It's been a while since we had our last Artist Spotlight; But we're happy to say we're back with a bang! We had the pleasure to pick the brain of Pop/R&B singer, songwriter, and producer - Cael Dadian.
Cael has produced beats for the likes of DJ Carnage, Hoodrich Pablo Juan, dancer Sophia Lucia, and many other artists across the board.
He has a deep passion for music, videography and photography and a truly unique approach to all things creative.
1. Can you tell us a bit about yourself ?
My name is Cael. I'm a 23-year-old singer, songwriter, and producer based out of San Diego, CA. I make pop/R&B driven music with hints of other genres like singer songwriter, soul, hip-hop, gospel, and more.
It's tough to stay in a super narrow lane for me musically but I make sure the thread through all of my music is some kind of "organicness", rawness, and unique song concepts/titles like "Done Shit and Been Places", "Resting Success Face", and others.
2. How did you start your career as a musician?
I've been playing guitar since I was 8 years old. Along the way I picked up drums, production, singing, and songwriting. I've been making music I'm proud of for about the last 5 years or so.
3. When / why did you start creating videos on YouTube?
I can't say I create videos specifically for Youtube.
I'm not a super consistent video creator or a "YouTuber" by any means.
I create when and how I want to and when the idea comes to me.
Youtube of course is the most accessible place to consume content so it's a must. Whenever I make a video for Twitter it'll always go to Youtube as well!
4. As a musician, how do video creation have helped you?
Making concept driven videos has helped tell my story and deliver my message like no other. I think it's also helped me stand out as an artist. I'm able to incorporate an entirely new angle to the story that the song itself may not have told. One example was filming my music video for "Can't Sing" in a Target store and animating the store to sing my lyrics. The video didn't have anything to do with the subject matter of the song but it gave it a fun new angle and Target even retweeted it!
5. Which tools do you use to produce your content?
I produce music on Logic X and will never switch up! I edit videos on Final Cut Pro X.
6. Can you share 1-2 tips for musicians who want to start creating video content?
My biggest tips would be to buy Logic... it's $200 for everything you'll need and more to produce competitive tracks and the learning curve is very manageable.
My second tip would be use your iPhone and create simple vertical videos for Twitter, TikTok, Youtube, etc. Your phone and good audio are all you need.
7. Can you name a few other channels you follow and inspire you?
My favorite YouTuber is Casey Neistat who is an absolute visual pioneer. He's one of the few creators in his space making vlogs cinematic experiences.
Matt D'Avella is also amazing.
8. Can you share a few resources you love when it comes to building your own channel?
I have a lot of my own work to do in this department but it seems to me that consistency is crucial when it comes to building and growing a channel on really any platform.
Twitter has been awesome for me as it's fairly easy to interact with other fans/creators in whatever niche your content fits into. I think a lot of people underestimate the power in it.
If you're making a piece of content for Instagram, TikTok, Twitter, etc. you might as well make sure and upload it to Youtube as well!