Exclusive Interview: Pop Culturalist Chats with Ethan Bortnick

Ethan Bortnick is no stranger to success. The child prodigy holds the Guinness World Record for “The World’s Youngest Solo Musician to Headline His Own Concert Tour,” has performed in venues around the world, and has made dozens of television appearances on shows like Good Morning America and Oprah.

As he’s grown as a man and artist, so has his sound, evident in singles like “100 Layers,” “The Dino Club,” and “cLosure.” Pop Culturalist had the pleasure of speaking with Ethan about his career, the release of “sink and die,” and starting Sun and Sky Entertainment.

PC: You got your start in this industry at a very young age, and you experienced and accomplished more than many will in a lifetime. When you look back, is there a particular moment that stands out to you?
Ethan: It’s hard to pick one, but the most important thing that has happened to me was when I was getting started around five or six. My little brother was born. He’s my only sibling. My whole family was informed that he was going to be born without half of his heart, essentially. He had something called HLHS, which means he’s missing the two left chambers of his heart. That was a very scary point in my family’s life. He went through three heart surgeries. Luckily, he’s doing amazing and healthier than most of the kids his age.

At that time, I started doing fundraisers for the hospital that saved him. That sparked this ambition and this goal in me to try and use this platform for a good cause. I’m very lucky to have that spark. For me, I feel like whatever you do, whatever you’re capable of, or whatever your ability is, or whatever line of work you’re in, it’s important to remember to use what you have to do good.

PC: That’s amazing, and we’re glad your brother is doing well. You got your start as a pianist in this industry. Tell us about finding and developing your voice as a songwriter.
Ethan: At five, I started writing about manatees here in Florida, which is an interesting start. [laughs] I used to be really obsessed with animals. But as I started working with more musicians and touring, I learned a lot. That shaped the early days.

I used to write a lot about philanthropy and tie it in with the purpose of trying to do something good. Recently, at least with this new chapter in my music, I’m getting a bit more personal, trying to find new writing styles to slowly ease in with the new sound.

PC: What was it like for you growing up in the limelight? How were you able to remain grounded?
Ethan: I’m very lucky because no matter what event, tour, or TV appearance I had, I was always able to go back home. I went to regular school. I’d play video games. I wouldn’t practice eight hours a day. I lived a regular life, essentially. When it was time, we flew out of my home here in Florida and I’d get to experience all these amazing things.

When we were on tour for long periods of time, my whole family would come: my grandparents, cousins, aunt, uncle, brother, mom, and dad. Literally everybody was on the road with us. It made it feel like home. I’m lucky to have that because it helped me stay true to myself.

PC: Who or what’s had the biggest impact on your growth throughout the years? How has that impacted your songwriting process?
Ethan: That’s a good question. It’s interesting because I’m in a different transitional period. I’m transitioning from PBS artist to the modern music industry. One of the big turning points was when I started making concert specials for PBS. I worked with a man by the name of Dave Rosenthal, who is Billy Joel’s musical director.

I did a couple of shows with Billy Joel’s band when I was eight or nine. We did a show out in LA. When I got to work with him, I asked him if he would be my musical director. He agreed and it was awesome. We did two or three public television concert specials with him. He was instrumental in shaping my musicianship to what it is today.

In terms of now, I would have to say it’s my producer and also my bass player on the road. We write and produce everything together now.

PC: Speaking of transitions, you’re embarking into adulthood and a new chapter in your career. What do you hope to say with this next body of work?
Ethan: In general, I’m really proud of all the Gen Z voices that are popping out of nowhere every single day. There are so many new independent artists. We’re seeing so many artists through TikTok, people blowing up on Spotify. It’s awesome to see. I want to be one of those voices. I want to bring something new to the table with piano stuff because I feel like that’s fun and neat.

I’m excited to join in on the fun because I love seeing all these super-young, talented, and really unique artists that are coming up, which is why we started this partnership with ADA, the label, and everything.

