#106 Christian Nelson

Christian Nelson

Rae Leigh:  Welcome to  with Christian Nelson. How are you doing?

Christian Nelson:  I'm doing awesome. Awesome. Thanks for having me.

Rae Leigh:  Tell me a little bit about yourself and and where you come from, 

Christian Nelson: right here we go. I'm actually born to mother and father Nigerian parents.

Okay. I am American born though. So I'm somewhat of a hybrid.  I had been back home three times to Nigeria over the years, but I grew up in grand Rapids, Michigan same place as Floyd May weather,  the world renowned boxer. So grew up in that same city. I've always been big on the arts and, mom was real heavy on having us do activities that kept us away from trouble.

Yeah. I did ballet, jazz theater, singing, songwriting band, and I was also a Jock too, so I played ball  

Rae Leigh:  yeah. 

Christian Nelson: Just a very busy and very ambitious. Child, growing up. 

Rae Leigh:  Did you enjoy that as a kid? 

Christian Nelson: I did enjoy it because I felt when I was, if I can get good at it, which I usually ended up, I was pretty good at it that, I would have fun with it.

 I enjoyed it. I also enjoyed the culture, brought working with different people, from all different spectrums. And I feel like it really equipped me for what's happening now, with being able to not just song, do jingles and there's some acting going on, songwriting and things of that.

Grew up in grand Rapids, Michigan went to college at Ferris state university and studied general business. Actually ended up, did did a year and a half at Ferris state university and then ended up transferring to Michigan state university and focusing on e-commerce business.

E-commerce really good to have exactly. Totally helped now with running a t-shirt line online and things of that, which is something else that I do. But I saw that it looks really cool.  That's something that's people thought it was just a t-shirt, but , it's more of a lifestyle.

And I talk about that a lot, yeah, exactly. You know what I mean? And I'm telling, sharing my storytelling, sharing my testimony with. People that come along the way and want to know how we're in, what and why. Yeah, exactly. And what ended up happening was I was doing my music in college, met some college buddies that were really doing some big things with some producers in the industry, but we were using some of the resources that the university provided, like the studio and this and that.

And I got an opportunity to work with some of crowd Thomas' producers, which Carl Thomas was a bad boy artist, bad boy with P. Diddy and all that . 

Rae Leigh: Okay

Christian Nelson:  so I w I started working as just a ghost writer. Then they didn't put my name, just somebody that was good with putting songs together.

And I was a part of a working team. And some of what ended up happening is some of those beats and those those beats for those mainstream artists, they didn't always pick all of them. So I was able to use some of those beats to push my movement. Yeah, so the steps are basically the scratch.

I figured out that. Back. It still helped, what I'm trying to create myself. So use that as a stepping stone. And that ultimately landed me in New York and Showtime at the Apollo in 2007. Yep. Showtime at the Apollo 2007.  That was a defining moment for me because I was like 23 then.

And I believe in myself so much, that when I made it there, I told myself, I was like, you know what? I don't really have to I've made it because you had to audition, make the cut and then come back. So I was like, you know what?

You have to believe in yourself. That was like a defining moment for me. You're good enough. You're good enough. You know what I mean? You might not get the whole world's parade. But you're good enough, and so I just, I built on that, moved to Atlanta in 2009, a couple of years after that.

 that's when it really it was just a test to how bad I really wanted it really, I got to Atlanta and I really saw that. Yeah. Even the independent artists were really advanced in their presentation. And so I said, okay, I got to go back to the drawing board here, make sure that I'm ready for this.

And so for a few years in Atlanta, I just played the background. I was just writing ghost writing there. Wasn't I wasn't the main person on the stage. I wasn't the. The highlighted artists, but what happened was some of the artists that I was working with started recognizing what I could bring to the table.

Rae Leigh: That's awesome. 

Christian Nelson: Started opening up some doors gradually. So yeah, I worked with a few budding artists in Atlanta over the years, and this is like between 2010 and 2014 while doing my own kind of mixed tape stuff.  And then I dabbled with the contemporary kind of Christian world for awhile.

