creating music that blends genres

I have struggled with the idea of trying to put my music in a neat little genre box. 

I think it is good advice if you are trying to build an audience quickly and have a passion for a very specific type of music.

But I find that I am attracted to all kinds of music. 

I thoroughly enjoy elements of rock, country, hip hop, edm, folk, etc. 

And I have a desire to put those elements into the music I make. 

But that makes it harder to figure out how to quantify and qualify what you do. 

I’m not saying that my music is excellent and deserves its own category. But I want to pull these different elements into the music that I make. 

I look up to artists like Jon Bellion, Tyler Joseph, and Jacob Collier who are incredible at blending different elements of genres together to create music that is amazing and unique. 

I have a very long way to go to be on the same level as them, but I love the ethos of what they do. They make the kind of music that they want to make, regardless of the category that it might fit into, and they do it in an excellent way. They are truly passionate about the music that they make, and incredibly creative in their output. 

For a while, I was really toying with the idea of trying to focus on a micro-genre of music (nod to Jesse Cannon for this idea)  as a way to build an audience faster. And I think that is a great idea for someone who has a micro-genre that they love and want to be fully invested into. 

But I’m not sure that is the path for me. 

I want to borrow different elements from different genres and work on putting them together in interesting ways. 

I love the hard hitting drums of hip hop and rock. 

I love electric guitar parts from country, folk, and rock. 

I love the texture and ambience of electronic and EDM. 

I love the storytelling of country, folk and indie. 

I love the hooks, structure, and catchy elements of pop.

I want to figure out how to meld these kinds of elements together in the music that I make. 

I want to do it in a way that is appealing to me, but hopefully also to you as well. 

Everything is a freakin’ experiment. 

And this is just planting the flag into the ground to say … I’m gonna try this. 

And I want to share the process of what I’m doing with anyone that is interested in it. 

For reference, I already have some experience under my belt. 

I’m not starting as a total noob. 

But I have a lot to learn in the realm of songwriting, arrangement and mixing. 

And to do this in a way that honors some of the parts that I love from these different genres. 

Up to this point I’ve done 2 full length albums, 1 EP and a few singles.

I haven’t built any sort of an audience because I wrestled with the idea of self-promotion and marketing. But that really is just code for I was scared to let people know that I made stuff because I didn’t want them to judge me and feel bad about myself if they didn’t like it. 

But that’s just stupid. 

It’s time to put on the big boy pants and put things out into the world.

Some people might like it, some people might hate it, and that’s okay. 

So that’s the goal. 

I’m going to start documenting the music that I am creating. 

Sharing the process of what I’m doing and why. Share the ups and downs of things I’m learning as I’m trying to figure out how to build genre-blending music, up my skills in songwriting, arranging and mixing, as well as storytelling and content to help me build an audience. 

Thanks if you came to check this out. 

I appreciate it if you took the time to read through this entire thing. 

And if you resonated with what I’m talking about, then you’re probably my kind of people.

Cheers, 

Jeremy