Artistic Ascension with P3RK

Artistic Ascension with P3RK

David Adams: Hey guys, welcome to the Elation podcast. Today we are with P3RK.

P3RK: What's good? What's good? How you doing, buddy?

David Adams: Cooling, man. How you?

P3RK: Good, man. Good to see you.

David Adams: Same here. Talented singer, songwriter, artist. Above all, doing all kinds of creative things. We know a little bit about each other, but we really didn't get to dive in when we were doing the camp a lot. So I wanted to find out a little bit more about you. Tell me a little bit about you, man. Where are you from?

P3RK: I'm from Uptown New Orleans, 11th Ward, you know what I'm saying? Not too far from the Irish Channel.

David Adams: Nice. Where did you go to school?

P3RK: 35, the best, you know what I'm saying? 35, the best. Eagles out there, represent.

David Adams:Represent. That's awesome, man. Did you play sports?

P3RK: I played football when I was really young, but eventually fell in love with music, so I gave it up. I didn’t play too much in high school.

David Adams: I got you. Yeah, I kind of played through grade school and then I played one year at Curtis in high school and never got back to it.

P3RK: Yeah, it be like that.

David Adams: Curtis kind of ruined me. That was some serious football as a freshman.

P3RK: Yeah, bro.

David Adams: So, what were your things growing up? Did you start doing band in school, or did you really pick up music kind of afterward?

P3RK: So, for Katrina, I went to Connecticut. I started playing football there, and I was really into it.

David Adams: That was a big moment in your life then.

P3RK: Yeah, super big. When the hurricane came, mom took me to Connecticut. I was pursuing football.

David Adams: How old were you?

P3RK: I was 13. I think I was 11 when it first happened, and I was 13 when I got to high school to play football. I met a guy on the team, he was a wide receiver, first string, I was second string, and I was gunning to take his spot. He ended up quitting. I didn’t like the way that went. I was going to get the first string position, so I asked him why he quit. He said he was doing music and asked if I wanted to come to the crib and check it out. I went over there, recorded one song, probably the worst song I ever recorded in my life.

David Adams: The first song is always the worst.

P3RK: Yeah, but I loved it, bro, and I was like, you know what, I ain't doing football no more. So, I quit and eventually when I moved back to New Orleans and went to 35, I joined the choir to understand blending notes and harmonies. From that point on, it was straight music.

David Adams: That's awesome. I heard you were singing since you were four though.

P3RK: Yeah, my mom was a singer, my dad was a singer, but I stayed with my mom, so I saw her singing all the time, in church, playing songs in the car. I took a liking to listening to music fast. She was bumping Miss T heavy, the whole Cash Money, you know what I'm saying? You couldn’t grow up not bumping Cash Money as a kid.

David Adams: Absolutely. Music was always in your face.

P3RK: Yeah, bro, it was always in my face.

David Adams:  I feel like it always starts from the heart somewhere, and the family is a great place for music to start. Tell me a little bit about, I heard you duct-taped cup holders to the wall. How did you start that conversation in the family?

P3RK: Man, I was watching Hustle and Flow, and I thought that was real. I saw Terrence Howard with that stuff all around him and thought, you know, you want to try some stuff. So, I went to McDonald's, asked for as many cup holders as they gave me, like the little four-pack ones. I went home and duct-taped them all over the living room wall. My mom walks in and was like, "Boy, what the hell did you do to my living room?" I was like, "It’s going to be soundproof, we’re going to be rich!" She saw how excited I was and let me rock with it. She never told me no.

David Adams: That’s awesome. That's some good parenting there to let you be creative and let it go. Did it actually work?

P3RK: No, not at all, bro.

David Adams: So, to all the young producers and singers, do not duct-tape cup holders to the wall.

P3RK: Do not do that.

David Adams: When I read it at first, I thought it said 40 cups. I was thinking like 40 Dixie Cups taped to the wall like you’re playing beer pong.

P3RK: Yeah, no, it doesn't work either way.

David Adams: Well, at least you've seen progress because you go from that to The Voice. Tell me about The Voice situation.

P3RK: Yeah, man, The Voice was crazy. I really didn’t want to go at first. Then I had a manager in New Orleans who believed I could compete on that level. She signed me up, and I got in the car with her, went to Texas to audition, and they never told me no until I got to the big screen. Shakira turned that chair around for me; she was my first coach. Blake Shelton is a funny guy, man. He kept trying to mess me up like, "You’re going to choke, you’re going to choke." When the cameras went off, he was like, "You’re going to choke, I could see it all over you." But he was cool.

David Adams: I could see him busting chops.

P3RK:  Yeah, he was like, "Your name is C Perkins, maybe I should change my name to B Shelton." I was like, "Come on, man." But he was cool, just messing with me.

David Adams: I think it lightens the mood sometimes when guys like that do that because you can get a little overwhelmed having that many people around you. If they’re messing with things and acting like that, it makes things lighter.

P3RK: Yeah, so much pressure, you know.