 So I challenged myself in that department. And I think what I found out was

So basically what happened was I got into the contemporary world. Cause I love music. Like I loved the religious aspect of it, but I think I was just trying to, so just get out there, like out there, and I realized that the music industry is someone in the same in every genre, but there's still certain protocols that are, that you have to follow in R n B in rock and Christian and so I figured out it's country, right? It's still the same kind of infrastructure and yeah. You still have to, you still have to. Keep in mind, who's going about your record, and that goes to, so I learned a lot, just knowing a lot about just generally the music industry in general, and you learned so much more by experience and just doing it. Don't you, is there only so much that can teach you in a university or a college and then you've got to go live it so much.

They don't teach you. Oh, my gosh. There's so much, you can only learn through what you said, like through experience and that's what it's come to. People, there's so many people that have watched me from middle school and here I am now and they're like,  still doing it and now it's a profession.

You know what I mean? Yeah. And they're looking like, along the way, this is a marathon, and I always talk about passion always moves. That's one of my models because it wasn't the money that initially right.

It was, the illusion of money was there, but actually reaching, it was a whole different thing. So yeah, building relationships I've been able to do that. And and people personally, I have built some relationships personally, stowed that is helped with radio play with certain people and it's such a

Rae Leigh: , it's an industry of relationships. Isn't it? It does. And I hate it, how people say it's all about who, but it's really hard to filter through people that you can trust and working through those people that are just in it for one thing, or whether they're in it for integrity reasons, or they're wanting to, you've got to filter through and it takes time and relationships to be here.

Christian Nelson: Yes. Oh my gosh. You're so on point. And along the way, so many people trying to give you advice and, it's I want to help. They want to help. Yeah. Because you're taking so many, these people care, for the most part. And they want it, they want you to know, and you should do it this way.

Now you should that way. And I'm just like, sometimes I'm just like, okay, I've got to do it the best way that. Doing it, but at the same time, take the advice that, that could prepare you to

Rae Leigh: prepare. All right, let's go back to when you busy actually starts for you, because I know you said that your mom got you into lots of arts and stuff when you were younger. Tell me about, for example, when you wrote your first song. 

Christian Nelson:  Okay, great. I started writing jingles actually in middle school.

So I was

just trying to always make up some sort of ratty back, whatever. And what's happening was. I started making up like these burger King and McDonald's songs in middle school. And my mom actually bought me a karaoke machine for him when I got to ninth grade and I started utilizing it the more advanced one, where I could like record and put vocals down and then record again.

So I really like, I like, I I think I like. Yeah, I like broke that thing. 

Rae Leigh:  When I was really young, I had one of those plastic ones that you could have a tape, a taping of a little microphone on the side. Like it was the toy, but I used it that thing to death.

I don't know, seven or eight years old, but I, it was like, that was my studio. And.

Christian Nelson: It was, I didn't notice it then. Like maybe you didn't either, but that helped a lot of what I did. I practiced by myself a lot. I recorded harmonies and vocals and recorded over. I was writing songs and. And I'd be, I'd record the tenor part and then go back and record the Alto part.

And then, and show everybody they're like, you did this on there. And I'm like yeah, I'm really like into it. So yeah. First song was a lot of my, a lot of the songs I written, I wrote a first word. Came with the karaoke machine. My mom got me in ninth grade that made it like the official,

Rae Leigh:  I wouldn't do anything because I'm an, I used to write jingles, just walking down the streets with my friends, like red bull.

And I loved it. It was just like a fun brain exercise. Do you ever do anything with your jingles? Did you ever send it to someone and be like, Hey, I've written you a jingle and you should use it?

Christian Nelson:  Basically what happened was in college. I started. And that's what kind of created the buzz in college.

After I won first place at Ferris state university, as a freshman, I won the first place. It was a statewide talent show. And I ended up winning it. We had a live band and everything like, like first year on campus, like really big deal. So I won it. And then when I transferred to college, but what I did was.

When I got to Michigan state grounds, I did A jingle for a popular radio personality DJ, who was also in college at Michigan state turning at the radio. Yeah. And so she is she had got, when she was like, yeah, I I heard you saying that and I'm like yeah. I'm building this little buzzer on campus.

