Boost Your Artistic Career By Leading A Mindful Lifestyle With ChrisLee
Most of the time, every single artist has their own distinctive way to cultivate a better production either as a singer, producer, or instrumentalist. One of the biggest trending and common practices quickly growing is incorporating mindfulness into their daily schedules. The definition of this practice involves achieving a mental state that brings awareness in the present moment. Methods that have been proven to coincide with this is meditation or yoga. But, how does this relate to an artist?
The LA-based artist ChrisLee is a singer-songwriter who admirably merges classical R&B Soul with contagious Pop harmonies. He is a devotee of mindfulness practices and preaches it’s positive effects. Originally from New Jersey, ChrisLee is inspired by the sounds of John Mayer, Dave Matthews Band, Frank Sinatra, and Daniel Caesar. His first debut was a breakthrough R&B track “Between The Lines” that’s retrieved over 3 million streams and still growing. Pairing up with the independent label, Lowly Palace, ChrisLee is dedicated and intended to demonstrate his collection of musical talent, songwriting art, and leave a euphoric impression. In conjunction with leading a successful career, he remains a faithful pioneer of mindful practices. For this reason, we interviewed the artist to learn how he does it and what benefits are involved in his creativity, life, and career.
Tell us about you. What’s your name, where are you from, what type of music do you make.
My name is ChrisLee, and I’m from Essex Fells, New Jersey. I make a wide range of music, but my main style is Pop/R&B.
What stage are you in your career and how long have you been publishing music?
I’ve been an artist my whole life and developing my craft for as long as I can remember. I’m in the phase of my career where I need to share all that work and growth with the world. I’ve been training extensively for the past 20 years. I’ve just always been such a perfectionist that it took me forever to start releasing the music I was creating.
What was the moment you realized you had to pursue music as a career?
I started realizing that I wanted to pursue a career in music when I was in high school. I was interning in recording studios from the time I was 13, and it became a second home for me. I ended up spending countless hours in studios recording, writing, engineering, and producing. I completely fell in love with this idea of creating music and using my love of psychology to connect with artists that I would work with. I was so immersed in the process that I felt very confident in my choice to follow my heart, and getting accepted into Berklee College of Music made the idea seem more legitimate and grounded.
What practices do you lead in to maintain a mindful lifestyle?
My consistent daily practices are hot yoga, meditation, and mindful eating.
What impulsed you to become a yoga practitioner? How has it affected your life?
My friend Josh Cohen introduced me to Rodney Yee videos when I was in college, and I remember feeling amazing after each time I practiced. Although it was on and off at the time, It remained an essential thread in my life up until this point. About two years ago when I first moved to New York City, I had a moment with myself where I realized that yoga would be a daily practice of mine for the rest of my days. I never had that realization with anything else in my life, which spoke to the magnitude of its importance for me. I came to this conclusion because I realized that it had completely transformed me in every way. I was more mindful in my daily life, patient, more confident, in better shape, better at writing and recording music, and just an all-around better person. It helped me through some of the toughest transitions in my life and continued to inspire me to better myself and the world around me.
Do you see a difference in creativity when mindfulness is incorporated? If so, how?
Absolutely. Mindfulness changes everything. The most significant improvement I’ve seen is the ability to focus on the task at hand without overthinking other peoples opinions or just general mind chatter that could lead me off track. For example, when I’m writing I like to improvise over an instrumental or chord progression to get my first impression melodies for a song. I try to imagine what the song would sound like when it’s done and out in the world. I’m usually doing this with several other people in the room and because I’m singing something that I’m making up it can be easy to let insecurities get in the way of creating a good first recording. However, my mindfulness practices allow me to remain confident and fully focused on the creative process.
Besides creativity, do you feel that these practices assist with your personal and business relationships? Are there any challenges you face?
I certainly do. Not only does it help me remain patient and calm when dealing with all sorts of personalities, but it also helps me to navigate away from the relationships that don’t serve as an enhancement to my energy. My mindfulness practices allow me to remain extremely present for those who are closest to me, which strengthens my bond with the people who support me the most. It makes me more intentional with the relationships that I keep, which can be most of the battle in the first place. I used to spend time trying to make connections “work” even when the relationships I use to invest in were misaligned with my core values.
From your experience, how did you overcome those challenges?
Setting realistic goals and being confident in the fact that you are pushing to be a more authentic and healthier version of yourself. Doing so will leave you feeling empowered, and in the long run, you’ll be able to achieve more. When I first started practicing yoga, I was only doing about fifteen to thirty minutes a day. Now I do at least one hour a day in a hot yoga studio. Once the habit is there, it becomes easier to add time, so be gentle with yourself and the way that you speak to yourself. If you miss a day don’t beat yourself up, make a point to try the next day again. As far as people judging your new lifestyle, know that a lot of it comes from a lack of understanding and insecurity. Trust the process, and the fruits of your labor will be abundant.
If you could rewind time, what would you tell your old self from all that you’ve learned so far in your music career?
I would tell my younger self to keep the people who genuinely love you close. People will try to win you over with promises of money, fame, and everything in between. It can be effortless to get lost in the dream of it all, but the things that matter are truly the simplest. All of the success is just icing on the cake when you have the right people and the basics. Without those core things, success and fame can tear you apart. The people who love you will stick by you through even the worst. Make sure you keep them close.
Tell us about any new or upcoming projects your working on that your excited about.
I’m working on a music video for my first single, “Found Her,” and still have two more singles coming out before the end of the year with independent label Lowly Palace. Have so many songs that I’ve been working on, it’s all about narrowing them down now!
Listen to “Make A Move” by ChrisLee:
