Episode Transcript
[00:00:00] Speaker A: Welcome back, listeners, to the Tron Podcast, the Randomness of Nothing. And this podcast is all about finding people who carve their own path, overcame adversity, and saw the brighter side of success their way. And there's very few guests I've had the honor and privilege of speaking to that encompass more than Candace Denise Rafer. Thank you.
[00:00:16] Speaker B: Thank you for having me.
[00:00:17] Speaker A: Much appreciated. Please. You know, your story is. You know, honestly, it reads like a. Like a movie or, you know, something that really gets people through some trying times. And I don't want to tell on your behalf. I just want to thank you for being on here and get a chance to tell what you're all about.
[00:00:30] Speaker B: Thank you. It's such an honor to be here. And, you know, I'm. I'm finding courage in life. Like, I'm kind of getting emotional right now already because it really. It's hitting me that I really did survive some stuff.
I never really sat with that until maybe, like, the last year or two. You know, I always have just sort of kept my story to myself. I feel like out of the comfort of my relatives, because, you know, a lot of them are living.
[00:00:58] Speaker A: Right.
[00:00:58] Speaker B: And because of this, like, complex perspective that I have, like. Like, I know we're getting deep already, like, kaleidoscope vision. And so it's like I can understand a lot of things and I can see everything from different perspectives, but I've never given myself permission or grace to actually sit with what that means.
[00:01:19] Speaker A: Right, right. So you've always just been able to. You're living, but you never took, like, that bird's eye view, so to speak, now of what you actually.
[00:01:26] Speaker B: Not for myself. I've always done it for others.
[00:01:29] Speaker A: Right, right.
[00:01:30] Speaker B: You know, and, you know, as you get older, it starts to affect you. And so I can't harbor. I can't harbor what happened to me any longer, especially with. With my success, with my dreams and everything, and my children and. So.
[00:01:44] Speaker A: Beautiful. Beautiful.
[00:01:45] Speaker B: Yeah. Here we are.
[00:01:46] Speaker A: So, you know, I mean, I. I read your bio, and like I said, we'll go into deep things deeper only if you choose to do so, you know, out of respect to you. So I. Whatever way you want to have this go is fine. But I will say, you know, it's a lot, you know, and you were in. You also were in the armed services as well, too.
[00:02:03] Speaker B: I was United States Marine Corps.
[00:02:06] Speaker A: Unbelievable. How long ago was that?
[00:02:09] Speaker B: Let's see, 20, 25. I got out in 2015. 10 years, actually. It'll be 10 years to the day on the 30th.
[00:02:18] Speaker A: Well, thank you very much for your service. That's much appreciated.
[00:02:21] Speaker B: Thank you.
[00:02:22] Speaker A: What did you.
What did you learn about yourself when you went into the. Into the armed services? Was it just fine? You said, like, literally, like, it brought you back to life, and I saw that you said literally. So what was that like? And what choice did you do when you did that? What led to that choice?
[00:02:35] Speaker B: It was liberating. I didn't know that it was going to be liberating because at first, I didn't want to join the military. I didn't want anything to do with, like, police or. Or anything like that, just because of. For me, this around it. And I was actually mad at a band teacher who was very supportive of me for a little bit because he had took it upon himself to tell a recruiter about my musical talents and everything. But, yeah. Yeah, it just so happened. I went and it was very liberating.
[00:03:06] Speaker A: Like, that's awesome.
[00:03:07] Speaker B: Felt like I. I put myself in a safe space to. To allow me to grow up, to start beginning to close my childhood chapter and really, like, discover myself.
[00:03:19] Speaker A: Right.
[00:03:20] Speaker B: Free of any outside input. If I would have gone to college, I feel like I still would have been coerced and swerved and probably taken advantage of.
[00:03:31] Speaker A: Right. That structured environment was perfect. Then. Just a.
[00:03:35] Speaker B: It was.
[00:03:36] Speaker A: You know, I've talked to people who have been in the military before, and a lot of them had some reasons similar to yours. They needed a structure and a sense of purpose greater than themselves. So let's talk about your music career, which is extensive. You know, I saw some interviews you've done on the. On some carpet events as well, too. First of all, how many instruments do you actually play?
