shifting focus from traditional industry metrics to prioritizing genuine relationships with his audience. Edwin believes that building a loyal fan base is far more rewarding than simply chasing streaming numbers, a perspective that has influenced his creative process and overall approach to music.
In the interview, Edwin also discusses his unique creative methods for songwriting. He reflects on his experiences writing for K-pop artists and contrasts the risk-taking nature of Eastern music industries with the more conservative approach often seen in the West. Additionally, he shares insights about his recent singles, "Break the Tide" and "Yo te quiero," as well as his aspiration to headline his own tour and engage with fans on a deeper level. Throughout the conversation, Edwin emphasizes the importance of authenticity, connection, and maintaining artistic integrity in an industry that is constantly changing.
Diving In
Edwin: Hi, my name is Edwin. I'm an artist from New York City, but I reside in LA. I’m previously from the band PrettyMuch, and now a solo independent artist.
Alicia: Awesome! Diving into the first question, can you share your journey of becoming an independent artist and what was the turning point when you decided to take that leap?
Edwin: The group and I decided to go independent right around the end of COVID when we went from Syco Entertainment to Warner. With Syco, they kind of helped develop and build us up in the beginning. But when COVID hit, the market crashed and they went out of business, ultimately parting ways with them. Warner was kind enough to pick us up, but after a year of partnership with them, we both realized that we weren't for each other. It was then that we collectively decided we had enough of a fan base and recognition.
Edwin: We decided to try to do this on our own and we did for some time, leading us to release an album together. Our debut album was actually released independently and then after that, we wanted to give that to the fans as a final hurrah to say thank you. From that point on, we parted ways and I stayed independent as an artist just for the simple fact of wanting to have more leverage. I'm not in a position where I can ask a label for anything. Despite my accolades and where I've been in my life, I know how the business works. I know that you have to have something that they want in order for it to be in your favor. So for me, I'd rather play the long game and trust that I know what I'm doing. I have to trust that my talents will take me far and if a label wants to get involved when the time is right, I'll be ready. It's not worth taking the risk until the playing field is level.
Alicia: How has your experience as an independent artist shaped your music and creative process?
Edwin: For me, being independent allows for freedom to do whatever I want to do and to take risks that a label usually won’t take. There have been multiple times while we were signed where we wanted to take a risk and a big leap, but they didn’t agree on them. Looking back now with all the statistics and numbers, we would be in a completely different place right now had they agreed upon doing those risks. It’s crazy how it is a business and a partnership, but sometimes it can feel very one-sided. For me, I'd rather be involved with people who I know are willing to put in 110 % because I'm always going to put in 110 % every day. If we do not see each other eye to eye, then we aren't going to be good business partners. It’s been fulfilling for me, but at the same time, I wouldn't want to do it all by myself because it can be so exhausting. I'd love to do it with a partner. Partners and a partner, you know.
Alicia: Right, because it's such a big shift. When you were in PrettyMuch, you were assigned to a label. You mentioned there were challenges. Compared to being in a label, how has being an independent artist shaped your view of music?
Edwin: I think it's shaped my view of music. I'm a firm believer that music is subjective and everyone has their own taste. I also am a firm believer that there are things that work for everyone. I think what's been challenging as an independent artist is to be able to play the game and be okay with not doing so well. I always learn something from each of the songs I make. As a songwriter and producer, there are songs that go beyond language. Coldplay can play stadiums in India because his music transcends language. I do a lot of K-pop writing and when we write for K-pop, we don't really focus on the lyrics because they're going to change them anyway. It's very much just about melody and melodic structure. Learning that made me realize that people don't care what I'm talking about. If they do care what I'm talking about, that's an added bonus. Let me pull back and look at it from a bigger picture. How does this overall picture look, and how am I perceived from an overall perspective? And I move on from there. Being part of a label limits your freedom to make those decisions because you always have to answer to or relay that information to somebody else.
