Swaizy - Music Artist and Entrepreneur

Swaizy is a 24-year-old music artist and entrepreneur currently based in Nashville, Tennessee, whose work reflects a vibrant fusion of culture, creativity, and lived experience. Born in Honolulu, Hawaii, into a military family, his upbringing was shaped by movement, discipline, and a deep appreciation for diverse perspectives. The son of a Dominican father and a Puerto Rican mother, Swaizy embodies a rich blend of Caribbean heritage that continues to influence both his sound and artistic identity.

From an early age, music played a central role in his life. Raised in a Hispanic Christian church, he was immersed in an environment filled with rhythm, harmony, and emotional expression. Those formative years helped cultivate his natural musicality, sharpening his ear for melody and strengthening his ability to connect with audiences through storytelling and song. What began as a spiritual and cultural foundation gradually evolved into a personal passion and creative calling.

As an artist, Swaizy stands out for his ability to seamlessly merge Hispanic influences with the raw energy of Southern trap music. His sound represents a new generation—first-generation Americans navigating identity, culture, and ambition in a modern world. Through his lyrics and delivery, he captures both the struggles and triumphs of that experience, offering authenticity that resonates deeply with listeners.

Beyond music, Swaizy is also a driven entrepreneur. He has expanded his creative vision into the fashion world by developing his own clothing line, using it as another platform to express his individuality and connect with his audience. His brand reflects the same boldness and originality found in his music, blending streetwear aesthetics with cultural storytelling.

Known for his creativity and natural gift for songwriting, Swaizy continues to carve out his own lane in the industry. Whether in the studio or through his entrepreneurial ventures, he remains committed to pushing boundaries, representing his roots, and inspiring others to embrace their identity and pursue their passions unapologetically.

Transcript

SPEAKER_01 0:08

Welcome to the Forge by Design podcast. This is your host, Daniel Badigel. Thank you so much for all your support for thinking of us on a weekly basis. With us, we have an amazing guest, kind of like a last-minute blessing for our podcast. I've known him for several years now. We're gonna talk about that. But he is uh a music genius, has a lot of style, has a lot of rhythm, his very con his music is very contagious, not only a music artist, but also has his own own uh product line, his own merch. And we're gonna talk about that because I've seen it, I've seen it there, and I've seen many people wearing it, and I'm I'm pretty sure he is proud. So we're gonna talk about his music, his merchandise, his dreams and aspirations, and without further ado, because this is such a blessing, Mr. Swayze. How are you doing, sir? I'm doing great, I'm doing amazing. I first of all I want to thank you for making the time. Making the time. I, you know, when I saw you this weekend, I thought it was not gonna happen because you're a very busy person. Typically, when you come to Augusta, it's kind of like in and out. You know, that's true. He in and out. For y'all, those that don't know, he uh he drives a uh a Tesla. Yes, he drives a Tesla. Follow me out. Okay, and uh I won't give you his license plate number. I don't want no paparazzi's out there. But uh you come so you come in and out, and but you're always busy. Uh I want to say always on the grind, always hustling, which is very admirable uh for someone who's pursuing their dreams and aspirations. So let's let's dive deep into this. Let's do it. Well, the first question that I have for Mr. Swayze is um tell us a little bit about your music. How how did this music come about? Well, what what at what age or what season in your life were you contemplating in pursuing a music career?

SPEAKER_00 2:13

Well, I will say you've definitely known me for several years. You probably yeah, I would say so. Um I would probably say since church, okay. Um when I was a kid, I would uh I grew up in a Hispanic Christian church, and I was always drawn to the music. Um and eventually I fell into liking a specific type of music, which was hip hop, and in hit in high school specifically, I would just listen to a lot of different hip-hop artists. Um, but I would say ever since a kid, I mean, I was playing the drums as a kid. My mom put me in orchestra, so I was playing violin in elementary school. Okay. Um so shout out to uh Davidson Fine Arts.

SPEAKER_01 3:02

Yes, shout out Davidson Fine Arts, just in case uh we'll we'll pick up the royalties later. But so you were listening to uh different genres of music, yep, okay, uh such as what specifically? I mean, I love all types of all types of music, kind of like reggae, yeah.

SPEAKER_00 3:19

I love uh pop, reggaeton, okay, pop, rap. Um, in high school I was in a uh like a funk band. So I played the drums like as a yeah, in in a funk band. So I really liked funk too, like a lot of older types of music.

SPEAKER_01 3:36

Uh so as so as you were weaving these music genres out, you kind of figured out that this type of music is probably something that I'm not going to evolve on. Yeah. Uh uh maybe the funk level, maybe it's a fusion. Uh later on, people are always mixing, um, mixing music. So you narrowed it down to mostly hip hop music, hip-hop, rap, reggaeton music.

SPEAKER_00 4:02

I would I would say I would say it's just what came like most natural. And I think a lot of people are fans of a lot of different genres, but there's one that feels most natural to to you, I feel like. I mean, sure, there's people who are have a hybrid of that. Um, but for me, rap always just came naturally. Uh, so that's what I decided to start making.

SPEAKER_01 4:27

Okay, well, so when when was the first time you because I I know that you had some like music samplers, or you you wrote music, you sang music in your bedroom, right? Yeah, okay, and you kept it there. Who did you show your music to? And who uh who said, you know what, you've got something there, or was it or was it more so something more intrinsic?

SPEAKER_00 4:49

I would say I I had like a little notebook and I would write my raps. And uh I'm sure I showed my my mom, shout out my mom, my sister, my dad. I'm sure I've I showed them growing up, like my my different types of raps. But I think what it really was in high school, uh we would do like fake rap beefs between me and like a couple different students.

