Today we’d like to introduce you to Maxwell Fotey.
Hi Maxwell, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
Ten years ago as a late teen, after already battling depression for almost a decade and contemplating suicide by the age of 15, I was living in a nightmare. At that time, my reality was so badly shaken that my realistic dreams seemed more real than my reality. After a failed suicide attempt, I went into rehab. In my mind, I didn’t have a real possibility of any future. In rehab, I found God which gave me the strength and the belief that everything was going to be OK. It was during this time, in the midst of chaos, that I knew I wanted to help people somehow. After contemplating several ideas, I thought about making music. At the time, I made minimum wage and I knew how expensive music software and equipment was, so I didn’t want to waste money on something that I may end up not liking. After praying about it, less than one week later someone moved into the sober living house I was staying at and he had music production software that I wanted. I loved it instantly! Shortly after, God continued to put people and new opportunities my way which forced me to keep digging deeper into learning and improving my DJ/Producing knowledge and skill.
Alright, 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?
After struggling with the learning curve in music production for about a year, I had a music production mentor who sat down with me for 3 hours once a week. After six months, he taught me everything that he knew, and my knowledge exploded from there. My DJ skills also began to grow as I started DJing at multiple venues and opening for numerous big artists. But as my music production knowledge and DJ skills grew so did my depression and Drug/Alcohol addiction. I would stay trapped in my bedroom with studio equipment knowing I could make amazing music, yet I either was too high or I had completely zero willpower to even turn on my computer. In many ways, it was my own self-conceived hell. Just as I was pulling myself all together again, I was sent to prison for something that happened several years prior related to drugs. Instead of letting my circumstances get the best of me, I took advantage of my environment. With God on my side, I used the extra time on my hands to teach myself and push harder to reach my goals in life. This set the stage of who I am today, XDezend.
My DJ/Producer name is XDezend, a kind of acronym for a fictional word EX-Descend, which represents how I’m no longer descending as I go through life. I’ve spent hundreds, if not thousands, of days struggling just to get out of bed, only to be completely exhausted from staying up for a few hours. I have transcended myself past drug and alcohol addiction, inadequate feelings, the depths of mental illness and failed suicide attempts. There is an X over my face mask when I DJ because it’s symbolic of my life and how I’m no longer descending with these issues. My brand is dark, and a lot of the music I DJ and produce is dark and heavy because that’s what mental illness is: dark and heavy. I hope to spread awareness about mental illness and drug addiction not in a “happy go lucky way” but in a raw and impactful way, coming from someone who has been there and done that, giving courage and hope to those who are in the trenches of mental illness and/or drug addiction. I hope to share the message that despite all that someone may go through, they can still retake control of their life and succeed! To help make this a reality, I am unveiling my Trademark, XD, so that even in the spelling of my artist’s name, XDezend, you can still see it. This trademark along with inspirational wording such as “Let’s stop lying, life is hard, BUT YOU’RE NOT ALONE!” will be on t-shirts and other merchandise that I will be selling. A portion of my merchandise proceeds will ALWAYS go to some form of mental health charity.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I have two jobs. As an up and coming EDM DJ/Producer, my Career in music never stops, I’ll often ask questions, such as: “How can I make this video stand out?” “How can I make my music content attract more people?” Over the years, I have acquired the knowledge it takes to make great music, but one of the hardest challenges that is getting people to hear it. That is why I chose to tackle the issue by spending a lot of my time and energy into self-promotion, which is making a great deal of difference. Within the last 12 months, I have DJed for nine promotion companies in the Dallas/Fort Worth area and on September 29th, Gangsta House Records will be releasing my first single, The Underground. This release will be the first of many coming soon!
My other job is an assistant and caregiver to paraplegic woman who has a terminal illness. When I first took on this job over 18 months ago, her body was completely filled with fluid. She couldn’t move. She had been abused by the health care system and was almost on her deathbed. Luckily, I was strong enough to pick her up from her bed to her wheelchair, from her wheelchair to her toilet, etc. I managed her medication, took her to doctor appointments, helped pay her bills, cut her hair, cleaned the house, did landscaping, etc. Shortly after I started working for her, I found myself working up to eighty hours a week. Throughout that time, I had to call 911 on four separate occasions because her heart was failing. As time went by, she slowly lost the fluid build up in her body and regained her strength. Today she is more independent and needs less care, so I work for her only part-time helping her with the more important tasks. I still talk to her almost every day.
Have you learned any interesting or important lessons due to the Covid-19 Crisis?
The COVID-19 crisis showed me how truly fragile “the world” really is, yet the human race is still resilient and adaptive to change. Even though many restrictions were put in place to try to keep people safe, people still came together to listen to live music. Music to some people is as important as any other sustenance and they need it to survive. We live in a very scary time with the new variants of COVID-19, but people are still coming together to support each other, listen to music, have fun and be alive.
Pricing:
- $30 per T-shirt (email XDezend@gmail.com to pre-order)
- For DJ inquiries email me at XDezend@gmail.com
Contact Info:
- Email: XDezend@gmail.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/xdezend/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/XDezend
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/XDezend
- SoundCloud: https://soundcloud.com/xdezend
Image Credits
The photo of me DJing (with one hand in the air) was taken by Chilly Media. https://www.chillymedia.net Chilly@ChillyMedia.Net The Photo of me wearing sunglasses and the photo of me with my arms crossed was taken by A Barefoot Photographer. josecamacho@gmail.com
