Muti-talented Maestro Harrell has found success as a singer, music producer, DJ, dancer, and actor (you may remember seeing him on HBO’s The Wire and AMC’s Fear The Walking Dead.) He signed with Def Jam when he was just 15.
His newest single ‘Luv Me‘ has recently dropped and we are totally digging his “I Don’t Care” music video:
We interviewed Maestro to get the full 411 on his story and what’s going down in his wild world.
Who were your favorite artists growing up?
My parents raised me on a ton of Motown classics as well as artists such as Prince, Jackie Wilson, Michael Jackson, etc. I’m also huge fan of 90’s pop- Max Martin is a legend.
Is there an artist today that you draw inspiration from?
I like to get my inspiration from past artists and finding new interesting ways to bring it to now. Whether that be with production trends, current content, or even playing with different genres. Still giving that nostalgia of songs you grew up with is a big part of what I’m trying to create.
Who is someone you would love to collaborate with?
Huge fan of so many artists today such as Chainsmokers, Topaz Jones, Goldlink, Issah Rashad, Joey Badass, and A.Chal.
Is there a genre of music you would like to try?
I haven’t rapped yet, so interested to see how that’ll sound.
Who is on your Spotify playlist?
Since you ask 😉 https://open.spotify.com/user/maestroh14/playlist/6sLEBRsCjT5VtHXMg5iMym
How was the transition from acting to music for you?
What most people don’t realize is I’ve been doing both my entire life. My birth name is Maestro and my parents named me that to be in music. I started taking piano lessons at the age of 3, and acting at about 3 or 4- commercials, print work, etc. Then I was performing on late night shows such as The Tonight Show with Jay Leno and Vibe with Sinbad in the 90’s.
What is it about music that you love?
I feel like music allows for more freedom than film in certain aspects. With music I can write produce and perform it all myself. With film its a more daunting process and I cant take complete control in ways that I’d want too.
Why did you choose to use Hey Arnold as your cover art?
Nostalgia. I knew there were kids just like me who were huge Hey Arnold fans. Also the lyrical content of the song plays a bit on the Arnold and Helga relationship, about how they’re always fighting but inseparable in so many ways.
Is there anything you’re working on that you’re excited about?
Excited the new single is dropping 6-16-17 so more M A E S T R O music is on the way, and I just dropped the video to my single “I Don’t Care” on the 2nd so excited for everyone to see that as well.
You can find him on Spotify and Apple Music