[00:03:55] Speaker B: Okay, so I'll say proficiently. I can play four.
[00:04:00] Speaker A: Okay.
[00:04:01] Speaker B: Total. I could play up 13.
[00:04:04] Speaker A: Okay.
[00:04:04] Speaker B: We'll start with the. The top four, which is in no particular order, Violin, cello, clarinet, and piano. So those are four that I. I'm proficient.
[00:04:13] Speaker A: Only four. Who's. It doesn't matter.
[00:04:15] Speaker B: And then. Then you have the drums, the saxophone, mallet percussion.
[00:04:19] Speaker A: Beautiful.
[00:04:20] Speaker B: Viola, bass.
[00:04:22] Speaker A: Yeah.
[00:04:23] Speaker B: A little bit of guitar.
[00:04:24] Speaker A: Right.
[00:04:25] Speaker B: A little bit of, like, auxiliary percussion. You know, like the shakers and everything like that. So I'm pretty. I'm pretty decent at layering.
[00:04:33] Speaker A: Okay. How did you come from Indianapolis, Indiana, to where you're at now? Like, what. What led you along the way? Was it. Okay, Indiana is only gonna. And I'm not dissing Indiana. Indiana's wonderful state, but was it a case of I'm only Going to get so much here because I've heard from people when they needed to go to entertainment centers, so to speak, whether it's in New York, whether it's la, Atlanta, Miami, there's only so much somebody can do, even in. In. In certain areas, that they have to be in certain places to get their career to another level.
[00:05:01] Speaker B: Honestly, we'll leave that to the cosmos. I literally joined the military while I was still in high school, the delayed entry program. And it just so happened that I got orders to California.
[00:05:13] Speaker A: Really? Okay.
[00:05:14] Speaker B: Yeah. I didn't even have California on my list.
[00:05:17] Speaker A: Okay.
[00:05:19] Speaker B: To be stationed. It just so happened they needed more clarinet players in California. And here we are.
I just got orders and I never left.
[00:05:30] Speaker A: Wonderful. And so right now it says that you're coming out with a new lead single. I saw that, you know, in my notes. What's. What's that all about?
[00:05:37] Speaker B: That is my declaration of I'm going to tell my story. I'm going to remain calm. You know, there's no shade, there's no nothing. And if that makes me look like the bad guy, then so be it.
[00:05:51] Speaker A: Right?
[00:05:51] Speaker B: There's a lyric that says, I may end up all alone, but at least I have my peace. And that's been my reality. Like, I can no longer be bound by my past. And I feel like that song was really just declaring that, like, I don't have that energy anymore. It's not, you guys can't have my energy anymore.
[00:06:12] Speaker A: And the thing is about it too is you attract ultimately the behaviors that you exhibit. Right. So, you know, we. Obviously there's. There's multiple layers to you, but I know that you also do martial arts as well, too. And, you know, in addition to all the other things. And we talked about that before this interview started. And one thing that I was fascinated with, particularly somebody who also does martial arts, you have to leave everything at the door when you practice martial arts. You could be having the worst day, you know, what happened outside of the respective dojo, dojang facility. When you're inside of that training, all that matters is what's happening inside there. And it's. It's a wonderful feeling to be able to just disconnect from the rest of the world. And obviously, music does the same thing for a lot of people, and they put a lot of their emotions inside of their music as well, too, because that's. It's better they do that than do it in a negative manner. So you're putting your emotions in the right place to be able to Say, I've had things that happened to me, but there's a constructive way to do so. Have you helped others and this is the way you tell your story, right?
[00:07:08] Speaker B: Absolutely. So for me, martial arts has given me a channel. So to let the rage in anything just flow through me rather than just bottling it up inside.
[00:07:20] Speaker A: Correct.
[00:07:21] Speaker B: For me, music has also provided that a similar comfort.
However, for me, when I play music, I feel like that's how I actually talk. Like it's easier for me to play music than it is for me to tell you how I'm feeling. Wonders because of what I. Of what I went through and with martial arts, what martial arts did. And even the military, the military calmed me down really quick because I was very violent as a child. Like very high energy, very violent. Like the token crash out. It didn't even matter if it was my fight or not. If I saw a fight, I'm getting in, I'm getting my licks, I'm fighting both of the people who are fighting, and then I'm dipping.