She was like I needed, I need a jingle for my show. I was like, sure, no problem. And I'm thinking to myself, yes. I'm thinking to myself, I go into the studio. I didn't have any instruments or anything. So what I did. Yeah,  I be box. the beat

I've been boxing. And then I put the harmonies and the vote in the acapella vocals to that, and it was good enough or it was good enough where they just. She ran it and they just, every Saturday at 5:00 PM in the city, you would hear me come on, archipelago acapella

box. I want to let you know that nothing is going to stop. Yeah. Sorry. I haven't got any instruments, but I'll give you this acapella. What do you think you're exactly right. This is amazing. And I was like, thanks a lot. So they played it and I gained a lot of notoriety that way. That's that kind of opened the jingle lane for me.

People started reaching out. And I really didn't start making money with jingles till I got to Atlanta, to be honest. You know what I mean? There's a little bit more of entrepreneurial business energy here.  So a lot of people they like something original, that can help sell their business or service or whatever.

Rae Leigh: . I did marketing and advertising for eight years. But not in jingles. Like I just was like like  promotion and Google and like that sort of like real corporate stuff. But I learned so much, I don't know how I ended up doing that job, but I did it for eight years and.

Yeah, I'm sure there, Oh my gosh, I got to pick your brain. I was too scared to do music in public for like most of my life until about two years ago. And so I was like a bedroom warrior where I wrote songs and play guitar and play piano bedroom. Oh my gosh. Even like my closest family or friends really knew that was , Who I was like, if you told me what was the most important thing in my life, I would tell you music.

And when I said that to people, they'd be like, what? What? Okay. Yeah. Cool. So I've come out of the closet. Only in the last few years so what was the turning point for you?

Because it is hard to make money and it is, as it is in this industry. It can be a really big mental jump to make that jump from. I love singing. I love songwriting. I love doing this is just my passion into I'm going to make this my career. This is going to be who I am, because this is who I am.

And obviously you said you got some encouragement from winning that award, but there a moment for you where you're like, this is it. This is me. This is what I'm. This is who I am now. 

Christian Nelson: Yeah. I love that. You asked that question because. Before I got to that point where I knew, I didn't know. And all I knew was that I love to do it.

And I was trying to help family and them understand, but they're like, okay, when are we going to make money? So 2016, I flew at 2016, my sister. She does. She was doing journalism for BT red carpet she's in journalism and stuff. And she had late, she had linked up with Safari and what's his name?

Silent or did with Naynay, the whole Whitman. And yeah, so they linked to, she linked up with him and she ended up calling. She said, Hey, bro, like I'm doing some work with, I went to it. And people, I would love for you to come out to tally. And see if you can help them do a couple of records.

And I know they don't know you, but I'm going to put your word in there. You put your name in the hat, so to speak. I was like, you know what? And it was at a time where I was at a breaking point. So 2016, I said, you know what?

I'm living in Atlanta. I had just  it was like november or something. And she was like, just come out for a couple of weeks. We'll cover everything. I went out there and went to the really new studios I'm in LA, right with this artist named Z money.

Who's another teenage female at the moment. And we're working on this project. And he's did shows in what he's premiered in. What's that show not brainless, but godless or it's a big show. It's a big show though. It's a big show. Anyway he's doing that. He's everywhere.

And we started working on his stuff in the studio. Now I come in, I don't know these producers. I don't know these managers. I just know what I do.  So they start playing the song and, or their instrumental. And the guys that I'm working with have worked with puff daddy, or I'm working with some of our biggest artists like DeVito, Mastercraft.

Really huge artists in Nigeria and beyond. And I start to play the beat and instantly I get, a melody and I just start homing it. And they're just like, They're looking. Cause I worked quick. I worked pretty quick. Yeah. So it comes to me. Yeah. Cause I love melodic stuff is just, that's just what I do.

So at that point they're hearing it. They're like, you know what? I like that. Who is this guy? This guy. So I get it. And I actually basically created the chorus for the artists. They couldn't deny it. There was some political thing for a little bit like, Oh, who is he with? It's too. It's too.

It's catchy. So that's what happened. And so I, I got paid from for for that project, but the people that I met were they lived in Atlanta, some of the management and I lived with them. So yeah. So basically what happened was. We created a relationship there and they started considering me for more huge projects.

