BRYVN

Boundaries. Most of us relish in the benefits of them but have difficulty setting them, and our sheer willpower is relentlessly tested while maintaining them. Most of us that is, except Bryvn, the multi-instrumentalist and record producer with a budding career spanning the discographies of a multitude of iconic musicians. Even though Bryvn has spent the last year collecting countless RIAA (Recording Industry Association of America) plaques of musical accomplishment with ease and gusto, who is only warming up. The producer believes the “traditional” life he has set up for himself outside of music is actually the reason behind his ruthless determination and burgeoning success. Although the two worlds in which he inhabits seem to starkly contrast one another, the juxtaposition actually strikes the environmental homeostasis that he needs to fully thrive. 

“A lot of people would say my circumstances suck. You know, you ask people if they’d want two kids, and a wife at age 26 and they’d be like “oh, hell nah!” A lot of people like to settle down in the 30’s, but to me, having my wife and kids at this age has been my upper hand, and I’ve used it to my advantage. I could actually tie so much of my motivation to accomplish all that I have directly back to my wife and kids,” explains the producer while pulling off his Gucci logo ball cap and running his fingers through his silky black hair. Bryvn actually created this life for himself years before his official ascent into the music business. “I actually got married at 20 years old, and had a kid at 21. If I was dolo, I wouldn’t have the work ethic that I do. I think I’d be a lot less thoughtful and intentional too. If I didn’t have my wife that pushes me to be a better man every day, I don’t know where I’d be,” gushed Bryvn. Something about hearing a young man proclaim these sentiments is refreshing and should maybe even cause a number of us to tap in with ourselves and reflect a bit on our own beliefs as Bryvn’s life is atypical for the modern success story. 

“Balancing fatherhood at such a young age with a fast career in music can be a challenge, but I view it as a blessing and force that keeps me consistently working for more. When I became a father, it grounded me and every decision that I make. Everything I do, I take a lot more seriously and have realized that there are a lot less room for errors. I have to do my best all of the time and give 110%, always. When I had my first child, I was still working my 9-5, but knew I wanted to transition out and fully into music,” says Bryvn. It’s clear that humans are motivated by an array of factors when it comes to achievement. In one way or another, we’re all looking for something bigger than ourselves to enrich our earthly experience, to believe in, to align with, and to which ultimately merge. Existence often feels too vast and too consuming to simply exist on a surface level. Bryvn’s family seems to provide him with that monopolizing sense of profound purpose. Although a vast portion of his motivation was spawned from the love he has for his small family, he innately understands the importance of balance and boundaries being crucial ingredients in any recipe for profound success. 

“If I moved to Los Angeles, I just wouldn’t know when to stop with my work because I love what I do so much. You know how it is, especially in a creative industry. If you’re not on your shit, someone else is coming for your spot. If I was in LA full time, I just wouldn’t stop and that’s just not healthy for my wife, my kids, or even myself. ”

Bryvn drives this point home by sharing that he knows, “for a fact that if I moved to Los Angeles, I just wouldn’t know when to stop with my work because I love what I do so much. You know how it is, especially in a creative industry. If you’re not on your shit, someone else is coming for your spot. If I was in LA full time, I just wouldn’t stop and that’s just not healthy for my wife, my kids, or even myself. To say you do what you love for a living is such an achievement that sometimes you can get lost in it. You know what I’m saying? This is all sort of still foreign to me. With that being said, I love the element of having the boundaries between living out here in Sacramento and working in LA. People actually prioritize me being in town to work together, and I really appreciate that.” Although Bryvn seems to have the fundamentals of his foundation precisely in place, he still deals with pressure in every sense of the word, daily. Whether those are external pressures or self-induced ones, that is up for debate, but he feels them nonetheless. 

The musician shares that, “the pressure really is real. Even though my work looks like a lot of fun, and actually is really enjoyable, it takes effort to maintain, but just as importantly grow as well. For example, a lot of pressure comes from gaining and experiencing as much as I can from every opportunity I get and create. I just bought a house, so my newest goal is strategizing around how I can pay this mortgage off in less than five years. You know, shit like that. I’m already very financially stable, but how can I do more? You know what I’m saying? How can I take care of my kids and my kids’ kids?” He goes on to explain that, “It’s crazy how the mountain keeps getting higher with every accomplishment. I thought when I signed my deal I’d feel so accomplished, but it just made me realize I’m really down here, and I have so many more things I want to do. It doesn’t stop.”

