Meet Chris Perkins | Musician/Producer

We had the good fortune of connecting with Chris Perkins and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Chris, we’d love to hear about how you approach risk and risk-taking
Risk taking is the foundation I’ve built my life and career on. It takes a lot of risk to be on stage and it takes a BIGGER risk to be singing and playing your own music and not know if people will enjoy or hate it. I pride myself on constantly undertaking risks especially with the decisions involving my music career. I could easily play it safe and pigeonhole myself into one genre by making the songs that sound the same but I decided it would be better to risk exploring new genres and continue expanding my musicality through all the instruments I learn how to play and the different styles I’ve taught myself how to produce. You never know what may resonate with fans when you freely explore and face risks head on. With my latest single “I can’t say I miss you…”, the song itself was one of the biggest risks I’ve taken because I got used to creating songs with heavy production and would hide my voice behind instruments. Yet this track is a complete juxtaposition and highlights my vocals, backed only by a single acoustic guitar to create a raw and vulnerable sound I try to match the song’s lyrics. The outpour of support and love for the raw nature of the track reminded me why I should continue to take risks instead of limiting myself and potentially closing myself off from new opportunities. If I didn’t take risks, I wouldn’t have gotten to play with my idol band, The Driver Era during their LA show at the Fonda Theatre in front of THOUSANDS of people. Not many people would think to bring a giant sign to a concert, asking the guitarist if he’ll let you play his guitar because you know the chords to one of their songs. I’m hoping to continue pursuing my risk-taking nature and strive for a higher risk this year as I dive deeper into my music career and continue to introduce to the world who Chris Perkins really is.
 
Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
I’ve been performing for a majority of my life whether for theatre, choir, or musicals but during my senior year of high school I branched out and started doing solo performances to debut my original music. I started learning how to produce in 2016 while simultaneously learning how to play all the instruments I incorporate in my music. I originally grew up focusing on guitar but soon expanded to bass, keyboard, drums, and saxophone (which has been my latest venture). This journey was not easy because it can be challenging trying to figure out who you are as an artist and even taking the step to create, produce, release my own music. There’s a different approach to producing different genres which can make it frustrating at times when you create like 10 different versions for just one song because you’re trying to create a certain idea in your head yet you may not be able to correctly portray it just yet. That why it’s important you learn patience and persistence. I’ve learned through this journey that you have to give yourself time to grow at the pace you’re growing at while still practicing your craft and stepping up your game so you can continue to be better. I used to get frustrated when I was first learning how to perform, but I continued to seek new performance opportunities to experiment with my stage presence even mimicking my own idols though the various live videos I’ve consumed. Now, I’m more fulfilled at the end of a show because I’m more accurately reflecting my brand and vision through new ways to engage the crowd and present myself in a more confident and professional manner. My brand revolves heavily on independence and showing off my different talents on stage because I’m not just a musician or just a producer. I’m also a creative and artist that’s expressing my vision in a multitude of ways such as directing my own live show, arranging my setlist, programing light cues, and being in charge of sound. Some new things I introduced to effectively communicate my brand, included switching instruments and playing bass, piano, and drums for different songs during my EP release show live set.
 
Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
Funny enough I recently had one of my closest fiends visit for a week and I now have an idea of an itinerary. I’m a California based artist so spots we would go are San Diego, LA, Santa Monica, and Huntington Beach to go and visit to hang out and eat at spots such as Pacific Beach Fish Shop, Baked Bear, and In N Out In Arizona, I would take them to downtown Tucson, and the Tucson Mall because they were my favorite places to visit where I got to meet so many friendly people who helped with shooting a music video of mine. I would take them to Culver’s since it’s a place that isn’t in California. Another really cool spot was Comicx in Phoenix which was a really cool spot for people who are fans of Marvel, DC, Star Wars, Harry Potter, etc. There’s definitely more I want to explore more the next time I come to Arizona.
 
Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I would love to shoutout my longtime friend and partner Joshua Hays Jr. It’s thanks to him that I’m able to elevate my image and I’m able to exercise my creativity with someone who understands and can help build ideas off of. He’s someone who can help me see the bigger picture and help make it a reality. He introduced me to Arizona where we took photos and shot the music video for my latest single. I hope to keep partnering with him on future projects because we’re two creatives who compliment one another and help elevate one another’s ideas.

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/chrisperkinsmusic/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chrisperkinsmusic/

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCkfwluCSa4bLdlpvmGDC3Mw

Other: linktr.ee/chrisperkins

Image Credits
Chris Perkins Joshua Hays Jr. Ryan Michel