Yeah. And all it took was, yeah, it was really amazing. It was really amazing. They didn't know me, but they just knew that, that I knew what I was doing now.

Rae Leigh:  So think relate being in that moment. When you start to question you like, almost God, give me a sign. Is this what?

Yeah, it's really hard to not know. And when you're in this industry or when you're trying to be a songwriter and an artist, . We don't always know what's next. It's not like a full-time job where you're like, okay, I've got security. If they make me redundant, I've got two months notice, like every job is a contract and you do the contract, but then what's coming next. And it can be really hard in those moments of is that it is, that was that my pinnacle?

Was that the last thing I wanted? It can be really uncertain and you've got to just get comfortable being. Uncomfortable and not knowing where the next thing is coming up. You just gotta keep working. 

Christian Nelson: You gotta keep working, and if you love to do it, that's why I always tell my young mentees, you gotta love do what, love what you do, and then you can also have to have, find a way to supplement what you do too. Sometimes, don't, cause I, while I was doing school and this and that, and then I realized, money was the money is really spaced out with music, obviously. So yeah. Like you have to be creative.

That's what kind of jingles I noticed jingles started paying me. So I was like, why not? Yeah. I know. Why not? And, at first my guys Muslim people are like, Oh, it's a gimme kid. Or you're like giving hi. I'm like, no, I'm like, bro, trust me, this is not a gimmick. So yeah.

Loving. It is a big part of it, being able to offer more is another big part of it. If you can play, you can sing, you can write, all these things all help you act right? You can.

Yes. Oh my gosh. Yes. Yes, of course. And even just seeing some of these artists now shows and movies and such, 

Rae Leigh:  I remember being young and doing like acting. I did a biomedical science degree. I was doing modeling and I was doing advertising and marketing.

They're all really and I was a personal trainer all really different wird things, right?  I didn't understand why I was doing so many randomly different things that didn't seem to connect. And then as I've become an artist, I'm like, Oh my goodness. I need my business and marketing skills.

I need these acting skills because like I've seen some music videos with people who don't know how to act. They freeze up, it takes a lot of training to get comfortable in front of a camera, like just shoulders to come down and just breathe, and like, all these things was like, that would just, it was my training ground, and it all comes together, but yeah.

Sometimes it's really hard to see in the moment. Now I just go it doesn't matter what I'm doing. If I don't understand it, it's it's probably teaching me something that I need to know.

Christian Nelson:  Awesome. And you sound like you bring lots to the table. Yeah. Cause I'm telling you one of the greatest things though, is as I look around me and I'm connected with all these different people from all these different walks of life, like you said, Why don't, we don't really, have anything in common with the character and the personality is what they're connecting with me to you and to me.

And and within that, we've grown to know each other more and I've been able, cause I love doing business too. So I'm always, if it's not something that I can, compounded with me and my team, I'm so happy to connect people to people. I know I do it all the time. Yeah,

Rae Leigh:  absolutely. It's good for them.

Good for you. We lift each other up, yeah,

Christian Nelson:  exactly. Yeah. I try to tell me all the time. It's Oh my gosh, we've got a an intern. They have mentioned my name on their platforms, and all that all that helps, Yes. Yeah.

Rae Leigh:  I'm a big believer that as we lift other people up, we lift ourselves up and the same goes for the opposite way. We put other people down, you put yourself down so why would you not lift everyone up as much as possible?

And just  be that support. Cause we just, we all need that support in the world and we all need to be seen and validated and heard and appreciated, and so yeah. So to do more of that, I want to know more about you talked about passion and we've talked about. The struggle in that now, you know what you're doing, but is there like a core message or a core purpose behind your art and what you're doing that you want always to come through when you're in your music, your projects, everything you do, like what is it that you want people to really see when they hear something that Nelson has done?

Christian Nelson: Oh that's great. I want people to hear that. I challenged myself to I want them to hear the challenge. You know what I mean? Cause I want, I don't want to be as traditional and that's such a good question because we talk about like my traditional R and B, like I'm 37 now, and. That is this the best? Yeah. Yeah. Oh my gosh. The grill for best. Yeah. I grew up in the nineties at a big influence from the nineties, right in R and B and stuff. I know the generation Z stack the millennial enormously. I can tell in him being a millennial and whatnot, but I think for me, I just want people to know that.

