Today we’d like to introduce you to Isaac Leo.
Alright, thank you for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, how did you get started?
I was born in Germantown, Maryland, about 30 min outside of Washington, D.C. Growing up amongst musicians; my childhood was memorably rhythmic. Because my dad played bass and drums in different bands from a young age, music came naturally to me from the start. It didn’t take long to discover my passion for creating music and dabbling with various instruments starting with drums when I was in diapers. Around the age of 16, I realized that creating music wasn’t just a passion but my ideal lifestyle. I went from playing drums and guitar to growing a passion for producing beats. Once I got a taste for creating moments, I was addicted and spent every day for years producing in my room and working with various artists. After high school, I attended and graduated from Omega Studios in Rockville, MD, in 2012 as a certified audio engineer. I then began doing sessions part-time in my basement and building my clientele. While doing this, I dove deeper into the songwriting, rapping, and singing side of things, where I truly discovered what I wanted to do and who I was.
Eventually, I opened my studio in Gaithersburg at a commercial location, operating it as a one-person team. I worked there full-time, recording and crafting myself to be both the producer and artist I envisioned. After about a year and a half, I relocated my studio to North Bethesda, where it is still currently located, and have built up a large client list and reputation from the years of work I put into the music scene in the DMV. I eventually scored radio time on WPGC 95.5 and won the WKYS 39.9 this year, landing an interview with Littelbaconbear, which can be found and watched on WKYS’s website. Some other notable achievements would include a shoutout from 40, Drake’s producer, opening up for Scarface, the Backyard band, a handful of online radio interviews, and several live performances around the DMV. Starting at open mics to eventually throw my show headlining with close to 100 people in attendance. After dropping several singles, I released my first official mixtape called Lost Art, which dropped in 2019.
Next was a collab project called Still Here with long-time friend Jake Crawford. My debut album, Inner Demons, was launched in 2020 with zero features; over half of the album was self-produced. This year I released an EP called Proud, which consists of 3 songs written from the heart about life experiences, one song devoted entirely to my daughter called “Holding On.” Some more recent notable singles would be “Princesa” by Featuring Latenightjiggy, a well-known artist from the DMV, and a song called “Too Ill” featuring Lightshow, some would call a legend in the D.C rap scene. Over the years, I’ve had different opportunities and small-label deals, but I am currently an independent artist writing, producing, mixing, and mastering everything independently. My daughter, who is 8 and now in third grade, is a major part of my life. I brought her to the studio and introduced her to recording and making songs which she loves to do, and she has started writing her songs. Being a dad running a business and pursuing a music career as an independent artist can sometimes be very stressful and difficult. Still, I’ve only progressed each year, accomplishing more and getting closer to where I ultimately want to be. In 2023 I plan to go on tour and drop my second album with a major backing behind it. I’ve technically been making music for about 15 years, but I’m just getting started. My passion and talent level are higher than its ever been, and I have major goals for the near future.
You wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle-free, but so far would you say the journey has been smooth?
There have been many struggles along the way that have made me who I am today. Dealing with some close friends’ deaths at a younger age put things into perspective for me and also helped inspire me to write many of the songs I have, particularly on my album “Inner Demons.” One of my other life-changing events was my daughter being born in 2014. Around the same time, my parents moved to San Diego, where my sisters had already lived. So I only had a little help on my end with raising my daughter since her mom and I were not together. I was also living with my parents when they moved to California, so moving out on my own and having a baby really made me grow up fast and face reality. Although it was a struggle, it made me who I am today. I’ve always had the support of my parents and friends. Even though I had to do a lot on my own, they were always there for moral support or helping me out when they could. Fast forward to now, I’m running my business full-time with the studio, raising my daughter(co-parenting), and pursuing my music career as an artist. There are days I wake up, go to the studio engineer a session, leave to shoot part of a video, photo shoot, or collaboration with another artist, and go pick up my daughter. Spend the evening with her, drop her back off at her mom’s in time for bed, and drive straight back to the studio in time for another session I have to engineer. This is weekly sometimes, and it can be exhausting, but I was put on this earth to do this. Some more struggles along the way would include a lot of empty promises and people I’ve worked with telling me deals they would get me or contracts that weren’t carried through on their end. Unfortunately, the entertainment industry can be dirty, and sometimes you must learn things the hard way. As an independent artist, you must learn the music business to avoid being taken advantage of.
Thanks – so, what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
My creative side started with playing drums and instruments, but my main passion started with producing beats. Once I got the hang of making beats, I couldn’t stop and would spend hours every single day for years making beats in my room until the point where I ended up getting carpal tunnel; that’s a true story. But I also got so good people started to notice. I had always been a hip-hop fan, so the sound came naturally to me. Eventually, I started working with rappers and singers, producing beats for them. I had always messed around with writing lyrics and rapping, but I found my sound when I started producing an album for my boy, Jake Crawford. I was supposed to make the beats but ended up rapping or doing hooks for several songs. After that, I couldn’t stop. It wasn’t just about producing beats anymore.
I kept at it for years until I realized I was getting better than some artists I produced for. Eventually, I would develop my sound, confidence, and comfort by making songs alone. Hip-hop evolves and constantly changes, so I changed and evolved too. I started becoming more melodic and working in other genres like pop and R & B. I helped develop my original sound because I’ve recorded hundreds of different artists over the years. So I’ve taken bits and pieces from different styles, genres, and things I vibed with. So when I make a song, it’s always different. If you listen to my music, you will never get bored or think, “every song sounds the same” because it’s versatile. Although every song is different, and I don’t just make one type of music, it still has that original Isaac Leo feel, and there’s no other artist out there that sounds the same.
Can you talk to us about how you think about risk?
The only way to be majorly successful is to take risks, especially in the music industry. Before running the full studio time, I was a warehouse manager, where I worked for about 4 years for a good company with benefits and a solid future. I had always been recording sessions on the side, but it wasn’t enough to survive. Towards the end of my time at the warehouse, I couldn’t help but feel like I was wasting my life and talents; being stuck 8 hours a day, not creating it, was torture. It finally got to the point where I quit without having a real backup plan. I knew I would run the studio in my basement at the time, but I needed more money. But I knew if I surrounded myself with music as much as possible, id be closer to my dream. So I ended up driving uber part-time and working in the studio part-time. Uber was an exciting experience because I met many different people, and my music would come up in the conversation every time. So I got to play my songs in the car for people all over the DMV. I was gaining real fans in the most organic way you could. After some time, my business started to pick up, and my mixing skills were being talked about, so I could stop driving uber and engineering full time, which meant more time in the studio and more time creating my music before and after sessions. If I didn’t take that risk and quit my secure job, I wouldn’t be where I am today.
Pricing:
- $50 an hour for studio time (includes mix during session)
- Separate Mix and Master – prices vary depending on number of tracks starting at $50
- Verse Feature $300
- Beats -$25 leases
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.isaacleo.com/
- Instagram: @isaacleomusic
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/isaac.leo.5/
- Twitter: @isaacleomusic
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@Isaac-leo
- SoundCloud: https://soundcloud.com/isaacleomusic