Alicia: In terms of growth, how do you measure success as an independent artist and how does it differ from the traditional industry metrics?
Edwin: As an independent artist, artists should really focus on building a fan base over streams or radio. I mean, being played on the radio would be nice. These metrics are mostly based on competition because at the end of the day, if you can sell out 500 cap in every major city with $50 per ticket, you're making so much more money than the average artist. There are average artists who have millions of monthly listeners who can't do that because people like the music more than they like them. They don't buy into the artist's product. Yeah you have more streams and you might have more monthly listeners than I do, but at the end of the day, I'm more successful because I have to make a living off of this. This is my career. So I think as an independent artist, the more you can build a fan base and funnel these people into a system to where you can communicate with them frequently, you can create value for them in order for them to give you that equal value, which is usually money. You only need a thousand fans to give you a hundred dollars a year for you to make a hundred thousand dollars as an independent artist. I remember when we played for our first thousand cap and I was amazed by the number of people there. We did that 22 times for a month. It’s insane, right? So I think people really are stretching really far and trying to reach for the high goal but sometimes these smaller goals are way more attainable and more effective.
Alicia: Yeah, that's such a good way to think because I feel right now with the industry, a lot of people are only focusing on monetary gain. They don't really care about fan base stuff. That was really a whole new perspective for me.
Edwin: What's great is that now, you're not reliant on the songs all the time. Let's take a look at an artist. I know an artist who had a great big song released in 2019. It was a huge song playing on the radio 24/7 and the shows were so small. Why? It’s because the song is bigger than the artist. If you really make it about the fan, they are just excited to be a part of the journey no matter what you release. Not every song is a smash hit, but every song tells a story and your fans are buying into the story.
Alicia: Yeah, so real. I didn't even think about it like that. What you just mentioned is opening so many thoughts in my head. Okay, and do you feel more freedom or pressure when it comes to making music as an independent artist?
Edwin: I think it’s pressure for me, and I don't think this is for everybody. I think the pressure comes from wanting to always outdo myself. What I liked about being a part of a label was that as much as I always wanted it to be about me, it wasn't always my decision. Sometimes, I had to trust that the decision was going to be a good one and I can learn a lot from it. Another thing for me is that the pressure also comes from listening to other music. I want to be able to create something by myself. I produce and write my own stuff, but listening to other songs makes me want to create something like that too. I have the freedom to do anything, but it can be a demise when people are like, “Well, you're doing too, you're doing this now. I really liked what you did here. And what's this?” I mean I do a good job of trying to mesh it all together, I think that if something's working, I let it ride for a second.
Alicia: That's really true! I feel like certain artists have their own sound, and then the fan base kind of expects them to have that same sound every release. But when an artist wants to venture out, it's a whole different thing for the fans. I feel like you have to let an artist grow to be able to find their actual sound. You can't just stick to the same thing. For me, at least, I love listening to music. If I'm hearing the same thing every time, it's going to get boring so I'd rather you guys find your voice.
Edwin: Yeah! There's a way to paint a world without having to showcase different pieces or changing genres. You could stay within the same genre and give variety without having to change the genre completely. Like they're really good. Lucky Day is a great example of someone who does R&B so well, but then he leans towards pop R&B and then leans so full R&B, but it still feels like Lucky Day. It doesn't feel like the guy is doing pop all of a sudden.
Alicia: Are there any key lessons you've learned along the way that you share with aspiring independent artists?
Edwin: I think this is cliche, but keep going. It’s like lesson number one and important to remember. Do not quit your day job. Music is not going to make you money, that's just facts. You want to invest in music, right? You have to build enough capital to invest in yourself. You can't solely rely on music to invest back because you'll just be stuck in a hamster wheel. So my advice is if you have a job, don't quit your job. Find time, whether that's waking up way earlier in the morning or going to sleep super late in the night to create time to make music and learn how to perfect music. Don’t quit your day job because then you can use your day job as a means to fund your artist project, right? For example, you live with your mom and you have no expenses. You’re making a thousand dollars a week, so you should invest part of it in your music. You can put $500 into Facebook ads and market your music that way. With all the money that you make from the music, put it back into the business. You don't need music to make you money since you're making money from your day job.
