Today we’d like to introduce you to Gio.
Hi Gio, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
Ever since I was in elementary school, I have had a deep passion for creative writing and poetry. Being able to describe an object and feeling through metaphors and similies fascinated me. Growing up I did not have any sense of a musical background or family. I was first introduced to the love for music in middle school when I picked up the guitar to play for my local church. However, even that was self-taught. It was in these years of my life where I began to love the sound of hip hop. Artists like Andy Mineo, Lecrae, and KB had a heavy influence on me as a young teenager. When High School came along I began taking my poetic skills and matching them with instrumental backgrounds. Although the songs weren’t great at first I started to develop a flow and rhythm. Afraid of what others would think, I refrained from sharing my work with the world. Sophomore year of high school I got over this idea and started a music account in hopes of growing an audience.
My audience began to grow from posting verses of my own over instrumentals of popular songs. I quickly started gaining recognition from artists within the Christian industry that I had grown up on and respected so deeply. This caused me to quit sports in high school to fully put all my time into my craft. This led to an organic growth of about 20,000 monthly listeners on Spotify come 2022. It wasn’t till April 15th, 2022 that I landed my first Spotify Curated playlist with my track “burn for u” making it on “New Music Friday Christian”. This caused a spark of motivation leading to the release of three more songs in 2022 that changed the direction of my career. On November 19th I dropped my song “mess it up” which quickly took off on social media going viral on multiple platforms. This song sparked a wave of new listeners, bringing my Spotify to 160,000 monthly listeners and growing.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Through my journey as an artist, I’ve struggled with heavy self-doubt and comparison. Knowing that I was fully called to music, I attended Liberty University’s music program in hopes of advancing my theory and skills as a musician. Although I was able to grow my musical understanding, it only led to a killed creative mind. In the fall of 2021, I almost quit music entirely. I had freshly dropped out of music school in hopes of pursuing music full time just to find myself stuck in a creative block. I began to write and put out music that although was sonically pleasing, did not feel real to me. In this low season, I was able to find myself and what I truly believed. My faith in God only got stronger and my path had never felt more clear. This sparked a newfound passion for writing about my experiences and encounters with God through my life journey. It sparked a season of vulnerability in my writing that led to the songs I was able to put out all of 2022. My zeal for music returned and my desire to push myself as an artist was back and better than ever.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I am a Christian artist who hopes to bring a whole new look to worship with the intensity of his various pop/hip-hop sounds. What makes me unique is my ability to create music that is relatable to everyone. My music is not only for Christians but for everyone. I look to create musical anthems out of the common day-to-day problems I face. I focus heavily on catchy melodies that people are able to recite with ease, which makes my music so engaging. I do not boast about the numbers I receive or amount of followers but rather the impact that the music has had on others. It’s incredible to see God work through me. It brings me great joy to see that my music is able to help people in every season of life.
We all have a different way of looking at and defining success. How do you define success?
I define success off of obedience. If I have done what the Lord has placed on my heart to the best of my ability, I am content. I don’t look to chase numbers. I look to chase impact. If I can help someone in their journey of faith/life then I have done my job.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/wassupgio/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCQm0f2MItHBDSLJ0GL4OaqA
- Other: https://open.spotify.com/artist/5GevjOibFX6uwZ1mTYfhbn?si=xFbGhymcSviszwDLYLhyrA
Image Credits
Brandon Pugsley Jacob Cordero Andrew Thomas
