Today we’d like to introduce you to William Parker.
Hi William, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start, maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers.
My journey into music started seemingly out of the blue. I was a college student at Howard University, finishing up my final season as a football player. For one of my classes, I had to attended an extracurricular panel discussion where the topic was something about hip-hop and the impact it has had on the community. At the end of the discussion, I went up to one of the panelist to ask a few questions about music production and engineering simply out of curiosity. The panelist wound up stopping our conversation mid-sentence to talk to someone else, and while I was waiting, a freshman student came up to me and asked me if I was a producer. I told him, unfortunately not, but I wanted to learn, and long story short, he took me under his wing for a few weeks to show me the ropes. About a month later, I graduated school and moved back to Atlanta (where I’m from) and needed this itch scratched. I found myself learning things through YouTube and reading books which, because of God’s hand in my life, I met mentors and people who were willing to invest into my curiosity. That curiosity turned into a passion which has blossomed into a beautiful career. The road has had way too many ups, downs, twists, and turns to count, but I wouldn’t have it any other way, honestly. It makes for a great story to tell.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not, what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
There have DEFINITELY been hurdles to overcome to get to this point. I’ve had to struggle financially, had to entertain conversations where people are doubting my wisdom and judgement, I’ve taken greyhound buses and slept on couches just to learn from people who were working in the industry. I’ve had to take a million risks, make something, and then have the guts to scrap it and start all over because my gut was telling me what I was making was missing that “it” factor. This road has been anything but smooth, but I think that’s what ultimately makes it so beautiful.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
My work is, in a nutshell, part of the music trifecta. Artist, Producer, and Engineer. I have my hand in all the aspects of music making from start to finish. I also work as a creative director, leading the charge for the marketing surrounding music projects, merchandise design, album art design, event planning, and the like. Basically, anything that touches the music-listening experience I have my hand in.
I also preach and speak publicly frequently enough to be considered experienced, but I wouldn’t consider it vocational just yet.
I think so far in my journey the thing I’ve been most proud of is a series of concerts that I’ve been able to engineer this year. These concerts cover a wide range of genres and instrumentation that has stretched me in the most amazing way. From figuring out how to amplify the rich sounds of a $80,000 piano so that it fills an auditorium to engineering a 9-piece African Jazz band, it has been some of the most unique work I’ve ever been able to do, and I’m so thankful that I was able experience it.
I think one of the biggest things I’m known for and what sets me apart from others the ability to be authentic in whatever space I’m blessed to be in. Somewhere along the journey, the Lord gave me a deep appreciation of who he’s made me to be, and I carry that with me wherever I go. Someone I highly respect preached a sermon once about how “when we were a mask that hides our true selves, we communicate to God that what He has made is not good enough to be shown.” I feel the weight of that statement and try to avoid that at all costs.
Before we let you go, we’ve got to ask if you have any advice for those who are just starting out.
Two things I try to communicate to anyone starting out in anything that’s not considered “normal” by our peers.
1. Don’t follow the crowd. The world needs your voice and your perspective, not a copy. There’s only one you, and we need to experience the real you in order to flourish as the real us. Everyone can see that a copy of something is not as special as the original.
2. Trust your gut and what you like. We can value the opinions of others and input for sure, but at the end of the day, this is your journey, and you’re responsible for how it turns out. If you accept the advice of someone who thinks you need to do something a certain way, but you don’t trust that inner nudging you get when something feels off, then you’ll live with the regret of it for a long time. Mistakes are inevitable, but it’s easier to learn from a mistakes when it’s one you made yourself and not one that was accepted from someone else’s advice that you felt uneasy about.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: willl.parkr
- Other: https://open.spotify.com/artist/01lVveZamgg26yYXelFkwK?si=k0Xg2bT6T4OtGw09v0l5rg
