I’m so incredibly humbled that I got to interview Tony22. I was fortunate enough to be introduced to him by his amazing girlfriend & my bud Jaida (whose interview will follow this one). The reason I’m so humbled is because I know my strengths and being ‘cool’ has never been my strength and Gen Zers can be absolutely brutal. So the fact the interview was so fun and informative made it all that more enjoyable and I felt I still had some youth left lol. This was a great Conversating - Enjoy!

How would you describe yourself to someone that is not aware of you…

 I would say that I am a bedroom Pop Hip Hop Artist, who started as a YouTuber and transitioned into music. As well I have fallen into the category of spirituality, self-help, and mental-health type conversations- and that is usually the type of stuff that I write about.

Okay very cool…

Now how did you get your name, Tony22…

Okay like I said spirituality is a big part of my life. So, when I was trying to come up with a name for myself, and I asked for signs.  I was on a trip and kept seeing the number 222 everywhere. And that became the number that showed me that I was going in the right direction.

I was a YouTuber before music. So, I had to kind of trust that music was the path for me .... Uh-huh… the number 222 was the number that kept showing me that I was on the right path. So, Tony22 kind of became the name.  Now that is very cool!  I assume that Tony is your actual name… Tony is my actual name, well Antonio.

You already said that you transitioned from being a YouTuber to music. So, obviously if you are older than twenty-five (years old), the Gen-Z’s, it’s all about the same – the Tik-Tok, and YouTube.

What is the main difference (those older glump it all together) … Right – right... between setting yourself apart from being a YouTuber and an actual musician; because you can listen to music on YouTube - what has been the path and what has been the difference…

The biggest difference has been the connection with your community. When I was a YouTuber, I felt that it was easier to talk and engage with my audience, because I was making videos about my life. So, in every moment they were caught up with what was happening in my life. Or, stories, and things that I had been through.

Whereas with music it is more of an artistic approach to things that are about my life. So, I find it harder to tell the audience what I am going through. It is more like the sound, artistic things (with music).

I also found it is hard to engage with my audience. It has always felt better to express myself this way than straight-forward… on You-Tube?  Yeah!

Now what led you to You-Tube…

I was doing stuff on the internet before You-Tube, actually I was a cartoon animator. I was on websites like Newgrounds, where people post animations, cartoons. Then I went over to You-Tube when I was about 10 years old.

Because it was getting more and more popular to be a You-Tuber.  I was inspired by a bunch of You-Tubers. I thought that I would love to do this forever, kept doing it, and just kept posting on You-Tube.

Then I eventually started making money on YouTube, to where it could be my full-time thing.

Now that is amazing! Creativity is obviously a big thing. You are an artist. How did you start singing? There are some people that just should not. Your material is so cool, it kind of reminds me of early ‘The 1975’ (the group).  Oh…I love them. Oh!!!! Yes, me too! I saw them on tour multiple times – obsessed.

What do would you say gave you the confidence to go from Animator to sharing your life…because that is more like an Influencer. Most would see that as not really a talent, because you are just talking about yourself…Yes, true.

I mean I have heard different singers say that they have been singing since they were like 2 years old. Uh, I have not… I have sung around my family. We would go Karaoke and have fun. Oh dang… I love Karaoke! Yes, I love Karaoke that is like my family’s thing.

So, since I was 9, or 10 years old we have been going to Karaoke, just for fun and to hang out. Then I remember there was this App called ‘Sing’, you could sing Covers of songs and you could send it out to the Internet.  

Then people could hop on and sing along with you. People could comment on the song they had sung with you. So, I was getting a lot of comments, because one of my Covers was going viral on ‘Sing’.

It was a Cover for Justin Bieber; I got like 10,000 plays on it.  I also got a lot of comments that I sounded good, and just like the record. By the time I was 15 years old, I started to think of myself more like - I can sing, I am like a musician. I have been playing the drums since I was about 9 years old.

Music has always been in the background of my life – but not really the forefront. As I was growing as a You-Tuber, getting my audience, I had the popularity. I was writing a couple of songs. I then thought to post a song on my channel to see what my audience thought.

Then overnight that song got about 100,000 views on the channel. Everyone was affirming to me that they thought the song was awesome. I mean it was a shit song, it was the first one that I wrote. Hey… it doesn’t matter how you get there as long as you get there.  Exactly!

So, I had a lot of confirmation from people growing up, that I connect, and that I had potential. It didn’t matter if it was great, but the potential was there. My audience really gave me the confidence that I should keep doing it and keep going.

What are your tips for a healthy mindset…

That is something that I still struggle with, but I would say balancing your life, and not making your life solely about music. The more attached you get to this thing, the more importance you have behind it, and it starts to control you and your happiness. Rather than you control it.

I try to disconnect myself that these songs are about my life, that mean the world to me, and that they are my baby. Whether or not the song does good, does not matter because it is just another song.

