Written By- Alisyn Re
Journalist
Cincinnati, Ohio- Originally from Ohio, Rocky Chatman was born and raised in the early 2000s. Since he was a child, the singer-songwriter has always been passionate about the arts, more specifically music. His love of music began in his life at a young age. In Cincinnati, he started making music with his father, but now he's branching out and doing music in one of Georgia's best districts, Atlanta! All while pursuing a music career, he attends Georgia State University pursuing a Music Management degree! He’s also an intern for the Coalition DJs and Street Politician at Outkast Stankonia Studios.
Who is Rocky Chatman?
“For the majority of my life, I’ve been searching for that answer. Coming to college has helped me come up with a more solid answer for who I am. I feel for most of us, we’re still trying to solidify that. For me, I would say that I am a student who’s very passionate about his art and determined to be the best.”
Have you always had a passion for music?
“Besides songwriting, music has always been something that I wanted to pursue. I really enjoyed writing and when I wrote, I would tell short stories. For my entire life, I’ve always enjoyed the music. I remember being in kindergarten and having to be put into the hallway for me to get anything done because I would have to hum. Music has always been the key for me.”
How would you describe the music you make?
“ I would consider my music alternative. I usually take things that sound alternative and try to make them sound mainstream. Whether the alternativeness of that is the subject or the sound, I try to make it universal while also trying to make it sound like something you've never heard before.”
What is your creative process like?
“I usually do a lot of beat surfing! Typically I’ll buy a beat or if I hear something, I’ll make it from scratch and make it a little different. For my writing process, I usually listen to the beat for a day or so while walking around. I also get some help from the articles that I read and what I watch on TV. Once I have that all figured out, I usually sit on the toilet and write.”
What kind of singer would you consider yourself?
“I would say that I’m a contemporary singer. I wouldn’t consider myself a sanger, but more so of a Michael Jackson-type singer. Whitney Houston is someone who I would consider a SANGER! In my book, there are 2 types of categories, the SINGERS and the SANGERS.”
Can you share the best piece of advice another singer has given you?
“The best advice I’ve gotten in this industry was to be myself and to be open to finding out who I am. When I first started my music career, I didn’t know who I was. The music I began making wasn’t the best but it wasn’t awful. I just didn’t know who I was or what path I wanted to go down in my music-making. Within this generation, everything is just so fast-paced. I felt that I should’ve been fast-paced too but I didn’t really stop to think about the little things that were important. You unintentionally live life fast when you’re in a fast-paced surroundings. When I had that person tell me to slow down and be authentic but in order to be authentic, you have to know who you are. That’s honestly one of the best pieces of advice I’ve ever received in this industry. After I got that advice and started making my music again, that’s when all of these wonderful opportunities came along.”
Who are some artists that you admire the most?
“I would say that I admire Michael Jackson, Steve Lacy, and Beyonce the most. For Steve Lacy, I would say that I’ve always been a fan of his but I started really admiring his work even more after learning about his story. For Beyonce, I would say that I don’t listen to her music a lot but I do admire her work ethic. Her work ethic is undeniable and truly aspires to be like that one day.”
Who’s an artist you would like to work with in the future?
“I would love to work with Donald Glover. He’s so artistic and he makes really big statements with little to no context. He never over-explains anything, a lot of it is based on interpretation!”
What would you say has been your greatest accomplishment thus far?
“The first one I would say is performing with Monica on her “Code Red Experience” tour. I feel like when everybody hears that I performed with such a big artist at such a young age, it’s just an accomplishment in itself. On paper, it looks amazing and it was definitely a high point in my career since I got that done at 13. I would say for now that my greatest accomplishments have been performing at the HBCU tour hosted by the Grammys and getting my internship with Coalition DJs and Street Politician at Outkast Stankonia Studios. I finally came into a part of my career and life where I’m finally gaining control of who I am and what I’m doing. I’m really consistent with everything that I’m doing within my career.”
What’s a valuable lesson that you’ve been taught through singing?
“The biggest lesson I learned was last year. I was 17 years old and I just moved from Ohio down to Georgia by myself. I didn’t have on-campus housing so I couldn’t really sit there and network like I wanted to. A lot of the time I spent alone. During that year, I told myself that “I can’t” a lot and I didn’t really do well in school. When I got more of a grip on myself and my situation, I started getting better and doing better. I learned if you kept telling yourself that you can’t do something, you wouldn’t do it. If you told yourself that you could, you would. You’ll have no regrets once you start putting positivity out into the world. Don’t be so negative!”
What’s something you want your listeners to take away from your music?
“I always want them to know that I’m talking about something. There are always layers when I write. I dislike when artists are really preachy in their music. Sometimes they try to make it seem like they're trying to talk down on some people. Some artists do have messages within their music that go from positivity to how certain things should be and how you should do them. I always try to write my music where on the surface it sounds really fun but there is still a message underneath all of that. The little things are what makes the music great.”
Where can we follow you on your journey or just reach out to you?
“You can reach me on my Instagram at rockychatman and you can follow my TikTok at planetrocc.”
“Be yourself, don’t ever lose yourself in this industry. Network, you have to network to get to where you want to be! And always have humility. No matter what you do or what you accomplish, at the end of the day, you are still a person. You have to eat, sleep, and use the bathroom just like everybody else.”- Rocky Chatman
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