David Adams:  Or you can take it personally, but it’s better if you don’t. How is it on those shows? I hear different stories, like sometimes the songs are picked by them, and you don’t really get to pick your music. You’re kind of forced to pick a few songs, and if you don’t know the lyrics, it’s tough.

P3RK: Yeah, it’s kind of like that. They meet you somewhere in the middle. When we first went, they gave us a list of like 30 songs. They would say pick your top five, and then they pick the one you would sing out of those five.

David Adams: That’s a much better experience. Well, congratulations because that’s pretty awesome to get up that far. I know we’ve done a couple of camps here. How do you feel camps work for artist development or writer development? Do you think it’s something crucial that writers should do?

P3RK: Definitely. It teaches you studio advocacy. Sometimes people don’t have the opportunity to get in a room with other creatives and understand when to insert an idea or when to speak. Studio etiquette is something you have to learn. You get in the studio, you get so excited, you think you have all the answers, but you might be slowing the process down more than helping. That can hurt your chances of being invited to another session.

David Adams: It’s a team environment; you have to find your spot on that team. In that session, you might not be the voice, so you have to run your next session and be your own voice. It definitely teaches you when to speak up and do your thing. Producers, the same thing. If you don’t get around other producers and learn other tricks, you get stuck in one bubble.

P3RK: That’s true. But I do have some advice for young producers: don’t listen to too many other producers. In LA, I was new and watching producers way more into their progression of talent than I was. I would listen to every little thing they said and critique, but those critiques are only because they’re producers. It’s what they would do, not what you would do. So stay around more artists and do artist camps rather than straight producer camps. You’ll be able to be yourself and get on your own way.

David Adams: Definitely, you have to be part of those group things. How did you like the Elation Camp?

P3RK: It was dope. I got a chance to work with people I looked up to. Jazzy Pha, I grew up bopping in front of the TV to Jazzy Pha. Ladies and gentlemen, you know what I’m saying? It was on BET. It was 1997 the first time I heard Jazzy Pha on a beat. I remember the song and still listen to it every now and then. I told him that, and he was like, out of all the songs, it was a TQ song. He was like, out of all the songs, that's the one? But Jazzy got the smoke, bro. Jazzy was great energy.

David Adams: Definitely, and Rodney, man, come on.

P3RK: You can't forget about Rodney Jerkins. Michael Jackson’s "Rock My World," Destiny's Child's "Say My Name," those are classic records, bro. Records that are embedded in me as an artist and stuff that I looked up to. Even to have the opportunity to just shake hands with these people, get a glimpse of how they operate, it just does wonders for anybody. This is the stuff you dream about.

David Adams: Yeah, that was a crazy camp. To have them both here at one time was nuts. We were shooting for one and we got both. And outside of that, man, just all the other artists too. Getting around people who are really good at what they do. Na, K, RJ, a bunch of different artists over there who are really good at what they do. Just being able to cross paths with them. In LA, that’s one thing they have that we don't have in New Orleans, like those camps, those A&Rs, and people to make those random sessions. But with the A&Rs, it’s still tough to have them in the room because we’re in New Orleans, they don't have these buildings down here. But if we create a market, they'll come. Those random sessions mean a lot. Most of my networking in LA was just, hey, pull up. You don't question, you pull up. That's how I met Usher, it was a random session. Mark Pitts from RCA was in it, and I was looking around the room like, I can't believe I'm here right now.

P3RK: That’s all, bro.

David Adams: Then you get invited back and different sessions start to progress. We definitely have to create those random moments as much as possible. Tell me about some people that you've collabed with and worked with. I know Subtweet Shawn is one that's been coming out recently, right?

P3RK: Yeah, Subtweet Shawn, he's heavy, taking over the bounce scene in New Orleans. He's been doing his own thing for a minute, but I caught him freshly when he got on, and we just started working together. It just kind of worked like magic, bro. He has a real good ear for how he wants his records to go, and I'm just really technical when it comes to mixing and creating these records and producing. We put our heads together, man, and we've been on fire ever since. Outside of him, I've been working with other artists like Trey Billy, Kango Slim's son from Partners N Crime. Shout out Kango.

David Adams: Yes sir.

P3RK: Trey Billy's been doing his thing. We're working on an album right now. Me and my guy Busy, he kind of put me in the door with things. OD, she's a dope rapper from the city. I kind of did most of her tracks to date. She's a really dope artist. So I got a number of people I've worked with. The list goes on.

David Adams: What about Juvenile?

P3RK: I've done a session with Juvie, but I haven't really done any work with him. I did a session with Juvie a long time ago. We were in the studio for like six hours straight, and he kind of taught me how to write better. He put a perspective on my writing that I didn't pay attention to at the time. I was kind of all over the place, like first person here, third person there, sentences were different. He was like, who are you talking to? And I didn't think about it until I went home. I was like, damn, Juvie’s right. Who the hell am I talking to? So I went home and redirected how I started to compose these records. It just kind of put me on another level.

David Adams: Just that crazy little sprinkle dust, huh?

P3RK: Yep, just being in the room with other people. Everybody hits you different.

David Adams: 100%. That producer, even though you say you don't want to listen to them, something they say can be beneficial.