[00:08:00] Speaker A: So it was just in your DNA.
[00:08:02] Speaker B: Just in my DNA, literally. But the military shit checked me real quick, you know, because if you go in with that mentality and you continue thinking like that, you're gonna get yourself and your team harm. So I learned to just kind of calm down.
And then over time, I discovered that I love Jiu jitsu, Brazilian Jiu jitsu.
[00:08:25] Speaker A: And that's a humbling sport, just the.
[00:08:27] Speaker B: Way that it flows and, and like, I'm able to pick up on the concept and, and the principal so easily. I'm like this, I am so grateful for Jiu Jitsu just because it allows that rage to flow through you and right back out the door. So for me, I never really left anything at the door. I always came and. And even when I am able to train again, it's like I allow that expression to flow and just let go.
[00:09:00] Speaker A: Well, you know, the funny part about it, when I dipped into Jiu jitsu, I have much more extensive experience in standing up than I did, you know, in jiu jitsu. And so I decided, you know, there's a. There's a little pride factor involved. Said, okay, well, if I have a black belt, another style, how will I do in this, right? And it's so different, right? And getting your butt handed to you despite experience in another style is one of the most humbling experiences you can ever have in your entire life. Now, as soon as your quote unquote weapons are taken away and you're like, what am I supposed to do here? To your point, you, once your mind slows down a bit and you start analyzing. I'm not great by any stretch of the imagination, but I started progressing when I realized it wasn't as bad as I thought it was going to be. And I didn't have a panic just because I was on my back. Like now you can actually, okay, breathe, stay calm. You're not in danger just because you know this person's moving their arm up to your neck. Because there's a lot of panic taps in that sport when you first start getting into it because you're totally uncomfortable. You know, obviously I, I don't have. I'm not belted in that art, but I do understand, you know, the nuances of what it takes to be maneuvering wise into, into Jiu Jitsu. So, yeah, it's a funny.
[00:10:08] Speaker B: I welcome all of it. I. I was never afraid of seeing someone's arm or leg or, or anything. It's like, I think, like I said, I think because I, I grew up like, with like a natural hunger for violence.
[00:10:22] Speaker A: Oh my goodness.
[00:10:23] Speaker B: It just, it's like for me, for me, I'm all for it. I'm like, yes, let's, let's get rough.
[00:10:29] Speaker A: Let's get right for sure and everything.
[00:10:31] Speaker B: Like, I've gotten black eyes and everything from, from the sport.
[00:10:35] Speaker A: Beautiful.
[00:10:35] Speaker B: But it, but it was never like any hard feelings against the other person. It's more of like, okay, this stuff happens.
[00:10:42] Speaker A: This is just how it goes.
[00:10:43] Speaker B: Exactly. And it just teaches. For me, Jiu Jitsu teaches me a different way to think in a situation. And then I try to apply those concepts to what I'm already doing. Because I already consider myself like a fluid thinking individual.
[00:11:00] Speaker A: Yeah.
[00:11:01] Speaker B: But Jiu Jitsu just kind of helps.
And since I'm not a kid anymore, you know, like you have a certain age where you can kind of get away with having a bad behavior depending on what it is.
[00:11:14] Speaker A: Right.
[00:11:14] Speaker B: So since, since I can't just go and like pop someone upside the head because they're being ignorant, what I can do is I can go sign a waiver and then we're all practicing controlled violence. And that's just, you know, that's. At the end of the day, that's what it is.
Learning and training.
[00:11:31] Speaker A: It's beautiful. It's wonderful. Let's talk about some of the events that. What's life like as a musician? Right. So a lot of people never get a chance to live out their dreams. You know, people. All I wanted to Be an actor. Oh, I wanted to play, you know, be a musician. But for people, the 90% of the people who live a structured, you know, punch the clock life. What is the life like as a musician?
[00:11:53] Speaker B: Oh, man, it's. You have ups and downs. Like, sometimes you get gigs, sometimes you don't. And it's really just like, you have to know in your. In your heart, like in your spirit and essence, that this is what you're called to do. So essentially, it's not going to matter what else you're doing in life because everything that you're doing is going to cultivate and help build.
