Born as Joseph Howard but known by his stage name HALO is an artist with a whole lot of determination and hunger for success. Halo was born and raised in New York City. He is 24 years old and has been creating music since he was 18 years old. At a very young age Halo started to fall in love with music, he listened to a wide variety from Frankie Valli to Tupac. Music was his outlet and a better way to become more in tune with himself.

Most people wonder where an artists’ name comes from or what inspired their stage name. The name Halo came from a piece of jewelry that one of his closest friends had given him and it’s stayed with him to this day. Halo is very connected to his craft and does just about everything to get things right. When he was just 18 years old he started writing songs. For things to come out right Halo would research and look up how to structure a song and how to pick the right beats. To this day he is still doing what he can to make his music sound as great as possible and he goes over and beyond to give his supporters the best content.

So far Halo has put out three projects. Each of these projects shows his growth. At this very moment Halo is working on a joint project with a young producer who is also a friend to him. Halo is working on a small E.P using 6 of his friends’ beats. Halo also has a single dropping soon titled “Lately” and that is set to drop by the end of this summer. Make sure you connect with his content and keep track of his releases, you do not want to miss them.

Stream his music here

To some extent, family influences certain parts of our lives such as our interests or even what we want to be in the future. 

Earl Chang, better known as the artist Change, knows how powerful family influence can be as it was the one that led him to start a career in the music industry. 

Born in 1988 in the Bronx, New York, Change grew up playing basketball had a heavy music influence from his father and uncles. 

“I was always around music at a young age. My uncle used to have a mic and like 1,000 massive speakers in his garage with a PA system and he’d go down there and play old reggae music and sing, dance and rap over them! There was something about watching them with the mic in there that grabbed me and never let go,” Change said.  

Now, he pursued his passion which allows him to do what he loves while creating a legacy of his own in music.  

Getting Introduced To Music 

When Change moved to New Jersey at a young age, he met Jmac, the friend who introduced him to recording music. They used to record on a computer with the microphone set up between the speakers. But now, he owns a recording studio in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania. 

“I shoot music videos, engineer,  and, most importantly, remain an artist! I like to be in the studio a lot I feel like it’s home and that’s in any studio I’m comfortable I’m ready to work at any time,” Change said. 

Change is the kind of artist to make sure that his music is original and distinct from the others out there. 

In 2017, Change got together with his group, SGS the Movement. Since then, they have dropped a few projects together and a few solo projects. Change also recently signed to Mulla Gang the label under a production and management deal owned by Mack Mulla 

Putting In The Work 

At present, Change is working on his second EP titled “Never Too Late” which he plans on dropping at the end of the summer. 

He also just released a single titled “Mami” with Core from his group, SGS the Movement, and has just been featured on Mack Mulla’s latest single “Hater.” 

“My favorite part of making music is performing it! I think that’s why I enjoy making music and the opportunity to perform it and touch the people that are in the crowd make that connection,” Change said. 

For more information, visit Earl Chang or Change’s Instagram profile. 

Originally a YouTuber who has gained 100,000 followers in a span of two years through videos that feature his reactions, challenges, vlogs, and comedic shorts, Joseph Royal eventually changed his career path to create music where he tells stories of love, loss, and laughter for his audience to connect with. 

“I am a really good storyteller. And that is in telling stories through music, telling stories through content, or telling stories through acting,” he said. 

But putting out content isn’t the only thing that keeps Joseph busy. As an artist and performer, he’s also working on improving himself so that he can continue to do what he loves and feel fulfilled while doing so. 

Learning From People 

“The best advice for somebody who wants to grow in any area of their life would be to learn from people who have done it before you, make sure you compare yourself to yourself and take it one step at a time,” Joseph said. 

When it comes to the people who’ve done it before him, Joseph draws inspiration from artists like Pharrell Williams, Lenny Kravitz, and Kanye West. 

“Seeing how they were so different than most African-Americans Iʼve saw and how they pushed boundaries like creating fashion trends that people would find weird than copy really inspired me to be myself,” he said. 

And when it comes to learning from himself to make himself better, the YouTuber turned artist continues to set the bar higher using thought-provoking lyrics and great song arrangements. 

His approach to music is more direct and personal, often echoing the sound and feel of great acts from the past and the present. 

Looking Within Himself 

Being an artist and content creator isn’t as easy as it seems. It requires a person to be creative and authentic so they can stand out from the others in the industry. 

At times, this pressure can lead to stress and burnout. But Joseph has a way of dealing with this circumstance. 

“I recommend always to sit and meditate. If the outside world is causing you to be burnt out, look within and find where your fire comes from. Also by looking within you can ask yourself how you got to the point of being burnt out,” he said. 

Keeping himself in check and prepared to carry out his responsibilities will not only make Joseph a good artist, but it will also help him in achieving his goal of winning life and not having any regrets in the end. 

Get to know more about Joseph Royal through his Instagram page (@iamjosephroyal).