Today we’d like to introduce you to Sergio Ortiz.
Hi Sergio, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
Since I can remember, I had a passion for music growing up, playing with toy pianos and drum sets as far back as a toddler. Growing up in a Mexican household, I was heavily influenced by Latin music as a kid. Taking inspiration from that as a teen, I even wanted to be a rapper or artist myself. I started recording myself for fun at around 14-15 years old. From rapping, I really got into beats more as I looked up beats to rap to. Which made me fall in love with instrumentals and really appreciate the art of producing a beat. After that, at maybe 15-16 years old, I downloaded FL studio or (fruity loops) which introduced me to beat making. At first, I was overwhelmed by it but over time, I kept playing with it for fun and eventually, my music grew better and better.
During high school, I made beats for fun and as a hobby. It wasn’t till after high school that I really started to look into this as an actual real career. Coming from where we do, stuff like this isn’t looked at too well. We have that old-school Latin mentality where it’s either pursue a college degree or work a real intense labor job. Going to school was what I was doing but I reached a point where I decided to follow my real passion and focus full time on bettering my craft and learning anything I could. I made beats for about three years every single day. No excuses no distractions I literally would sit in my room and make beats everyday all day. It didn’t matter if I had school my regular 9-5 I still found time to make beats every single day. Today I have worked with some notable artists in the industry. I have worked with DaeDae Atlanta’s own. Zoey dollaz signed to futures freebandz and also many local artists around my town. I have worked with Chattanooga’s Slatt Zy, who is under capitol records and about to really take off… our song ended up on world star hiphop YouTube pages with millions of views. I also have a lot of unreleased songs coming out in the near future with some list artist. Rod wave, Young Dolph etc.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Of course, at times, doing something like this can be very overwhelming. The music industry is like a warzone. You have to know what you are doing and besides perfecting and working on your craft, you then have to learn the business side to it, which can be tough to do on your own. It is not a regular career that is safe and reliable, I see it almost as owning your own business in a way in the sense that I have to treat myself as a brand and push myself out there like a business. Having said that it is not an easy task… there’s a lot of competition and you have to separate yourself from everybody else doing what you are doing. Coming from a Hispanic culture is also a little rocky. When your parents and family don’t really understand your dreams and ambitions.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
I make beats/instrumentals. I guess my favorite music is pain/soulful music, which I would say is my strongest side. But being Latino and near Atlanta, I also make Latin music like reaegatton and I’m influenced a lot by the Atlanta south trap sound. I like to consider myself very versatile in my production. I can go from that hard trap-influenced sound to pop like Billie Eilis vibe and I pride myself on that. I want to be more than a hip hop beat maker. I also write music and record songs here and there just throwing out ideas with people I work with. I have people say my melodies are very catchy and get stuck with people often. Also, my drums are up to par with anyone in the industry. I try to distinguish myself from others by being very diverse in my beats. I can work with rnb artists, trap artists Latin etc., which I say is my biggest ability. Over the years, I have learned a lot in different genres of music.
Do you have any advice for those looking to network or find a mentor?
I think it is very important to find mentors along your path. It is okay to look up to people in your industry and learn from them. There is always someone out there who can teach you a couple of things. I of course, look up to other producers and sometimes even find inspiration in them. You have to learn from others and then work on shaping the sound that makes you, you. Music is no right or wrong way to do things. It honestly all comes down to preference and trends. Music is ever-evolving and fast.
With social media, I think it has given all us creatives and artists a great tool to promote ourselves and find people with similar interests, a lot of opportunities is out there. You just have to put yourself out there more and try to meet and build relationships. I believe building relationships and meeting connections within your industry is just as important as actually being good at what you do. It doesn’t matter if you are making the best music in the world if you are not putting it out for anyone to listen to it. So my best advice would be to post content on every media outlet you have constant and don’t be afraid to reach out to people. You have to lose the fear of being rejected or turned down because along the road, it will happen but it shouldn’t discourage you but instead motivate you to grind harder.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.beatstars.com/sergioortizzz/tracks
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sergioortizz/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l6bBptQ4Wng