SPEAKER_01 5:14

So I'm I'm I'm envisioning the audience, right? It's a rap change. Okay, so we would upload it online. So it sounded like a challenge, it's not a rap challenge. Not I mean uh what's it called a rap battle? It's not a rap battle.

SPEAKER_00 5:27

We would rap battle too, and we'd freestyle at lunch and you know, the basics. But uh when I really started writing, I mean, that was like fake beefs that we would make up just to creatively, you know, upload something on YouTube. And uh I I would say people started telling me that they thought I was decent. Um, I'm sure I have a couple videos.

SPEAKER_01 5:51

Pretty sure you believed it.

SPEAKER_00 5:53

Yeah, I mean you have to believe in yourself enough. Yes. Um, I didn't think I was the best, but I thought that um it was a passion of mine, so I wanted to pursue it.

SPEAKER_01 6:04

You know, a lot of people don't understand that um you have to start from literally ground zero. It's it's first base, right? Maybe home plate. And you have to start somewhere. You heard me say this a gazillion times that uh it's not even a term, but you know what I mean. That Rome was not built in a day, it's brick by brick, right? First, it's a it's an idea, a prototype, and then you start laying lyrics down, things don't uh probably align. You're trying to find your your rhythm, uh, your mojo, your identity, and all this process. Uh the same way it was with my books, you know, when I was writing, you know, I I asked the Lord guide me, direct me, you know, and then I I found my voice, my my own unique voice. And so in that process, really, you were being shaped uh uh uh you know into what you are today. Um basically all that hustle, all that perfecting, all that tweaking, and we're still evolving, right? We're still growing, but definitely put you in a spot where uh you said, you know, this this is where I want to go, this is where I want to pursue. And so how how while while that's going, right? You have your music and you're working that process and you're working your lyrics and you're finding your identity. You have several songs that you think, you know what, this is good, because I remember hearing some of those. I can't quote any of them now. This has been a minute, but uh, how did this um merchandise come into play? So you're you're thinking about music, and suddenly now you're thinking about music and clothing.

SPEAKER_00 7:39

For sure.

SPEAKER_01 7:40

How did that come about?

SPEAKER_00 7:41

I would say actually they happened pretty simultaneously. Okay. Uh I would say honestly, I first did the clothing. Um, like trying to do the clothing professionally before I tried doing the music professionally. But as a lot of people know, especially with hip hop, fashion and the music go hand in hand. Like every major artist has a product line.

SPEAKER_01 8:09

Their line, you know, and but it's not easy because I I would figure that once uh they they have some sort of uh you know, a group of people hustling or or promoting the marketing, the promotion, and things like that, where you initially uh in this entrepreneurship spirit, the riding the wave of entrepreneurship, uh you decided to take a leap of faith, but you had a vision to merge both. Maybe you sing and you sell, which is a great combination. Yeah, I speak and I sell books. That's what I do. Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 8:42

And you have to, I feel like uh a lot of artists have to juggle multiple different forms of uh being able to you know make it a living. So especially starting out, and who was helping you at the time initially? Um, initially, I'm not gonna lie, it was a lot of uh professor YouTube, I would say for sure. I mean, I just had the spirit of wanting to learn how to do all of these things. So I would you say professor YouTube? Yeah, professor YouTube, sure. I I would I'd be like, okay, I want to design my own clothing brand. So what I have to figure out what programs to use. So I would search up typography tutorials on Photoshop, on YouTube, pretty much, on how to do that, and then what's the best website builder? I would, you know, study that, and then I would just over time would get better and better at those skills. But it's out of the passion of wanting to do it, you're gonna just over time learn the things that you need to know if you want to do it, you know.

SPEAKER_01 9:45

So you you'll learn, you learn how to do it, uh basically, and I think uh that applies to many industries, uh, whether it be you're you're an artist or you're an actor, actress, or you're woodbuilding, you're a carpenter, plumbing, whatever it is, a lot of people that the DIY spirit, do yourself spirit comes upon, and Professor YouTube has helped a lot. I I I would say myself included. Everybody. How would you describe your your sound and your style of music back then compared to now? Um, is there like a nighting day or is it?

SPEAKER_00 10:20

I would say so. If you listen to a lot of my old music, I mean I don't know if the style would be considered bad versus good, but I would say that a lot of the earlier types of rap were slower and more melodic because back in the day we listened to a lot of people who were like slower, more melodic.

SPEAKER_01 10:42

Um not depressing, right? Not melanchically, no, no, not depressing, melodic, but not melancholic.

SPEAKER_00 10:48

Yeah, I think ever since the beginning, my music was mainly, and now I do have a few songs that are more, you know, slower and either romantic or you know, um just slower in general, but yeah, I would say ever since the beginning it was pretty happy, upbeat, even if it was like a melodic type of rap. And now it's closer to um I don't know, I do a j uh blending of like boom bap type stuff where it's just rapping, rapping, and then like songs that get you really hype, uh and then still also some melodic stuff, just not as much as back in the day.

SPEAKER_01 11:28

So take us through your creative process of writing a song. Okay. I mean, uh if if so you're writing a song, you're you're on tour, you're singing, and most likely you're picking up ideas here and there, or maybe beats that don't necessarily fit into a particular song that you're working on at the moment, but you have it in your you know, a post-it note or on your dream board, on a notebook of sorts. Um, how how does a song evolve? Uh how what's your creative process to say, you know, I'm I'm I'm I think I've got something here. Let me expand and take this to fruition, complete the song.

