My guest today is Alexander Alvarez, aka XELA. Alex is a man who has a very pure and complicated relationship with music and the world, and one of the most beautiful hearts and minds I’ve had the privileged to watch unfold on this show.
One of the questions I ask every guest is “What is your measure of success?”
It was after talking with Xela, that I realized my own answer, which is that I’ve already succeeded because I have chosen to make music and support others who do.
Do I want to play huge crowds, and make lots of money? Maybe. It might well come at a cost I won’t realize I’ve paid until it’s too late.
What I know is that because I chose to start playing music, I met a wife and have two incredible children. I know that I can go to anywhere in the world, and I have family waiting for me at the nearest open mic. I know that I’m putting goodness into the world with every song I sing and musician I uplift.
That’s the sort of truth that bubbled up in my brain after four hours chatting with today’s guest. So I’ve decided to break his interview up into two parts. Today is part one, and next Monday, come back for part two.
Please check out his work and throw some capitalist love his way!