Aivy Thi Nguyen Does An Exclusive Interview with Rocky Sandovaal

Aivy Thi Nguyen Does An Exclusive Interview With The Extremely Talented Rocky Sandoval.....

Rocky Sandoval's rise in the music industry comes to no surprise. He has appeared nationally on American Idol season 1, P. Diddy's 'Making the Band' season 4, and was a featured singer/songwriter on MTV's reality show 'the Score'. He is currently on the Ladies Night Out Concert Series Tour, which features many major acts such as Brian McKnight, Boyz II Men, Dru Hill, Jon B, Jagged Edge, Ginuwine and many more and has been personally invited by r&b legends, Kci and Jojo, to perform on stage with them during the tour. His soulfully smooth vocals and crafty song writing skills caught the attention of Ocean Records CEO Steve 'Ocean' Brown, who is set to release Rocky's debut album in early 2012. Rocky released his very first mixtape, 'Straight Out the Notebook' under his own company, Common Mind Music Group, a company he co-founded with close friend and business partner Frantz 'Vibez' Vibert. He is set to release another mixtape entitled 'SexDrugsRap&Soul' a collab project with YouTube internet power house emcees, OnFire Ent, who also happen to be close friends and business partners. The sky's the limit for this charismatic, hardworking, talented, and goof-ball at heart, Tacoma, WA native. He credits his mother, family, and God as his inspiration, is the biggest sports geek and a fried chicken fanatic. Rocky enjoys writing daily, tattoos, family gatherings, uses the studio as his sanctuary, and confesses the only place where he is most comfortable is on the stage.

more info and pictures at..

Image : http://almostfamousmusic.files.wordpress.com/2011/01/rocky_sandoval_hooded1.jpg?w=389&h=580

www.rockysandovalworld.net

• What made you want to be a singer/rapper?

the very first time i stepped into the studio at age 18 i knew that this was what i wanted to do, whether it be a writer/producer or recording artist. i actually wanted to be a writer first because i was told by many people in my earlier days was that i would never make it the industry as a singer. but i worked hard at my craft and worked hard at being as complete an artist as i can be.

• Who inspired you?

truthfully, when i was younger, i had a chip on my shoulder because so many people doubted my abilities. so that inspired me to work that much harder. i get the 'never give up on your dreams' attitude and work ethic from my parents, especially my mother. she has always been my biggest fan, and hugest supporter. and before her was my grandmother who taught me the importance of patience and being humble. my entire family is an inspiration and of course my supporters. the love has been overwhelming especially in my home state of washington because i have kind of made a name for myself the past couple years locally. musically im inspired by alot of artists. i am a bit of an old soul at heart, so old school r&b is my first love. i just take a bit here and there from all of my inspirations to create my own lane, my own sound, and my own identity.

• What type of music are you into?

r&b is my bread and butter. i listen to everything r&b from old school to whats playing today just so i can stay relevant. and its reflected in my music i also grew up listening to hip-hop bu ti just so happen to sing. the thing with hip-hop was the lyrical content that i paid attention to. i am a writer first and i believe that some of the greatest writers on my generation were rappers. my dad really put me on old school stuff and not just r&b but rock and roll, folk, and jazz. i truly believe that i am a musicians musician, with the ability to read and write music and i take great pride in that because not many singers can say that. but i listen to all types of music

• In 5 years time, where would you like to see yourself?

i have a couple of labels interested but as of now im just taking my time, and making sure that i get into the right situation. you become more of a commodity when you have been doing everything yourself. hopefully i will have an artist friendly deal in place that will allow me to have my music available to the masses., but there are great advantages of being independent. i have been slowly launching my company, common mind music group, i co-founded with my business partner, frantz 'vibez' vibert. we have a partnership with ocean records, and i am also part of the onfire ent. team. i am really focused on those three companies right now. i have 3 projects all due in the next 8 months, and i am anticipating a very big 2012 year., which in turn can turn into something really special in the next 5 years. i have wonderful people surrounding me who have made the best and smartest business moves. the only thing that i can control is working on my craft, putting out quality music, and working hard.

• What is the best show you have done and why?
  

thats not a fair question lol. 5 years ago i sang for a nationally televised audience on MTV's show 'the score', which was my first taste of a big stage. but the bigger the stage the more i seem to thrive. i love pressure. one of my most memorable nights was being invited by kci and jojo to join them on stage in front of 10k at a sold out sav-mart center, in fresno, california. mysself, along with ginuwine, dru hill, and jon b were all alongside kci and jojo singing jodeci classics together. the crowd went absolutely insane. and for those legends to sign off on me as an artist and allow me to join them meant the world. i am currently touring with some of them for the ladies night out concert series. but it seems like every show one ups the other. that same concert series brought in boyz ii men and brian mcknight so i was on that same bill, in front of a sold out 8k in my home state of washington. the response i received was the greatest feeling ive ever had, because i was able to captivate that crowd by myself. its kind of rare to have an opener get a standing ovation. that is my best show to date, but im sure that my next show will top that lol. the goal is to ALWAYS continue to improve. i stay hungry so that i never get full.

• What up coming shows you have got lined up?

well i am currently on tour for the ladies night out concert series. they bring in the best old school r&b acts on the planet. stars such as kci and jojo, ginuwine, dru hill, jon b, jagged edge, boyz ii men, brian mcknight, BBD, avant, and many more have all taken part of this tour that is sweeping the country. i will be back in Fresno on the 28th and havemore cities to announce in the near future. i sometimes do local shows depending on the bill but i have a team who handles all of my shows and business. i kind of go where i am asked lol. i am a featured performer on the the miss washington pageant, and hopefully i can come out over seas, possibly the uk!

• When your on stage, what motivates you to give out your best performance?

the fact that i worked so hard to get here. and im just getting started. i think back to when i started in coffee shops and junior high class rooms. then to janky promoters at your local clubs, having to do 'pay to play' to open up for a 10 min slot. i think about all of those. and then i think of the fans. i am NOTHING with out them. they have made me who i am and what i am going to become. it can all end in the blink of an eye so i perform every show like its my last. whether i sing for 10 or 10 thousand people, i give everything i have for my fans. because they deserve it.

• What is you twitter, facebook and youtube links?

follow me on twitter @rockycsandoval. add me on facebook at facebook.com/rockysandovalworld and on youtube i have 2 links. the first one is youtube.com/rockysandovalworld which is more of an in depth look into my personal journey, such as shows, vlogs and blogs, and exclusive new music. but i am also part of the youtube powerhouse team at onfire ent, where we shoot high quality covers,and original videos. we just recently hit our one millionth view in just over a year of starting our page, so a huge congrats to my brothers and sister lol...make sure you subscribe to us atyoutube.com/onfireenttv