Today we’d like to introduce you to Proxy Selassie.
Hi Proxy, 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?
I can’t identify the moment or period of my life I got into art because, as kids, we were all somewhat our most creative selves. However, I started treating the art route as a path for myself in my junior year of high school. I had a creative family for sure, but outside of a few of us being into music or illustration, I got a lot of my inspiration from the music I was consuming along with two of my closest friends Andrés and Colin. Although I’m really into film and fashion, I really started off by taking the music side of what I do a lot more seriously, so that’s just what I stuck with primarily. Another underrated art form that I was raised around and very much love to this day is business and marketing. I took business and marketing-oriented classes in school, read tons of articles, and watched hundreds of YouTube videos and shows just to understand how to build a brand, and I’m still learning. Because I’m an independent artist, I put a lot of energy into that side of what I do and lately it’s been going good for me. Recently, I’ve just been having a lot of faith and trusting myself and my skills to get me to a new level.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
The path that I have been on has very much been full of obstacles, potholes, wrecks, bad weather, you name it. However that doesn’t mean it’s been very bad for me at all; I’ve been a competitor my entire life, so my pride/ego made a lot of the tough things I’d been through a game for me and would never let me stop. I think that never did great for my mental health, so after experiencing a few things in this previous year and a half of my life, I knew I had to find a new way to push through. Although I’d always been independent and never cared to ask for too much help, one of the recent things I’ve been experiencing for a while is learning how to be even more self-reliant due to my biggest support system (My Mom) helping my step-father battle cancer. I moved to Atlanta at 19 with $800, and around the time the whole cancer process started, so it’s definitely been a challenge. My mom very much so does every little thing she can and more, but there are those things that I just don’t mention and figure out on my own.
What’s been making it all easier for me is starving my ego, so I have it tattooed on my arms as a reminder. I no longer believe any of the things I’ve been through and will experience are actually happening to me, but for me, everything we go through is divine and out of our control, so you just have to do what you can to contribute to the plan that’s already been written out for you. And a side note; if it’s possible, I’d like to attach a link to my step-father’s GoFundMe page and help give as much back to my family as possible.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
Primarily, I am a music artist with goals of getting heavy into film and fashion down the line; I want to be remembered as an artist, not just a rapper. With the path I’ve already been on to make that happen, I’m most proud of the way I’ve been able to always move forward. I’m not big on “manifesting” or speaking too much about my intentions, I’m not a cocky/egotistical person by any means, but lately I’ve really just been having my way with life. I’ve been doing whatever I want and getting whatever I want, I don’t have major setbacks anymore, I just experiencing things and know it’s all apart of a plan. I think what sets me apart from others is the way I move and the way I operate. I have the opportunity to see the music industry and all types of artists, big and/or small operate on the regular, and one thing that I realized about myself is that my path is completely different from others. I know I don’t have all the motion yet, but I know when there is a label or more funds backing me, my whole aesthetic will be unordinary and different from an artist that I’d say I’m currently compared to sonically/stylistically: I believe that wholeheartedly.
Is there a quality that you most attribute to your success?
I feel like the essential quality that is most important to my success is my ability to commit to something. Because I don’t lie to myself constantly, I’m able to know what I truly want and stick to it, and if I have a change of heart, I’m able to express it and move on. I’m loyal, I won’t tell anyone I love them and not actually mean it. I can’t say I want to be a well-established artist and stop short of that. It’s a quality that I view as a superpower; it can be good when you have a good heart and bad if you have a bad one.
Contact Info:
- Website: Byproxy.live
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/proxy8proxy/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100093133870567
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/proxy8proxy
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCiZzDWTRXqzYDFoH1Cj3Bbg
- SoundCloud: https://soundcloud.com/proxy-selassie
