Motion
Motion’s music is made of magic. Lucid and lofi, hours can pass before you realize how much time has gone by. Growing up in Chicago with a very musical family, he’s been exposed to the arts since a young age, singing in church and learning piano from his father. Though his family is all musically adept, Motion takes it a step further and songwrites, an aspect that’s set him apart as an artist since his freshman year of high school. With sounds reminiscent of The Weeknd and Beach House, Motion is a player in the redfiniton or R&B, merging it with pop. Since his 2018 release of “Fight the Feeling,” Motion’s put out countless more singles, 2 EPs, and 2 albums, including his latest project, Summer Canvas. Demonstrative of the increasingly ethereal nature of his work, the album proves that Motion is something special. We recently spoke with the rising star about his dream collaboration, what he’s got planned, and more!
How did you start making music?
I used to just produce beats before I started to write songs. I messed around a lot with GarageBand on this old busted desktop we had in the basement, and when I figured out how to record voice memos, I started to sing or rap to my beats. I didn’t get my hands on an actual mic for a few years, but when I finally did I would have my boys from school over and we would all freestyle or make tracks together off of my beats or ones we would find off YouTube. It gradually became a love and passion for me, and I actually put out my first ever project around my sophomore year of high school. I went by a different artist name at the time. I produced, wrote, and sang every song on it myself. Looking back on it now I’ve really come a long way, but that project was still a huge confidence boost for me, and showed me that I can really do this.
If you could collab with any artist right now, who would it be?
If I could collab with any artist right now, it would probably be Thundercat or Lucky Daye. I can imagine myself having a lot of fun recording with either one. Both of them have this authentic, soulful vibe in their music, and the musicianship/instrumentation just gives off a timeless and classic sound. That’s rare in today’s music. They both clearly respect and are influenced by the greats of old, and my goal is to create music that makes people feel the same way theirs makes me feel.
Tell us about your experiences in the music industry as an up-and-comer.
It’s not easy man. I’ve never had a manager, label, agent, nothing. I’ve always self-promoted, self-managed, everything. It can be tiring, but at the same time, there is a freedom in it that I appreciate. No label to answer to, no one to tell me how to do the thing in my life that brings me joy. I’ve met a lot of people who have inspired and pushed me to keep going. One in particular was my best friend from high school. He’s a rapper, and he was one of the first people to really believe in me and instill that confidence in me that I had something special. A gift. I owe a lot to him man, that’s my brother right there, for life. I also met and performed in front of Chance the Rapper when I was like 17, and he used to host these open mics for high school kids in Chicago. I still remember him telling me “you’re dope man, you got something, keep going”. I’ll never forget it. It’s been a long road, and I’m only just beginning, but I’m in it till the wheels fall off. It’s never been about fame or stardom for me, I just wanna create music that people can connect to.
When you aren’t making music, what are you doing?
Working out every day. I’m super into fitness and health. I also am a follower of Jesus. I spend time walking with Him every day. God is the only reason I have this gift of music in the first place, so I always gotta put Him first in my life. I’m also a lowkey geek. I love video games, anime, cartoons, all that. If anybody wants to get it in some smash bros online, hit me up!
Take us through your process in making “Say It’s Mine”.
“Say It’s Mine” was produced by Jbyss, and is a record I made when I was deep into that dark R&B sound. I’ve been a huge fan of The Weeknd since House of Balloons, and his music was a big inspiration for me early on, and you can hear it in the track. I mixed and mastered it myself, as I do all my songs. I actually never expected it to gain the popularity it has, but I’m super grateful for everyone who supports and listens. I was in a darker place mentally, emotionally and spiritually at the time. A lot of my early Spotify tracks were actually written years before they were posted.
Do you have a dream venue? If so, what is it?
I’d love to perform at the Chicago House of Blues, back in my hometown with all my people.
What can we expect from you in the future?
Expect the unexpected. I plan to release a lot more consistent content. I have a lot in the works right now, but I don’t wanna spoil it for y’all. All I can say is stay tuned. Keep moving with me.
