Edalo is a Buffalo, NY, born and raised musician, composer, and producer. Numerous accomplishments and impressive early-career partnerships evidence his savvy. Starting in 2012 when he teamed up with Robby Takac (Goo Goo Dolls), Kenny Hawkins (Rick James, Snoop Dogg, Mary J. Blige), and Jerry Livingston (Rick James) to write the track "Mariposa," that's where it all took off for Edalo.
Taking it to 2021 with the amassed success that Edalo has seen throughout his career, his most recent release comes to us as a collaborative effort with EDM treasure Salvo and Super Bowl Champion Demone Harris. "True To The Mission" has us delving into an ambient universe that is filled with glittering elements trickling into the speakers.
With instrumentation that carries that much sparkle, it's only fitting to play into the contrast by incorporating the lyrical techniques of Demone Harris as he projects his rapped verses with a hunger inside himself. We get an honest expression of the passion and dedication that it takes to make it in whatever you choose to pursue in life.
The profound lyrics are stretched over this harmonious canvas in a way that allows us to listen to the wording carefully and appreciate the complete masterpiece as a whole. Edalo is a visionary in how he allows us to feel what he creates in a whole new dimension. Taking the plunge and crafting something that compliments not only the musical foundation but also the way that Demone Harris projects himself takes us into what authentic artistry is.
"True To The Mission" will have you feeling all types of inspiration and discovering artistic gems such as Edalo and Demone Harris, along with all of their capabilities.
Welcome to BuzzMusic, Edalo, and congratulations on the release of "True To The Mission." Was this always the end goal for this particular song with a piece that comes off as highly inspiring?
Thank you so much! I really appreciate it. The goal for this song was to create a motivational hip-hop song that conveys the message that no matter how hard it gets to always stay “True To The Mission.” Writing songs that tell stories is my main focus. Demone and I both call Buffalo, NY home and we know what it’s like to keep our nose to the grindstone and to work through our challenges to become successful. It’s about working through it and coming out on top. And by “on top”, I don’t necessarily mean with material things like money, but just becoming a better person from the experiences you face, regardless of people’s opinions and approval. “True To The Mission” is a song about sticking to your guns and making things happen for yourself.
How did a collaboration of this caliber come to life? What was it like working with each other to bring the vision to life?
I actually met Demone through my sister and we’ve been friends for over a decade. We actually sat at my grandparent’s kitchen table while choosing the instrumental we wanted to use. He picked his favorite and ran with it. I called my buddy, Tommy Summage, to co-write the song. You’ll actually hear his vocals on the hook. Then, we recorded Demone’s parts at my studio and it came to life. Demone came into the studio ready to go and it was super awesome to work with. It was an extremely special experience for my work on and producing this song. Seeing it come to life was an exciting process.
At what point did you know the song was ready to be released? Does this always tend to be the way that you know?
The song was a few years in the making and once it was complete I wanted to make sure everything was in line as far as release and promo goes. Once that was done, I said to myself, “I’m not waiting anymore.” I think this is always the way I end up deciding that my single or release is ready. It gets to the point where you know there’s nothing left to make this sound better.
What's your mission statement as an artist? How does "True To The Mission" fall into this?
My mission statement as an artist is to stay true to my soul’s purpose. I mean it in a sense where whatever my soul is telling me to do - I go and do it. I don’t wait for someone’s approval or opinion to follow the guidance in my life. “True To The Mission” is the exact example of that. I wanted to create something that wasn’t just a bunch of noise. I set out to create something that tells a story and relates to everybody’s life.
What's next for you? I will be announcing my upcoming tour in April in the coming weeks. I’m also working on a collaboration with Americana Rocker, Tyler Boone, which I’m really excited about. There are a lot of special collaborations on the horizon, but can’t really say much more about that right now. I’m always working on something new, so I’m happy to share it with you when the time is right.
