Who will perform at iHeart’s Jingle Ball Village, get mentored by Grammy Winners and Win $10,000? You decide!
Red Velvet Papi
About Red Velvet Papi
Red Velvet Papi is a New York born & based rapper, singer, producer and engineer. He has written and produced the entirety of his solo discography himself. Keeping vulnerability as the anchor, he makes music that can connect with any audience!
Performances & Content from Red Velvet Papi
Red Velvet Papi Full Live Concert
Give Us A Try (Live Performance)
Closer To You
HMU
Learn More About Red Velvet Papi
What makes you the Next Music Star?
I think have a pretty unique yet familiar sound that has the pop sensibilities to be palatable to a wide audience. I constantly have my music compared to artists I generally draw no inspiration from and have minimal to no overlap with in terms of sound, which I think is a testament to how far of reach I can have. It shows that people can find a connection with my music, that it feels familiar enough to them, even if it wasn't what I intended in the process of creating. I'm also a cutie patootie, who's funny with a great personality, and who doesn't love that?
What do you love about music and performing?
What I love about the most about music is the ability to manifest a thought into reality. As a producer I'm hearing all these sounds in my head to be able to translate a sound from the mental to the physical plane is like a spiritual experience. And what I love most about performing is the exchange of energy between the crowd and I. I love to see them bouncing to my beats and singing along to my song, it fills me with life and gives me a rush that nothing else could.
Who are your biggest music inspirations and dream collaborators?
My two favorite artist are Earl Sweatshirt and Ariana Grande by far, but I also draw inspiration from artist like tobi lou, Cam O'bi, DRAM, Stevie Wonder, Mariah Carey and Lolo Zoauï, to name a few. In terms of dream collaborators, I don't know that I necessarily aspire to collaborate vertically, but I would love to produce for any of the artist previously mentioned or maybe go on tour with them. I'm more interested in working laterally, I want to make music with my friends, to have all of us blow up and become stars together. I know so many talented musicians personally that make genuinely great art and supremely , so if I got a platform I would want to use it to shine a light on them and say "Hey! Look at my friends, they're so amazing!"
What would you do with the $10,000 Grand Prize?
First thing I'd do is upgrade my home studio equipment. I make all my music in my bedroom currently and have decent equipment, enough to make a song that sounds great clearly, but I'm still on a budget. So I'd probably get a really good Neuman mic, a better interface to go with that and new monitors, amongst other things. Second, I'd probably put most of it towards music videos for my album that comes out on the 18th of October. I have some ideas that I can't properly execute without funds. And then whatever's left from that I'll likely invest in my upcoming album, wether that's for features or more music videos. Basically all $10,000 is going back into the art.
Participation supports Musicians On Call, a 501(c)(3) charity, which brings live and recorded music to the bedsides of patients, families and caregivers in healthcare environments.