SPEAKER_00 12:09

For sure. I think there's a lot of different ways that a song can come about. I think a lot of the hardest ways to make a song is trying to make a song, if that makes sense. Okay. Um, so recently what I've been doing is exploring more of like having an overarching theme. So, like my my project that's about to come out is uh one of my passions, which is cars, specifically like Japanese cars, and so that's the theme, and then from there we take, okay, let's make a song, uh Nas, right? Where it's uh just go, go, go, or another song where it's like cherry blossoms, where it's a more slower song and maybe make it more romantic. And so that's a newer style that I'm exploring, but a lot of times, honestly, and I think this happens a lot with rappers, um, is they'll find a beat and it's almost like it's almost like the beat speaks to you in a certain way, and you'll just mumble stuff, and then you'll have a line, and that line will stick out to you, and you'll be like, Okay, uh this is probably what I'm gonna title the song, and then you go from there. So a lot of times it's literally going through the beats, right?

SPEAKER_01 13:24

And then if a having a common theme or uh the the chain of thought that brings some sort of synchronization. Did you hear that? Yeah. There you go. Look, there's some reggaeton right there. Yes, can you hear that? I think from your glasses, but I think it should be. Well, I put it on because I wanted to hear it. There you go. I'm gonna take it all because I wanted to surprise him, but that's that's another thing. So this creative process of synchronization, create a process of of unison, whatnot, and you merge it down, and suddenly you get to the studio and you say, This is the idea, this is the way that I'm going to to bring it about, and it comes to pass. So now you have a completed song, how do you get it out there?

SPEAKER_00 14:14

Uh so I would say the main way of getting it out there, if you're talking just literally how to publish your music, would be there's different companies that'll do it for you, whether it's DistroKid or Tune Core, or there's a whole bunch of different companies who do it. But I mean, if you have the song made and you have that MP3 or that wave format, you just go to these companies, you fill out the information, and you can I mean, there's hundreds of thousands of songs uploaded every single day. That's how you literally do it. Okay, how you get it out there, out there into like listeners is just by marketing it, which is you know a different story.

SPEAKER_01 14:54

Amazing. You know, for for those that uh you know are learning from this process, one of the things that I want you to get out of this is that it it's it takes time, it takes dedication. From a leadership standpoint, you have to believe in yourself, you have to believe in your potential, you have to be consistent. And sometimes, can I be honest with you? Sometimes you're consistently bad, you know? Sometimes you're you are trying to find your voice, you're trying to find uh your your uniqueness, your own mojo. And at first a lot of people quit because you know they say, you know what, I I've been trying and trying, trying, nothing's coming about. So they give it probably a year, maybe so. And because if that, yeah, you know, and then they throw the towel, you know, uh hang the gloves, throw in the towel, and quit. Whereas uh Swayze, you know, he learned in the trenches, he learned that I remember that uh he was always trying to perfect the beat or perfect the song. He would go back to a song and add more lyrics, and I remember my son will do that as well. He just add more lyrics, or maybe there was a better hook. Uh when you finish a song, there was a better hook. He went back and added it, added the hook and whatnot. But there is a creative process and a creative grind, and we all start in the same way. You know, musicians start with the the uploading through YouTube, uploading through these other media uh uh channels or services, and then it's it's all about promoting, right? It's all about sometimes word of mouth. If the song is really good, it has a real good hook, you may get an audience of 50, and probably those 50 are your family members, right? But what I'm trying to say is that you have to be consistent. One of the leadership skills that uh Swayze has is consistency. The other thing is is persistent, right? You have to be consistent, you have to be persistent, you have to ask for feedback. You know, there were people that say, you know, I like this, maybe I don't like that. And um he mentioned that you're into the the Japanese cars, right? Yeah, and if you have not heard the song NAS, you have to go to YouTube, uh, Apple Music, Spotify, whatnot, but you're gonna be hooked. When when um my son-in-law played the song, uh, I was hooked till three in the morning and it was resonating in my head. I couldn't get uh the the hook up the hook off my off my uh my head. But um amazingly you were persistent. Now with that with that same uh line of thought, how how are you persistent as well with the the merchandise?

SPEAKER_00 17:34

Yeah, so 100%. I think a lot of people they'll have a passion and they'll like something just enough to try it out, and then they just drop it after whether they get bad feedback or it just doesn't pop off immediately. But I and I think a lot of people who are successful with music and clothes and whatever it is, you just have to literally keep you just have to keep going and keep believing in your own product or your own song. Um, because if you don't believe in it, no one else is gonna believe in it for you. Uh but going off of that, yeah, I was the kid who would go to these concerts and I would sell my clothes out the back of my car. You know what I mean? And it sometimes it takes that, you know. I was selling glasses, shirts. I mean, at places where they have what was your best seller? I had a shirt one time I made this design on Photoshop. It's called the Child of God t-shirt. Okay, and that shirt has been copied and sold on Amazon by a few different people, and it it just resonated with a lot of people.

SPEAKER_01 18:43

Did you make the royalties or you didn't get the royalty? No, because a lot of times you gotta pay the royalty.

SPEAKER_00 18:48

I'll I'll tell you, a lot of times, especially with uh clothing brands, is they'll they'll just copy off of each other, and then uh I mean to sue a lot of things or a lot of different companies takes a lot of money, and then also that kind of gets into like, do I want to sue another person who has the same messaging as me if really I made this shirt from a place of okay, I want to represent that I'm a child of God, and if somebody else is putting it, you know, it could morally get confusing. But um, yeah, so I would say my best seller was a child of God shirt. I sold it in like at least 10 different colors. Uh and yeah, I've seen people wear it, and my friends will take pictures in random spots of people wearing that shirt.

SPEAKER_01 19:32

So I I remember we had a lot of uh, well, several. I'm not saying I I attended all of them, but Hispanic Festival in the city of Augusta, downtown. And you were there, there was a uh canopy, uh a booth, whatnot, and you had your own little little table and selling and stuff. You had some very unique glasses.