Most people interact with the continuous flow of life in either one of two ways: it completely beats a lot of the population into a submissive, monotonous state paralyzed by fear and exhaustion, or is perceived to be an invigorating, motivational aspect by a select few of high achievers. Bryvn clearly interacts with this ever-flowing current as one of the high achievers that he is. He says he finds beauty and purpose everywhere, especially within his relationships explaining that, “I’m really inspired around everybody that I work with. I’m influenced a lot by their workflow, and I take what I can to apply to my own life and marry that with my own work style to improve myself.”

“Speaking of work,” Bryvn says, “I’ve been working a good bit out in Texas. It’s cool. It’s fun. I’ve been working with Chase B. So much good food, good people, honestly, really great people that take care of me out there. We’ve been working together for a minute. We didn’t even meet on music shit. It was randomly in the Sacramento Airport. We talked, I thanked him for the ways he and the whole Cactus Jack team has inspired me. I didn’t mention

anything about my producing. After I walked away, I was saying to myself, “man, what is wrong with you? Tell him you produce,” so I ended up catching him again like, ‘I’m a producer, bro. I’d love to send you some beats or melodies.’ He knew a few of the producers I’d been working with, so we exchanged info. I sent him some beats. A few weeks later, I saw Young Thug shared a snippet of he and Sheck Wes on “Mayday” which is one of the beats I had sent Chase. Since then, we’ve been doing a lot of work together and really creating crazy shit. I’m really grateful he took a chance on me. How often does someone take someone seriously that they met at an airport? He’s really cool for that.”

So much can be said about a person that makes moves and decisions based off of their clearly developed intuition and personal taste without the need for external validation or drawn out conscious reasoning. These are the people that actually change lives. G.Ry is another one of these individuals that greatly impacted Bryvn’s path and someone in which he’ll be eternally grateful.

“He’s a producer that I had admired for some time. His work with Partynextdoor I really appreciated. I paid him for a collab, we did it, and it immediately was a placement. The investment paid back, and it was worth it to me. We stopped collaborating in that capacity but continued to work together after that, and a lot of my first major placements were done with G.Ry. All I needed was a small foot in the door, and once I was in, I ran with it,” shares the producer.

Running with the opportunities is one thing, but consistently keeping the marriage between money and art harmoniously balanced is whole other delicate dance that requires time, attention, and the constant purification of one’s “why.” 

“The business can corrupt the art if you’re in a shitty deal. Old me would be happy to simply be a part of things, but that’s not the case anymore. Percentages and ownership matters because if things don’t feel fair, it really takes the fun out of it all. That’s why you have to take your emotions out of the business aspect of things, to make sure things are done the proper way. Learning all of this builds character and enables us to really evolve though.”

Bryvn explains that “monetization of art definitely alters expectation around every aspect of the art. That’s why I have my manager PJ Escobar though. He at least deals with a lot of the distractions, so I can simply create. I can’t imagine how tough it is for some people that have to be responsible for both. The business can corrupt the art if you’re in a shitty deal. Old me would be happy to simply be a part of things, but that’s not the case anymore. Percentages and ownership matters because if things don’t feel fair, it really takes the fun out of it all. That’s why you have to take your emotions out of the business aspect of things, to make sure things are done the proper way. Learning all of this builds character and enables us to really evolve though.”

There’s a quote that says, “Our process by which we gain knowledge isn’t perfect; rather, it’s error-prone” which directly coincides with Bryvn’s account of separating his own emotion from the business. 

While reclining in his swivel chair, he thoughtfully and vulnerably shares that he’s, “had to crash a lot when it came to separating the two. I’ve had to go through the entire process of having my expectations shattered and picking up the pieces. There have been instances when I mistakenly thought I was homies with someone only to be reminded that this really is just business. People in different situations might even get mad, but at the end of the day, this really is just an exchange between two people. I can even say that I definitely have people in my life that aren’t my friends, but we work together to get money together. I’ve really learned not to take much personally either. The thing with monetizing creations though is everything comes with a territory of the passion and emotions behind the creation.”

