Meet Sedona Spencer | Producer, DJ & Vocalist

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

Hi Sedona, where are your from? We’d love to hear about how your background has played a role in who you are today?
I was born and raised in Phoenix, Arizona and music has always been at the forefront of my life. I grew up fascinated by the art of sound, instruments, singing, and lyrical writing. Most of my family comes from a musical background, and from an early age, I was introduced to the fascinating world that music creates and was completely infatuated with it. Ever since I was a little girl, I could not stop singing. It would drive my mom crazy sometimes, but it was an undeniable way for me to express myself. Singing and writing poetry as an outlet really helped me survive the struggles of my past, and music could always heal me in ways other things couldn’t. I started going to concerts at a young age with my mom and then, festivals when I was finally old enough to attend them on my own. I knew I wanted to be involved with music in one way or another, but I didn’t decide to seriously pursue a career in the music industry until I was 22. In 2018, I began my journey by attending the Conservatory of Recording Arts and Sciences located in Gilbert, AZ. At CRAS, I studied multiple facets of audio engineering and ultimately fell in love with studio engineering and recording. In my spare time during school, I started to produce electronic music and learn the art of DJing to such a degree that I went out and bought my first controller and midi drum machine. After graduating in early 2019, I moved to Nashville, TN and worked at one of the top recording studios in the country. It wasn’t until the pandemic hit in 2020, that I really started to dive into my own artistry by writing original lyrics, recording my own vocals, increasing my knowledge of music production, elevating my sound design, and solidifying my brand as an electronic music producer, vocalist, and DJ. After 2 years of audio engineering in Nashville, TN, I decided to move back to Phoenix, AZ in early 2021, and chase the dream of becoming a full time artist/musician. Since then, I have been publishing original music, collaborating with other artists, recording my own vocal features, releasing DJ mixes, and playing numerous shows in the valley. It has been an incredible journey, and I have the upmost gratitude to be able to be where I am today.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
I am an electronic music producer, DJ, and vocalist based in Phoenix, AZ. I have been producing, mixing, and mastering my own music as well as recording my own vocals for 4 years. I have now been professionally DJing and singing live at EDM shows/festivals for 2 years. The main genres of my production style include dubstep, melodic bass, riddim, trap, experimental bass, and future bass, while my vocal style encompasses an ethereal, pop-punk sound with a gritty rock influence. My art consists of storytelling through sound. I aim to create a safe space within my art that can allow people to express themselves, reconnect with their inner child, forget about the pain and stress in their lives, and resonate with the energy in the present moment. I put my entire soul into my craft and genuine intention is always at the forefront of my creative process. Every song I write has a fully realized concept and authentic message from my perspective that I want to share with the world. I want to make music that comes from the heart of all the experiences I’ve lived through so that people can relate and know that they’re not alone. I carefully construct my live performances to take my listeners on a multi-sensory journey infused with a wide variety of genres, high energy grooves, exciting melodic mashups, abstract dub frequencies, and powerful, chilling vocals. My stage name, Sed’s Vortex, was created in thought of shining a light on my personal mission as an artist, which is to inspire, connect, heal, and create to ultimately make positive changes in society. I wanted my brand to authentically represent who I am, so I decided to use my nickname, “Sed,” (which is short for Sedona) and “Vortex,” which represents the energy of my intention to share my life story through music. Plus, I had in pay homage to the beautiful, sacred city that I was named after, Sedona, AZ. Even though I have established a steady foundation as an aspiring, up and coming artist, it has not been and is still not easy. Before I pursued my own artistry, I worked as an audio engineer in studio recording, and unfortunately, this was the start of experiencing many tribulating challenges due to the fact that I was a woman in a highly male-dominated field. Some of those challenges included being overlooked, discredited, taken advantage of, harassed, and disrespected. I’ve experienced first hand and witnessed many times how horribly present s*xism still is, not only in the music industry, but in our world as a whole. One of the reasons why I stepped into the artist role was to make an everlasting change in the music industry and continue to pave the way for women, the LGBTQ community, and all minorities to excel in chasing their dreams. I hope to be an inspiration to those that are wanting to commit to their ambitious passion, but are hesitant to do so due to discrimination. I want my fans to know that if I can take a leap of faith and succeed in doing it, then so can you! The biggest lesson I’ve learned along the way is to always be me. No opportunity, gig, deal, or fast track is worth me saying yes if it will compromise my character and change who I am as a person. I will continue to face life’s roller coaster of continuous ups and downs, immense challenges as a starving artist, and toxic, corrupt people with hidden agendas along the way, but I will never allow myself to get lost in the grind and lose sight of who I am because of the fact that I’m chasing my dream. I want my artist journey to be integral and 100% real. Perseverance is a key component in my mind set when overcoming difficult times and is a major theme in my brand as an artist. If you don’t give up, there’s no way you can fail, even if it takes time. All great things require relentless time and energy, but ultimately, it’s worth it. I’m incredibly excited to announce that I am in the process of writing and composing my first EP, and this will highlight the voyage of my evolution before I started the Sed’s Vortex project. In addition to working on my debut EP, I will be releasing some remixes, collaborations, and vocal features to keep my listeners engaged throughout the remainder of the year.