Alicia: That's so real. And then for you, that all comes out of your own pocket, right? Because you're not signed with the label. So how is that? How do you juggle all of that while also wanting to release and keep working on your craft? How does that affect the process of being able to release things like your projects?
Edwin: I think the beauty of social media is that you don't need money to get started. Luckily, I have all of this equipment that I've accumulated over the years. As long as I have a microphone, my laptop, and an interface to connect my microphone to, I can make music anywhere, anytime I want to. As long as I have my phone, I can make content anywhere, everywhere, whenever I want. Even if you have no money, you still have a higher chance at becoming successful as long as you stay diligent. I think for me, I try to create value where I can create value and leverage that value in order to grow. I don't make any money for my music. From my personal music, I do, but it’s nothing substantial. But like what I do. I write K-pop and do publishing for other artists. That’s where I make money. When it comes to my music, there's no expenses. I produce, write, record, mix, and master all by myself. I also film, edit, and upload content myself. My fingers are crossed, hoping it does well and it’s only net profit from that point on. Then when it's making money. I can start paying people to do stuff for me and then I can work at a higher speed. The balance there is time. It's just about time. Like how much time do I have to do all this stuff for free for myself? I ultimately have to make sure that I spend equally just as much time as that to make money for myself as an artist.
Alicia: And then we're going to dive into your recent singles, “Break the Tie” and “Yo Te Quiero.” They have garnered a lot of attention. Can you tell us about the inspiration behind those two?
Edwin: Yeah. Those are the perfect examples of me wanting to just do something then. But the first one, “Break the Tide,” well, let me push back. The three songs I did before “Break the Tide" during last year were kind of like test runs. I wanted to lean more on the pop side because I love pop music. I can do pop music and it was great. I loved them but I think I leaned a little bit to pop. Not to say that the songs suck because I think they're fantastic, but I think it took my fans for a little bit of a shake. “Break the Tide” was the first song that kind of felt like all my other things that fans were like, “Wait a minute. We're back! We are so back!” That was nice because it was one of the first times in a long time that people were reaching out, like friends of mine were reaching out to me like, “Yo, this song is really cool!” But the inspiration for that was literally just me wanting to make something really cool, like chill R&B dance stuff. I wanted Something you can play in the club. You can dance to it outside the club. You could put it in your car. You can listen to it at nighttime. It’s just good vibes. And the idea for “Yo Te Quiero" occurred right before the year ended. I wanted to record Bachata. I wanted to try it and it was my first time ever producing a Bachata beat. And I was like, “This is fire!” I made the song and I'm like, “This is great!” I teased it to some fans on live and they were like, “Just drop it.” I'm like, “What do I have to lose? I have nothing to lose.” I released it before the year ended so that it doesn't feel like I'm changing genres. Like, I'm a Bachata artist now. When I released it, it was one of those moments where I thought it worked well in its favor. I've never heard something like this before and it's cool that people like Latino music. They are just different so I tried it and it's doing well. People like it which is cool and it gives me a little bit of notoriety in like the Latino space.
Alicia: Yeah, it was so good! And what was the writing and production process like for both of these singles?