SPEAKER_00 19:51

Yeah, the glasses, people love the glasses.

SPEAKER_01 19:53

Yeah, people love the glasses. I don't think I would ever look cool, right? Because uh maybe they maybe an age gap or whatnot, but uh they they were flashy, they were on point, they were the they were the the the bomb back then, if that's uh even a term. But uh I remember uh you selling and I was very proud of you because I knew that anybody that sees uh uh an entrepreneur, someone who's really into their craft, their music, their business, their artistry, uh, their gift, talents, abilities, whatever your background career may be, and whether you could be a florist if you're into that, if you're into that and and you would uh are persistent and show dedication, those that are in the in the audience from are looking from the outside, looking in, if if you also have that entrepreneur spirit, you can admire that person, right? You can you can you can uh support that person and of course by their merch, buy their music. So what message or identity are you trying to express through your music? What when people listen to uh to Swayze, right? And and I know I know you've gone through different seasons because you've been at it for five seven five to seven years more so. Um people seeing seeing the the the BC or the not the BC but the before Swayze and the its genesis and its beginning that first, second, third year, and then seven years later, uh here you are. Uh what's when I hear you music, when someone hears you music, what is it that you want them to feel?

SPEAKER_00 21:31

Yeah. I would say uh take it on a case-to-case basis. Every song is different. Um overall, the music is a reflection of my life, and obviously I go through different phases of life. Uh, but I would hope that people, especially over the past five to seven years, see improvements on the complexity of the lyrics, the lyricism, uh, overall quality, whether that's the production. Or the vocals or everything. But um yeah, I mean, case to case basis off of depending on the song. But overall, I would say I'm a pretty happy person, upbeat person, energetic person, and I would hope that my music conveys the exact same thing.

SPEAKER_01 22:19

I know his music has been uh amazingly impactful. I think uh I saw uh Lecrae comment on on your talents, your abilities, uh your your unique style uh of music. Um again, someone to look out for, to look, you know, to look into your music. You have have also opened for Andy Minio, is that correct? In Texas. So hey, shout out to Andy Mino. You've seen you are gonna see this podcast, look great. I I know he's been uh opening for uh a few other artists, and um, so that's been amazing. Just simply opening. That's that's how you start. I mean, yeah, you're opening for a new artist, other uh prominent artists that have been uh decades in the industry are noticing your talents, your abilities, that massive potential that you have. What has been the uh the most exciting time where you open for someone like like Andy Minio? I mean, what were you feeling? That I mean, I your adrenaline has to be off the charts. You know what I mean? Yeah, it's like you you you're singing here and there, maybe different venues, medium, small, medium, you know, and then boom, they put you on a stage, maybe there were 5,000 people before you. And with us, Swayze is gonna, you know, not necessarily opening, but you they announce your name, you get on the stage. I think if I had a mic, my mic would have been, you know, like shaking, you know. Yeah, maybe, you know. I I I I did offer him one time if he ever needed uh someone to be a background dancing. Uh you'll be background dancing at some point. I think I'll be background or the background, and my mic would be off. I mean, that's that's part of the contract.

SPEAKER_00 23:58

Heavy breakdancing in the background. No, no, that's for sure.

SPEAKER_01 24:00

That's never that's never gonna happen. Ever gonna happen. But 15,000 line. No, no, whoa, yeah, yeah, put it out there. Hey, you know. If I can go in saying coffee drop of the week, yeah, yeah, I was like, what does that mean? As they go to my channel. But um how is that adrenal? How do you how do you manage those emotions? Because those are dreams becoming reality. 100%. How do you manage that?

SPEAKER_00 24:25

I think you honestly, it depends on the person, but I for me, I enter a flow state. I just don't know. It's what does that mean? Uh it's like you have to, it's almost like you you have so much adrenaline that you feel like you're going to war. So you just know that you have to, whether that's perform or there's gonna be thousands of people in front of you, it you have to kind of just be in a different mindset, if that makes sense. Um, and also another shout out to David Sinfine Art. Say at this point, oh us a couple thousand dollars, right? Um, I did drama for a long time, and it's I'm not saying it's one-to-one because being on stage with while you're acting as a different person and showing your own artistry are two completely different things and they feel completely different. I'll say that helped a lot, you know, going to a school where you were performing, um, being in front of people that definitely already helped, especially before strangers.

SPEAKER_01 25:29

You know, somebody told me that uh, you know, that how long have I been public speaking? Because sometimes they know they don't know who I am, and I can be whether it be a church setting or a professional setting or a college setting. And uh a couple of months ago I was uh in a in a professional setting, and people even even uh adults have kind of like stage fright, right? They have poor public speaking skills and they get nervous, whatnot. But I think Davidson Fine Arts uh provided you the opportunity that even though they were parents, right, they're still strangers, right? And you have to uh you're graded on your performance, on you on your acting, on your singing, on your presentation. And I so at least that that helped you, you know, uh overcome that's maybe stage fright if you ever had it.

SPEAKER_00 26:18

Yeah. And like I said, it's completely different. I thought it was gonna be the first time I uh performed my own song was in Atlanta, probably in front of.

SPEAKER_01 26:27

Which was the title of the song?

SPEAKER_00 26:28

Uh it was called I believe I believe Google Drive. No, it was front view, front view. Front view. Front view for sure. Is it still in on YouTube?

SPEAKER_01 26:39

It is. Okay, it's just don't search it up.

SPEAKER_00 26:41

Most of the bad.

SPEAKER_01 26:42

Um no, I mean, some people like it. Some people like it. Well, I'm talking about I'm talking about this is a couple of years, right? You know, it's just not you know the new stuff, but 2019. All right, so I'm gonna throw it out there. Front view. If you're able to look it up through uh to the internet, you know, uh send us a message, send me the link. I want to see it too.

