Eddie Negrete is a twenty-two-year-old Bay Area native vocalist, multi-instrumentalist, and producer. He started his musical journey at 15 with the drums, igniting his passion for music and driving him to pursue a career in the industry. From there, he taught himself to play the piano and guitar, and developed his skills in music production, giving him a unique advantage in the industry. After studying music production under renowned music industry professionals at Icon Collective, Eddie is now based in Los Angeles where he has played live shows at venues such as The Mint, Adults Only, and The Moroccan Lounge.
Eddie Negrete’s debut single, “Been Weeks,” introduces the dance music scene to his unique fusion of antipop, house, and indie dance which defies the boundaries of genre. Featuring introspective lyrics that reflect Negrete's personal experience of moving on from a toxic relationship, the song is a mesmerizing blend of ethereal instrumentation and haunting vocals.
The single delivers an emotionally charged display of heartbreak that follows the protagonist as he deals with the aftermath of a toxic relationship. The illustrative lyrics paint a vivid picture of a man spiraling out of control in the absence of his former partner, despite knowing the relationship was unhealthy. As the song progresses, Negrete’s vocals exhibit his desperation and hopelessness, creating a sense of defeat. His emotive voice seamlessly expresses the feelings of loss and resignation, with intimate lead vocals, airy adlibs, and smooth harmonies. The song showcases Negrete’s impressive talents as a multifaceted producer, singer, and songwriter, and positions Negrete as a visionary artist who is breaking new ground in the indie dance genre.
We recently had the chance to speak with Eddie about life, music and his career.
Hi, Eddie! Thanks for chatting with us today. What inspired you to start pursuing music as a career path?
I thought about what it would feel like to live a life that I was truly proud of. For me, that meant putting everything on the line and risking it all for the sake of music. Any previous decision in my life to not pursue music came from fear. Once I realized that I would rather live a life that was full of risks than one that was led by fear, it was obvious that I needed to take a leap of faith and go all in with music.
Describe your sound in 3 words.
Danceable Bedroom Pop
What is your favorite quote and why?
“If you say that getting the money is the most important thing, you'll spend your life completely wasting your time. You'll be doing things you don't like doing in order to go on living, that is to go on doing things you don't like doing, which is stupid.” -Alan Watts
I was lost when I was pursuing accounting because my end goal was simply to have the money to afford a nice house so that I could have a space to make music. I was completely ignoring the fact that all my time and energy would be consumed with the career, and if I was to wait till I was retired to work on my passion, it would be too late. Instead, I came to the realization that if I make sacrifices and live on the bare minimum, I could have my dream of working on music right now. So that’s what I did; I moved to LA with no money and picked up a restaurant job down the street and spent the rest of my time developing my music. Since I’ve made this shift, I’ve never been happier. Some may say that I am broke but I say that I am the wealthiest man in the world.
What do you do to take a break and prevent burn out?
Stepping away from technology and surrounding myself with nature is what I have found to be the best cure for burn out. Spending time in nature has really healed me as a person and has caused me to have a positive and appreciative outlook, and that is the key to a happy life.
What is your favorite part of being an artist? Is it music creation, performing, collaborating, etc.? Why?
My favorite part of being an artist is easily the music creation part. The most ideal way I can imagine spending my life is making music, developing my sound.
Describe your creative process.
My songs always start with a guitar and my voice, it is what works best for me. After I figure out some topline melodies, I bring it into Ableton and begin messing with some production ideas. I love to sample my vocals and my guitar so that my ideas can stay cohesive when the emphasis of the song switches from the songwriting to the electronic instrumental section. I have found that writing the song first and then producing it out after is the order of operations that works for me, rather than making the beat first and then trying to add lyrics to it. It is also reassuring to me that if I needed to strip the song back for an acoustic performance, it would still work because at its core it is just an indie rock song.
Who is your dream collaboration? Why?
One of my biggest dream collaborations is with Men I Trust. The sonic landscape they paint in their songs is on another level, and I would love to see what we could come up with if we made a song that blended our sounds together. The beautiful vocals and dreamy, harmonically rich instrumentation could pair so nicely with the electronic sounds I gravitate towards in my productions.
The beginning of your career can be a big learning curve. What was a mistake you made early on and what lesson did it teach you?
The biggest mistake I made was feeling the need to immediately start posting on social media and trying to grow a following before I had even figured out the sound of my artist project. This was a decision that was ruled by fear; I didn’t want to pop out of my music school with zero following and be viewed as a guy who threw his life away. However, this need to make content took away from the time that was necessary for me to develop my sound, and that is the priority - the music has to come first. I am so thankful I made the change to hide myself away for a year and only focus on improving my music. Now I am at a place where I am making music that I am so proud to put my name on, so now I am ready to start working on my social media numbers.
What is the best piece of advice someone has given you?
The music school I went to was predominantly electronic music, so it was easy to want to make what everyone else was making because you are a product of your environment. My mentor encouraged me that in order to establish my own sound for my music, I need to stay true to my roots, which is alternative rock for me. He pointed to my effects pedalboard for my guitar and said “there’s your sound design.” When I’m creating, I always try to remember this when I am thinking about what the song needs. Rather than try to copy someone else's sound design, I try to use the tools I have to create my own.
How can we connect with you and stay up to date on what you are working on?
The best way would be to follow me on Instagram and TikTok! My username is @eddie_negrete for both.