Edwin: So “Break the Tide” was inspired by a song called “Creepin'” by Gems. I made that beat inspired by that sound. I loved the bounce and the sonics of it, so I just made the beat.I honestly don't remember recording and making this song. Actually, I did the melodies because my friend Coltrane was coming over for a session and I wanted to do some melodies on those beats and see if he'll like them. If he likes any of them, we can work on them together. He was doing more darker R&B stuff so he passed. When I listened to it again, I wanted to finish it myself and thought it was really good. I’ll give you a little tidbit though. I used ChatGPT to write that song
Edwin: So basically, this is like a little hack for anybody who wants to do this. So I sang the melody. I don't remember what the melody was, but it was something like, but I didn't say break the tide. And I was like, what do I want to say there? Like change your eyes or something, right? So I put that into Chat and it gave me a three syllable phrase that rhymes with mind. And it gave me like 50 phrases. In that list of phrases, it said break the tide. I wanted to decode its meaning. From that point on, I wanted to write a song based on it. I want to write the song about whatever it means. I figured out how to conceptualize it, but yeah. I needed to find something cool, like weird, but cool enough to where it makes sense, yet doesn't make sense at the same time.
Alicia: How does it feel to have your music out in the world, knowing it's the result of your own vision as an independent artist?
Edwin: I think it's rewarding. What's beautiful about it is unless streaming platforms die, my music is forever, you know? It’s really cool to think that 20, 30, or 40 years from now, somebody can still discover my song and be inspired by it.
I was at a Mac show yesterday with my friend Ayumu, who opened for him. His dancer came up to me fanboying, saying, “Oh my god! I love your music!” and I thanked him. That’s something that always makes my day because I like my music, and knowing that someone likes my music shares what we have in common. They’ve felt something from this song as I did. We don’t have to be in the same room or space to share the same feeling. It’s super rewarding. The other day, I was thinking about that too. If one person likes my song, what if there’s more? Granted, I have thousands of people that like my music, but what's amazing is that if a thousand people like it, then that means that 10,000 people have the ability to like it. That means that I'm good at what I do, which is all I want. I want to be better, make a difference, and inspire people. I love the artistry of Chris Brown, Michael Jackson, and Usher. They had this effect on me that made me become an artist. And to think that I have that same effect on other people is mind-blowing to me. I want to leave the same impact on others as they had for me.
Alicia: That's so crazy! I'm so honored to have even done this interview. Actually, I met you back in 2020. I was a really big fan of PrettyMuch! I was hanging out with some friends in Melrose, and I met you. I started doing this journalism stuff not that long ago, and I knew I had to reach out. It was around the time you dropped “Break the Tides,” and I thought maybe I could reach out to do something.
Alicia: This is a full circle moment for me because I literally love your music, and I get to speak to you about it. So it's really crazy to me. So, thank you for letting me do this.
Edwin: Thank you. Thank you.
Alicia: All right. And then we're going to dive into writing songs for K-pop groups and other artists. You've written songs for NCT Dream, D.O. and other artists. Can you walk us through the songwriting process when you're working for another artist or group?
Edwin: So the process is very different for every artist. But for K-pop, I get the beat and they need a top line for this song for a particular artist. They'll give me a brief concept of what song they want. It's my job to try to recreate that concept, but with a song that's never been written before. I do it and it's really fun! It's mainly me doing melody passes and trying to construct songs from a melodic perspective with no lyrics, just sounds. And I try to make the best song possible. From that point on, I write lyrics on top of that once I feel like I have a good structure of the entire song. What's fun about K-Pop is that I don't have to care too much about what I'm saying, but I do have to create some kind of concept. I wrote a song yesterday called “Wicked” and the verses and pre-chorus really could be about anything. I really wasn't saying much, but I was aiming to make a metaphor about making money in the chorus. It’s green so they called me wicked. It goes something along those lines and it isn’t cool enough for the Western market. I don't think it's that cool but I think “Wicked” is a cool title. They'll take that song and then they'll change everything but keep the title and melodies.
Edwin: That's why it's way more fun! I'm kind of just throwing paint at the wall and seeing what sticks. There's no pressure to make the best story or the coolest lyrics. It's more of a holistic view of what the song is.
Alicia: Okay, how do you tailor your writing and production when creating music for K-Pop artists compared to your own solo projects?
