Today we’d like to introduce you to Saxl Rose.
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
My dad introduced me to the saxophone when I was young, and my mom was a DJ, so I grew up surrounded by a wide range of music. My dad was constantly performing and touring, and he introduced me to classic R&B, funk and artists like Earth, Wind & Fire. My mom exposed me to everything that was popular in clubs during the 1990s, from Tupac and hip hop to alternative music and the many different sounds that defined that era. My Godfather was also Teddy Pendergrass’s only guitarist until Teddy passed. That combination gave me a broad musical foundation very early in life. My dad still performs regularly today, and we continue to share the stage together.
I began playing saxophone in school and stayed involved in music throughout elementary, middle and high school. I participated in jazz band, symphonic band, All County Band and All County Jazz, and I continued studying and performing in college. I also completed a saxophone program through Berklee College of Music and spent years playing in church. By that point, performing was already a major part of my life, but I still did not know exactly what form a professional music career would take.
After I was diagnosed with Crohn’s disease, a military career that I had been considering began to feel less realistic, and music gradually became my primary focus. While attending community college, I met the lead singer of a pop punk band called Chasing Morgan and began playing with them. That experience introduced me to artists like Neck Deep and State Champs and gave me the opportunity to perform regularly within a completely different music scene.
I later helped form a metal band called Listen for the Light. We were recording with a producer who also had a pop side project. One day he mentioned that he wished he knew a saxophone player because he had a song that would sound great with sax on it. He had no idea that I played. I recorded the part, he filmed me performing it, and he posted the video on Instagram.
The response was immediate. The video began gaining attention, and it made me realize that people I knew didn’t even know I played saxophone. I started thinking about what could happen if I intentionally created saxophone covers of the music I actually listened to, rather than limiting myself to the songs people traditionally expected from the instrument.
I began covering artists like Paramore, Wiz Khalifa, Neck Deep and State Champs, combining the saxophone with pop punk, hip hop, rock, alternative music and contemporary R&B. Several of those videos went viral, and that became the foundation of what would eventually grow into the Saxl Rose brand. I found a way to take everything I had been exposed to throughout my life and bring it together through one instrument.
From there, the opportunities continued to grow. I began touring and performing with artists including Wiz Khalifa, Paramore, Jelly Roll, Bobby V and others. I also built an extensive catalog of session work, collaborations and featured performances while continuing to develop my own original music and live show.
In 2023, I signed with Next Paradigm and began releasing music through the label. One of my singles, “Sunset,” reached number one on the smooth jazz charts and number three on the Billboard charts. That accomplishment was especially meaningful because my career has never fit neatly into one category. I can perform smooth jazz one night, hip hop or R&B the next, and then appear alongside a rock or alternative artist. Rather than choosing one part of my musical background, I have built my career around embracing all of it.
Today, my focus is on continuing to release original music, consistently creating digital content and expanding the reach of the Saxl Rose brand. Performing has taken me throughout the United States, including the South, the West Coast, Hawaii, as well as overseas to the United Kingdom. I have also continued performing with my father, which brings the story full circle in many ways.
What started with my parents exposing me to different styles of music eventually became a career built around bringing those worlds together. I did not always know what the vehicle would be, but once I realized that the saxophone could be my way of connecting all of those influences, I never looked back.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
No, it definitely has not been a smooth road. Whenever you pursue something outside of the traditional path, there is a level of uncertainty that can be difficult for other people to understand. Choosing music instead of a conventional career with a steady paycheck, benefits and health insurance was an especially complicated decision for me because I live with a form of IBD called Crohn’s disease. Reliable access to medical care is not optional for me. It is critical to my well-being.
One of the biggest struggles was getting the people around me to understand that this could become a real and sustainable career. Before there was visible success, there were teachers, family members and people I respected who told me I was wasting my time or that music was not something I should seriously pursue. It is easy for people to believe in an idea once it has already been proven. It is much harder when you are still building it and there is no guarantee that the sacrifices will pay off.
What kept me going was knowing that I cared too much about music to walk away from it. I did not always know that saxophone would become the main vehicle. It could have been producing, playing guitar or drums in a band, artist management or working behind the scenes. I spent time in bands, interned at a record label and learned about marketing, social media, branding and the business side of the industry. At the time, those experiences sometimes felt disconnected, but they eventually gave me the exact preparation I needed when Saxl Rose began gaining momentum.
I understood different scenes, audiences and styles of music because I had participated in so many of them. I also understood that being an independent artist meant wearing many hats. I was not only responsible for performing. I had to learn how to create content, market myself, build relationships, recognize opportunities and turn attention into a lasting career.
My health has also created challenges that most people do not see. I receive an infusion every eight weeks, and that schedule continues whether I am at home or traveling. Even while touring in the United Kingdom, I still had to coordinate treatment, complete blood work and make sure my health remained stable. Touring and performing are already demanding, and managing a chronic illness alongside that responsibility can be overwhelming at times.
