Exclusive Interview: Pop Culturalist Chats with PXTN

Multi-faceted performer, songwriter, and vocalist, PXTN, is music’s total package. In 2016, he gained nationwide recognition for his interpretation of “Break Every Chain”, which reached #1 on iTunes. Following that success, he released his debut EP, Recover, and was featured in publications including Billboard, Fault Magazine, LA Times, and The Miami Herald.

This year, he dropped his brand new single, “L2LY”, which marks the next chapter in his already impressive career and further exemplifies who he is as an artist. Pop Culturalist had the pleasure of speaking with PXTN about his craft.

PC: How did you discover your passion for music and performing?
PXTN: Music has always been in my DNA. I made the decision to pursue it professionally when my love for dancing started to run out. I became a dancer, got lost in that world, only to discover that I wanted to get back into music. I wanted to go back to my first passion and be an artist with a vision that controls the show and the performance. I’ve always known that I had more to offer and that’s what made me get back into music.

PC: What was that transition like?
PXTN: The transition came at an interesting time in my life. I was only doing dance and it was the only form of expression for me at that time, so the thought of stopping and going back to music wasn’t easy. I had to find my voice again—I had to find who I was and what I wanted to say. I wasn’t the same kid that was writing songs before I was dancing. I had new experiences. I had to re-find my voice.

It took a lot of digging and searching. I tried new things. I made some dumb songs, but I needed that to get to the good stuff. The transition never stops. You always want to be the best version of yourself.

PC: Who or what would you say has had the biggest influence on your career?
PXTN: Beyoncé, Britney, and Lady Gaga! Most specifically, I would give it to Britney in her prime (I was a sucker for “Toxic” Britney) and Beyoncé when she was in Destiny’s Child and then became a solo artist. It was an experience watching this icon become an icon. We all knew she was, but we didn’t expect it. I really look up to those women.

Do you remember Britney on the VMA stage? It was electric. It was the total package. I took notes and I put them into my performance and music so that it’s the best that it can be. It’s about the entire experience from the visual to the staging to all those little details.

PC: Having been part of the industry, what would you say is the biggest lesson that you’ve learned?
PXTN: Everyone says this, but the biggest lesson that I’ve learned is to trust the process. Everyone has their own story, so don’t look to the right or left. It’s good for inspiration, but not for comparison. You should never compare yourself to anybody. You can’t compare your wins or your losses. I can’t get lost in that whole thing because I’d be doing myself a disservice. The only thing that I can do is focus on me and make sure that I’m delivering the best quality product.

PC: Speaking of new music, you recently released “L2LY”. What was the inspiration behind that track?
PXTN: I wanted to dance, man! I wanted to say something cool. It all started from a conversation: I’m the type of person who is easily influenced by love. If I meet someone, then I’m automatically obsessed. I want to focus on that person the entire time and I don’t want to do anything else but be with that person. I focus so much on my career, my music, and I want it to be dope. I want that to be at a place where I feel comfortable to let somebody else into my world.

The song is about that time of finding someone who you gave into that sensation of being with them—now you’re hooked, now you’re obsessed. It was about exploring that phase, which I’ve definitely been in before. There was someone that I had an interest in, and I didn’t want to be in the session. I wanted to go out with them and everyone was like, “You need to chill. We’ve got to write this song!”

PC: What did you take away from The Voice experience that you’ve been able to apply to your career?
PXTN: During my time on The Voice, Blake [Shelton] told me that I was my own competition. That was the golden ticket that I needed to survive the whole competition. I couldn’t get lost in who was number one in any given week because then I would lose focus on getting better and growing.

I’ve taken that into my career now. I’m always making sure that I’m in a different place than I was last year. You have to keep rocking and trusting the process. It all ties back to that.

PC: You’ve had incredible milestones already in your career. When you look back is there one that sticks out to you?
PXTN: Oh my goodness! One of the biggest ones was going to SXSW. That was surreal and gnarly. I got flown out, stayed in a nice hotel, and it was one of my first experiences being my own artist. After the show, it was cool to be able to reflect and say, “I’m good. They like me.” That was a huge milestone because every artist wants to go to SXSW.

PC: As we look ahead in 2019, what does the rest of this year hold for you?
PXTN: More music! There will be more shows and hopefully I’ll be on tour by the end of the year. Right now, it’s about getting the music out there and building that fan base. I want to touch and inspire people and make sure that music is available in a timely manner!

Pop Culturalist Speed Round

PC: Guilty pleasure TV show?
PXTN: Tidying Up with Marie Kondo. That show trips me out. The way that people react to her is awesome. I love it.

PC: Guilty pleasure movie?
PXTN: Coco! It’s great. I cry every time.

PC: Favorite book?
PXTN: My favorite book as a child was Holes by Louis Sachar.

PC: Favorite play or musical?
PXTN: All day, it’s Hairspray, then Wicked.

PC: A band or artist that fans would be surprised to learn is on your playlist?
PXTN: The Killers

PC: First album you bought?
PXTN: Aaliyah’s One in a Million

PC: First concert you attended?
PXTN: Lil Bow Wow and B2K

PC: An album that changed your life and why?
PXTN: I love this question! An album that changed my life was Brandy’s Full Moon. It was my first time being introduce to harmonies, what they meant, vocals, arrangements, production, and everything that entailed. I’ve never heard vocals done the way that Brandy did them in 2001 or whatever year it was.

PC: A venue on your bucket list to perform at?
PXTN: Oh my god because I’m from Miami the Triple A, but then Madison Square Garden.

To keep up with PXTN, follow him on Twitter and Instagram, and pick up “L2LY” on Amazon Music, iTunes, and Spotify.