It’s clearly evident that Bryvn is simply here to create, take care of his family, and keep it moving. The musician is not shy about this either explaining that, “I’m the type where I’ll land a record and go right back in the studio to make more. That’s just my mentality.”

Bryvn’s been a musician from a young age, playing the guitar since he was little, but his laser-focused dedication to production in the capacity in which he’s currently involved only began a few years ago. For example, he lays out that he, “worked at USPS for almost four years. I quit and dedicated a full year to chase this music thing with no deal, nothing published, literally nothing. I did have an opportunity on the table but didn’t do anything with it. I promised my wife that if I didn’t have a really good offer by the end of the year that I’d go back to work at USPS. I really remember the tough conversations she and I had during that time. I’d spent 2019 going to LA multiple times and taking many meetings, but nothing would happen. It would be so disappointing. The last trip back to LA before the end of the year… like eight days before the end of the year, I signed with Warner Chappell. Before I left for that trip, my wife was like, ‘are you actually getting signed? Is this even real?’ Once I was there, I called her and told her it’s actually happening and to pull up the next day because it’s actually happening. Of course, she was there in an instant and we were all in such disbelief. It’s been such an unreal past year and a half. What made all of this feel more real was when we officially bought our house this spring. God has just been really with us. In hindsight, the pressure leading up to signing that deal felt like I was letting myself and my family down so much. I mean, the year was about to end in eight days, but it all came together. It’s all coming together.”

As the airlines say, “secure your oxygen mask before assisting others,” which is a notion Bryvn seems to be fulling subscribed to and is something we should all strive to keep in mind. When speaking of his overarching goals and larger mission, he says, “I want to break bread with people I see potential in. I want to change lives, give opportunities, and watch that chain reaction. I want to create a legacy, and I’m building the foundation of that now. To take it a step further, I want to be a positive, inspirational example for my children. When my kids grow up, I’d love to see them do something out of the ordinary that they’re passionate about. In my family, I’m in the first one to have success at my level. If you ask my family members if they love what they do they’ll say ‘no,’ but agree that they do like their paycheck. That’s such a bogus ass answer, in my opinion. I want my kids to grow up and say they are living a life that they love because they watched their pops doing what he loved for a living.” — S 05/10/21

what words of wisdom do you live by?

you miss every shot you don’t take

what memory instantly makes you smile?

there’s a lot. top 3... when i got married, our wedding was a dream. when my kids were born there was always a very special feeling felt very holy, and when i was gifted my first guitar. life changing moments

what’s the most useful business-related book you’ve ever read?

to be very honest i never read any books anytime recently to say i live by or was even influenced. my mother did force me to read rich dad, poor dad in high school. it was a cool read at the time, might’ve picked up some knowledge from there 😅🤷🏽‍♂️

what’s your favorite non-business book?

my favorite non business book is a hard question to ask because i don’t really read books often, it’s been years haha 😂 😅 but probably would say radical because it was the last book i read that i actually remember. (long story short it’s about a pastor that compares believing in jesus in america versus communists placed where believing in jesus can get you killed. he explains his experience coming back from a missions trip and seeing the difference in believers in a state where it can get ‘em killed to the believers in america that are very comfortable etc. what i liked about the book that i was able to apply to my life and even putting my beliefs to the side to where a lot of people can relate is when you’re comfortable with what your doing in life sometimes can be your downfall. i think it’s important to always challenge yourself , even if you’re successful. if you’re consistently chasing new goals and risking your comfort, you’ll never be settling. so it’s a book that i feel preaches about being radical in several ways, but yeah it’s a decent read

if money were not an issue, what would you be doing right now?

if money wasn’t an issue what i would be doing right now is probably traveling more. i love to travel. i already do what i love as a career. so yeah, def travel a lot more than i already do. i’m trying to see most of the world while i can

what words of advice would you give your younger self?

always keep moving forward and to not let your emotions / thoughts slow you down. to also be a better person than you were the day before 

what’s your super power?

when i want something i do everything i can to make it happen

 
what do you regularly take for granted?

that time flies and i sometimes feel like we got plenty of it but man it’s insane sometimes especially having kids seeing ‘em grow it feels just too quick

how do you recharge?