P3RK: Yeah, you're right. I just mean that I feel like in music there is no wrong answer. It's tough to hear a bunch of criticism over and over again by other producers. A lot of them don't necessarily care about your emotions and how they say it. They know they're better than you, so it's not about your feelings. Sometimes you can get down on experimenting and start getting in the box of trying to do what somebody else is doing. That's all I meant by that. But you're right, the criticism can definitely change your life. You just have to know how to take it without being boxed in. You take a little bit from everybody, learn methods from everybody, and make it your own. Stay true to yourself.

David Adams: 100%. Tell me a moment that really mattered to you in music, something that changed your life. I know we just talked about the Juvenile thing, but tell me something that really cemented music in your life as a career.

P3RK: There was a moment in my life where I was doing music, and I've always loved it. But the engineering side of me really turned things up to another level. At one point, I couldn't get in the studio for nothing. I had my money ready, but engineers would give me the runaround, wouldn't answer my phone calls. There was a guy who was in prison watching me on The Voice. His name is Yo. He got out of prison and was like, "Yo, I saw you on The Voice while I was locked up. Let's do some music." I was like, "Bro, listen, I appreciate that, but I'm down on my ass right now. I don't have any bread, I'm messed up." He was like, "Don't worry about none of that. I can pick you up, bring you to the studio, whatever you need." And he did. He brought me to the studio, and he was the only person that I had at that moment. He was the only studio that I could go to free of charge. Never charged me for anything.

David Adams: Wow, that's awesome.

P3RK: Yeah, bro. That was the place where I had to work. I was kind of dragging my feet, messing around with Pro Tools and stuff like that. Then maybe a year later, he was killed in front of his studio. I was hurt, man. Not only because he was a good friend, but I didn't have anybody else to go to. I literally could do nothing. That anger sent me to YouTube and Google day and night. I would just study engineering, producing, any video I could find. I didn't care at that moment. I was like, I'm going to go full throttle for this. He always told me before he died, "Bro, you are really talented. What's really going to change everything for you is when you finally go through some shit." And it was crazy that it was him.

David Adams: That's nuts.

P3RK: Yeah, bro, it's crazy.

David Adams: Those experiences, I mean, death is one that definitely cements things in your head, whether it's good or bad. You can take it either way. But it's a good thing you took it on the good side, used it as motivation. But that's crazy, man. That's a story in music that we hear way too often.

P3RK: Yeah, you know.

David Adams: Well, shout out, man. That's good love. Tell me about some music that you got coming out now. I know you got an album or some projects coming out.

P3RK: Right now, I'm working on some music that isn’t being released yet, but I'm doing a lot of R&B type music to kind of go back to what I did on my first album, which is "Substance." That album really set the tone for my fans. When I made "Substance," right before I made it, I quit pursuing music. I was like, this isn't working out, no one's listening to me. I started to create music that I felt really deeply about. I was going through things, thinking suicidal thoughts. Instead of doing stuff like that, I would go to the studio and sing about it. I would be very detailed on these records and never intended to put them out. But the manager at the studio heard me singing and was like, "Oh my God, this is really good." They threw showcases every six months at the studio and begged me to do a show. I didn't want to do it, but she kept begging. I ended up doing the show and performed those songs. The response from the crowd was like never before. I realized at that point people want heartfelt, real music from me. That’s what they gravitated towards. I've been getting back more to that for my upcoming projects, outside of the bounce stuff with Subtweet. Bounce for me is like a commercial break. You got to have fun with music, but what's missing in most music today is the heart. If you can nail that down and appeal to somebody on that level, it's a different type of fan.

David Adams: Definitely. If you can nail that down, they'll always listen to you. I'm glad you came out of that and used music as a tool. It can really be a therapist.

P3RK: It definitely was for me, man, for real.

David Adams: That's awesome. Tell me a little bit about what brings elation to you in your life. What would you say that is?

P3RK: What brings elation to my life? Elation is peak happiness, basically. At this point in my life, doing what I love to do, family, being able to provide. I'm getting older now, so just the simple things in life that really matter the most. Music is a big part of my life, but sometimes things you're passionate about can throw you off from what really matters. I don't want to be in that position. Friends, family, people you love, doing things you love with the people you love, that's all that really matters. Everything else is coming and going. The money you get, you’re going to spend it. It's going to be gone. But the time you lose with the people you love, you'll never get back. Keep that in mind as you're moving forward because it is extremely important. Real talk.

David Adams: Absolutely, I second that. Awesome, man. Tell me a little bit about your socials and where we can find you and your music.

P3RK: Follow me on Instagram, @p3rkofficial. You can follow me on TikTok, @p3rkoofficial. I'm an old dude, man, this TikTok and these social medias and stuff, I just need one social media handle. But yeah, follow me on Instagram, that's where I'm at most of the time, @p3rkofficial.

David Adams: Awesome. Great, well thanks for spending time with us today, man.

P3RK: Of course, brother.

David Adams: Absolutely. Thank you guys for joining us at Elation, where we find exhilarating euphoria through creation and collaboration.