Music artists thrive in the Bay Area

By Naomi McKinnie, CONTRIBUTOR

The Bay Area has a plethora of young, aspiring music artists who grind daily to brand themselves, and what makes them grow is the drive to get their name and talent out there. Stage presence is one way they can get notoriety and establish themselves.
Places like Complex Oakland showcase young talented hip hop artists every week. They feature multiple different artists in one night, so the crowd can get a feel for whose music they vibe with.
These showcases offer unsigned artists the opportunity to present the music they have created, and establish stage presence while performing their music in front of an engaged audience.
“People go to shows because they want to personally interact with the artists,” Alex Lavarico, known by stage name “NOTME” said about his experience performing on stage.
Artist interactions with fans help build the connection with the music that artist creates. Without these interactions people feel less connected to the person behind the stage name.
NOTME, an unsigned rapper, does showcases in the North Bay including Complex Oakland which allows new artists to feature their music. The opportunity to be on stage and connect with an audience benefits new artists, and gives audiences a wider range of easy access music that in most cases are free to download.
The Bay Area’s lively city life invites talented performers to stages with packed venues. Complex Oakland includes a bar and restaurant as well as the performance stage. Every first Saturday of each month they showcase headlining artists like Wiz Khalifa and Blueface which can be seen on Complex Oakland’s Instagram.
New artists are carving a path for themselves with their creativity by using lyrics, beats, and melodies.
“Most of the time I’ll make a song corresponding with my current mood,” Jeremiah Brown, known by his stage name “Wave” said in an interview about his creative process when making music.
Brown, a California State University East Bay student, knew he was gaining notoriety “when someone called me by my artist name for the first time without knowing my real name.” Having people recognize an artist establishes a sense of a following, which is the goal of artists who want to reach fame.
The Bay Area has young talent who are eager to share their creativity, and opportunities like showcases at Complex Oakland provide these unsigned artists a stage to reach fans.