There's real passion and what I'm doing. I want to share like, God's beautiful creation in a sense, like with music, like it's for me I don't really think Oh, R and B has to be like super raunchy. You know what I mean? Yeah.

It can be so artistic if

you can there's so many ways that you can really like, like I listened to Jazz. Yeah. I love it. Yep. I love it. I love it. Love it. Love it. You know what I mean? Feels good. You know what I mean? I don't have to have words. What about me?  So there's just that element that I'm bringing to them table where I'm saying, challenge yourself to, what kind of topics are we singing on?

Like we don't, I'm starting to get from that audience.  They're, sensual and sexual. So  I give them kind of a choice. Was it more sexual for you in this, or was it more essential and more fulfilling, that you got from this? I just want people to just see how There's a real passion for music. I don't like try to pimp it in, like in I just really love it.

Like from its core, you don't even have to play words. You could just play instruments. You know what I mean? I can appreciate classical jazz EDM contemporary, R and B hip hop. Of course. So yeah, I just want people to know that. Like I challenged myself, I challenged myself to not be traditional, basically.

Rae Leigh: Always like a music is an energy exchange. Like when I spoke to Pat Patterson, he always says to shock people, that music doesn't mean anything. It feels. Like you just said, the lyrics mean something like they add meaning to music, but music in itself is a feeling in a physically manifested form.

I think because of that, when an artist. Does create music, their energy, whatever it is like within you or within myself, or went when we create music, our energy is implanted into that song. And that is transferable. And I think that, I dunno, this is like my spiritual side, but like the sexual energy and the freedom, energy, and like all that stuff.

If it comes from a place of authenticity yeah. And love and perish, it's if I'm putting. Sexuality stuff in there because I think itself and it's gonna make that it's so obvious. It's , it's just been crude. Whereas I am very sexy and cheeky in my music and I'll have a wink and a smile, but because that's because sexuality is a part of who we are as people.

And I think there's nothing to be ashamed of in that. And we should embrace it and we should embrace the power of sexuality. Yeah. Not because I'm like, Oh, I want to be slutty. And I think people, yeah.

You know what I mean? And I think there's a real balance, but I also believe as long as your integrity and your in there for the right space and the right reasons, people will pick up on that. And so I think that's beautiful what you're doing. I can see the real, like that energy really comes through in your music.

So that's a real achievement. That's an achievement for sure.

Christian Nelson:   When you're a singer or R and B singer, the intimate part of that is, it's a part of it. So I have a song called  body, right so this was my and it was like a wine. Michael wine. They have a wine.

Yeah. So I did it. And when I put it out, people loved it, but it was art. It was artistic tools. I can't even remember now. It was a years ago. I did the sound, but it was my kind of declaration, to the sexual. But artistic and authentic, like you said, saw and people respected it so much because that was like, you opened their eyes a little bit.

You can do one,

you know what I mean? And I think the words were like, I just want to say that I will be the one to know how, it's like, Yeah. Yeah. And then I said

I said, I stimulate.

That picture

 I love challenging myself in that regard. Totally. I love that. 

Rae Leigh:  Let's keep going. So let's talk about co-writing you've done a little bit of co-writing and working with people. Tell me about your advice for co-writing and what you do to prepare and maybe your best experience 

Christian Nelson: Great question. I would say that when I'm writing for people, it's a little different.  Sometimes you'll get your, send it off as a reference and they'll give you the feedback, and you have to change certain things. I've gotten so much better with that. I tell people get okay with criticism, get okay with construction.

Love that. Yeah. You know what I mean? Because it only makes you better and what's happened is I've taken the criticism and perfected it, send it off. They're like, you nailed it. Nailed it. Yeah. Just be, when you're K writing, it's not really about you, it's about whoever you're writing it for.

So I understand where they're coming from when they have some suggestions and I have taken suggestions. Yeah. Co-writing, I've taken those suggestions and I fine, tuned it and send it back. And it's been a very like awesome. So I would say steady the artists too, a little bit, their style, their swag, melodically, what they like to do.