Edwin: I think now, I approach it the same way. I kind of approach my stuff with that same kind of freedom. I've learned now that if I'm doing melodies, they're going to change the lyrics anyway. The melody is king. It really is all about the melody. For me, I try to not let myself get too hell-bent on what I’m saying. I want everyone to be able to sing what I created. Now if I can make a really dope concept on top of that, then everybody wins. Because of that, I approach it with less pressure. I think there's an element of wanting to be, what's the word, impressive.
Edwin: There's a balance where I can't oversing. Because you look at Adele, for instance. She can sing her ass off. But some people can't sing like Adele. When you want to sing along to an Adele song, it's hard because she's singing her ass off. But if you look at Taylor Swift, she isn't the craziest singer. She can sing very well, but she's not the craziest singer. Anybody is welcome to sing her songs because they are way more musically approachable. For me, there's a balance of being impressive but not too impressive to not alienate the people who want to sing along.
Alicia: Okay, and then are there particular challenges you face when writing for artists from different genres or cultural backgrounds like K-Pop?
Edwin: I think that is the challenge. I think the challenge is oversinging. I'm blessed to be able to call myself a great singer. Although, just because someone is famous and a successful artist doesn't mean that they're the best singer. Sometimes, I have to simplify my abilities to make it easier for somebody else to sing. It is a great challenge but it can be challenging because what I think is impressive sometimes can be an oversight. For example, I could be doing too many runs because I’m unsure what to put there. Sometimes, the best way to do it is to just sing it straight. I had to write another song two days ago that had to be digestible. It’s hard to make it digestible because it has to also be good.
Alicia: That's probably really challenging. And then how do you stay creatively inspired when working with different artists and genres?
Edwin: I listened to a lot of old music. I like pulling from old references. I'm very analytical when I listen to music and I always wonder what makes the songs I listen to sound so good. I try to figure out why it sounds good based on melody choices and the concept. I would pick up on the lyrics that stood out to me and I’ve thought about writing something along those lines. And it's like I'm not enjoying the song, but what I do enjoy is listening to music that I've listened to hundreds of times because I don't have to analyze it. I've already analyzed it enough times and now I'm just enjoying it. That brings me inspiration because now I'm just focusing on the feeling that it's invoking. I try to remember that same feeling when I'm making something new.
Alicia: Are there any notable differences you've noticed between the Western and Eastern music industry, particularly in terms of songwriting and production?
Edwin: I think the Eastern industry is just like the West. Everyone plays safe. As much as everybody's inspiring everyone and everyone's riding each other's trend, there's no forward thinking in the Western market as much as there is in the Eastern market. There’s a lot of K-pop now, but the issue with K-pop is that they're trying to do what the Western market is doing. It’s losing its sauce. The reason why some people fall in love with K-pop is because of the K-pop sound. Nowadays, songs are bombastic and crazy and the more you listen to it, you realize it has lapsed. I've been to India a couple of times and their traditional sounds and scales are very different from Western. And again, everyone's always trying to pull from Western, but the West doesn't like to pull from everybody else. That kind of leaves them at a disadvantage because everyone can do what the West can do and what they do. The West can't do what everybody else is doing because they're not trying to.I think that there's just more to the sound, in general.
Alicia: Absolutely. It seems like they prefer to stick to their own comfort zones, which is a bit strange to me. It explains why so many artists today end up sounding similar. While that can be okay sometimes, it often feels like you’re just hearing the same thing repeatedly.
Edwin: I don't like this. The one thing I really don't like right now is like this 2000s Y2K R&B movement because it's playing off of a gimmick. They’re saying they’re bringing it back but the excitement is in bringing the sound back and not in the actual song. People like the fact that it sounds like something that they used to listen to, not because it's a good song. Not to say that these are bad songs. I'm just saying I know that when I release something and someone's like, “You are really fucked with this.” and it's because they fuck with it. It’s not me manipulating them into liking the song. It's literally to each their own. I think you're always going to be limited by that because you're always at the mercy of your inspiration.