SPEAKER_00 27:00

Yeah, so hear it too. It was front view in Atlanta, and there was probably 300 people there, and I was like, oh, I mean, I've I've performed in front of 2,000 people or whatever in a school on stage. This should be easy. It was probably the most nerve-wracking thing I've ever because it's it's you, like people aren't when when they're looking at an actor on a stage, they're you are not portraying yourself, you know what I mean? But when it's your own music, your own clothing, or whatever that is, it's a reflection of you, and people are directly judging you based off your performance. So it felt completely different, okay?

SPEAKER_01 27:40

Yeah, so how many times have you opened for for other major artists?

SPEAKER_00 27:45

I don't even know, to be honest. I mean, it's been probably a couple times a year.

SPEAKER_01 27:50

You're touring a different uh state. Yeah, so so what's the furthest state you've been? Uh let's say New York or California.

SPEAKER_00 27:57

I've performed in Canada before. You've performed in Canada before.

SPEAKER_01 28:02

Ottawa. Shout out Ottawa. All right, Canada. So you Swayze made it to Canada. And of course, uh the the what what what other states? I know uh uh obviously Georgia, Texas, Milwaukee, Milwaukee. Texas and up there?

SPEAKER_00 28:18

Uh I don't think so. The Carolinas, North, South Carolina, Florida. There's been a lot of one-off shows where I don't, I'm not even gonna lie, I don't even remember the states, but I can remember like the venues. But mainly where I perform is uh Texas. Okay. Uh obviously here.

SPEAKER_01 28:35

So that's your home base that Texas is the home base, whatnot. You you were in Tennessee. Um are in Tennessee. Okay. Franklin. Yeah. Is it Franklin?

SPEAKER_00 28:45

Well, I just recently moved, but uh now I just live in actual Nashville.

SPEAKER_01 28:49

But I know it's uh that's the the music mecca. Everybody that wants to make it. I think my brother Eli uh sang in there as well. They were having a music festival and he brought his music, whatnot. I have not never sang there. I have I have been there. Uh great restaurants. I think I was included. I think I was there in business from my job, and uh a lot of art. It's like New York, you know. Wait, if you make it in New York, you make it anywhere, right? That's like the how the song goes. Yeah. If um, but it's it's such a rich LA.

SPEAKER_00 29:21

It's like the LA of musicians. All right. You know what I mean?

SPEAKER_01 29:24

So I've seen people outside in public. I'm not sure if that's the law, but they're good they're out there with the guitar and they're just saying stuff. Have you ever sang in public like that?

SPEAKER_00 29:32

Or yeah, I mean I'd you picked a corner and and blasted the the speaker or not a corner, it's more of like doing a lot of public performances for videos, sure. And then I've done like a I've done like an open mic one time. I just like that was a very interesting experience because it wasn't the genre of people that would typically like rap music, right? But they seem to have fun and nice, it was a cool experience.

SPEAKER_01 29:58

So yeah, I I think you know, those states like like New York, like uh, you know, like Tennessee and many others, California, where they know, you know, it's like the the entire state knows or that people that go there are trying to make it, yep. Uh have a different style, bring a different flavor, and they're not to bash people down, but they're they're to support. I'm assuming you know, these guys were there, you know, just supporting, maybe not their genre, maybe not what they expected, but they were not going to, you know, throw a tomato at you, so to speak, right? Yep. So that's that's awesome. So one of the things that I've always uh always wondered about you know artists is uh is about branding, right? You know, how how do you put uh a photo on an album on a you know on a back then it was a CD, now it's more everything's media, uh your Instagram, Facebook, you know, branding is so important. I'm learning that as well, right? When people go to my website initially, I was all over the place where my website and my uh my Instagram, it's like what do I identify as? There's no can there's no continuation. One day I'm an author and then I'm hitting music, and one day I'm doing this and I'm doing that, and I'm all over the place. Then I then I introduce the coffee drops, and now I'm doing podcasts. So branding is very important because they want to see a consistency of of an image, right? So, how how do you manage that when when people look at your social media, look at your your Instagrams, um, you have a TikTok account as well, you know how how do you manage branding? Does do you have a group that helps you with that?

SPEAKER_00 31:38

No, I've been ever since the beginning, it to probably to a fault, I've been wanting to be in charge of practically everything. So when it comes to literally every single step of the process of everything, if if I need somebody to do it for me, I'll get them to do it. But if I can do it myself, I'll 100% do it myself. But branding is extremely important, it's one of the most important things when it comes to anything, your business, music, whatever.

SPEAKER_01 32:05

What have you learned from that as a leader? What have you learned about branding and and the importance of it? What about what about if I have no, I'm an artist, I'm into music, I have good music, but I have zero branding. What would you what would you advise someone who's in that position as we speak?

SPEAKER_00 32:24

I would say find uh something that is maybe niche or could stand out, but is also the main thing that I think it should be is authentic.

SPEAKER_01 32:35

That's key. Um that's key.

SPEAKER_00 32:36

Main thing. It has to be authentic. I think a lot of people, especially nowadays, are getting way better at just seeing if something's a gimmick or whatever. For me, I like wearing bright colors. I like these weird hats, I like weird sunglasses, weird stuff. That's authentically.

SPEAKER_01 32:54

I would have never known.

SPEAKER_00 32:55

Yeah, that's authentically me. Like there will be people roasting me on the hats or whatever. But I'm gonna throw you out there.