I've done a lot of that where I've let me see what this artist is about. Okay. They're a little bit more uptempo or mid-tempo or, okay. So let me add a little bit of this or a little bit of that. So yeah, co-writing yeah. Do was doing some study about it and and being okay with getting some criticism too.

Yeah.

Rae Leigh:  I appreciate criticism like so much, because not. Not everyone's going to offer it to you because most people are afraid to hurt your feelings. And there you go. When you get someone actually offering feedback, what know where it's coming from? Is it coming from a place of wanting to help or is it coming from a place of jealousy?

And that can be different. Most of the time I've found that the people who offer criticism sometimes it's really hard to do it. But most of the time it's they want it. They want you to be better. And I didn't go searching for it now. And sometimes people like, why do you want to be criticized?

Or why do you want feedback now when you finished, your song or whatever. And it's because I'm going to, I'm going to do more. I'm going to create more of this. And I want it to be better than the last. And I can't, it can't be better than the last one I've done. If everyone's Oh, it's great.

It's perfect. I love it. Blah, blah, blah. And it's yeah, I'm really glad you like it, but how can I be better? How can I be better? Because it can't be perfect because otherwise I've got nothing else to give. If it's perfect, you can't get better than that. That's totally true. 

That's so true.

Christian Nelson: That is so true. Yes. Good advice. Good advice.  It's definitely it's made it a strong point now taking that criticism be advice.

Yeah. And we find, and it's turned out even better. So well done. Good stuff. Yeah. 

Rae Leigh: What's the best advice that you've ever been given from someone else? 

Christian Nelson: Passion always wins. Hard work out. Does talent any day. Yeah. 

 That's another big one that so many really talented people.

Yeah. I know. Exactly. Been there. I was almost left there with them, but I made it

And I, and one of the, to whom much is given much is required, right? As a leader, as someone that has learned and, been blessed to have some of these amazing situations, what am I doing with it? Am I pouring into suppose I meet people now that will go my go to my feet and I haven't made, and I'm still, we still got a long way to go, which is one of the neighbors, one of my songs long way to go.

But in that wrong in that process, am I feeding anybody in my pouring into any body? Am my helping anybody? I meet genuine artists that I just want, I'm ready to do this. I want to sing. I want to do this. I was like, okay, you want to do this? You really want to do this. Okay. You know what it's going to take.

It's going to take consistency. It's going to take discipline. It's going to take ambition. It's going to take, are you ready for the, and I tell them, you gotta be. It's going to take working out in the morning when you don't want to, it's going to all of that. It's going to take rejection.

Okay. Yep. And I tell him and I come to the studio, and I'm always open door, come in, come to the studio, come see. Cause I was there when somebody gave me an opportunity, but same time they didn't give me a. They didn't give me anything for free. Yeah. So they get, I was given an opportunity, but I wasn't given anything for free.

When I see these artists that really have it in their eyes that have passion, I just, I've taken one of the wings. If I can connect them to a source, I'll do that. Or they can come in the studio and learn. Or there's another thing that I do with budding artists is I bring them on the background vocals with me.

To help with matches. No, I don't not that I need it. But so that they can see some of the steps that I'm taking to get here. You know what I mean? They get in there to get in the studio, doing background vocals. Now they can use that on their resume. I've worked with Christian lesson. You know what I'm saying?

The way I can get you feel me

too good for it, then it's like, all right good luck with your record label.

It's a jungle out there,

Rae Leigh:  true work with anyone. Take any opportunity because you never know what's going to come out of any opportunity, yup. I love it. Yeah. All right. So then that kind of answered both questions because my next question was going to be like, what advice do you give to people who are just starting out?

Christian Nelson: Yeah. Yeah. Love it. They got to identify how much you want to do this. How much do you want to do it? What do you want to do? Do you want to solve, do you want to try to identify how far you want to go? Don't limit yourself. I always tell people that don't limit yourself as jingles opened up the main stage, so to speak jingles, open up the main stage.

Yeah. Oh, you do jingles. Okay. What else do you do? Yeah. Yup. I tell people, learn instruments. That's good to play piano. I play a little piano. I played there for eight, nine years. Marching band concert band

play at church. Best place to try and absolutely I'm telling. Yeah. It's funny because this last, maybe two years things have really turned up and, my sister's she's big and playing and she has her an album and stuff, but she does like a lot of contemporary platform stuff and church and I always did.

