By Damilola Grey
Dami: What was your first introduction to music?
Erik Evy: My parents were always playing music around the house. Most of it being alternative and rock music. I was introduced to hip hop by kids at school. My first bands I loved were Green Day, Linkin Park, and Avril Lavigne.
Dami: What inspired you to start making music?
Erik Evy: I was living at home after college and I thought screw it, I can write the music just as good as the music I am hearing now. The biggest hurdle was honestly getting over the fear of being judged. Ultimately, I chose myself and I have learned not to care that other people see my music.
Dami: Who are your biggest inspirations?
Erik Evy: Being from Chicago, Chance the Rapper, Saba, and Kanye are all big influences. Right now, I am drawing a lot of inspiration from other artists that I am connecting with. There are a lot of artists who are relatively unknown who are pushing the sound.
Dami: Where do you grab inspiration from?
Erik Evy: Inspiration comes from myself. I am eager to discover what I can create. The more I experiment, the more I find my sound. The rest of the inspiration comes from life. In my opinion, the best music relates to life.
Dami: What’s your creative process like?
Erik Evy: My biggest perk is having a studio in my apartment. That way anytime I think of an idea, I can create on the spot. I am learning to plan ahead in my work so I do not feel pressured to make a hit. I typically find a beat, feel the emotion from that and then take my time to write the song. I cannot freestyle a song haha I need to write it down and let it sit for a few days.
Dami: You just dropped a single titled “Quarter Life Crisis”. Can you tell us more about it?
Erik Evy: I released “Quarter Life Crisis” on the 23 rd of May. Song is on all platforms and the music video is on YouTube. I love this track. This is my most confident song yet. I am singing, rapping my ass off, and delivering a catchy hook. This has been a moment I have been waiting for.
Dami: What’s next for Erik after this?
Erik Evy: I have a show coming up on June 7 th in Chicago. My first show and I cannot be more pumped. I will be playing unreleased music, and some of the recent songs. Following the show, I will release another music video, and then I will have a small project in July.
Dami: Any dream collabs?
Erik Evy: Oh my haha, here we go. Saba, Chance the Rapper, Dominic Fike, James Blake, Bieber, Vince Staples, Alicia Keys and Jaden. There are lots of lesser known artists that I want to work with but I want to keep those plans secret for now. They may happen sooner than you think!
Dami: What do you hope to accomplish by the year’s end?
Erik Evy: I hope to release my full mixtape and have it featured on Lyrical Lemonade’s “Chicago’s Top 50 Projects” for 2022. It will be my
most complete work. Outside of projects, I want to be able to meet more artists in Chicago and I want to get more performances. I believe my next big step is to develop a core fan base here in the city.
Dami: What’s the most challenging part of being an artist to you?
Erik Evy: The biggest challenge has been staying consistent on the grind. Sometimes I can get wrapped up in the less important tasks but keeping track of my goals has been a huge motivation. I have come a long way in the past year and I need to continue to look forward to give everyone the best I can create.
Listen to Erik Evy:
ROUNDHOUSE MUSIC 