Photo by: Vincent J. Walker @vincent.j.walker
Los Angeles is home to some of the most talented people in the world. Online Lover is a 24-year-old East Coast native who made the move to the West Coast to pursue his career in music. Since 2015, constantly delivering covers on Youtube. Music has always been a major part of his life. Completely motivated by his life experiences, offering you a raw, emotional heartfelt story in every lyric with a hint of queer energy. Influenced by artists such as Troye Sivan, Isaac Dunbar, Billie Eilish, Conan Gray, and others that inspire his creativity! Online Lover took the name from a list of names on scrap paper during a slow shift at work. Eventually the name really spoke to him and fit perfectly with the sound he wanted to create.
It’s that people hurt everyday, but that is just a small slice of life. You can choose to let that pain swallow you whole, or you can put that energy toward something even greater. As a queer Latino artist I hope to inspire people in my community and hometown to love who they want, and to always chase your dreams», reveled the 24-year-old artist via email.
Check out our conversation below !
Being from the East Coast and now living on the West Coast, has it changed your music influence?
Living in New Jersey for most of my life opened me up to all genres of music, I'd say that my influence def. changed over time. Comparing East Coast to West Coast I feel like there wasn't a major transition in taste within the last few months. If anything, moving to LA has just introduced me to more creatives from making new friends and having them share their fav. artist with me.
During this pandemic did you learn anything new?
I have learned way more about myself than ever in this pandemic. This was honestly the first time I could sit in reflection with a bunch of things that have happened in my life. I've been working since I was 15, and besides work I was always in school. So to finally have a few months of NO WORK, NO SCHOOL, just me in my own space was LONG overdue. I'd say my biggest take away is being grateful that I stepped out of my comfort zone and moved to LA to make it happen. Everyday is a blessing and I'm so proud of myself regardless of what happens that I took that first step of simply believing in my talent as an artist.
Would you date someone that has an Only Fans?
ABSOLUTELY. I'm very serious about monogamy though, so if you're sleeping with other men on the low and I never said I was cool with that, it's a dub haha. Get that bag though!
As far as music goes, how did you gravitate to that scene?
I always loved watching artists perform when I was a kid. My biggest dilemma with music was that I had very extreme anxiety growing up (even a little now). I constantly worried about every little thing I did with fear of being judged. A lot of it had to do with figuring out my sexuality, growing up In a very poor community, and not having an open minded community in my life until later on. I had a lot of emotion and thoughts built up, so once I moved away for college I decided to stop holding back and be my true self. Thus, I got the ball rolling with singing In my school choir, and doing some musical theater productions. Also just writing all the time was super helpful.
What's something not many people know about you?
I don't think people know that I have anxiety, it's something that I don't share often. It has stopped me from doing so much in my life which sucks. Some days are honestly extremely tough mental battles to get through, but I try to remind myself to breathe and stay centered whenever I start to feel overwhelmed.
Do you have any passions outside of music?
I do too much tbh. I've always wished that I had one focus but as a creative I've dabbled in pretty much everything. I like to draw, make youtube videos, and act. I've actually had the chance to audition for a few Hollywood films that are being released soon. So yeah, I consider all of those a passion in my life :).
Best advice for someone who just got out of a bad relationship?
Be kind to yourself.
What do you hope to accomplish by the end of this year
We're getting signed to a label this year, that's a BIG goal of mine! Besides that I wanna have my first EP done and start reaching new audiences. I also want to do my first show, whether it's virtual or in-person!
Lastly For anyone just being introduced to your music, how would you describe your sound?
I would say that my sound is very Raw, Emotional, and Queer af. My music is very personal to me and every song I've released has been kinda a slice of my life and experiences. So if people relate to my sad boy shii just know it was the other person's loss not yours bby. 😘