- What is your Name? Where you’re from and what first got
you interested in the entertainment industry?
My name is Henry Kellem.
I was born and grew up in the small rural town of Wallace, NC.
While I was in college, I would help friends and colleagues to
organize events in my free time. Since I had great “people
skills” and an eye for a detail my peers at the University told
me I should start a business. Those, connections and
friendships I made, while there, materialized into a full-blown
business. That lead me to creating, Heights Entertainment.
As CEO of Heights Entertainment, I’ve had the opportunity to
host some of the biggest events throughout the nation,
including New York Film Festival events, All-Star events,
events with the Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association, and
the Cannes Film Festival. - Who and/or what inspires you to create?
There is a man I want to thank for being such an inspiration to
me throughout my life. That is Shawn Carter, better known as
Jay-Z. Growing up in the Marcy Projects, a public housing
complex riddled with domestic abuse, drugs, and gang
violence, Jay-Z had the same urge of breaking free from a
cycle of poverty as I had growing up on Dirt Road in North
Carolina.
That very same urge became an indispensable inspiration in
launching his rap career, as well as it was inspiration in my
career. Our childhoods have many similarities, as well. His
father left the family when he was only 11. I grew up without
my father.
Initially, I was drawn to his lyrics but he became so much more
than just a successful rapper. He became the epitome of the
American Dream, rising from almost nothing to the top of the
rap industry. Thanks to him, more than any other rapper, Rap
music has proven itself as a conduit to artists, not to only get
rich, but also to have significant and lasting impact on popular
culture as we know it today.
- How would you describe your sound?
Through my songs, I want to show the people the Infinite Mind-
Body connection and how our thoughts, attitudes, and
behaviors affect our physical health. I want to show them that
the science and the religious scripts are nothing but two sides
of the same coin. To me, the aim of science is to uncover the
deepest spiritual truths, and the aim of spirituality is the
search for the cause behind scientific fact.
In my opinion, both, physical and spiritual scientists, are
seeking answers to the same question, but in different ways.
The physical scientists are trying to prove God to themselves
through the outer eyes and ears, while the spiritual scientists
are trying to prove God to themselves through their inner eyes
and ears. While physical scientists gaze at the stars through
powerful telescopes and listen to radio waves from distant
stars through instrumentation, spiritual scientists gaze at the
inner stars and listen to the inner music of the spheres through
meditation. They both sit in silence, watching and waiting. - What is your creative process like?
Well, in my opinion, creativity is a process, which is subjective,
deeply personal, and difficult to articulate. In this hectic world
we’re surrounded every single day with hundreds of
distraction that are hindering our creativity.
Luckily, there is a place, my own Safe Heaven, where my
best ideas about the music come. It is in the shower. Over
and over again, if I lack inspiration, taking a shower always
helps since shower is a safe place that provides all the factors
ideal for the creativity and idea formation: dopamine high-
relaxed state, distracted mind, and a time the ideas need in
order to marinate, bake, and form before they move forward.
On the other hand, it wasn’t too difficult to find the inspiration
for the album since I have lived through all of these songs. The
lyrics are my own actions and lessons.
- What artist(s) would you like to collaborate with?
Definitely Jay-Z. - What is one message you would give to your supporters?
I’ve learned that the most important trait one can have in this
world is to be passionate about what you do and to possess
the Gangster Mentality, a mentality of unwavering
perseverance despite all the obstacles and relentless faith.
Together, they will take you far in the direction that you choose
in life, and they’ll make you a winner. - What is the most talent/skill you have that most people
don’t know about?
We all have something special that makes us unique. Some
people are good at art or music, while others excel at sports or
math.
When I was little, I loved nature and spent my time observing
nature up close- tiny insects, ants collecting food for their
colony, worms crawling through the ground, snails moving
along the grass, ants fighting on a piece of bread. I had always
wanted to be involved with animals and, at the age of 10, I
volunteered helping out in an animal shelter.
