Wouldn’t you like if I sang a song
Wouldn’t you feel it?
Wouldn’t you like if I took the time
to heal you?
– “You Don’t Trust Me,” Upper Reality
I think, despite how much we acknowledge and discuss it, it’s impossible to truly grasp how affected we all are as musicians trying to make a living here in Late Capitalism, USA. This pressure and ticking clock rushes us, warps our thinking & feeling, and it comes out in our work. These days, I find it harder to find music and artists I connect to in that powerful, heart-opening way (is it me? is it them? is it all of us?), but when I do, I feel a weight lifted from my spirit. I feel the love and magical inspiration of music again; I feel healing.
The i-wave spotlight returns this week to feature someone whom I have to say is one of my favorite artists I’ve come across in the web3 music space. I am so excited for Upper Reality (they/them) to grace these pages.
And what a journey to travel through their work, from EPs to short film Body Hi to their more recent web3 releases, which dabble in more remix territory (very exciting stuff to me!). The 2021 film, Body Hi, is a gorgeous work clearly made by a collection of talented and passionate people, and filled with the soulful indie production and words + harmonies of Upper Reality, the main character. “You Don’t Trust Me” is a standout for me, especially when the beat drops.
According to Upper Reality, the goal with their more recent drops in web3 (and on DSPs) and with their posted content in general is to build up more buzz and support to make many more breathtaking multimedia major productions like ‘Body Hi’ possible. These more recent efforts showcase the vastness of Upper Reality’s skillset: colorful performance vids featuring multiple versions of the artist on electric guitar, keys, drums, & other instruments; a Tiny Desk-style cover video with their take on a Mary Mary song. There’s also “Either Way” from the recent Songcamp C4 drop, co-created alongside mark johns and Keyon Christ, which echoes the indie soul dance music I love from Kelela.
Beyond the music is a deep and worldly person whose musical inspirations span various continents, studies, and tribulations. Hear from the artist in their own words below, and be sure to follow super creator Upper Reality.
Artist Statement of the Moment:
My Story has a lot of backdrops! I started out in suburban Frisco, TX just outside of Dallas, and was always equally fascinated with music and math. I come from a family of spirit scientists (my grandfather was a Catholic Deacon turned stoneworker and Reiki practitioner) and with that influence I began to see music and math as a way to chart out the cosmos and grant us the spiritual experiences we need as humans to get through the ups and downs of life.
I trained as a pianist and a percussionist, and later went to UT Austin to study Economics while learning to produce on Ableton at the same time (ca. 2013) and through this multidimensional lens, I fleshed out my music and artist identity. I studied abroad in Brazil and South Africa and learning not only about their cultures and their music, but how their economic and geopolitical stories influenced those things. My fascination with these things coupled with my own personal life experiences (losing my father at 19 and experiencing other ills they don’t teach us about in class, such as narcissistic abuse and systematic oppression based on race and gender), gave me a rich, albeit heavy, pot from which to pour into my music and art and this has kept me together all through my life.
I first learned about Bitcoin in high school, where a friend of mine who was helping me study for the AP Econ test also happened to be selling booger sugar on the Silk Road. It then came up again in South Africa, where my astute entrepreneurial classmates were investing into its slowly ascending value and delightedly buzzing about BRICS (not to be confused with the booger sugar). It was only by kismet that these two worlds would collide with the emergence of NFTs. In late 2020, I finally found a place where both music and math would finally be able to work together, through Web3 and the fintech that was emerging from that. I minted my first NFT on Opensea in March of 2021, and watched the markets move as a broke lurker, gathering alpha and “peeping game,” along the way. I also at this time dropped a short film, Body Hi, and had vowed that if I ever did that again, I would want to pay everybody involved amply and robustly. This is what made Web3 something I really wanted to participate in.
Although i lurked in the Web3 world for a couple of years, it wasn’t until an IRL event “DisruptLA” during NFTLA 2023 that I began to be an active figure in the space (s/o to Kas Vegas without whom none of this would be a thing.).
From there, I have dropped on Sound, Zora, Catalog, and recently collaborated with Songcamp and their amazing CD mint odyssey, for which I am very grateful.
It has been an incredible journey and I am looking forward to more!
How are you feeling now?
Tired!!!!! There’s so much to do to stay afloat as an artist. I just completed a move to another part of a city which has wiped me out!! It’s a good tired though. A post-achievement tired.
What does success mean to you?
I think success is a detachment from the leaderboards of life. When you are successful, it doesn’t matter what rank anybody else considers you or how you compare in some imaginary competition somewhere . That’s when I feel like success is really being achieved.
What work of yours has you excited & inspired right now?
In addition to continuing my development of the music itself, I am in the beginning stages of developing a generative sound wellness hub “Rise”, where I seek to integrate stems from my Web2 drops with binaural beats and guided meditation voices, for people to create their own healing experiences with my sounds. I’m looking to develop it on Stacks, where stems are stacked “one stem at a time” with the potential to earn rewards.
What does web3 mean to you, and what excites you about it?
Web3 is a new frontier of ownership that allows an unconditional expression of the self. In Web3, you don’t have to change who you are to be more attractive to markets, you just have to adjust the tech. And I think that’s awesome.
What artists/creators are inspiring you right now & why?
Jamee Cornelia. I will always be endlessly inspired by their creativity and their authenticity. Mariana Makwaia, who is astute and has a lot of experience but remains humble and kind, while staying dangerous!!!!
Fill in the blank: I wish the web3 music world was more ___________________.
relaxed.
The web3 music scene has changed so much in such a short time! Thoughts on where we started, and/or where we’re at right now?
I think we’re at a point where people actually need to know what they’re talking about in terms of crypto, NFT’s, AI, etc. etc., and how their work fits into that. Although the ruggings have been unfortunate in the early rounds, I think it’s caused the space to be a bit more of a meritocracy which I appreciate.
Describe yourself in one word!?
Unstoppable!!
What question do you wish more people asked you?
“Oh a musician you say? What do you play?” (Instead of “oh a musician, so you sing!!” :/)
How do you stay grounded in the VERY online world of web3?
IRL Events here in LA.
What message do you have for fans/supporters?
Thank you for sticking with me and I have lots in store for you 🙂
xo C