Build a foundation for you to be able to pursue your music. And for me, I've always been a musician. I never raised my hand and said, I would like to be a musician when I grow up. It's more of something.
Decided to choose my energy or my soul or whatever and say, you are a musician. This is your gift.
[00:12:40] Speaker A: Right.
[00:12:40] Speaker B: Like, I was playing music before I could even read actual words on paper.
So for me, it's always just been second nature. It's just something that I do. I've always been called a natural, just gifted, musically inclined. And so it just made sense to try to make something happen. And for me, I've never been in it for the money or the awards or anything.
Honestly, I didn't even know much about the awards and accolades until, I want to say, like, well into my adulthood. And so, like, I've. I've just sort of been using music as a healing tool for myself, but for others as well.
[00:13:18] Speaker A: Right.
[00:13:19] Speaker B: And so I feel like, because I've always had this, like, vision or like this feeling or whatever is. Is in my soul, the universe has allowed me to be able to end up in the spaces that I can, like, help.
[00:13:34] Speaker A: Right?
[00:13:35] Speaker B: Like help inspire others or help other people, like, tap into that light that they have. And so I feel like I've just been a regular person. I've worked regular jobs. Like, I was a cashier for a little bit. I worked at a Chipotle for a little bit.
At the end of the day, it just never really felt fulfilling enough for sure. So it's like, I feel like maybe I've taken, like, the harder path, like the starving artist path, but I don't actually feel like I've struggled or, like, suffered as a musician. I just look at it as, huh, okay. I just know this is what I'm supposed to be doing.
[00:14:15] Speaker A: It's just part of the path of what I'm doing.
[00:14:17] Speaker B: Right, exactly.
[00:14:18] Speaker A: What I find fascinating about music, you know, for. This is coming from a guy who literally couldn't sing, and I can't play an instrument to save my life, I can't sing. I mean, you're talking to the last person who's talented musically, right? That being said, I am a consumer of music, and I'm a consumer of very different varieties of music, and I've always found it fascinating. Even when you look through the YouTube comments, right, somebody will say, if you listen to Stevie Wonder, right, You'll see as. And you'll see the comments that'll be like, this. This was in my.
[00:14:44] Speaker B: My.
[00:14:45] Speaker A: My wife's obituary. Or this was in, you know, at a funeral. And it. It's deeper than just the music that's playing in your car or the family reunion. It literally gets people through their darkest moments in life, right? Because it taps into something that transcends any sort of, you know, everybody's going to suffer from something, and this music got somebody through something, right? And I thought that when you start reading these comments about particular lines of music, you're like, man, this really touch to people. Then they sing better than they can talk about something. To your point, right? And it's a wonderful feeling.
[00:15:18] Speaker B: Yeah, it is for me. You know, I wrote a paper in high school about how music has frequencies, and each sound is a different frequency, a different wavelength and everything. And so when you play music and when you listen to things, you're. You're reverberating on a certain frequency and everything. So when you're listening to music, it literally can help change your mindset. It can. It can help you get through some of your most trying times, and you don't even really realize what's happening right scientifically. You just know that you have a favorite song and you really love the song, but you don't really know exactly why it is that you love that song and exactly to delve into the sound waves and the frequencies and the tones and everything. And so correct for me. For me, that's one of the reasons why I love playing music. And I like. I call it, like, transmuting. So I don't like listening or promoting the message of, like, killing each other and, you know, like drugs and all.
[00:16:23] Speaker A: That other stuff for sure.
[00:16:25] Speaker B: But what I do is, like, I take that beat or like, I make something in the same style, but I put my energy on it, and my energy automatically makes it into something that's, like, positive or something, something or, you know, something that. That everyone can digest. Like, I just did A remix that has, like, probably 11 different songs and at least four different genres.
[00:16:50] Speaker A: Nice.
[00:16:51] Speaker B: And the lyrics itself, it's talking about how, you know, people are gonna see you climbing up and what are they gonna do? Like, what are the people who hurt you gonna do? Like, you're safe. You're no longer playing small.
[00:17:06] Speaker A: Right.
