Today we’d like to introduce you to Trace Meadors.
Hi Trace, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
I had always loved music at an early age. Most of my music taste was developed by what my brother would show me. I really think my brother and I having similar music taste was a big factor for me getting involved in music later in life. I spent most of my early years involved in sports like Basketball, Baseball, and mostly Tennis. Most of my middle and high school life was taken up by Tennis until my Senior year. This is when I watched a video on YouTube of Avicii showing an interviewer a track he was producing on his laptop. I didn’t know you could make music on just a laptop. Avicii at the time was in FL Studio, so that is was I downloaded later that day. Once I was at the end of my senior year, I had to make a choice. Go to college and play Tennis while pursuing a history degree or for Audio Production. I took a year off in between High school and College to decide. Once that year was up I made the choice to attend the Art Institute of Austin for audio production. This is also when I switched to the DAW I use now which is Ableton Live. I did learn a lot about audio while I was in college, but not as much on music production. I turned to learn this on my own. I had been producing for a while before I decide to start releasing music. My first track was released in 2018 and a couple more in 2019. Looking back I’m glad I didn’t try to release everything I had made back then. One of my tracks from 2019 “Better Alone” started to get some traction and that motivated me to keep pushing forward. This track is also what helped me get a job teaching music production at Dub Academy in Austin. I’ve been teaching there for about 3 years and the people I’ve met while being there I’d say is just as valuable as anything else I’ve done up until now. One of my best friends Brett Hopkin (Who I See/Madhatter!) also teaches there. The friendship I formed with him pushed me forward due to the constant motivation he’d given me. I released a couple more tracks in 2020 and 2021 but at the end of 2021, I thought I was ready to seek out management. I started by going to as many shows as I could to talk with people. In about 2 weeks of doing this, I met Robert Brooks and Justin Benidict, the people that would become my managers. When going out to meet people I made sure I had some unreleased music to show them and easy ways to show what I’ve released already. Many people were telling me I had taken an unusual path by focusing on the productions and building streams online before seeking out shows, but I’m glad I took this path. In December I signed with my management and my first show was on January 1st, 2022 doing direct support of Nero. Needless to say, I was nervous. This year has been crazy and I’m thankful for every second of it. I have been backlogging new music since I signed with my management and plan on releasing most of it in 2023!
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
I wouldn’t say it was a smooth road, but a lot of the hardship came right before I started this path. I think those events are what kept driving me forward through the years. I will say when pursuing something like this, you’ll have to learn very quickly that there are more times you’ll hear the word no than yes. You’ll also have to manage time the best you can. During my college years on this path, I was working 2 jobs and going to school full time, so finding time to dedicate to my dream had to become a priority. You can’t let things like that get to you and it’s best to surround yourself with great people who understand what you’re trying to do. This does not mean surround yourself with Yes people though.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
As of today I teach DJ and music production at Dub Academy and get to look at releasing music as Xyan as a career. The event I’m most proud of is something I can’t talk about yet. It involves me making a track with the lead singer of one of my favorite bands growing up. I’d like the think my years learning audio as a whole and the experiences I gained while working in recording studios and helping on others’ music can set me apart from others. A lot of my music that’ll be coming out next year genre bends quite a bit. Mainly mixing electronic music with genres like rock and metal.
What quality or characteristic do you feel is most important to your success?
I’d say the characteristics that have helped me the most are working hard and keeping an open mind. I view my work as Xyan as something that has to get done. I also try to approach each person in a scene as if they know something I don’t. I think ego is the death of an artist trying to make it.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: Instagram.com/xyan_music
- Facebook: Facebook.com/xyanmusic
- Twitter: Twitter.com/XyanMusic
- Youtube: www.YouTube.com/channel/UCK2fYRZB8PmeeDp-cztex4Q
- SoundCloud: SoundCloud.com/xyanmusic
- Other: https://open.spotify.com/artist/4EDCf6apSbfCPkoDqGyVOy?si=a3Siyb5ySSWCUh_Yv91U0Q
Image Credits
Photos by Paxton Connors @paxton_conners
The Concourse media team @theconcourseproject
