Substream tracked down Louisville, Kentucky’s Braxton Pierre Harshaw, aka BRXTN, to discuss his leap of faith for music and his quick uprise in R&B/Hip-Hop.
Substream; Where do you find your inspiration?
BRXTN; “I typically pull my inspiration from the people that I’m around on an every day basis.I like to write music that connects & speaks to the every day issues that the average guy or girl is going through whether it be relationships, issues at your job, trying to chase a dream and feeling like you just may not get there. Or, you know, anything that touches on real life like the people you’re around, the movie you go see, traveling… I pull inspiration from life and the experiences that I live out of course.”
Substream; At what point in your career did you decide to put your foot on the gas & tackle music?
BRXTN; “The point I decided to really jump off the porch, as I like to say, or take that leap of faith, was probably back in 2013 when I got my college scholarship to the University of Louisville. I found myself at a point midway through my freshman semester where I kinda felt like school just wasn’t the route I was supposed to take and my passion for music was naturally and slowly but surely started to you know, saturate my life and be the main priority. I started doing a bunch of open mics and finally found engineer Rob Callaway, who I did some of my first real studio sessions with. As soon as I heard my voice coming through that high quality sound system, I just felt the conviction in my own music and I knew this was something I was supposed to do. From my freshman year in college I decided to brand myself and really take this thing serious. I haven’t looked back since.”
Substream; Are you superstitious? What are the first 3 things you do when you enter the studio?
BRXTN; “To be honest, I’m not really. As far as ritual, to keep it real, I typically smoke some weed. I like to listen to the beats I’m going to use. I’m really straight forward with my process. I wish I could be more interested in that regards but I just smoke a lil bit, find a good vibe, then go in and make some heat.”
Substream; How do you overcome writers block?
BRXTN; “I think I heard The Dream say the best way to overcome writers block is to just live life and let the experiences fulfill you with the inspiration whenever the time is right. So anytime I feel blocked I just simply take a step back and out my focus somewhere else. Typically that allows me to open up and see things from a different perspective to find a new idea or vibe that potentially equals a new song.
“Don’t stress from writers block, it’s going to happen. Whenever the time is right that inspiration will find you.” – BRXTN
Substream; You’re a part of the NLG Records family now. What can we expect from you in 2019?
BRXTN; “For me, being newest member in NLG Records, I want everyone to expect consistency from me! I’m here to rap better, sing better, perform better and write brother. I’m here to let everyone know NLG is here to produce quality music. Giving the people something they need to hear vs giving them something they think they want to hear. The industry right now is saturated with music that’s lacking substance. I want to provide food for thought. I want my sound to send a pure and positive message. Outside of that, I want it to be a big year! My first single Match and the remix is going crazy on Spotify! I just dropped my second single Chosen with the homie T Wayne (Rickey). We got a lot of great things cookin so expect more of the same.”
