It’s an honor to speak with you today. How did you get into music and for how long have you been in the industry for?
Thanks for having me! I was about 12 years old when I picked up my first instrument, so I have been doing music for 17 years now. For me, my interest in playing music began having music class in grade school. I got chosen to be one of the main singers for a school program and after the program it just sparked something inside of me. The following year, they started teaching my class how to play the reorder, and that’s when I knew I wanted to learn how to play instruments and I wanted to learn how to play as many of them as I could.

I got more series about making music my career at age 16 when I began composing my own music. By this time I had learned how to play the Saxophone, various percussion instruments including a full set, Bass guitar, Guitar, and the Ocarina.

Congratulations on your latest single “Prisoner To My Mind”, how do you feel about the newfound success and what was the motivation?
I am without words, truthfully. It didn’t seem real at first. The more the days go by, the more real it feels. I’m humbled.

This song is about drug addiction. It’s about the thinking process I had from the beginning stages of addiction, to “I’ve had enough” stage. Verse 1 being in denial, thinking I can handle it. Verse 2 coming to realize I have a problem and admitting I need to do something about it. Then the Bridge talking about what it is I need to do to get out of it..

How would you describe your sound to someone who just listened to your music for the first time?
If I am being honest, I don’t know how I could describe it. It’s not anything like you hear on mainstream media, that’s for sure. My lyrics can certainly send you down a rabbit hole of deep-thinking. I just want to share my experiences I have had with the world, in hopes of somebody actually learning something for their own journey.

Can you talk me through some of the essentials that keep you locked in during a studio session?
Truth be told, that’s something that I try not to even think about. I just gotta pretend like I’m not recording. I feel like I psych myself out and try too hard when I consciously think I’m recording. Making a beat on the other hand, that’s just come second nature to me by now.

Everybody is influenced by somebody else. Who would you consider some of your biggest musical influences and how are they influential?
My biggest influence is the drummer for Rush, Neil Peart (R.I.P.) and also Devin Townsend, guitarist/vocalist of “The Devin Townsend Project” and “Strapping Young Lad”.

What would be your dream venue or event to perform at?
This is a tough question for me, because my dream even has always been Mayhem Festival. Seeing as how I don’t play heavy metal music anymore, I’m not sure how possible that is.

Where can people find you online and your music?
You can stream my music on all major streaming platforms or by simply going to wizekaizz.link

You can also go to my website at https://www.wizekaizz.com

For our final question, is there anything else you would like to add?
THE TRICK IS TO TRY!!

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Where do you originally hail from and where are you based now?

I’m originally from Little Rock, Arkansas where I was born and raised. I just recently moved to Orlando, Florida in 2020.

Have you always been interested in music?

Growing up, I’ve always wanted to do music. All the other kids wanted to be doctors, lawyers and astronauts but I just wanted to sing. I think being raised in the church had a huge influence on that because I would sing in the choir and I was around music constantly.  My family is also full of amazing singers so often times we would just sing random songs around my grandmothers house on holidays or we would sing together in the church choir. Simply put, music has always been apart of my life.

Please tell us more about your release “Messed Up” How did this idea first come together and what is the inspiration behind it?

So the producer who produced the song (Fantastick) sent the beat over and I managed to turn it around in a day. I was in my feelings a little bit so it was easy to just let the words flow. Those words came mostly off the top of my head well, the hook specifically, and I wanted to say something catchy and powerful to me.  I think too many times I’ve tried way too hard to gain the attention of guys to only realize I don’t have to do all that and they don’t really care. You have to learn your place in people’s life so you can avoid situations where someone got you all the way messed up!

You have an amazing voice. Are you vocally trained?

As I said before, I grew up in the church so, I’ve sung in my fair share of church choirs. The most proper vocal training I’ve had are the choir classes I took when I was in school. I took choir in 6th grade all the way up to 11th grade where I made all-region every year except 1 year. All region is a competition for students in choir all over the state to compete in. That was always a cool experience for me and besides the natural gift to sing, this is the most vocal training I’ve had.

What has remained as your constant source of inspiration?

I am constantly inspired by some of my favorite artists and my family. Artists like H.E.R, Brandy, and Jazmine Sullivan always inspire me. H.E.R is just musically genius and I’ve been a fan of hers since I discovered her in high school. Brandy and Jazmine have always inspired me vocally from the way they riff and run to the music they create! My family is constant inspiration because of how resilient they are. We’ve been through our fair share of troubles like any family but we always come back to each other. We always come back to family.

