Ethan Douglaz, musician

As one of the new faces in the industry, what inspired you to pursue a career in music?

A lot of things inspired me to pursue music but I’ve always been a huge fan of art. I really love the idea that you can make any kind of music you want and say anything you want without any limits. 

When did you realize you wanted to take music seriously as a career? 

March of last year is when I knew I had to take this stuff seriously if I wanted to do something with my life. I would mess around with music but I didn’t take it seriously in terms of a career. I always had love for music though. I just started doing anything I could do for myself. I’m really thankful for where I am now. 

Who has been the most important influence on your musical life and career?

That’s so tough considering all the people who have helped me grow as a artist and as a person. But my sister has always helped me make smart decisions when it comes to my career. I don’t think I would’ve grown this much in the industry without her. 

What has been the greatest challenge of your career so far?

Trying to make time for everything. Sometimes it gets difficult to split my time equally to where I can do all the things I need to do. But I’m not complaining. I’m blessed to have a really hard-working management team that has really helped free up a lot of time for me. But it’s also like I have no excuse to not finish this project soon. 

I recently came to an agreement with my management that has really taken a lot of weight off me. I was trying to do a bunch of stuff by myself and make my management do as little as possible but it never worked out how I wanted it to. They’ve been doing a lot for me lately and all I can do is thank them and keep working. 

Has time been one of the reasons your project is still in the works? 

Definitely. Like time is probably the biggest reason I haven’t turned in my project yet. But now I have no excuse to ignore the project so I’ve got to finish as soon as I can. I don’t plan on rushing anything but at the same time I don’t want to hold onto it forever. 

What has the process been like during your time starting the project up until now? 

It’s been a mix of everything. It’s been stressful but it’s also been very amazing too. 

Currently, who are your favorite musicians?

I have a lot of favorite artists but I would have to go with Kendrick Lamar and Isaiah Rashad as my top two. I could listen to those two artists on repeat and it wouldn’t bother me. 

How did Kendrick and Isaiah influence you as a artist? 

Well they’ve both influenced me in countless ways. Kendrick’s wisdom has really helped me to grow as a artist and his music has encouraged me to reflect on myself and to talk about what’s real. Isaiah has been someone I can just relate to through what he says and his music. Both of them have played a huge role in my early stages of aspiring to be a artist. 

What do you consider to be the most important ideas and concepts to impart to aspiring musicians?

Just have faith, keep working, and never give up. I notice a lot of artists give up early on in their music career. It takes a lot of time and patience to grow in the music industry. If you just stay patient and keep working, everything will work itself out. 

Where would you like to be in 10 years’ time?

I hope i’m still here as a artist just making the best music possible. By then I should have a couple projects out so people can stop bothering me so much. But I definitely pray I still have the opportunity to keep doing what i’m doing now.  

What is your present state of mind as you finish your debut project?

I’m just trying to stay creative and piece everything together for the project. It’s not always easy to be creative at any second but I try to stay insightful and learn new things. I don’t want to be afraid of trying anything different either. Music has no limits. 

Anticipation continues to build for the release of your debut project. When will it be available? 

I don’t know. I’m still finishing some things up on it so I’m not exactly sure right now. There’s also been a lot of things getting in the way lately so I haven’t had a lot of chances to do what I need to do. It’s all a part of the process I guess. I won’t have everybody waiting forever though, I can tell you that.

Just as a fun question, what is your most treasured possession?

Probably my phone. I never leave the house without it and that’s the one thing I use daily. The first thing I do in the morning is check my phone so yeah that’s probably my most treasured item.

Where can people find and connect with you? 

My instagram and all other social media is @ethandouglaz. If you want to get tickets, buy merch, or just keep up with me, you can go to douglazmusic.com