Check out our interview with music artist and producer Eric Gorza.
Eric formed his first original band, Silken Feast. With that band, Eric had the opportunity to play in a lot of small pubs/venues around his city. The band’s best achievement was to play in the biggest venue from Vitoria – ES, called Spirito Jazz, that was a stage for renewed national and international artists. Approximately one year later, Eric decided to quit the group and form another band, called Pelados. With them, he started playing not only in venues but also in festivals. With Pelados, Eric recorded a live videoclip of their first single “Ela é Sexo” which was his very first experience in a professional recording studio. This episode gave him a new overview on the process of creating, producing, recording and sharing music with people.
Follow Eric @ericgorza
Were you always sure you wanted to be in the industry that you are in?
Yes. Since I was young I had this huge passion for music. My mom told me that when I was a kid, like 3 years old, I used to spend a lot of time playing invisible drums, listening to music, pretending to be a DJ, while my friends at the time were all playing soccer or whatever. What a cool/weird kid I was. I guess it took a while for me to understand that I couldn’t do anything with my life except music.
I think the city I was born in has a huge influence on why I took many years to actually accept that I want to be an artist/musician. People there are usually conservative and they don’t accept that music can be more than a hobby.
But looking back I can tell that I always knew that, I just took a while to accept it.
Was your family supportive?
I guess I can say that everyone was supportive but my mom. I actually had a deal with my mom that I could try to focus on my music as long as I got some bachelor’s degree on any conventional program before. So, I spent 5 years studying Civil Engineering. I got my diploma and I said to my family that I would try to follow my career in music. They were all shocked, I think they were expecting me to forget about my deal with my mom after 5 years studying all these crazy mathematical stuff. So, I had to talk to every single person in my family, eventually they understood that I would be a very frustrated person if I didn’t follow my dream, so they started to support me. My mom never supported me tho, that was actually very frustrating but after all this time I think she is proud of me. I hope she is!
Have you ever thought about giving up of your musical career?
I’m super hard on myself, some people tell me that’s a very standard thing about Virgo’s. For a long time, my perfectionism made me second guess about where I should lead my life. I used to compare myself to my favorite artists, to think everything I create is dumb, to think I’m not good enough. So many times I asked myself the questions: Should I keep trying? Should I quit and find another thing to do with my life, before I get old?
But then eventually I became mature enough to understand that I’m the best version of myself. Each person is unique so am I. So, there’s no right or wrong as long as I’m honest and as long as I translate my truth through my music. Since I understood that I became way more confident and I’m actually being way more productive.
It wasn’t easy tho, I had to break up a lot of friendships that were being toxic to me.
What are your thoughts on fame?
I think fame can be very tricky. I always think about famous artists and how they deal with the lack of privacy. Also with all the judgement and stuff. It must be really hard.
I think fame it’s something that might come because of your work, but it’s not something that artists should focus on. It should be a consequence. It’s way more important to focus on the moment, on the music, on all the experiences, on all the achievements so far, that’s actually what success means to me. Nobody can tell you’re not successful because you’re not famous. That’s a huge mistake. Whoever is happy with their achievements is a successful person.
If I were famous I’d try to keep myself far from anything that can play with my ego. I’d try to keep my privacy and use my fame in a positive way, I’d stand up for my beliefs and use my voice to support important causes that can make the world a better place for everyone. Some artists like Alicia Keys, Rihanna, Beyonce, Finneas, Billie Eilish, Harry Styles actually do that and I really admire them because of the way they deal with fame.
What did it mean for you to perform in Hollywood venues?
To me it was a big deal. After my first concert, I remember thinking about my whole life as a musician, where I came from and where I am right now. I’m glad I made the right decisions and decided to come here. I came from a very small city and I was really frustrated with the music scene there. If I could go back in time and tell little Eric that someday he would be part of the music industry in USA, playing with people from a lot of nationalities I would’ve never believed. It’s a amazing experience. The whole experience in USA, far from my comfort zone, made me grow up a lot as a human being. I’m really grateful to be here.
How is Covid affecting your work?
Covid actually changed the whole dynamic of my work. I used to go to the studio to play with bands at least 3 times every week. I also used to have recording sessions very often. Now I do all my collaborations from home. That’s the biggest difference, I don’t see people anymore. Most of my work is online, I record something, arrange some songs, mix or whatever and the whole thing happens remotely.
But to be honest I can’t complain about the work, I think it’s a very creative time for everybody, especially for musicians.
