Press Pass LA sat down with up and coming artist Keize Montoya. As a musician he has opened up for everyone from T-Pain and 2 Chainz to Bone Thugs-N-Harmony.
An all-around entrepeneur Montoya has a brand new EP out (which dropped at the end of April) plus a new line of sunglasses.
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. 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 with and opening for T-Pain, 2 Chainz and Juicy J?
KM: It was awesome to do big shows. From 2013 on it was really great to get into bigger shows with those artists. It has been a really good streak for me. I feel like a lot of people do it wrong because they want to go straight to playing concerts and get in front of the most people. I felt like I had to get all my projects in line first. I have my own merchandise and videos and my own companies. I waited until I felt like it was the right time to take on the bigger shows.
PPLA: How did some of those shows come about?
KM: I started working with a couple promoters and the turnouts were really good. I just wanted to keep it going. The promoters I work with really care about me. The reputation is that some promoters just take money from artists. I make sure that they show some kind of interest in my music and they really care before working with them and that’s worked out.
PPLA: What is L.A. like in comparison to Arizona?
KM: I love L.A.; it is really fun. I also love Phoenix. It is like mini L.A 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 do graphic design and all my music too, so I am still trying to balance everything. I definitely wanted to have a brand that kind of defines me and represents me well. 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 wanted it to be something that was thought provoking. I just started getting the sunglasses made. I have three different shirt designs as well which have already sold out but don’t worry because I have a fresh summer line coming out soon! The clothing line has a space age look to it and it has been well received so far.
PPLA: What are you releasing next?
KM: I will be realizing my new EP Nomad early summer and it includes the single “Are We There Yet.” I will include some of my past singles on it as well like “Journey”. The songs are about the 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 other small towns to see what they can be.
Visit KeizeMontoya.com