Alicia: No, yeah, no, yeah, for sure.
Edwin: And you'll never be able to push past that. Some people do like Lil Nas X. He’s the perfect example of someone who manipulated the industry and used that to his advantage to be able to make amazing music. Not everybody has that power and you'll always be at the mercy of particular sounds.
Alicia: That's true. Okay, and then diving into future projects and goals, what can your fans expect from you in the near future? Are there any upcoming projects you're excited to share?
Edwin: I'm not gonna say the artists because I don't know if that changes anything, but I got two artists who are big groups from SM and HYBE. I'm excited about those releases. I'm also dropping a song, which will probably be out before or by the time this comes out. It's called “Stronger”. I actually wrote that song for Jennie from BlackPink. I don't know if her team got it, but it took some time and it seems like no one is responding to it. So then, I had my manager try to send it to Tate McRae’s team. The song sounds exactly like “Greedy” and thought it would be perfect for her. I tried to send it there, but again, no one reached out. I don't know if it reached her team or not. The album came out and I was like, “Meh, fuck it, let me release it.” I had to change some lyrics around to make it from a guy's perspective and I’m releasing it now. What I love about it is that there are no male artists who kind of like doing that sound. I think that was my initial inkling in wanting to release it. I feel like I'm creating a lane for myself here that isn't really being occupied and I'd rather do that than create a gimmick.
Alicia: Right. And then, as an artist, where do you see yourself in the next few years and how do you want your music to evolve?
Edwin: In the next few years, I see myself on my own headline tour!
Alicia: That would be so cool!
Edwin: That's what I want to do. Literally my only goals are to make more fans, make more music, play more shows, rinse and repeat. And along the way, I want to inspire people and grow my notoriety and respect in the industry as someone who not only is talented, but cares about the craft. I’m willing to do whatever it takes to succeed. And when I say whatever it takes, I mean diligence and discipline, whatever it takes.
Alicia: How do you plan on growing and evolving as an artist in 2025, both musically and personally?
Edwin: To just keep making more music. What I want to do more is write more songs from experience and that are from the heart. I do a really good job of writing songs that sound great, but I want my music to go a little bit deeper. Sometimes I shy away from that because I'm not the cheapest person. I'm not the most profound person when it comes to emotions, so I want to tap in more to that. I also want to keep connecting with more people. I tried to gamify this and there is no easy way out. I think you can bring yourself up just thinking about it. For me, it's like if I wake up every morning, show up, make a song, go to the gym, come back, make content, post it, go on live, talk to fans, I'll be in a better position than a lot of people. It can only grow from there because with every video, there's a new fan and with every song. There's a new listener. As long as the quality is good, it'll only be growing. It won't go negative, I hope.
Alicia: You mentioned burnout. How do you get out of that? Or if you ever have writer's block, how long does that usually take you to like get out of that little thing?
Edwin: I think the benefit of me being able to be an artist and a songwriter producer for other artists is that when I feel when I'm getting tired of a project, I can lean on the other and they relieve the pressure. I was in Korea for a month and I was solely doing K-pop while promoting my music and making content to boost myself. I never made one song for myself. I didn't produce or think about me as an artist outside of the content and it was amazing because when I got back, I was ready. I'm not writing more K-pop and I'm not doing anything with anybody else. I'm doing me and it's a different fuel of motivation. I think a month is a good time now. Not everyone has the luxury of time. If I was just an artist, I think it's okay to take breaks where there's no rush and you have all the time in the world. like really, like, because it can take, it can just take one moment or one, one, one thing can happen. Tomorrow could be the day that the video that you posted a week ago could go viral. You gain more attention with people’s curiosity. A creator could stumble on your content piece and post it in their story. And that's it, it's over. If you have more chances at best, it's better for you but I think it's okay to slow down and take that time if you need it because it's it's only you.
