At HARMAN, we strive to design exceptional audio solutions and products that enriches life’s experiences and allows music-lovers to experience the joy of sound at home, on the go and for everyday activities. In honor of Make Music Day 2018, we sat down with HARMAN Professional Solutions Ambassadors; English drummer, singer, and songwriter, Josh Devine, and musical pop-artist, Ariel Beesley, to learn what attracted them towards a career in music and their message to musicians and non-musicians celebrating Make Music Day.
Q. What drew you towards a career in the music industry?
Josh Devine- I’ve been around the music industry ever since I was born. While my Dad was a singer in a UK band, I was always banging on things with a pair of drumsticks he had in the house. This led to my parents buying me a drum kit for my birthday and it became a genuine obsession throughout my childhood and school years. I always wanted to be a musician for a living, almost to the point where I let my schoolwork suffer (which I do not recommend) because I was convinced this would be my career one day. When I was 15 or 16, I won a couple of national drum competitions, and people started to take real interest in me as a drummer and that was the exact moment I realized my excitement in performing for an audience and giving it my all!
Ariel Beesley - Music is my biggest outlet. I do it because I physically have to or I’d go crazy. I’ve always found that music gives people a way to communicate things that they wouldn’t otherwise know how to through just words. There really was no other option than to have a career in what I love most.
Q. What drives you to make music every day?
J.D. - It’s my passion. From the moment I wake up to the moment I go to bed, music is in my veins throughout the day. When it’s an obsession, and you are fortunate to be able to make a living and do it full time, it’s no chore to want to make music every second of the day. Sometimes I have ideas and riffs, beats and melodies running around my head that I just have to lay down and record, even just on a voice note, whatever the style or whatever the situation. Music to me is like an extension of your emotion, of your physical and mental being; it gives people an insight into YOU as a person that is on such a deep level.
A.B. - Necessity.
Q. Has your formula for creating music changed since you started your musical career?
J.D. - Growing up, I used to sit and write riffs and record them down and get all the music together, then move on to the next. Melody and lyrics would always be an afterthought to me, as the music is what came so naturally. Now in my band Evaride, we do things differently, where mostly the lyrics and melody is written over a basic chord structure on an acoustic guitar. It’s a privilege being able to just get in a room and jam with a bunch of people and create music, no matter how it’s done!
Q. What is your creative process towards making music?
A.B. - My songs are like my diary entries. Every song I write is deeply personal, so if I’m writing a song, it means I have to get something off my chest.
Q. With Make Music Day here, what’s your message to musicians and non-musicians celebrating this day?
J.D. - Just ENJOY music. At the end of the day, if you’re a musician wanting to make a career out of music, you have to remember we are entertainers. We’re here to provide entertainment to the public and music is a powerful tool that can empower and influence others. Sometimes we create an escape for people to leave their daily lives for a moment and take a glimpse into our world with the art that we create. If you aren’t a musician, I would highly recommend picking up an instrument and giving it a go. To me, there is very little that tops the feeling of creating music and joining with others as one and playing music, on stage, on a record or even just in a basement in your mom’s house!
A.B. - I would just say, let your records get you through the tough times. All of mine definitely did. Whether it was listening to my favorite blondie tracks when I was having a hard day, or writing to feel better. Music always got me through it. Do it because you love it, not because you want to obtain fame.
Q. How do you identify with the team at HARMAN Professional Solutions? How has your collaboration been?
J.D. - I’ve always been a fan of HARMAN. Working with them has been a dream, everything from the products to the people on the team. My band is very equipment heavy for our live shows, so to be able to have the best equipment in the game is a blessing. For me, my favorite mics in the world have always been AKG, so to get to work with them and use their incredible mics to capture the sound of my drums is truly humbling.
Q. What attracted you to HARMAN Professional Solutions and what do you hope to achieve together?
A.B. - I love that HARMAN feels like a family. The company is supportive and picks their artists strategically. I hope we can work together to make great music and get powerful messages out in the world.
Q. What music-related advice would you give to your younger self?
J.D. - I would say be patient, keep working as hard as you can and be prepared to be rejected. Rejection is a powerful thing, something that every musician will go through at some point. It could be as simple as people telling you that you “aren’t good enough”. It’s those moments that you have to get up and work 100 times harder, get over it, get better and NEVER take it personally. There were times I felt I should give up because I felt some people didn’t believe in me, but it makes it that much sweeter when I was able to prove them wrong and start living my dream. The best thing about it all… even though I’ve done some incredible things in my career so far, I’m just getting started! NOTHING IS IMPOSSIBLE.
Q. What is the next step in your career? What are you working on that would interest our readers?
A.B. - My next step is to start playing in more live shows. I have one at The Satellite in Los Angeles, CA on June 29th, and also to out of my music video for my song “Slower Than Usual,” which was filmed at the HARMAN Experience Center!
On Make Music Day, music-enthusiasts across the world gathered to celebrate the profound impact music has on our lives. Learn more about our diverse and talented lineup of legendary artists and HARMAN Professional Solutions Ambassadors on our website here.