[00:17:06] Speaker B: I've taken something that is considered booty shaking music and turn it into something positive. Like, you're not just making pancakes or shake pancakes. You're also choosing to elevate your. Your vibration or frequency or, you know, like, whatever you want.
[00:17:22] Speaker A: Of course.
[00:17:23] Speaker B: Honestly, I just feel like I'm just out here having a good time.
[00:17:27] Speaker A: For sure.
[00:17:28] Speaker B: My best life, trying to be the best person that I can because I deserve it. That's really what's happening. I'm starting to treat myself as if I deserve to live the life that everyone else does, because why not?
[00:17:40] Speaker A: Because you overcame the things you did and just briefly to touch on that. I always find my music is sometimes deeper than the song that you're listening to. And I was thinking about that, and I remember Nelly's country grammar, right? It's huge hit. Huge hit. And then I remember one day I was actually, like, saw, like, a review of his album, and I had the album, and God bless Nelly. Great artist. It was like, I'm going down, down baby low street in the Range Rover street sweeper. I'm like, that's about a drive by shooting.
And you're like, but it's a catchy pop song. And it just, like, it went over your head thinking that song. And then you're looking back, you're like, yo, this is actually a violent song. But it just. But it was so catchy, to your point, and it completely blended in, and nobody ever thought anything twice about that. It was. I thought it was hilarious. I do want to.
[00:18:21] Speaker B: It just goes to show that we have. We have the power to choose how the music we listen to will affect our aura, if that makes sense. And, like, when you're aware of yourself.
[00:18:33] Speaker A: Right.
[00:18:34] Speaker B: When you're aware of yourself, you know that you're protected. So you could be listening to Nuck if you buck, you know.
[00:18:40] Speaker A: Right, Right.
[00:18:41] Speaker B: You can still be the most calm, peaceful.
[00:18:45] Speaker A: Yes.
[00:18:45] Speaker B: Person in the world. It just means you like the song and you're exactly that song, and you're applying it to your own journey. You're not necessarily going out there throwing bows on people.
[00:18:57] Speaker A: Not at all. Not at all. It's just. It's. You compartmentalize it for that moment. I did find a very fascinating thing about you. You are the great niece of Bass Reeves.
[00:19:05] Speaker B: Yes.
[00:19:06] Speaker A: That's amazing, Greg. Excuse me. That is absolutely bonkers. And not a lot of people, you know there. I know there was a show about him, but if you didn't see the show, you know, you would think that this is fictitious. But tell me, like, what kind of lineage is that? That's amazing.
[00:19:21] Speaker B: You know, I'm still discovering that for myself, if I had to be honest.
I never knew growing up who. Who I was related to, if anyone. You know, I just knew my immediate family and my relative, foster family, and. And barely my dad. And, you know, so it's like, over the years, I have started really trying to get to know my family members. And then I was scrolling the Internet and I saw this man, and it was Bass Reeves. And I'm like, wait a minute. He looks. He looks very identical to my grandfather, who I barely know myself. And so I got to asking, and during a brief moment of communication with. With my dad and my uncle, I was asking, you know, like, who is this man and why does he look like my granddad? And they're like, that's our uncle. And I'm like, wait, are you kidding me right now?
[00:20:15] Speaker A: Like, unbelievable.
[00:20:16] Speaker B: The original Lone Ranger. The very first African American U.S. marshal.
[00:20:22] Speaker A: Nuts nobody.
[00:20:23] Speaker B: My uncle. And it just started putting a lot of my life and a lot of my existence into perspective. Like, it explains why I went to the military. It explains why I grew up rough and tough, you know, fighting and very, like, you know, like, I'm. I'm out there. I'm in it.
[00:20:41] Speaker A: It all made sense.
[00:20:42] Speaker B: I just didn't have something to, like, reel me in. So I feel like just all this energy and everything has just been sort of, like, passed down and dispersed, but I really got the brunt of something. And then to know that I'm related to someone who has had so much impact in our nation, that just makes me feel like I belong even more. Makes me feel like my story does matter.
[00:21:08] Speaker A: Right?
[00:21:09] Speaker B: It makes sense why I'm so unique. I'm a clarinet player. Like, I'm choosing to really delve into my clarinet abilities, and what I'm doing is not being done. And if it is, I don't know.
