Today we’d like to introduce you to ArmstrongWW.
We’d love for you to kick things off by sharing how you got started.
My music journey started as far back as I can remember. I was born in Garoua, Cameroon, Africa back in November 2001 and started writing my own songs six years later in 2007. What always intrigued me as a child was how music was used to tell stories in the movies I would watch so growing up I would write my own stories to the instrumentals of films. Fast forwarding many years and many songs later I recorded my first track using my cellphone during my freshman year of high school and since then have not looked back. It’s honestly crazy to me how much has changed since then, I remember dreaming of performing or even having people who wanted to listen to all the songs I wrote about my life. The last two years have been just that, a dream. I’ve performed for hundreds of people and learned vocal engineering, producing & numerous other skills which continue to help me turn this passion to a career.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
The good times have been very good and the bad times have been quite bad. That’s the magic of being a musician, because what you are creating is a direct representation of yourself it can affect you more emotionally and especially financially. One of the struggles I’ve had in the past is trying to balance working a job and working on my music. This is because I treat my music as a full-time job and love it with every inch of my heart, but sometimes in the past it was not as fruitful so only making music was not sufficient. At the end of the day we need to buy equipment, pay rent, eat food and etc. which is hard to do when you are not a musician with a large fanbase. Again, the good times have been amazing as I have since starting this journey had interactions with many people who say my music has helped them. I have also grown to love myself more and understand my purpose to its full extent. This is why I will say any hardship is one hundred percent worth it because doing what I do makes living feel like living.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
I call myself a sound alchemist as I combine all the different sounds in my brain to make beautiful music. My inspirations include a vast amount of artists but mainly I’ve been inspired by living, so my music has always been the many stories of my existence. What sets me apart is my genuine love for music, not as a career or hobby but as a power in this universe that has the ability to control our minds. When I am creating there is no thought of whether a song will be a radio hit or if I should format it a certain way for streaming platforms. I only think of music and creating it in its purest form. So far I’m most proud of getting to where I’m at now while still sticking to that concept. My music has been on BBC Radio One, Rinse Fm, and has gotten hundreds of thousands of listens all while being music at its purest. That gives me hope that people are still interested in hearing sounds outside of what the world tells them they should be hearing.
Do you have any memories from childhood that you can share with us?
Good question! My favorite childhood memory is getting to play outside with my friends back in Cameroon. Ever since I arrived in America, I’ve noticed that everyone is more to themselves compared to back home. The warmth that comes to mind when I think back to running around from morning to late at night with my gang exploring forests, and abandoned buildings, and being as free as free can be is irreplaceable.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://linktr.ee/armstrongww
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ww.armstrong/?next=%2F
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/itsarmstrongww
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/itsarmstrongww
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCaAFQDKLscCWdI6Jg1hge1Q
- SoundCloud: https://soundcloud.com/armstrongww
Image Credits
Photos by Luz Castilla (LuzC)
