Hydro is a hip-hop singer-songwriter from Connecticut. He has been immersed in music since a young age. He discovered his love for music at a school talent show, and since then has developed his love for hip-hop and what music represents. Currently, he is mainly dedicated to composing original songs and organizing musical events in his local area.
How did you start making music?
I started making music as a child. When I was in sixth grade, I entered a talent show at school with a group of friends. At first, one of my friends and I were going to do comedy in collaboration with other friends who were going to do music. But, as soon as I saw my friend rapping, I knew I wanted to do that. I didn’t want to be on stage to be funny and tell jokes, I wanted to be out there rapping. I just fell in love with it. My friends helped me write my first verse, which we played together as a band and then recorded. We had a live hip-hop moment and, being a young boy in sixth grade, I just fell in love with the music, with making it and listening to it.
You’re a songwriter, do you also like making covers?
I’m mostly into songwriting, rather than covers. But what I do like to do sometimes is to write new verses to old popular songs in freestyle. It’s not a cover as such, it’s more like going with the music and what’s behind that song, and paying homage to the author of the original piece.
Are you a full-time musician?
Right now I’m a full-time musician. I’m a truck driver by trade and for a long time, I was delivering goods around different states like Connecticut, and Massachusetts, among others. I delivered Amazon packages and worked on my music on the side. Then when the covid pandemic hit, it changed the way people worked to make money, so I decided to work more independently in the driving business. Music has always been a passion and something constant in my day-to-day life, and in the last couple of years, I have been concentrating more and more on making and working on the form of my art and how to get it out to more people.
That’s awesome. And what types of things are you doing to get your music out there?
One of the main things I do, in the spirit of Make Music Day, is to generate musical experiences in places where people can come and listen to music. I love doing community based events and shows. Working with Make Music Day in my local community has put me in touch with other people and some organizations, whose connection has allowed me to work on other events and projects where I bring the energy of Make Music Day, which inspired me because of its history and the synergy between people around the world, which is something I think should happen more regularly. My goal is to bring music to people in new ways, live and in amazing venues that are easily accessible to the public and are not normally stages.
How did you find out about Make Music Day?
I found out about Make Music Day through the Greater Hartford Arts Council, which is a local organization that aims to support and empower artists in the area, as well as connect with others nationally who are doing the same thing they are. They do a great job creating opportunities and making artists aware of opportunities, which is really important, especially in the hip-hop world, as we’re not in big market areas and a lot of times artists here are just doing what they think they should be doing or copying what other famous people are doing. It can be very competitive and very stressful to run a music career, find opportunities to work on your art and connect with other people in your community. For that reason, I really value the mission of organizations like Make Music Day.
How has your experience at Make Music Day been?
It’s been amazing. I’ve made great connections with other artists, and Make Music Day has helped me find my voice as well. Being someone who expresses herself through art, Make Music Day allowed me to learn how to organize events and work with others, and recreate their unique spirit in new musical environments.
How would you describe what music means to you?
For me, music is life: an ever-changing experience that is different from day to day. Music is a very powerful art form and I love it. It’s peace, it’s love. I think it’s one of the greatest things we have.
Finally, what would you say your goal in music is?
To bring more music to people all over the world and use it as a unifying element. The beautiful thing about people is that we are all different and unique in our own way. I love the way music brings people from different places and cultures together. My goal is to connect people.