I always did stuff in church. Cause that's just what? That was like but all my people are men looking like, Oh my gosh, we didn't know. Christian is okay, like I'm still keeping it like PG 13, it is what it is. Yeah. But now it's fun because. I think very learning, music, it's a universal language. It's always going to be that. Okay. So I love some Kelly Clarkston stuff that breakaway record. I love some Matt Maher and there's so many other artists that I could just refer to that I've just taken little pieces from, and and I love stuff that ground that, that's groundbreaking because I think that it shows you don't have to be so boxed in music.

It's huge. It's big. It's universal.

Rae Leigh: It's incredible. Well done. 

 If you could co-write  with anyone in the world, dead or alive, who would it be and why? 

Christian Nelson: Ryan, Leslie and I, and he does a lot of stuff in Australia 

He actually produced. Cassie's first single who was with P Diddy. Yeah.  His whole story, when he graduated from Harvard at 15, 16 very intelligent. Yeah. But it was a music producer plays like four or five instruments.

 I like about Ryan, he didn't compromise himself. Just a cool fly swag, but he never you never felt like he was trying to be what he wasn't. You know what I mean? He's a singer, he's not vocal vocally. He's not the best vocalist you've ever heard, but it's not even about that.

What he does is so good, but you appreciate him for that. And that's what I like about him. He's a hard worker. He's smart. Now he's transitioning to Bitcoin and wealth platforms for young artists, fishing, their entrepreneur, pushing me entrepreneurial envelope, but helping art, young artists understand that.

Yeah. Do music, but make sure you're investing, with some of these things, Ryan, Leslie and people don't even have to know who he is. That's why I say success is relative because you can define your success. If you're happy, then, you're successful. 

Rae Leigh: The most successful moment of my life was doing my first ever open mind.

Cause I think, I was playing in my bedroom for so long facing that fear, like my fear around performing my original music in public. Yeah. With so huge to me that when I finally did that was the most successful moment of my life. And I've done so much amazing stuff since then, but I would still say that's the most successful moment in my life to people.

Christian Nelson: Yeah. Yeah. That's awesome. So do you. Primarily you're in Australia. Do you travel out of state or Nashville in 2019? That was the last time I've I've been out. So I collaborate with people in Nashville a bit or anywhere, really, if I can, but I want to collaborate with you. Yes, let's do something. I actually still am defining my sound.

So actually I have a song coming out with a couple of rappers in Adelaide this year, which will be really cool. Yeah. So I'm just doing like the single song right. A bit. But but yeah so where can I hear stuff? Cause I, I can do it well, we can do it to compose. This is what happens.

You can tell me what you want to know what you hear actually. Yeah, I got you. I got you. I'll listen. I'll listen through it. And I'll also cause I'm doing my album right now. Christian Nelson experience, personal experience.

That's what we're calling it. It's an experience. I'll tell you what, we're trying to get it out blank, but by the end of the summer, but we're dropping singles consistently just drop one. And we would do with the way of the way music is now, they want music now regularly. Yeah. And they only want one that like, you, your hardcore fans, they want an album, they just want heaps and heaps of stuff, but people will only listen to the first song anyway.

So yeah, exactly. You know what I mean? Yeah. Keeping that in mind. Yeah, the album is pretty much done epi album. I've got some great songs on there. I've got a song called race on there, and race is basically, it talks about no, I got a raise just to save Allah cause I messed it up. I got a raise.

It's just to say it out loud. So I'm painting the picture of how man men usually have to rush after they mess up to try to make things. And so you can see we're racing to get there. We're racing to get. Cause we realized we messed up and the bridge is like cause I created it like a racing metaphor, like on the racetrack.

So the bridge is on your Mark set. Ready go fast. Be

Like a race. Yeah, exactly. You know what I mean? And so that's another real record. A lot of people anticipate painting. Yeah. It's good stuff. Yeah. Yeah.

Rae Leigh:  Like shows and stuff where you are at the moment.