I don't know anyone else. But right now, I am the first clarinet player of my type to do what I'm doing, and I'm shooting for Guinness World Record. First contemporary clarinet player of my type to debut at a Hard Rock Cafe.
[00:21:37] Speaker A: Nice.
[00:21:38] Speaker B: It just makes sense. Like, learning about Bass Reeves and all of his accolades and everything. Like, it makes sense. Sense why I'm so outspoken and powerful, I guess, and I'm very honored.
[00:21:50] Speaker A: That's. That's. Well, I think the most amazing thing is that when you find out that you're deeper than the person that you are and there's a purpose, why you're here and you're connected to that, I mean, that's a once in a. I mean, that's. That. That's like a. That. That just doesn't happen to find that piece of information out. Right. I mean, we're all proud of. You know, we have levels of pride of our lineage, but all of a sudden, to see that name associated with it is a different level of feeling. That's incredible. I read that I had to do a double take.
[00:22:18] Speaker B: No worries. And there's also a couple of other last names that. That is alleged to be related to. But until I can find out more actual information, I'm not going to disclose those names because that's when we start getting into questionable territory. Let's just say, yeah, everything makes sense. Like, it makes sense why I have a passion for martial arts. It makes sense why I have a passion for fighting. Not just for the sake of fighting, but for what that represents, for what that means.
[00:22:52] Speaker A: For sure.
[00:22:53] Speaker B: The more I delve into my family lineage, the more I'm going to uncover, and when I can, I'll definitely announce who else I could be related to.
[00:23:03] Speaker A: I'm looking forward to that information. What does the future hold for yourself as a person, your music career, and your journey along the way?
[00:23:11] Speaker B: Well, honestly, my future is really that of making sure that I am a better person than anything that I've ever gone through, no matter what. And I have children. So it is not only my responsibility and duty to make sure that I'm living the way that I should be for them, but also for others. Like, my future. Like, I'm already living my future, really. Like I said, I'm. I'm being the best person that I can. I'm being a coherent mom. Like, I'm not subjecting my children to anything that I've gone through. I'm allowing them space to be themselves with my music. You know, my music is just my music. It's going to carry me wherever it needs to carry me. I aspire to have awards and accolades and everything, but that'll come when the time comes, if it ever comes. I don't play music, and I don't do what I do for.
For necessarily the consumer's sake, but more for, like, my soul and my essence. And then whoever gravitates to that.
[00:24:16] Speaker A: Right.
[00:24:16] Speaker B: And then also I'm going to London in October, so there's that.
[00:24:21] Speaker A: Right.
[00:24:22] Speaker B: And I'm really. My future is just inspiring others, letting them know that they're valid, too, regardless of anything that they've ever experienced, experienced or endured. You know, they don't have to succumb to that darkness. And then there are other people that have gone through similar things, like me, if not worse, that have not ever had the chance to tell their stories because they have either been shut out to a point where they don't have that confidence or they have, you know, they've passed. So it's my duty, I feel like, to let people know that there are people like you out there, and I'm one of them. Like, I survived. And my grandma will deny, but I survived abortion attempts. I survived being, you know, touched on inappropriately from time. I could probably open my eyes up until, you know, I graduated. And then I went through things in my marriage and, you know, just a lot of. Just a lot of trauma. So I've overcome a lot. And I feel like, because I still have my mind, because I still have my. My sanity, my thoughts, you know, like, I'm intact for the most part. I'm not strung out on drugs right out the streets, you know, like, I really am like, an anomaly to the universe. And so I feel like in return, in exchange for, I guess my life being spared, it's my duty to sort of inspire other people that are going through adversity or anything, really. Like, that's my future. My future is just inspiring.
[00:25:53] Speaker A: Yeah. And again, I was not. I want to be respectful about that particular part about your background, because it's your job to tell that, not mine. So thank you for, you know, touching on that and ultimately persevering through that as well, too. And, you know, that's. That's one of those things that you just sort of shudder when you read about it. But I'm glad to be able to talk to you, you know, in the present form of where you are, you know, no worries.
