Aaron Salem is a rapper, singer, songwriter and actor. Salem is a Cuban/Canadian who was born and raised in Miami, Florida. At the age of 12, Aaron Salem started writing music as an escape from his sister’s drug addiction and the turmoil he was experiencing at home. After a 12 year battle with drug addiction, his sister died from an overdose on April 19th, 2014. This incident fueled Aaron with more drive and purpose towards his musical career. At his first event in Miami, there were so many fans that it had to be shut down due to overcrowding. With Salem’s vast catalogue of music videos, his “Only Way Out” EP and his extensive social media presence, he has a diverse following with fans from North America, Australia and Europe.
BuzzMusic is happy to release Aaron Salem’s single, “It Is What It Is”. This song is catchy and modern with an old-school Cuban feel, coming together to make a catchy tune with a great balance of old and new. The beat features a sample of a nylon string guitar which makes it easy to hear how Miami’s Cuban influences have rubbed off on this artist. The vocals are rhythmic and poetically delivered with tons of emotion and attitude. At times the percussion stops and the backup vocals enter, creating a lush and rich texture. All of this contributes to a thoughtfully written song, and we encourage everyone to listen to “It Is What It Is”.
Listen to Aaron Salem's new single "It Is What It Is" here.
Hi Aaron! Did you grow up in Miami? How would you generally describe the music scene there?
Yeah, I grew up in Miami. The music scene here is always popping though! There’s studios pretty much all over. From Major studios to people re-designing their entire house to try and be the next big time studio. Everyone wants to be a rapper here, but I stand out with my own sound, so I don’t think I have competition.
Did you ever get formal training in music or did you figure all of this out for yourself?
Naw, this is something I figured out on my own. I was 11 when I started writing. YouTube wasn’t around like that, so I used to memorize Eminem’s songs (who I idolized) and wrote songs a-cappella with the flow of one of his beats in my head.
Who are some of the artists that you look up to for inspiration and influence?
Em’ really got me started cause I went through a lot of trauma in my childhood, and I related to him a lot. Drake really broadened my ear when he came out, I was in High School. Take Care is still one of my favorite albums. And J. Cole always reminds me that you can make something mainstream without talking about all the cliche stuff lol.
You’re open about your sister and her struggles with addiction and music as your own way to escape from the hardships of real life. Is this something that has a big influence on your music and creative process?
Yes, this also shaped me a lot as a person. It made me really strict on my myself as a kid to become something because I didn’t want to feel like the second screw up to my parents. It made me put a wall up, but that wall also made me push through all the hard times. Music was my escape from reality, but also my inspiration for a new life.
What can we hope to see from you throughout 2019?
2019 is going to be a great year! This is the first time that we have all the music and music videos ready before they’re even released. We’re planning on dropping some pretty major campaigns behind them, so don’t be surprised if something goes platinum. I wouldn’t be.
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