Great to have you on Xttrawave. Please, introduce yourself.
John Anthony Ziegler ( born April 17, 1984) better known by his stage name BigJohn, is an American hip hop recording artist. He is the founder of BigJohn Entertainment. Born in Columbus, Ohio, Ziegler was an Air Conditioning service technician from 2002 through 2010 before he became a rapper.
What got you into music and made you realize that it was your chosen path?
My inspiration has always been Big Gates Records artist Plies. I have always been a music lover but I was inspired to start writing music back in 2010, after many years of jamming to all the new music released by this great rapper. Plies music reaches people from all around the world with the words and meaning in his song and I wanted to create a positive impact on people with my personal experiences through music.
Tell us about your new music? And what’s the story behind it?
I wanted to write a song that people could relate to when it comes to having a woman in their lives that will ride or die for them. I personally have a woman that will ride with me no matter what and she has proven this fact many of times over the years. Love is a powerful thing and I know many people all around the world can relate to this. Instead of simply writing a catchy song about drugs, guns and/or hoes, I wanted to combine all of the experiences into a song that brings my soulmate into the scene.
What makes your music unique? And how would you describe it?
My music is definitely unique and one of a kind, my style of writing is based off of my favorite rapper Plies but my delivery is one of a kind. Everybody these days wants to stay on trend and try to mimic songs that get a lot of exposure but I have always tried to be different and create a new trend. I would describe my music as hiphop with a twist of pop in some cases.
Do you play any instruments? And why do you love it?
I really enjoy playing the guitar. In the past few years I have starting playing and I really enjoy being able to create a unique sound that comes from my own style as well as playing covers to my favorite songs. I am a music lover so I just enjoy good music from all genes not just Hiphop/rap.
Who are your biggest musical influences? And any particular artist/band you would like to collaborate with in the future?
My biggest musical influence is Big Gates Records artist Plies. It is just something about his style and delivery that I have always been pulled into. Every single song that he releases, especially, in the earlier days of his musical career, has had meaning and a great sound. Plies is one artist that I would love to collaborate with in the future!
Which is the best moment in your musical career that you’re most proud of?
I think my best moment in my music career for me would be when I worked on my album called “We Goin Live”, I received a lot of support from the county on that project and when I released the music video to the song that I wrote for the album called “We Goin Live”, I had a massive amount of people show up to support the movement. It really felt good knowing I had so many people that supported the movement and wanted to be part of it.
How do you balance your music with other obligations–family, friends or work?
I write music in my free time, after work, on the weekends and/or when I am just relaxing at home and all of my other responsibilities are taken care of. I am constantly listening to new beats that I find on the internet or that producers send me so my mindset is always thinking of new innovative ways to reach and target people from all around the world.
What advice would you give to aspiring musicians?
Write great music and promote it. Reach people that will follow you and listen to future music, don’t purchase fake followers that boost your ego but never engage or help you progress in the music industry. Someone once told me that, being successful in the music industry is like a treasure and the treasure map is promotion. Knowing there is a treasure out there and not having a map to the treasure is pointless and you will never find the treasure.
If you had one message to give to your fans, what would it be?
I would like to just say thank you to everybody that has been supporting me over the years and all of the new fans I am constantly gaining. Your support is what makes it possible to be motivated to continue on this long journey in the music industry. Everything that I do in the music world is because I know that I have loyal fans that continuously support me and look forward to new content.
What’s next for you? Any upcoming projects?
As we all know, 2020 is has taken a toll on the music industry when it comes to live performances, a lot of artists try to keep their fans engaged by going live on social media sites while this pandemic takes it place in the world. I would like to set up more shows and ultimately go on tour when my newest album is released called “Neva Too Late”.
Facebook Twitter Instagram Google