PC: You have a new single out now. Tell us about “sink and die” and the inspiration behind the song.
Ethan: I wanted to write a sequel to a song that I wrote last year in the summer called “cLosure.” The song is about trying to wrap your head around not talking to someone or speaking to someone for a long period of time and getting closure. This song is the follow-up, which is about eventually after not getting closure, wanting to lash out and having those feelings of revenge, which can lead to disaster. I wanted to write a wacky ballad that is not too sappy and a bit humorous, talking about flaming bags of poop and all that weird stuff.

PC: You’ve been steadily releasing music throughout this year and last year. Can we expect more music in the second half of 2020?
Ethan: Absolutely. I want to release singles incrementally. This is the first time I’m becoming an artist, I guess you can say. I hope to have an EP out later this year as well as another single.

PC: You’re an artist who is constantly touring. What is the biggest lesson you’ve learned on the road?
Ethan: Do your homework. I had to balance that constantly on the road. But in general, the main thing I took away is that you need to have resilience and a tough outer shell. At the end of the day, it’s easy to be insecure about your art, your music, and everything you’re doing. I find that a lot of artists struggle with that.

I’m lucky to have a happy-go-lucky attitude and be nonchalant about everything, since I was so young and I didn’t understand. I didn’t feel that weight or gravity to the music that I was making and putting out. You just have to keep going, no matter what. We’re all doing this because we’re passionate about music. That outweighs all the negative stuff.

PC: At nineteen, you’re the owner of Sun and Sky Entertainment. How did that come to fruition? What do you hope to say with the company?
Ethan: We started Sun and Sky Entertainment a long time ago, when I was just starting out. My parents made sure that when they initially helped start the company that I would eventually be the owner, making the decisions. Last year when I started putting out music for the first time, I started realizing I’ve always wanted to be an independent artist. I believe the major labels are great for a lot of people, artists, and careers, but it wasn’t for me.

I never wanted to sign with a major label or do anything like that. I tried to find a new way to help a lot of artists and people because around this time is when we started developing our talent search, which I host. We had so many amazing artists who were winning and being presented to us. I wanted to help a lot of them develop their career and everything. I thought this was the best vehicle to do that—to help them release music and everything, knowing all the people that I knew at the time, all the amazing artists who also had the same sort of hesitation about signing with labels and everything. I felt that starting our own label division would be a great start for that.

We did that and we put out some more releases. Then ADA came to us, and we came to them, to start this partnership. ADA is the best example of how to do independent music right. They’re really, in my opinion, the future of how labels are going to operate. They’re doing a great job with all of their label partners and everything, and we really adore what they do with their artists and staff over there. It’s fantastic.

We were really excited about this. It took us a little while to officially close this deal because we were going through a lot of touring. We filmed the first season of this talent search, and then COVID hit. There were some obstacles in the road, but finally we finished the deal. We’re super grateful. I’m excited to kick off this newfound partnership. It’s going to be fun.

Pop Culturalist Speed Round

PC: A band or artist that fans would be surprised to learn is on your playlist?
Ethan: I listen to a lot of different music. There’s definitely some very obscure jazz records on my playlist. Some metal.

PC: First album you bought?
Ethan: I’ve only bought one record ever because we love the age of streaming. It’s To Pimp A Butterfly. It’s my favorite album of all time.

PC: First concert you attended?
Ethan: The Wiggles. [laughs] I don’t know how proud of that I am.

PC: An album that changed your life and why?
Ethan: I would say that Kendrick Lamar album, To Pimp A Butterfly. When I first heard that album, it changed my perspective on music entirely. Kendrick is a great example of an artist that I’m aspiring to be. He’s one of the leaders of TDE, and that’s what I’m trying to do with Sun and Sky and creating that cohesiveness and signing artists and being a part of every single process from developing them to featuring them.

PC: A venue on your bucket list to perform at?
Ethan: I’ve been to Japan a couple of times, but I’ve never really got to perform at any of their serious performing art centers. That would be pretty cool. I love their appreciation for music over there.

PC: A must-have on the road?
Ethan: My Nintendo Switch. I got to have my Pokémon.

To keep up with Ethan, follow him on Twitter, Instagram, and Spotify.