BALO is a talented artist and producer based in Los Angeles, CA. BALO has spent most of his life on a nomadic lifestyle. Going from New York, to Boston, to Hawaii and now residing in Los Angeles where he graduated from MI School of Contemporary Music. Don’t let this debut artist fool you, he is no newbie to the music scene! Opening for artists such as Mac Miller and producing form labels like G.O.O.D Music, BALO is ready to take the world by storm with his natural talent.
BALO just dropped his debut single "Around You" featuring platinum producer and artist Suji. I really was not expecting this single to give me so many island vibes with a hip hop blend but it did exactly that! The production gives you that slow wind type of feel and it's executed quite articulately. “Around You” is a catchy melody with smooth vocals. There’s a depth to this single that extends beyond the vocals. You can hear the dynamic range of influences from BALO. This single is one you will put on repeat and dance around the house like no ones watching! "Around You" is the perfect song for your all your feel-good playlist! We're excited to hear more from BALO this year.
Listen to “Around You” here and get to know BALO in our interview below!
HI BALO! Why don’t you tell us a little more about yourself?
Well I'm an artist and producer who traveled my whole life which kind of reflects in my music. I spent a lot of my life in Hawaii and I think that influenced the island sound in my music a lot.
How has MI assisted in your music career?
It really just helped me network and meet the right people to get opportunities when I moved to LA. I learned the value of meeting people and creating a good circle around you.
How would you describe your sound?
My sound is a mix of hip hop and reggae, with a splash of rnb in it. Most of my songs I produce myself so I have been able to sculpt a sound that is really my own and caters to what I like.
What were the major influences that helped create “Around You”?
To be honest, Around You was created in 15 minutes really. I made the beat and laid the hook down in about 15 minutes total. Later that night I went over to Suji's studio (the other artist on the song) to see what he thought and the rest is history. I think we might have stayed up til 8am that night making this song but thats normal for us.
What major artist would you like to work with and why?
I always wanted to work with one of the Marley's. Either Stephen or Damien Marley would be a dream. But there are a lot of up and coming artist who's music I like a lot. I'm pretty open to working with people as long as the vibe is right.
What can the readers hope to expect from you in this year?
This year you can expect an EP from me dropping sometime in early spring called "Fuse". Also a bunch of features and collab's as well as projects I'm producing on are coming out. Suji will be dropping his debut project this year which I am apart of sculpting. Really excited about that one. You can find all my new releases on any of my social media's (@playbalo) through out the year. Going to be a busy year and I'm excited.