by spending time with my family, friends. i like playing video games too haha. watching movies, shows or sports. also listening to songs that have impacted me hugely is also a recharge

what aspects of your work are you most passionate about?

it’s always amazing to create stuff from scratch and finishing ideas i have and listening back from now to before and seeing the growth I’ve had creatively from then and now. also seeing my work get results is one of my favorites too

what’s something that overwhelms you?

h man. i can sometimes get a bit impatient when things aren’t going my way and it can get def get me overwhelmed. whether it be something like waiting for specific records to be released, to not figuring out an idea, or even when the kiddos are going insane both crying 😂 but it’s all with love tho. It teaches me to grow in my patience and builds character

what is the most memorable lesson you learned from your parents?

i grew up with my mom. she was a single mother and I’m an only child as well. she was an immigrant parent growing up and she wasn’t documented at the time so i saw her work hard daily to make sure i was taken care of. seeing her always be happy and loving to me making sure i was always good. she taught me through example about putting family first, having a good worth ethic, and just really making sure you’re always happy in life really

what was the most impactful class you took in school?

in this leadership program we had our choice of whether we were volunteering in projects in los angeles or skid row. I chose to do both. I would go to skid row every other day and help feed people. we would attempt to get to know everyone, and play with kids. it was something that was very touching to me. it’s insane how life can hit people sometimes and it’s interesting to see people at their “all time low” and some of them are still happier than others that “have it together”

what’s something you wish you had done years earlier?

i wish i would’ve gotten in to producing music earlier. i spent most my time being in a band when i was younger. i learned a lot from it but mannnnn, i just wonder what it would’ve been like if i got into producing earlier. EVERYTHING is for a reason tho

what lesson have you recently learned that you know you’ll never forget?

there’s a few lessons. first, learning to disconnect my emotions and feelings from my business (accepting that the circle only grows smaller). also to never doubt yourself no matter what

what concept do you fully grasp that you wish the rest of the world deeply understood?

that you can really do anything you love in life if you put your 110% commitment into it. it can seem impossible but it is possible as cliche as it sounds. a lot of people settle for mediocre things in life for comfort and i just think that’s not all around okay. it’s all a journey finding your passions and talents, figuring out how you can take care of yourself and provide with what you love to do in life. one of my biggest dreams and goals is to see my kids doing what they dreamed of

how have your priorities changed over the past 2 years?

in the past two years, my priorities def have changed a lot. i quit my 9-5 around two years ago. the switch of only treating my music creating process from part time to full time was a transition. i’ve learned / still learning how to balance my time in relation to family and work. it’s a challenge sometimes because i love what i do. with that being said, i can get caught up in my creation process, but it’s family first always. even trying to do more to help my wife in the house too 😅

would you rather fight one horse-sized duck, or 100 duck-sized horses?

def 100 duck sized horses. imagine a huge duck lol that thing got wings. i’m good

what new skill are you in the midst of learning?

several. i feel like i’m always learning to be more patient in life. i feel like my persistency always reaches new levels and it’s amazing to see all the great things i’ve achieved. it’s really a blessing to see it; especially, the things i said i was gonna do and am making it happen. i’m learning in my work how to get a bit more technical in my sound. i’m learning more depth in the hardware i’m using and applying it into my sound

what is something that you’re embarrassed you’re talented at?

i feel maybe something i’m talented at that has gotten me embarrassed is being too transparent and caring. for example, i’ve expressed my feelings and dislikes to others in the wrong moments or immediately of feeling it and def have gotten priceless reactions but that’s just who i am. kowkey a super power too lol. i’m just not embarrassed by it 😅 also I’m very good at Mario Kart 😂

when was the last time you really pushed yourself to your physical limits?

there are nights i never sleep just cuz i get caught up creating and chasing specific things i want to achieve. when i worked at usps and was trying to make my music career happen, i was working ten hour days with no days off and also had to come home to a family. i was teaching my body to adjust to no sleep, and sacrificing so much at certain times to create. that was time where i can say i pushed myself to a level that i can’t even comprehend now. i pushed myself physically, emotionally, and spiritually. god is good. i def am blessed. I feel like it’s important to chase that pressure even when you’re winning or have won a lot. that’s how people keep winning. pressure make diamonds. that’s what I’m after.