SPEAKER_01 33:02

There's some videos that Mr. Swayze has. Um, if you're looking at me here, there has been some videos that Mr. Swayze has this hat. Uh colorful. Maybe is it yellow, is it pink? I don't know why. Every single color. Every single color. And uh, you know, you would have to pay me to wear it. But that's it. That's him. You know, that's that's the style, your vibrant, energetic. Um uh the fusion between ocean, ocean and tropical, and you bring that vibe and and your merch, your style, your branding goes along with that, right? It's uh that's one, I think, one of the hardest things because sometimes a person in my position where you're trying to be a conference speaker, right? Maybe a podcaster, well, my image can can can really deter people from the the product that I'm trying to sell, right? So um I'm finding my I'm navigating that road as we speak to try to find that that image uh in in both the podcasting and the conference speaking and whatnot, so they can see a consistency. But I I love what you say uh said about being authentic because you know you you cannot copycat somebody else. Just because it's working for um a company, maybe it's working for a group, several artists, doesn't mean it's gonna resonate with you. It doesn't mean that people are gonna associate you with that specific style. So you have to find your own niche. Again, we we said as as leaders, uh you have to find your own voice. And uh I think a lot of people have said that when they read my books, they can almost envision me speaking it, you know, like yeah, that's what Daniel would say. I can see him with his mannerisms or uh, you know, uh expressing himself in that in that way, especially in a very proper Spanish, right? No slang, no nuances, just very proper, very business, very to the point, yeah, very professional, very in-depth. You know, I like to uh dig deep into um the narrative of the passage and whatnot. So branding is is key for anybody that wants to be successful, but they have to be genuine. Yes, 100%. Going back to the merchandise, so what have you learned about entrepreneurship, about running a business and running your own merchandise uh line? I mean, what what have you learned through that? Because you're you're still selling your merch, right? Have you gone from one theme, like you said, you have a theme like right now, your music is Japan, cars, almost like Fast and the Furious type thing. And if you if again, that song Nas, I almost can see it as part of a Fast and the Furious, you know, credits, you know, whether it be the beginning, in the middle, or end, it's gotta be in one of those. So if you have not heard it, here I am promoting that song because I I it it almost can be part of a movie. You know, when I was hearing that movie. Yeah, I was like, oh my god, this this can be part of Fast and the Furious or some uh um what is it? Um X. Uh there's there was another movie that has to do with cars as well. I can't remember. Uh they they instead of row, they they they it has kind of like a dirt road in the Coliseum, or anyways, I'll figure it out later. It'll c it'll come to mind. I think I know what you're talking about, but um, so you have a theme for the music, cars, fast you know, fast cars, whatnot. Do you have also a theme for your merchandise?

SPEAKER_00 36:31

100%. I think uh within merchandise, just like I would say I've had drops where it was a specific theme around it, and then just like uh with music, there'll be a specific theme around an EP. It's I would say it's the same thing. You're branding an idea and then going off into different ideas within that idea.

SPEAKER_01 36:54

You wear your merch and you videos? A lot of times, yeah.

SPEAKER_00 36:57

Okay. A lot of times, like the hats are now I sell those under my clothing brand. Okay.

SPEAKER_01 37:03

Nice. Yeah. How how how do fans influence your music? You know, there might be some artists that say, uh, no fans, you know, we just make the music and they adjust.

SPEAKER_00 37:15

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 37:16

Or do you listen to what the fans are asking for? Uh whether, you know, if I'm if you're in an audience uh giving a concert and they are, you know, dancing more or feeling more one song than the other, then you say, you know what, I'm gonna make more songs maybe in this genre, whatnot. Have fans influenced you in your music in that in that way, or do you for how do you how do you listen to their feedback or how do you capture their feedback?

SPEAKER_00 37:43

For sure. I think it depends on the scenario again. Uh, I will adjust my music like uh my set list according to what I think people will like more in certain places. Um when it comes to making music though, I think the main thing is again being authentically yourself and you have to enjoy the process first. So if you're not putting your your own interests, your own ideas, and who you are into your own art, then uh if you're just going purely based off of what resonates with other people, I think a lot of your own art is gonna fall short, if that makes sense. Yes, yeah. So I think you have to go first with what God gave you, which is your ideas and and whatever is coming to you naturally, and then from there, depending on what scenario it is, whether it's you're going to make a set list for a concert or you're gonna make a specific clothing drop, um, then you could kind of take that input. Um, but I think honestly, since the start, it's been mainly, you know, be authentically me, and then if people resonate with it, they resonate with it. And if they don't, that's fine.

SPEAKER_01 38:58

Well, you find your audience that you're finding, you know, within the um millions of people, right? Not everybody likes a specific genre of music, right? The same thing with clothing, you know, that not everybody likes a specific type of clothing, right? Sometimes I've gone to a clothing store and I'm like, ah, you know, that's this is not me. This is more like youthful. A lot of people, you know, oh, you gotta wear this and and you gotta be this, and and you know, and I'm like, uh, there's there's a limit. Everybody has a limit. But but your your clothing is uh I think youth-oriented, uh, young adults, uh, you know, people, you know, that it it has a very unique style to it, and that's really good because people that love that style are definitely gonna resonate with it. Now, one of the questions that I always ask, and if you could be honest, is what has been one of your I won't call it failures, but what has been one of your downfalls where you definitely learned a lesson from, whether it be musically or in your merchandise, that you said, you know what, I'm not ever gonna do that again.

SPEAKER_00 40:04

Failures, yeah. I will say uh I would say a lot of it goes and just comes down to like disappointing people, if that makes sense. A lot of my uh family has supported me. Like my my sister helps me with this other brand that I have that's also like a faith-based but female-oriented brand that I have. And my dad. I didn't know that.

SPEAKER_01 40:28

Yeah, so Ali, if you're listening to this, uh you have to send me the royalties. Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 40:35

And my dad is supported me with you know, clothing. Even like I remember the beginning, the beginning, beginning, when I was like, Dad, I have this idea. I don't have a lot of money. You don't have to get me. I I remember it was like you don't have to get me a birthday present or a Christmas present for two years if you give me$300 for me to start this clothing brand.

