Skrillex Belongs in the Hall of Fame

I had the ultimate pleasure of seeing Skrillex play a five-hour set at a sold-out Red Rocks on Tuesday, and it hit me: the man belongs in the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.

I've never been a huge Bass Music fan (Dubstep, Trap, Drum n Bass), but Skrillex is the sound of a generation and had a huge impact on the early days of my involvement in electronic music. Sure, he's won nine Grammys and holds the record for most by an electronic artist, but that's not the important part.

What's important is he invented a sound and pioneered a movement. Then he evolved. He crossed genres, collaborated with everyone, and outworked nearly every artist in the game. I even studied his productions at IO Music Academy; he set the bar.

Five hours flew by and you know what's crazy? So much of the music he played in his set was his own music. Not to mention the massive album he just put out containing 34 tracks and spanning 15 years.

Music today is boring. Repetitive, copies of other music. I don't know if it's laziness or we all have access to too much information.

If you want to stand out in today’s landscape, follow Skrillex's blueprint:
→ Create something original
→ Refuse to chase trends
→ Build your own lane and own it

And it doesn't necessarily have to be your music itself. It could be your live show. It could be your sound. It could be your story. Maybe it's your purpose or causes you're involved with.

Now more than ever the music industry is saturated. Sure, that make's it competitive, but it also creates an opportunity to be original. To rise above the rest and do something different.

Tell a story about how you saw a human dressed like a pickle and how he belongs in your sandwich. Oh wait, don't do that, that's coming in one of my new songs 😂

Seriously - try something new and don’t wait for permission. You have the tools. You have the platforms. You have the power to stay independent and unforgettable.

Be the artist everyone wants to copy, not the one doing the copying.

Remember, you got this. And if you need help, let's chat.