At that point, I had never considered myself an artist, but I
loved watching documentaries about animals and I even based
some of my drawings on this knowledge.
- What would you be doing right now, if you weren’t doing
music?
To me music is not only an attitude towards life itself but also
an attention-grabbing megaphone with which I can send the
message out into the world.
Facing obstacles in unavoidable throughout our lives. Many
people adjust to and welcome the change, but others may
have a hard time coping and need extra support to get them to
the next level in their lives.
Sharing my life experience with other people and helping them
avoid the mistakes I did in my teenage years, is what pushes
me forward every single day.
Therefore, when I’m not writing songs, I help people of all ages
move forward toward bigger and better things in order to get
past the bumps along the path of life. - Who are some artists/people you admire and why?
See answer to question #2 - What is the best advice you’ve been given?
The best advice I’ve ever received was a piece of throw-away
conversation between a very good friend of mine and me. I
was walking in from the parking lot to my office to start my day
when I notice my friend beside me.
He asked how I was doing, and I responded with my typically
glib, “So far so good…but it’s early”. It was something I had
said a thousand times and it usually drew a half-hearted
chuckle out of whomever I was with, but not this time.
My friend looked at me, now very serious and said, “Make the
day, don’t let the day make you.” The idea stuck with me and
gnawed at me, I couldn’t stop thinking about it and its
implications.
What if the difference between having a bad day and having a
good day was a choice? I finally figured that I had nothing to
lose by trying so I did.
At first, it was hard, my entire nervous system was
programmed to react with resentment, disappointment, and
even anger at any setback, and I would have to reprogram it.
Little by little, I started forcing myself to become optimistic and
see the silver lining in life’s hardships.
Tragedies will befall us all from time to time—that is an
immutable law of life—but we don’t have to carry those
tragedies around with us for the rest of our lives. People will
disappoint us, even betray us, but we don’t have to carry a
grudge like it is our full-time job. It may sound trite, but
forgiveness truly IS a gift we give ourselves, unfortunately, I
came to that realization late in life.
We can’t always control the bad things that come into our lives
but we always have a choice as to how we react to them. If
we’re driving to work and someone cuts us off, we can choose
to either stay cool and move on, or we can let a complete
stranger “make our day” for us—that’s just insanity! Why would
we give control of our lives over to a stranger who drives
poorly?
But perhaps what I love most about this advice is that it
reminds us that we aren’t just hapless victims of
circumstance, that we have a choice of whether or life is
filled with misery and regret or brimming with joy and
happiness.
Optimism is a choice. Abraham Lincoln once said, “Most folks
are about as happy as they make up their minds to be.” I’m
great admirer of science, which has found that Lincoln’s
assessment is generally correct.
So, my advice to others is: Decide to be happy, in the grand
scheme of things life is too short not to grab every bit of
happiness we can find.
- If you could change anything about the industry, what
would it be?
I believe that music industry has strong future since the total
global revenue in the music industry has increased more than
50% in the last seven years. On top of that, the future upswing
will be driven by changing consumer habits, an online
streaming, which now has more than 60% share of overall
revenue, and the exploitation of undeveloped markets in some
of the world’s largest countries.
Musicians, meanwhile, remain in the most precarious position,
even while the industry they work in is booming. Are you aware
that the average annual pay for a musician in the US is
$44,798 a year, which works out to be approximately $21.54
an hour? This is the equivalent of $862/week or $3,733/month.
This being said, I fully support a fairer distribution of revenue
among labels, platforms and musicians, which will improve the
artists’ position. - What’s next for you, where would you like to see
yourself in the next year?
I’m simply wrapping up work on my second creation and I’m
anticipating getting back in the studio again after the Summer,
with even more up-to-date material.
- What is your social media? How can people get in
contact with you?
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/henrykellem/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/HenryTKellem/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCbCb9j6FO2uITToyfUVqmZQ
Twitter: https://twitter.com/HTKellem