Alicia: Right, I feel like that helped a lot too. I feel like I reach writer's block a lot and I always feel the need to like. I can't take a break so I feel the need to keep pushing things out. But when I do that, I feel like it's not my best work and it kind of sets me back. Instead of taking that break, it puts me back a whole bunch more.
Edwin: Right then, you identify with the writer's block. It’s like you wonder when you’re going to get out of it. It feels like you were never really in it to begin with. I watched a TikTok once and this person was talking about writer’s block. They said that if you feel like you have writer's block, it's because you have closed yourself off from receiving everything. When you're in a room with people and you're in a conversation with them, you have to be present. If you're at the beach, listen and watch the waves or, look at the sun, and watch the people playing. Be present to accept, be able to receive because anything can be a song. Anything can be a song, but you're not going to write that song if you weren't present enough to receive the emotion. If you're at a party and you don't want to be here, sit in that feeling of not wanting to be there and really understand what that feeling feels like. Soak it up so that when you get home, you can write that song. But if the whole time you’re in the party and your own thoughts plague you, you're only identifying with not wanting to be here, if that makes sense.
Alicia: Wow. Yeah it does. It's like a whole new perspective. How do you want your legacy to be remembered as an artist?
Edwin: I want to be the biggest artist in the world obviously, but I want to be respected. That's what it is like as a really talented songwriter, producer, and artist. That's it. I want people to think it's undeniable. Like they have nothing bad to say about me. That's all I want and I know that with success comes a lot of backlash and all this extra shit. But for me, as an artist, I want to be respected. I want nobody to be able to say anything bad about me as an artist.
Alicia: Okay, and then like, how do you deal with the backlash? Because like you mentioned it, and you were in pretty much before. You kind of already know how the game works. How do you do that? Because I know it's probably so bad for one's mental health. So how do you go on?
Edwin: Yeah, I had to learn quickly that 100 people on Twitter isn't the entire world. And if you really want to, you could just lock your phone and that's it. It's over, you know? There was this one moment where I was getting roasted on Twitter. At the moment, I thought the world hated me. I can't show my face because it really felt like the world had their eyes on me. I remember we were on a flight to go to New York and I'm thinking about the fans at the airport. Like, what am I going to do? They're going to all scream at me or roast me in person.I got to the airport and there were like 50 fans there. No one had anything but nice things to say to me. They all wanted to take a picture with me. At that point, I thought 100 people isn't the world or not even freaking 25 people is in the world. I trust myself. I wake up every morning to put my best foot forward. If anyone has anything negative to say about that, then the problem is with themselves and not with me.
Alicia: What advice would you give your younger self as you continue your journey in the music industry?
Edwin: As cliche as it sounds, just keep going. You’re on the right path. I think I manifested everything I achieved in my life at a very young age. When I was looking up to Chris Brown at 16 going crazy on the “Kiss Kiss” music video, my eyes were wide open. I wanted to be like that. I want to do that and I achieved it! The only way I got here wasn't through luck or chance. A lot of it was being in the right place at the right time. 90% of it was me putting my best foot forward every step of the way. I'm going to go to a session, I'm going to write the best song. If I'm going to be at vocal practice, I'm going to try to sing my ass off. If I'm going to dance, I'm going to dance the best I've ever danced before.
Edwin: I'm gonna be on stage and put on the best performance that I ever can. Only good things are gonna come out of that. There's nothing wrong that can come from that mindset. I've always been that way since a young age and I want to continue being that way as an adult. So I would tell my younger self to keep doing what you're doing, because you're doing great.
Alicia: And you really are. Ending the interview off, would you like to say anything to the people who listen to your music?
Edwin: Thank you for listening to my music. I wouldn't be anywhere without you and to the people who want to get into music and want to do what I do, I wish you the best. I know you can but don't settle for anything other than great, because you’re only doing yourself a disservice if you don't. Be the best that you can be at any given time.