SPEAKER_01 40:54

Man, you sound like my son, but he wouldn't he would never give him back though. But he it was well worth it. He had a lot, he has a lot of talent.

SPEAKER_00 41:01

Yep. Um, so I I would say a lot of the failures is more of disappointing people when you have expectations and it doesn't fully, you know.

SPEAKER_01 41:11

Well, it to you, right? You gauge yourself because you know we're overly critical of ourselves, right? We're our we are our worst critic, right? And that's one of the things when when I started this uh this podcast or the books, and believe me, a lot of people will approach me and grab me by the ear, tell me two or three things, saying, when are you gonna start? You know, you have the potential or XYZ, and you always want things to be perfect, right? You always at least have a good uh you know, a good representation of whether it be clothing, music, literature, whatever your your business niche is, uh you always want to you know present the best of yourselves. And I think uh when uh I started to allow, you know, give myself permission to fail, when I said, you know what, I'm gonna do this, and I have to prepare myself mentally in prayer meditation, saying, and in the process, I'm gonna fail. Somehow, some way, I'm going to disappoint people. Because people are always gonna be disappointed, you know. You're never gonna, you know, satisfy people 100% of the time, right? Whether it be music or whatever it is. But I when I allowed myself to fail and learn in the process, and I always say this about John C. Maxwell and his book, that sometimes you you you know, you um you fail, sometimes you learn. Um sometimes you win. Sorry, sometimes you win, and then sometimes you learn. So there's never a failure, there's always a lesson in that process. So sometimes you win, sometimes you learn. And when I when I shifted that mindset, and I knew that I was gonna fall short of my expectations, whether it be I didn't have the best mic or didn't have the best lighting. And if you see my past videos and the coffee drops, man, I was going everywhere in the CSRA trying to find a little place where no cars were passing by, so I won't get that background noise, but always somebody's uh dog in the neighborhood was barking, a car was passing, whatnot. But it that's that's so good. Um, I I also love the fact that you mentioned uh family unit that your father believed in yourself, your mother believed in yourself, your sister. Uh I I've always known you to have that uh circle of cousins and and family members that have been very, very supporting. That's very, very important. Extremely important. It's extremely important. Uh for me, it's you know, I have uh you know my brothers, friends, whatnot that have has have always seen me on the nerdy side because I remember way back in the day, I don't want to extend this too much, but we were always talking about a business model. Remember that? I and I brought you in here. What is gonna be your revenue streams? How are you gonna fund this dream and aspiration? Uh, what is it that you do? The what, when, where, how, whom. And you have to have those really defined, and they have to be very fluid and they have to be very Malleable, they have to be flexible in the process. You're always going to change your your kind of your vision statement and your mission statement. There's always going to be flexibility. So Swayze learned how to to make those adjustments. Learn that as a leader, you're going to have to tap into deep into that creative side and learn that, again, you're not going to meet everybody's expectations, but you cannot give up. If you really want this, if you really want to be successful at it, uh, it like I said, it's not going to happen overnight. It's not like an overnight sensation, uh, TikTok with a person doing something foolish suddenly got 12 million views. And you know what? That frustrates me. Because not that I'm against what they do, it's that sometimes they do something foolish, right? They fall, they they do something, something happens to them, and instantly, overnight, 12 million views.

SPEAKER_02 44:56

Yep.

SPEAKER_01 44:57

And you're hustling and you're like, wait a minute, my podcast doesn't have 12 million views.

SPEAKER_00 45:01

Well, here's the thing that here's the thing to think about that, especially with music, we'll have people who'll blow up off of some music that's literally as a joke, like literally made as a joke. Oh, yeah. So I can name a few, but I don't want to get sued. But a thing to think about is that those people might get that huge boost of viewers. A lot of it's gonna be hate, obviously, but that's not gonna translate into a long-term career most times. Like 99% of the time, uh, that's not gonna translate. So I think personally building an audience slowly until you get that one song to do really well or whatever, is honestly the way to go versus doing some sort of gimmick that's gonna give you a whole bunch of views, and then you have no career.

SPEAKER_01 45:48

All your songs are on YouTube, yep. Spotify, yeah, Apple Podcasts, yep, uh what where else Apple? Uh I don't know.

SPEAKER_00 45:57

There's there's a lot.

SPEAKER_01 45:58

There's and when the uh for those, because I've I've seen some different uh pronunciations or spelling of your name. So if for those that are I'm I'm gonna put this on the uh on the bio because he's gonna in the bio section, the comment section, but right now it's it's S-W-A-S-W-A-I-Z-Y.

SPEAKER_00 46:21

I Z Y. And then the the the catchphrase to remember it, bringing both the clothes and the music is S-W-A-I-Z-Y-D-O-C till I die, which is the Divine Outcast clothing.

SPEAKER_01 46:32

Okay, so Divine Outcast clothing or collective. Oh collective. All this information is gonna be in the bio section. Not only that, the links to to his channel, to his merch, and all that, because uh Swayze is phenomenal. So, what does the future look like for you as as we wrap this up? Uh, what what is uh are you working on some songs now? Uh touring?

SPEAKER_00 46:56

Um I'm working on finishing uh the the project, which is the car project. So it's almost done.

SPEAKER_01 47:02

So how many songs are gonna be in that project with that with five?

SPEAKER_00 47:05

It's an EP. Okay. So there's three that are already out and then two that haven't uh been released yet. So that's gonna drop uh pretty soon, probably by the end of April. Um and then I also started uh another business, which is this is number three. This is number three, yep. Okay, uh, which is taking a lot of my time as well. That ties into my you don't want to say what that is yet? No, yeah. I mean, I'll say it's it's swole dough, so swole dough.com. It's a protein cookie dough. Oh, okay, it ties in with the with the fitness story that I had. But so that's probably next for me. Uh so well, that's two things.

