Today we’d like to introduce you to Xavier Rodriguez II.
Xavier, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
My name is Xavier II, and I’m a local independent artist, musician, songwriter and producer born and raised in the Eastside of Fort Worth, Texas. My story is simple; I fell in love with the sounds of Elvis Presley, Michael Jackson, 50 cent, George Strait, and Kumbia Kings as a young child and wanted to be able to do what they did. The list of inspirations is all over the place but I try to show a little of all of them in anything I do. I started playing violin in my middle school orchestra in the 6th grade and a little after that I started learning the guitar, I was 11. The versatility of the guitar was amazing to me and it was in everything I listened to so it was naturally my favorite instrument, but I loved everything about music so It didn’t take long before I started picking up other instruments like the piano, bass, ukulele, and drums. I learned my way around all those instruments by the age of 14 and then I started songwriting and singing. I bought a laptop for college and thats when I started producing my own beats and growing my skills as a producer. Music is how I communicate with myself, it’s hard to explain, but after I give my all into a verse or chorus, or beat, or guitar solo, I have a sense of peace, strength, and purpose that I don’t find anywhere else and then it feels 1000 times better when it’s all done and people are able to relate and connect to it. That’s why I do what I do how I do it.
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
My biggest struggle was admitting to myself and the people that care about me that I wanted to do this for the rest of my life and I felt like this is what I was made to do. I was never the best student, but after high school, I went to college in Oklahoma. I wasn’t happy with the amount of time I was spending studying something I wasn’t passionate about or good at, I wasn’t happy with the amount of money I was spending for something I didn’t even want to do and I wasn’t happy with the feeling that I was only doing all of those things to please my parents and those who expected that from me. I felt like I wasn’t living my life for me, and It was killing me. My last semester, I was lonely, not eating, not socializing and doing horrible in school and it was clear something had to change. I started thinking to myself, What do I really want? I would spend hours on Youtube watching artists my age doing what I wanted to do, and if I’m being honest, I felt like I could do everything they were doing just as good if not better, but the difference was, they were doing it and I wasn’t. Then I thought to myself, sure college can help me find a good enough job and I’ll make good enough money, but that wasn’t “enough’ for me. In my head, I was thinking of how much further I could make it if I spent all that time and money into something I’m good at and passionate about. It was then when I decided to pack my bags and come back home. I had to face my parents and share my crazy dream with them, and they’ve done nothing but support me. I turned my garage into a home studio and I’ve been on a mission ever since.
We’d love to hear more about your music.
I’m a rapper, singer, songwriter, musician and producer. My competitive nature constantly keeps me wanting to be better than I was yesterday, whether it’s in my flows, metaphors, song concepts or my skills as a musician. My music is my therapy so I constantly find myself exposing a part of me that makes me vulnerable but I find it empowering and it also connects to others which always makes me happy, knowing I could help others while doing what I love. I have amazing friends and an amazing family that keep me humble and grounded, but I also pride myself in my ability’s that I’ve worked hard for. You can catch me spitting a 16, singing on the chorus and pouring my heart out on a guitar solo all in the same song that’s been written and produced by me, and the content is what’s real to me; that’s what I think makes me different than other artists. It doesn’t make me any better, just different.
Do you look back particularly fondly on any memories from childhood?
My favorite memory as a child is when my grandpa took me to the pawnshop and bought me my first guitar. It was a Blue Mainstreet Acoustic guitar and it’s what started it all.
Contact Info:
- Website: linktr.ee/xavierthe2nd
- Email: xavier.ii.official.music@gmail.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/xavierthe2nd/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/xavierthe2nd_
Image Credit:
Deanna Marie Photography
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