There were also years of unpaid or underpaid performances, traveling at my own expense and showing up simply because I believed the experience or connection might lead somewhere. I had to sacrifice time, comfort and financial stability before there was any evidence that it would work.
The hardest part was believing in something internally while the people around me could not yet see it. Ultimately, I learned that I could not wait for everyone else to understand the vision before pursuing it. I had to trust myself, stay consistent and allow the work to prove what I already believed was possible.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
At the core of my work, I specialize in removing the boundaries around what people expect from the saxophone. I have never believed that an instrument should be limited to one genre, and I am fortunate to play an instrument that is incredibly fluid. When it is approached the right way, the saxophone can complement almost any style of music.
Because my own taste is so eclectic, I have been able to perform across a wide range of musical environments. That has included heavier artists and bands such as Spiritbox, The Used, Miss May I and Motionless in White, pop and alternative acts such as The Band Camino, State Champs and Neck Deep, hip hop and R&B artists such as Wiz Khalifa, Chris Brown and Bobby V, country artists like Jelly Roll, and artists from the ska and reggae rock scenes such as Ballyhoo, Lizano and Bumpin Uglies.
What makes those opportunities meaningful to me is that I am not entering those spaces as an outsider trying to imitate the culture. These are all styles of music that I grew up listening to, studying and genuinely loving. I understand the music, the audiences and the energy each environment requires. Whether I am performing smooth jazz, metal, hip hop, pop punk, R&B or reggae, it still feels authentic to who I am.
I am probably best known for bringing the saxophone into musical spaces where people may not traditionally expect to hear it. When I first started creating videos, I did not see many saxophonists covering and performing with the kinds of artists and bands that I loved. I wanted to show that the instrument could exist beyond traditional jazz and classical settings without losing what makes it special.
One of the things I am most proud of is seeing more saxophonists now receiving opportunities across different genres. The world I always wanted to exist in was one where the instrument you played did not determine which rooms you were allowed to enter. If you understood the music, respected the culture and could make the collaboration work, you deserved the opportunity to be there.
I am also proud that Saxl Rose has grown from a creative idea into a full scale business. Through Saxl Rose LLC, my work now includes live performance, original music, session recording, music production, content creation, marketing, photography and video editing and more. Building the business has required me to become more than a performer. I have had to understand how to develop an idea, communicate it visually, reach an audience and turn creativity into something sustainable.
Another important part of my work is health advocacy. Over the past several years, I have partnered with the Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation through speaking engagements, performances and fundraising events. I have had opportunities to share my experience living with Crohn’s disease and participate in conversations about the future of treatment, including speaking at IBD Innovate. Being able to combine performance with advocacy has allowed the platform to serve a purpose beyond entertainment.
What sets me apart is not simply that I can play several styles of music. It is that all of those styles are genuinely part of me. I can move between different audiences and creative spaces without abandoning my identity, because my identity was built from all of them. I am proud that, with the support of God, my family & friends and the many artists who have trusted me on their stages and recordings, I have been able to create a career that reflects the full range of what I love.
What makes you happy?
What makes me happiest is music in all of its forms. Whether I am listening to it, creating it, performing it or going to see another artist live, I simply love being around music. It has been a part of my life for as long as I can remember, and it continues to give me a sense of excitement, purpose and connection.
I also really value quality time with my friends, family and the people I love. My career can involve a lot of travel, long days and constant movement, so the moments when I can slow down and simply be present with the people closest to me mean a lot. I care deeply about the people in my life, and I hope they always know how much I love and appreciate them.
Outside of music, I enjoy things like Marvel movies and gardening. I think both give me a chance to step into a different headspace. Sometimes happiness is an incredible performance in front of a crowd, and sometimes it is something much quieter, like watching a movie I have been excited about or seeing something I planted begin to grow.
More than anything, though, life itself makes me happy. I genuinely believe life is a gift. I feel incredibly fortunate that I have been able to build a career where my passion and my work are essentially the same thing. A lot of people eventually feel pressured to choose between doing what they love and doing what provides stability. I do not take it lightly that I have been blessed with the opportunity to combine the two.
I thank God every day for the opportunities I have received and for the ones that continue to come my way. I have been able to work with artists I genuinely admire, and I still approach those experiences as a fan. I have listened to Wiz Khalifa since middle school, so every opportunity to perform, record or create with him still feels surreal. The same is true for many of the artists, musicians and people I have been fortunate enough to work alongside.
I do not walk into those rooms feeling like I am above the experience. I am still excited, still grateful and still inspired by the people around me. Being able to live out dreams I once had as a kid, while hopefully making my family and friends proud, is a major source of happiness for me.
Pricing:
- email: saxlrosemgmt@gmail.com for all inquiries
Contact Info:
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