ONE-ON-ONE WITH KEIZE MONTOYA
Press Pass LA sat down with up-and-comer Keize Montoya. Though still new on the scene Montoya has already opened up for T-Pain, 2 Chainz, TeeFlii, Juicy J and Bone Thugs n’ Harmony making him one to watch.
A natural entrepeneur Montoya has timed the release of his new EP to drop around the same time as his new sunglass line this summer. Press Pass LA sat down with him to talk about his early days and where he sees himself in the future.
PPLA: How did you get your foot in the door of the music world?
KM: I grew up in Columbus, New Mexico. It is on the east side of New Mexico. I got into music because I have four generations of musicians in my family and it goes back to my great grandpa and everybody on my dad’s side of the family.
They played an instrument, so, they all had their own bands at one time or another and my dad has his own band and when I got to about 16, I joined the band and I was a keyboard player and played Cumbia’s and stuff like that. Cumbia is really popular in West Texas.”
PPLA: How was it working and opening with Tpain, 2chainz and Juicy J?
KM: It was awesome to do big shows. From 2013 and on it was really great to get into bigger shows and it was a really good streak for me. I feel like a lot of people do it wrong and they want to go straight to the concerts and get in front of the people and I felt like I had to get all my projects in line first. I have my own merchandise and my own videos and companies and I felt like it was that time to take on the bigger shows.
PPLA: How did you start doing into bigger shows?
KM: I started working with a couple promoters and the turnouts were good and I had good shows. I just want to keep it going. The promoters I work with really care about and it goes around that some promoter just take money from artists. I make sure that they show some kind of interest in my music and they really care.
PPLA: What is L.A. like in comparison to Arizona?
KM: I love L.A. It is really fun. I love phoenix. It is like mini LA. But, it’s hotter. There is a lot of room for growth in Phoenix. I do everything when it comes to recording. It is a great city for artists to develop a foundation.
PPLA: Can you talk about your clothing line?
KM: I am just getting it off the ground. It gets hard to graphic design and I do all my music too and I am trying to balance everything. I definitely wanted to have a brand that kinda defines me and it represented me well and I call my label ethereal entertainment.
It has a lot of meaning to me. Basically, a material not of this world and unable to be touched by the physical form, something very deep beyond materialism. I want it to have something very thought provoking. I just started making the sunglasses made. I have 3 different shirts that already got sold out of and I am coming out with a fresh summer line. The clothing line has a space look to it. It got good reception so far.”
PPLA: What are you releasing next?
KM: I will be realizing my new EP “Nomad” May 3 and it includes the single “Are We There Yet.” I will include some of my past singles on it, like “Journey”. The songs are about that life journey. It is called Nomad because it is about someone that is never stationary. It is about not being constrained by your life and about stepping out of your comfort zone and pursuing your dream. I want to inspire people from small towns to see what they can be.