How do you deal with writer’s block?

Writers block is the absolute worst! It’s even more worse when I actually want to create some music but I have no words. It’s very frustrating but to be honest I don’t deal with writers block. I don’t force anything because when I do, I become a terrible writer. I think it’s important to let words flow and when I encounter writers block, I let it have its moment then when I have something, I’m back as if nothing happened!

What’s a little-known fact about you that might surprise people?

I don’t know if it will surprise anyone but I’m heavy into the battle rap world. I’m such a fan of it! I came across URL in highschool and have been a fan ever since. Some of My favorite battle rappers are Jaz the Rapper, Tsu Surf, Chess, and Rum Nitty. They are top tier battle rappers in my book!

Is there anything else you’d like to say before we wrap things up? Are there any words for your fans?

I just want to thank everyone who has listened to my latest single “Messed Up” and if you haven’t, it’s out EVERYWHERE on streaming platforms. I’m just getting started and there’s so much more to come so get ready!

It’s an honor to speak with you today. Why don’t you give us some details about you and your story? How did you get to where you are today

Ali: This story is actually pretty funny. My mom always wanted me to play the piano because it was a dream of hers. I hated the idea of playing the piano and thought it was useless. But my parents and piano teacher didn’t give up on me. They kept pushing me until I suddenly fell in love with playing the piano and this was where it all began. It was a love-hate type of relationship the piano and I had.

After years of learning how to play I finally decided to try producing and creating my own music. That was during quarantine when COVID was still starting in March 2020. I would spend most of my days in my room just learning non-stop by watching YouTube videos. It got to the point where my parents were like “why isn’t he coming out of the room all day? Did he forget about us?”

Congratulations on your latest album “Toxicity”, how do you feel about the newfound success?

Ali: Thank you so much. I’m honestly still reeling from the amount of support I’ve gotten on this new album. I remember when I used to have about 3-4 monthly listeners on Spotify, even though it was a very small amount, that didn’t stop me from working hard to make more and better songs. But now with this new album, all of a sudden I have 10,000+ monthly listeners, 8,000+ streams and I’m like how the hell does that even happen so quickly. It hasn’t even been a week since the album came out.

5 years ago, if someone would’ve told me I would be making music and hitting a million streams over one song, I would’ve called you crazy. A lot of my friends and family know I’ve always had a dream of being a pilot when I was a little kid, but of course, as you grow older, you realize what matters most to you and what’s something you want to spend the rest of your life doing.

I would not trade this for anything else in the world. I feel so so grateful for having all these amazing people supporting me and pushing me to do my best, especially my family.

What was the inspiration behind the album?

Ali: The main thing that inspired me to make this album was my first album. It was terrible, I can’t even describe how bad it was. And so every time I’d listen to it, I’m like what was I even thinking back then. So ever since then, I put in my mind that I want to make an album that’ll make anyone who’s heard the first, forget about it.

I wanted to make an album that I can rebrand myself with as an artist and an album where I can explore new instruments, new vocal styles and new sounds. I didn’t want to make an album with just one genre in it. I wanted to mix between pop, ballads, R&B and more so that listeners can have a variety to choose from

What single off the album “Toxicity” do you anticipate taking off both on charts and with listeners/fans?

Ali: So far the most listened to songs on the album are “For You (Ft. Lakeith)” “Monster” and “Hold Me Close”. So If I’d have to pick, I’d go with “For You”.

Wow! Up until this point in your career, what would you describe as your favorite song you’ve recorded or performed live? What makes that song special?

Ali: That is really hard to pick. I have 2 favorite songs, “The Night We Met” which was released last year, and in which I’m re-recording again to improve it, and “Nineteen”

But I think “Nineteen” is my top favorite because it’s really personal to me. It’s a song about questioning how your future will go, will you achieve your goals, what’s next for you, are you on the right path and etc. Many of us could really relate to this song.

Which title or hat are you most proud to wear outside of being an artist, and why?

Ali: I’d like to think of myself as kind and compassionate. Someone you could turn to who would be there for you and someone you can rely on.

If you had one message to give your fans, what would it be?

Ali: You guys are the incredible, and I cannot wait to share more projects with you soon.

For our final question, is there anything else you would like to add?

Ali: I’d like to thank my mom, my dad and my brother for being so supportive and for always believing in me, and I’d like to thank my friends as well for pushing me to do my best.

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