SPEAKER_01 47:42

That's another thing. If you've seen his past videos and seen the the Swayze with, can I say the how many pounds you've lost? Yeah, of course. I I think it was 175. Yeah, so I started at three. That's another person. So this uh Swayze was uh a little uh bigger. Yeah. And a lot a lot. A lot of bit bigger for sure. But man, every every photo that that we see and we've seen your transformation, not only is is it jaw-dropping, but we are so amazingly happy for you because uh, I mean, the way you've progressed, the way you've been disciplined, not only in your music, not only in your merchandise, but also in fitness, which is very, very extremely important, especially for an artist. Um uh you see the before and after. So if he was able to do it, I recommend the cookie dough.

SPEAKER_00 48:33

You know, 100%.

SPEAKER_01 48:34

Uh so I'm gonna get some freebies. So some uh I'm I'm gonna be the one that's always gonna ask for that sampler, right? It's like, wait, you've asked for 20 samplers, man. You're gonna buy something? No, I'm gonna have a limit for you. Awesome. So for again, so seven years uh doing music, opening up for artists, working on your merchandise, continuing to record, continue to to promote your music, still at it. That's uh definitely uh worth admiring. Uh I I love the fact that your merchandise is Christ-centric, it's bringing a message and an identity. I think I always say uh, you know, that's that's the hook to everything that we do, uh, to have a solid foundation and to have our faith in our in our maker, which is uh amazingly uh again Christ-centered centered. When things go a little stall, when they stall, you know, we know who to put our faith in, and we know that when we call, he answers. So for those uh new artists that are out there uh looking at us and looking at this podcast, what would you advise someone who was in high school where you were initially starting? Uh what would you advise that Swayze starting off uh you know, just starting off in music, and for all the lessons learned that you have had throughout the years, what is something that you can uh uh infuse in their lives so they can have an upper hand?

SPEAKER_00 50:02

I would say you have to for sure be your biggest fan. You have to believe in yourself, like genuinely believe in yourself to the point where it's you seem crazy to everybody else. Uh just know that it might not happen overnight. 99.9% of the time it's not gonna happen overnight. Most people also, 99.9 per percent of the people who try doing what your passion is are going to quit before you know they see any semblance of uh success. So you have to be crazy enough and believe in yourself enough to not quit ever, ever, ever, ever. Amazing advice. Um obviously, when you start out, just like when I started out, my music I don't think was the best. Some people liked it, you know, and there'll be people who like your your product or your company or whatever, and there'll be people who don't. Um, but again, you have to actually be delusional for your own art. And so that's some great advice. So uh yeah, just know most people are gonna quit. Be the the person who's not, and just keep going, keep believing in yourself. I know it sounds cliche, but a lot of times cliches are are true, which is just literally believe in yourself and do not quit. Absolutely.

SPEAKER_01 51:25

One way and never limit your your spirit of creativity. Never limit yourself about you know those dreams and aspirations that come to your mind, you know, they're they're people that just spend their life daydreaming, right? Uh I have a podcast called The Power of Determination, and and just people that have ideas but never manifested anything. I mean, half songs, half beats, and never wrote them, never recorded them, had books in their spirit, never manifested them. So I it's it's uh you have to I love the fact you said sometimes you gotta be crazy and delusional and persistent, but with time, people align and you said, wait a minute, you seem a lot less crazy and once you seem a lot less crazy. Things start buying and then and then they'll they'll they'll show up in your in your concert saying, I always knew. They're like, No, you didn't know. You didn't know, you know, you know. So uh if the if there are people out there that are wanting to see Swayze quit, don't hold your breath. Oh, yeah, because this man is so creative, so passionate about his music, about his messaging, about his clothing line, about his fitness. I've seen him time and time again, and I've known him for many, many years, and what an inspiration. And to see you that at least some of these business modeling uh applications that we talked about initially, you have taken it to heart. Yeah. Because we're talking about different revenue streams, right? You have the music revenue stream, you have the merch, and now you have the the food product line, the cookie dough, whatnot. Uh, likewise, we're always trying to find different ways, and I I God always gives us witty inventions, creative ideas, are always wanting us to expand ourselves to the limit to see what we're capable of. And I think this is just the beginning for you. I know you you have the music, you have the uh the all these other businesses, but why not acting? Why not XYZ? You never know, right? You never know until somebody sees you and sees you as the perfect fit for a role. And then instead of just having your song on a movie, you're part of the movie, right? And I still want my royalties, all right? So I to say that to Ali as as as well.

SPEAKER_02 53:34

Yep.

SPEAKER_01 53:35

So this has been an amazing and amazing treat for those that have tuned in. This won't be the last time that we have Swayze here. Uh, we're going to put all his information on the bio section, on the comment section. It has been an amazing blessing, almost a last-minute thing. I think the treat was for me. The blessing was for me that he was finally in town and he had the time uh to come in to the to the part to the forge by design podcast and have a sit-down with us. And as you uh evolve and progress and have this new material, believe me, I have I'm gonna have a whole new set of questions for you. And uh, because we all we already established the the after, right? Now we're we're in the in the in the grit of things, but I'm so excited for the future of what what is to hold for you. So this has been Daniel Badigol Forge by Design. I will see you on the next episode. May you have a blessed week. And this uh this podcast is gonna be uploaded soon, so I'll be announcing it through all our social media channels about Swayze, his music, his businesses, and his new entrepreneurship on the cookie dough. I'm excited to share this, and I'll I will see you next week. See you then.