One on One in 10: Chris Watkins Alaska

Hello, welcome to One on One in 10, where we give you a brief introduction to some of the most talented Indie artists, not only from the Tri-State area, but from across the globe!  It’s your girl Mai Mazzi live and on the scene, bringing you the real with today’s movers and shakers that allows you to meet them, one on one.

This year has been flying by ever so quickly! 2016 is the year of change; we are now closing in on election time. I hope that all of our readers are registered to vote. We have some strong nominees for each party and the pick will not come as easy as some may think. Having the knowledge to dissect what is in front of you and making your voice heard is a must.

This month we were able to travel to Alaska to meet a very talented artist, whom we play his music regularly on our Indie Live Music radio station. He has blessed our ears with his songs “Yellow Brick Road” and “London Can’t Take It”. We wanted to know what motivated him to create such a different style of music. One on One in 10 family, we are pleased to introduce you to Chris Watkins.

Mazzi: Thank you so much for taking the time out to sit and talk with me.

Chris Watkins: Thank you for having me!

Mazzi: What made you first realize that you wanted to pursue a career in music?

Chris Wakins: I grew up in a rural area in Alaska and I think it was the isolation. Music was a form of communication for me.

Mazzi: How do you describe your music?

Chris Watkins: I like to think that I make “pop” music for adults. I find a lot of the commercial “pop” music to be intellectually condescending. The profit driven “pop” music arena doesn’t really give people an opportunity to grow up to it. I feel as if it lacks substance and lessons and my music fulfills those voids.

Mazzi: If you had to categorize your music, what genre would it best fit?

Chris Watkins: I would fit my music loosely in the pop genre.

Mazzi: Are you familiar with the term “starving artist”?

Chris Watkins: Yes.

Mazzi: How do you cope with major obstacles as they relate to the term?

Chris Watkins: When you are in the situation of being a “starving artist” for a long period of time, you become more focused on the work and that becomes all encompassing.

Mazzi: What do you think your “greatest opportunity” has been so far in your musical career?

Chris Watkins: I think that the proliferation of digital media, especially digital radio, has been the best thing that has happened to me thus far.

Mazzi: What image do you think your music conveys? Why did you choose this type of image for your music?

Chris Watkins: I consider myself to be in the tradition of the socialists from the 1930s who were very influential in the arts. There was a danger of that influence becoming too message orientated, but I feel it is necessary for stakes to be involved. It is important for value judgments to be present in art. I consider myself to be a descendant of those writers.

Mazzi: Art and music has an impact on both the young and the old; sometimes the older generation loses respect for the music we listen to today because they cannot comprehend the value of it. What advice can you give to the youth of today seeking to enter the industry in regards to being able to stay relevant for every generation and for any audience?

Chris Watkins: It is going to take people like you and radio stations you are currently involved in. That’s the only way it is going to happen. The corporations are only interested in the bottom line. There is no social contract left in America, particularly in the entertainment industry.

Mazzi: What are your immediate music career goals (1 to 3 years)?

Chris Watkins: Right now I am hoping that my catalogue creates enough demand so that I can do a tour. We are now rapping up my next album, expecting to drop soon.

Mazzi: How do you like to enjoy your time away from the music?

Chris Watkins: If I am not writing I am reading. That is my main interest.

Make sure you look out for more from Chris Watkins on Indie Live Music Radio! FB Indie Live, Instagram and Twitter Indie Live Music, Tune In App Indie Live Music Radio!

To my readers, thank you for tuning in, and make sure you stay tuned for the next NMNJ “One on One in 10”!