[00:26:13] Speaker B: And I already tell my family, like, whoever. Whoever hears me or sees me, you know, if. If I'm wrong, please tell me. Show me. Prove to me how. How I had a structured environment. Show me that I was loved. Show me how, you know, whatever I'm experiencing is not what actually happened. I need. I need to know for my own sanity and clarity. But until then, I'm Going to speak about what I. What I experienced from my point of view, because I experienced what I experienced. And just because it's seen differently from other people does not negate my reality experience.
You know, for sure, that's it. I'm down to talk about anything, you.
[00:26:57] Speaker A: Know, and I think that's important to. To, you know, one of the reasons I do this show is obviously to get, you know, people's backgrounds and their understanding what they came through. So, you know, I appreciate you sharing that. You know, one of the things I did want to, you know, touch briefly upon, not that what you. What said wasn't important, but obviously music. And I think sometimes people, when it comes to even just entertainment in general, the musician isn't always the person you see on the radio or the YouTube video, right? It's the person that's playing at the lounge, at the bars, the person that's playing at the hotel. You know, it's the theater troupe group that's coming in your towns, people sometimes. And I'm guilty of it. Right. It's almost like not every movie is in the movie theater, right? Every. There's movies that are directly on tubi, you know, consumed directly to consumer. So you're a musician, but they play. They play orchestras, they play at private parties, private events. There's lots of mediums to be successful musician. Even if you're not on the Billboard 100, right?
[00:27:53] Speaker B: Absolutely. And I feel like I'm one of those musicians. I don't have a team. I don't have a manager or a music agent. You know, I don't have anyone showing me how to do things. And, you know, like, I've gone to school, I was getting my degree, and then at one point my school was shut down federally because they were stealing funding and all this other stuff. And then I got the courage to go back to school, but, you know, like, I'm a parent, so I'm just chugging along. But that's me. I am. I'm one of those musicians that when people hear me play, they're like, oh, you should be famous and you should be this and this and this. But for me, what matters is that I'm playing. And it doesn't matter where I'm playing, whether it's on the street corner or at a bar or at, you know, like a jazz club or anything like that.
[00:28:40] Speaker A: For sure, sure.
[00:28:41] Speaker B: And I just feel like for me, I. I commend everyone who is creating to the best of their ability with what they have.
[00:28:49] Speaker A: Right.
[00:28:49] Speaker B: And I feel like as Long as they're creating for the integrity of their essence, then they're going to be successful in everything that they're. That they want to do, no matter what, because they're staying true to themselves, with or without a team. Like I said, I'm. I'm literally just. I'm doing this on my own, and I've been blessed to have met people that are getting me into bigger rooms, so that way we can begin to incorporate someone as unique as me. Like I said, I play clarinet. You've never heard a clarinet on a track in the music industry other than jazz or classical or, like, traditional folk song and. And things of that nature. But you've. You've never. I can guarantee you, if you listen to some of my music that's on my Instagram and everything, you've never heard a clarinet player play like me. And so we're really just trying to figure out, how do we integrate this unique energy?
[00:29:47] Speaker A: You know, like I said, you're a spark of the universe. Your light, you know, your positivity. And if there's ever a time where people needed some good words to overcome adversity in life, yours were the ones that they needed to hear.
[00:29:58] Speaker B: Absolutely. Thank you.
[00:29:59] Speaker A: I got to appreciate you being on the Tron podcast, and I hope this is not our last discussion together. I wish you nothing but continued success, for sure.
[00:30:06] Speaker B: Thank you. I feel like a lot more people, especially you, we have a lot to discuss. This is just the beginning. Like, you guys are. You guys are meeting me as an adult now in your. You're learning about the backstory of how I came to be in this moment.
[00:30:23] Speaker A: Right?
[00:30:24] Speaker B: And we haven't even touched the surface of the future.
[00:30:27] Speaker A: Right?
[00:30:27] Speaker B: Because it's literally. It's literally happening now. Like, everything is starting to unfold right now.
[00:30:34] Speaker A: Right. And that's why I always give guests this opportunity to tell their story. It's not mine to tell, so wish you nothing but the best. Thank you very much, Candace.
[00:30:41] Speaker B: Thank you for having me.
