Growing up surrounded by musicians, junior Owen Roy became curious about the process of music production at a young age. He took up the piano early on and then began experimenting with music production during the quarantine in 2020. Since then, he hasn’t stopped exploring digital music, collaborating with other artists and constantly expanding his musical repertoire.
Owen noted how his creative style has changed. “I used to create a lot of electronic music, but recently I’ve been exploring genres like pop and indie,” he said. “I feel like it’s so fun to branch out and try new genres.” Recently, Owen has started recording his own vocals, adding a new element to his songs.
To create an original song, Owen begins by playing various chords on his piano until he finds a key that he likes. “I have so many voice memos of myself humming melodies that I use to build a song,” he said. “Sometimes I’ll just start with a drum beat.” Since 2022, Owen has recorded an impressive three-and-a-half hours worth of music. “I try to make music every night,” he said.
When music production shifted fully to digital platforms during the pandemic, Owen had the opportunity to collaborate with like-minded musicians. While he enjoys working creatively with others, he finds most success working independently on his own schedule. “I have a really fast workflow because when I enjoy something, I put all my energy into it,” Owen said.
Last fall, he participated in a 24-hour music-making event, in which groups worked to make a song for one day. Owen, who took on a leadership role delegating responsibilities to nine people, reflected on the challenges of working with different people. “I’ve had a lot of stressful experiences working under time constraints with groups. I think it’s just difficult to collaborate with people whose workflows aren’t similar to my own.” Regardless of these issues, Owen noted that he did find inspiration in collaborating with other musicians online.
Owen described the immense impact that music has on his own life. “I do it because it’s fun,” he stated. “Sometimes I have a hard time talking to people, and I think that music is an easy way for me to express what’s on my mind.” He makes an effort to play or create music every night, as it’s the perfect way to relieve stress and exercise his creativity.
Owen noted some musical inspirations, whom he admires for their versatility. “One of my main inspirations right now is an artist named Underscores,” he noted. “I like Porter Robinson as well; he does pop. They’re inspirations because the approaches that they take to music are constantly changing.”
In the future, Owen is certain that music production will continue to play a key role in his life. “I’d love to be a recording artist and be able to profit off of my music,” he said. “I think doing anything in the music or audio field would be great, maybe even scoring for movies and shows.” Although he’s unsure of whether or not he will attend a music conservatory for college, there is no doubt that music will be at the forefront of his future endeavors.
Owen’s biggest piece of advice for aspiring musicians is that you should never be afraid to fail. “The first two years that I started making music, I hated it because it wasn’t how I wanted it to sound,” he reflected. “If you pick up music, you’re not instantly going to be a top charting artist. Don’t be afraid to make something that sounds bad initially because it’s with practice that you’re going to make something better. You have to give yourself time to grow and expand upon what you’re doing.” We wish Owen the best of luck with music production in the future!