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.
I would take my best friend to all my favorite spots in Arizona. Starting the week off, we would go up to Sedona and visit the Amitabha Stupa and Peace Park, the Airport Mesa Vortex, Seven Sacred Pools, and Devil’s Bridge. While in Sedona, we would eat and drink at the Indian Gardens Cafe & Market, The Vault, Wildflower Cafe, and The Hudson. Before leaving we’d visit crystal shops and attend a sound bath. Then, we’d travel to Fossil Creek to swim and hang out in nature. After that, we would head North to Flagstaff, where we would visit the Flagstaff Farmers Market and Urban Flea Market. We’d then eat at Sosoba and grab drinks at Mother Road Brewery. Before leaving Flagstaff, we’d hike the Kachina Peaks Wilderness Trail and then drive East to the top of the Mogollon Rim to enjoy the extraordinary view. Coming back into town later in the week, I would take my best friend to multiple places to eat and drink including The Vig on Fillmore, Shady Park in Tempe, Rusconi’s American Kitchen in Paradise Valley, Richardson’s in Central Phoenix, LUX Central in Phoenix, Hanny’s in the heart of downtown Phoenix, and then Ocean 44 in Scottsdale. We’d definitely hit up First Friday in downtown Phoenix and then go bar hopping after to Melinda’s Alley, Killer Whale S*x Club, 36 Below, Palma, and Valley Bar. Finishing up the trip, we’d go hiking at Lookout Mountain Preserve, Valley Vista Trail, South Mountain, and Camelback Mountain. On the last day, we would go to the Butterfly Wonderland and finish with the Arizona State Fair.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
My fiance, Wyatt Harvey, has been the biggest supporter, inspiration, and mentor throughout my journey as a musician. We met in school at The Conservatory of Recording Arts and Sciences, and later reconnected in Nashville, TN, after I had graduated. I had already begun my career as an audio engineer at that time, but unfortunately, the pandemic put a major halt on my goals, leaving me feeling completely lost. It wasn’t until the whole world shut down, when Wyatt really encouraged me to start seriously pursuing the artist route. He always admired my singing voice and told me how talented I was with production ideas, but I didn’t start to really see it for myself until I immersed myself in DJing and producing. Wyatt had been producing music for years before attending CRAS so he was definitely my mentor when it came to learning the basics. Whenever I would mix or produce, it was if the whole world and all my problems in it had melted away. There was nothing else like it. Pure bliss and the ability to be enjoyably present in that moment. And then, an epiphany occurred. Maybe I could be an artist that creates this feeling and space for people to escape their day to day lives, be themselves, and not think about anything else but the music and the moment they’re in. Ever since that thought, my fiance has been my rock, day in and day out, by my side, helping me navigate through the ups and downs of being a musician, and I wouldn’t be where I am today without him. I am ecstatic to say that we both now have our own artist projects so we get to embark on this epic journey of pursuing a career in music, together.

Website: https://nvrstrngrs.wixsite.com/website

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

Twitter: https://twitter.com/SedsVortex

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SEDSVORTEX

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@sedsvortex

Other: Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/5d8p4PvQQnWusFPDOiPgzT Apple Music: https://music.apple.com/us/artist/seds-vortex/1536479658 Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/sedsvortex

Image Credits
Personal Photo: Luis Colato Additional Photos: 1. Wyatt Harvey 2. Luis Colato 3. Alexander Peet 4. Wyatt Harvey 5. Olu Rock 6. Alexander Peet 7. Olu Rock 8. Wyatt Harvey