Are you guys doing live performances or, 

Christian Nelson: yeah. Right now a lot of the festivals are starting to pick up here in Atlanta. So I'll be doing some of those with some of the outside performances. I've got a show coming up in North Carolina. I'll be posting about that's another big like festival type platform.

Every Tuesday night I do like a meeting with friends where people can meet and greet with me in Buckhead, we have some drinks and stuff and they have food and, we just like network and resource and everybody's like in music and like doing this. So that's every week thing.

And that helps a lot. They play my songs there and stuff. So that helps so shows there's going to be a lot more shows coming up. Going into the summer. And obviously when the project is actually done, I'm sure. No, I didn't get a lot more bookings. Yeah. Yeah. 

Rae Leigh: You going to go ahead and book it and they can be far and few between, but you know what?

You're only takes that one, one moment and they're at the next level and yeah, I'm just super excited for, it's just a matter of time really. 

All right. Is there anything else you'd like to say before we finish up? You've been amazing. It's been great. 

Christian Nelson: No, yeah. Thanks for having me. I really appreciate you Rae Leigh is it right? 

I got you. No. It's pleasure. I know we were set earlier this month to do our my one-on-one, but I'm glad that we were able to. Yeah. I'm so glad that we were able to chat now. And I'm excited for you as well as your, just a little bit of your story yet. And I'm looking forward to hearing some of your music.

Like I said, I'm all over the grid. So like I love I studied music appreciation. Like I took enough courses in it where I love. Music. Yeah. Cool. Yeah. I just love music. So like I'm really at my, and this is one of the greatest things about this as I'm learning. And I learned from people like you who are so generous enough to share your experiences.

And I've worked with multiple different producers, but like I said, you know how, like I said, with the authenticity, like it comes through and your energy transfers through when you're not the producer, you've got to transfer your energy as an artist, through the producer. And then get that energy into the song and I've struggled with that.

Yeah.

Such and I'm still just being open to wherever I'm meant to be and taking everything as a learning experience. And just knowing that my sound still out there and that energy is still waiting to be released in some format. So yeah I'm pretty open to anything and everything at the moment.

Yeah there's definitely an audience for what you do. And that's one thing I had to tell myself too, if there's definitely an audience and identifying that audience has been like another key thing that I've had to do along the way, who, you know who wants to listen to you or get to know you or likes your style of music.

Yeah. And we were identifying that. Even more right now. So that's really good. 

Rae Leigh: I hope that whoever's listening to this. They're going to want to just follow you, and I'm going to put all of your links to your music and your socials and your website and everything. So people can just get it all up in your stuff

and just get to know you more. And I look forward to hearing and following and just saying, touching and watching what comes out. Yes, that'd be cool.

Christian Nelson:  Yes. Oh my gosh. You send me a record, this week I'm going to have something like before Monday, let's do it.

Rae Leigh:  Yeah. Interesting to see what your opinion is and give me honest feedback, please.

Christian Nelson: Oh, most definitely. Most definitely. I got you. Yeah. Yeah. And if it's terrible, just terrible.

I definitely have you done any duet stuff while I'll let you go? I know we're wrapping up here. 

Rae Leigh: I write a lot of duets. I've written so many to it. I actually haven't really recorded it. Like I've got a song on an EAP they're released like last month called dancing on the moon and it's meant to be a duet, but I didn't have a guy to sing it.

And so it's just, I just did it solo. But I have five songs that are all meant to be duets that I haven't recorded yet. Do you know what I mean? But yeah. I'll send you some, I don't know why, but I I keep writing duets and I'm like, why am I writing? So I've got no one to sing to through them.

And I keep coming out of me and I'm like, Oh, this could be a duet

it's. Yeah. Like I keep seeing it happening. And I'm like, yeah. But so I'm like, I reckon I have a work husband out there, I'm waiting to meet that singing husband. 

Christian Nelson: Oh my gosh. He's out there.

Rae Leigh: all all right. Cool. I'm going to finish up. Thank you so much. I really appreciate your time. Take care and we'll stay in touch.

Christian Nelson:  Okay. We'll stay in touch. Great talking. Okay. Ready,

Rae Leigh:  Christian. Thanks. Bye. Bye.