Spencer Hall & Justin Aoki Do It for Charity

[DJ Special Blend from Chicgao]

Spencer Hall & Justin Aoki have released a single that benefits the World Central Kitchen and the NAACP.

They advise that 100% of streaming proceeds and 50% of digital sales will go to the worthy causes.

This is an awesome gesture by the vocal duo. We caught up with Spencer Hall not too long ago. He agreed to answer a few questions about his music career for the BMS Radio Network.

What is your music background?

Growing up, I learned basic music theory and how to read music from playing violin and singing in choirs. I wasn’t particularly talented at violin (probably should’ve practiced way more!) and found myself naturally gravitating towards singing. During my undergraduate years at UCLA, I was part of Awaken A Cappella, the oldest co-ed collegiate a cappella group in Southern California. The highlight was getting to perform in front of 8,000 people, including some celebrity judges, in a 2018 UCLA competition. During my four years in Awaken, I frequently arranged popular songs and mashups for the group, which led to me writing original Disney style showtunes for a UCLA production during my senior year. Though I love to sing, I think my greatest strengths lie in writing music.

Who are your musical influences?

When it comes to writing Disney- or showtunes-style music, I’m definitely influenced by great composers and lyricists like Alan Menken, Howard Ashman, Stephen Schwartz, Robert Lopez
and Kristen Anderson-Lopez. When it comes to pop music, I find myself influenced by artists around my age like Charlie Puth and Shawn Mendes. Really, I listen to all sorts of music and
probably take something valuable from every genre I listen to. I think everyone’s influenced by everyone, and I’m no exception to that.

What are your long-term career goals?

I would love to become a songwriter for a major label, as well as one day co-write a Broadway musical (or something of that caliber) and get hired by Disney. I grew up watching Disney’s
animated musicals of the ‘90s and would love to contribute to Disney’s musical legacy. Though I don’t see myself becoming the next Justin Bieber or Shawn Mendes, I’m in the early stages of developing my first album and am planning to release more singles in 2021. I just want to keep creating and putting myself out there, in case opportunity comes knocking.

What type of recording process do you use and who produced your music?

I actually don’t have much in the way of a DAW right now, apart from some advanced notation software, so I created a template and wrote some instrumental parts for my first release and passed them along to a producer friend of mine, Professor H, who added rhythm, percussion, and effects, found a guitarist, and put everything together. Another producer friend of mine, Topher Ngo, recorded my and Justin Aoki’s vocals in a small home studio. My goal is to get Ableton, Logic Pro or something similar and learn how to do as much myself as possible, as well as come up with bigger production budgets for future releases.

Do you ever get the chance to perform live?

I haven’t performed live yet as myself, but I’ve performed in specially-themed cabarets and in a cappella gigs. I can’t accompany myself on any instruments yet, so the coffeehouse scene hasn’t been for me, but I am looking forward to performing live more, when it makes sense to.

Are you looking to remain independent or would you prefer a major label deal?

I don’t see myself getting a major label deal as an artist, but snagging one as a songwriter would be incredible. Since I haven’t released much music yet, I’m happy to remain independent for now and have greater control over my musical direction, but I can’t deny the advantages of having a label back you. I absolutely want to keep meeting and collaborating with other people and growing my network, even if I never get to work with a major label.

If anything, what would you change about the music industry today?

I think it would be great if streaming platforms like Spotify could come up with sustainable ways to pay artists better. I know there’s no easy answer to that, and I don’t think it’s reasonable for every artist on Spotify to think they should automatically earn a living wage, but at the same time, streaming has disrupted major income streams for bands and artists, so I understand their frustration. Streaming is the new normal and it doesn’t seem to be as profitable as the eras
before that, so it would be awesome if music platforms could shift to a payout system based on an artist’s personal number of streams/listeners, rather than be a tiny percentage of total revenue. But again, there’s no easy answer to that, so I guess I just hope people don’t stop buying music completely.

Do you have any advice for up-and-coming artists?

Aim high but have reasonable expectations. This business is tough, and it takes hard work – for everyone. Consider learning how to do as much as you can yourself if you want to have greater control of your music, but collaboration is also important. Never stop learning, but don’t let the stress of the business suck the joy out of doing what you love.

Anything else you want to say on the people?

My first release, “Don’t Forget (2020)” is raising money for World Central Kitchen and the NAACP. For the rest of 2020, 100% of streaming proceeds will be donated to these great
organizations, and 50% of digital sales, as well. Your support is very appreciated. Other than that, I’ll be back in 2021!

Purchase/Streaming Smart Link: https://song.link/i/1528069617

SoundCloud Song Link: https://soundcloud.com/user-828264388/dont-forget-2020