It’s fall in 2016 and the weather doesn’t really know what to do with itself. We walk outside and are burning up one minute and need a thick coat the next. Not to mention the chaos that is college. The fall semester is winding down, we’re all ready for Thanksgiving, and professors are really piling on the work. We just need a break! But in the midst of the bipolar weather and the demanding semester, Brxtn successfully dropped his latest EP titled, Fall Flavors, I won’t say that you have to listen to it, I’ll just say that if you haven’t, you’re definitely missing out! In a recent interview with BRXTN, who is also known as Braxton Harshaw, he opened up with me about discovering his love for music, the beginnings of his music career, as well as some of his thoughts on life.
“Music gave me salvation and a rescue from what I felt like was my reality.”
Braxton Harshaw, was born in Ashland, KY but has spent a lot of time in Northern Kentucky, Lexington, and now Louisville. At the University of Louisville, Braxton is a Sports Administration major with a Pan-African Studies minor. His earliest memories of music, like many of us, come from the church he attended as a child (mentioning that both his grandfather and great-grandfather were pastors). In addition, Braxton’s parents being more secular, introduced him to the likes of Tupac, Biggie, Mary J., K-Ci and JoJo (y’all see where we going with this). Braxton started recording music at the age of sixteen and after entering college, decided to take music more serious realizing that the 9-to-5 career route was not ideal for what he had envisioned for himself. Upon realizing this BRXTN says that, “Music gave me salvation and a rescue from what I felt like was my reality.”
The motivation behind the hard work that Braxton is obviously committed to has been the people in his family whom he knows still need his help, along with issues in his life that still need resolving. The biggest motivation though, is for him to see how far pursuing his own dreams and goals will take him. It is the desire to attach value and meaning to his name, not only as an individual, but as a black man, commenting, “There’s so much potential in all of us and this is what I love to do…it’s a self-test.”
When it comes to musical inspiration and what plays in BRXTN’s headphones, he has a completely open ear for music; his selection is diverse and includes any and everybody. But zoning in on the 5 artists he listens to most, Braxton lists them as: J. Cole, Kendrick Lamar, Tory Lanez, Partynextdoor/Bryson Tiller, and Travis Scott. He also sheds light on the influence that Kanye West and Drake have had on him with their own music. But with all that being said, the project that gets the most play from BRXTN is 2014 Forest Hills Drive by rapper J. Cole.
As far as artists who aren’t so mainstream, Braxton is listening to R&B singer Jordan Kelly based in Louisville, KY, rapper Dwayne Levi, rapper Jack Harlow, and many other artists. He pretty much listens to and is open to everything, exemplifying his love for the art and appreciation of “anyone who’s pushing boundaries and creating something different.”
“I really have a mission, I really have a plan and the story is going to have to tell itself.”
Braxton accredits his uniqueness to his level of fearlessness and the amount of potential he has. His ambition and passion for what he does, has driven him to release three projects within the year including: Fall Flavors, High Rise Music, and For Now. He is self-motivated, not needing to be pushed or forced into doing any work. Being able to build from the ground up has shown him that not only can he rely on himself but when he has to, the result is productive. In talking about the direction and path that his career is currently following, Braxton declares, “I really have a mission, I really have a plan and the story is going to have to tell itself.”
After releasing For Now and High Rise Music, BRXTN returned to the studio with a fresh mindset, new beats, and new producers. That combination along with much creating and constructing, delivered what we know as Fall Flavors. BRXTN claims the EP to contain some of the best music he’s written thus far and though it only has 5 songs, he feels as though it is his most complete project yet. BRXTN is proud of Fall Flavors’ cohesiveness and the way that it showcases his versatility, and for what it’s worth, it’s my favorite from BRXTN so far.
BRXTN best describes his songwriting process as free flowing, he doesn’t really have one go-to method for it. He characterizes the message as being a universal one, one of self-education, self-empowerment, and self-enlightenment. What I love most is the encouragement that Braxton promotes in saying, “We only have one life to live, don’t spend it living for someone else’s approval. If you have something on your heart that you know you love to do and you have a talent for, even if you ain’t good at it and you want to be better at it, you only get one chance to do these kinds of things so just go for it.” Now that’s a message! While it’s definitely one of self-empowerment, I can’t ignore the advocation for self-love that, that quote as well as everything about my thirty minute interview with BRXTN described and alluded to.
When it comes to obstacles, we’re all forced to deal with them sooner or later. Obstacles come in many forms but will ultimately help us grow, getting past them will make achieving our dreams all the more rewarding. Braxton describes his biggest difficulties as being able to find the right team and getting his music in the hands of people who can actually do something with it; creating a network and body of people who can get you where you want to be is important. He’s ready to meet that team who will help him add to the progress he’s been making in order to further his career.
“Just do something, chase a dream, don’t live life being dormant because society tells you to. You’re worth way more than that.”
Braxton gives advice to our youth in saying to the kids who don’t want to pursue higher education that “you are not a failure but are creating a situation that could potentially create more challenges for you later in life. You need to have a developed plan and do research to find valuable alternatives.” Braxton credits this belief to being the way in which the system that we live in is set up, and I agree with him 100 percent. More than anything, BRXTN advises the youth to “just do something, chase a dream, don’t live life being dormant because society tells you to. You’re worth way more than that.”
To his fans, BRXTN expresses the most humble thank you. To those of you who are new to him and/or his music he wants you to know that it’s music for everybody with a universal message and that even if you don’t become a fan you’ll be able to respect that he’s an artist who’s creating at a high level with high quality, pushing something positive.
Fall Flavors can be purchased for $5.00 on BRXTN’s website, brxtnofficial.com or you can stream it free on Spinrilla.com. His next show is November 23 at Headliners Music Hall in Louisville, KY where he will be performing at 7:00 PM along with Jack Harlow, The Homies, and Well$. BRXTN’s Twitter and Instagram handle is @brxtnofficial. Be on the lookout for BRXTN, he’s definitely making major moves!
