Blaxian, How An Underground Star is Born

NUNAR front cover star Blaxian photographed in Washington, D.C., by Maeva Komenan.

NUNAR’s JAN 2024 Nu Era Issue print is now available.

The manner in which art is intertwined with the social fabric of society should not come as a surprise to anyone. After all, creative expression is perhaps the most powerful tool humanity has to vocalize shared experiences at the grassroots level. There’s nothing inherently special about these experiences, however, an artist like Blaxian has the power to add a little magic to the things we go through from day to day. 

In just a couple years time, the singer, songwriter, and producer has already been able to rack up nearly forty thousand monthly listeners on Spotify to go along with high praise from a list of well-respected music discovery outlets—most notably being deemed by DMV Crank as DC’s version of Michael Jackson. But to the DC native, being like Mike isn’t all about just singing and dancing. Recently, NUNAR had a chance to speak with Blaxian about his experiences building community within the DMV creative scene and what it means to him to put on for his city.

Can you elaborate on the role of creative expression as a powerful tool in vocalizing shared experiences, and how you see your art contributing to this narrative?

Growing up, It’s always been hard expressing my true emotions and feelings. Music was the therapist that I’d talk to whenever I needed to vent. My musical expression has always been an outlet for me and makes me feel better when I truly express myself through my deepest passion, Music.

You did a big chop in 2022 and called it a “beautiful beginning”. Who was the Blaxian before and who is he now?

I believe that I always live in the moment. Everything I do is always a step to the next thing and me cutting my hair, changing my look, style, it showed me that I’m always evolving every single day! Before the big chop, I was really just a kid tryna find himself. The switch up helped me realize and find the true, unconditional love that I have for myself, no matter how I look.

With nearly forty thousand monthly listeners on Spotify and acclaim from various music discovery outlets, including being likened to DC’s version of Michael Jackson, how do you navigate the expectations and pressure that come with such recognition?

Mentally, I never trap myself in a box or category. I take the whole “Michael Jackson” thing as a compliment honestly because The King of Pop is literally my G.O.A.T. I used to struggle with the pressure and expectations from everyone but then I had to take a step back and remember why I even started doing everything in the first place. I love music so much. It’s literally in me.

In what ways do you see yourself building community within the DMV creative scene, and why is it important to you?

The DMV is pretty known for Hip Hop/Rap and we all know that’s facts. I believe that my music and the message behind my songs bring people together. Music is so powerful. If you can feel something from the music, others will too and it’ll bring folks together. I see an entire community and wave coming from the DMV. Collaboration is pretty important as well. We all have the same dreams, let’s get rich together!

Being likened to Michael Jackson is a significant compliment. How do you interpret and carry the legacy of such a legendary artist in your own creative journey?

I s#!+ you not, I’ve been listening to Michael since I was an infant. My father played me a lot of Michael alongside other black, amazing soul artists like James Brown, Stevie Wonder, Al Green, Rick James, Prince, ETC. I’ve always listened to R&B/Soul, Pop music growing up. I ain’t start listening to Rap until middle school. I be feeling like it’s programmed in me. And of course, with a lot of practice and time, I’ve become really great at what I do.

You are a visual star. How do you approach visuals and do you have any stories about what it took to produce a music video? 

It’s pretty crucial for me to have everything planned and visualized in my head before I even touch the camera. I was shooting a video once and asked a random stranger to act in it and she agreed. It turned out great, it was for my song “Payphone” Also, for my song “DLUSIONS” that has a music video, I had this concept where the entire video was shot in a “first person point of view” My videographer and I were literally walking around DC getting some grub and I told him about the concept. We shot the video on the spot.

If your 9th-grade music teacher didn’t encourage you to pursue music, what would you be doing today?

The same exact thing I’m doing now :) 

Music has always been in my heart and a very deep passion for me. Shoutout my 9th grade choir teacher though because she definitely motivated me to even get in front of a microphone.