Whether or not I own the master’s to songs or not, does not matter. It is just another song. I have more important things in my life – I have Jaida, my family, friends, and other passions. I have music, it is not my life, it is not what I am, it is what I do. It is just another aspect of me.

Some of your songs are personal. Songwriting comes into play; most songwriters will sing their demos before they send them out to someone. But they do not put themselves in the forefront, a lot of songwriters think they do not have all the things to make themselves a good performer… Yeah.

Songwriting is one of the hardest things that you can do…what made you know that you could write a song? What was the process… was it real life experiences, or just trial and error…

Humm … yeah, I think it was just having fun for the most part. My family was involved with Karaoke, and just having fun. So, I never had a serious outlook on songs. Some of my first songs that I wrote were just me trying to be funny to make my family laugh.

I would make a rap beat, then make a stupid song about shaking ass in a club. I mean I was like 13 years old talking about girls like I had any experience. But it was literally just for fun.

The more reaction that I got from my family and friends; from these really shitty songs, just made me want to try more and more fun stuff. That made me take it more seriously and try more stuff.

I still have this mindset about writing to this day. If I can get a reaction out of people with the words that I am saying, then I know that it worked. If it can make people cry, or a song that can make people laugh – that to me is what good writing is about, it is about the reaction.

Speaking of Jaida (Tony22’s girlfriend) … most advise that you do not mix personal and business. Songwriting and the creative process is such a personal and intense process.

So, you have written and sing about certain aspects of your relationship. How did you both decide that this area was okay? Did you get approval to do it?... and I don’t get that it is a Taylor Swift vibe. That I am going to talk shit about things that have happened…. Ahahaha yeah….

It is a more pop upbeat vibe, where there is a silver lining that makes sense. It is like this happened. But it is not doomsday, and I hope that you die (like Taylor Swift). How did the conversation come up (that you were going to write about your relationship) …

You know I think most of the times that I end up on one of his songs… I am literally walking around or hanging out. He will say I need a vocal for this part, or harmonizing part. He will say I need someone that can sing the high notes, it is usually more casual…  like – do you want to see what you can add to this. I used to sing when I was younger.

I remember the first time that I was on with him, our relationship was still long distance; and he asked if I wanted to be on a song. He knew that I loved to sing.

 He sent me the track, and I hummed different melodies on top, and then he selected the one that he wanted and added it into the song.   So, it is really pretty casual (Jaida).

Yeah, it is helpful for me to have someone like Jaida around in the studio. I am constantly thinking about music, and Jaida can be more of a listener of music.

She will remind me that I am trying too hard, and that I need to have a more digestible approach to the way that this song needs to sound. That helps me a lot, because I am constantly thinking about melodies and songwriting; and I don’t have a listener mindset.

Where Jaida has more of a listener’s mindset. It helps a lot. One of the first songs that I had her to sing on, to actually sing a part for; I loved where her mind went with different melodies. She selects melodies that I would never select. Yes, and it works! Yeah, and it works, so I love that about having her around.

Then the songwriting aspect of it. Do you get approval before you write a song about the aspects of your relationship… Absolutely not! … And I really don’t care… Okay, so it is kind of like Russian Roulette, you don’t know what you are going to get. Ahahahah, oh gosh that is kind of stressful.

[JAIDA] You know for me personally; it is not my place to say what he can and cannot write about, because it is his experiences. I mean shit happens, like we have had our ups and downs. And I’m thinking you’re talking about the last album, with the break-up songs.

Oh yes! I am … When I first heard the songs when we started talking again, I think you sat me down and we talked. And Tony said ‘I need you to understand that when I made these songs I was really hurt, but just know that I have all the love in the world, and respect for you.  So, we are in a different place now and it doesn’t matter as much to me at least. So, I am kind of detached from them.

Currently I like to listen to them. I know Tony was unsure if he even wanted to post the song from our break-up, and I convinced him to post it (the song from our break-up). I told him that that song is amazing, and you can’t keep it hidden.

You know if I would write a song that was truly just disrespectful, I would not think about posting it. There must be an exception for me as an artist to express whatever comes to my mind. No matter how dark it is because that is what we do. It would be like robbery, because it could be amazing and do amazing and change my life forever.

Jaida is very understanding of that. There have been a lot of songs that I have written that I have not shared with anyone. They are in my notes, or in my head; and are just more therapeutic for me to write. Then there are some (songs)… that I wrote that are artistic, and I need people to hear them.

I am also very detached from the music. If Jaida took anything seriously, she would be upset about a song that I wrote about a girl that I dated six years ago.  That song is now irrelevant, it is just how I was feeling at the time that I wrote it.

He has these songs that says ‘Call me when you hear this’, they are about his ex, and it’s like two parts to it. And I literally jam out to them, I love and jam out to them.

Do you find that it is the realistic experiences that you have lived and written about that have been received better than the songs you are creating the subject matter.  And the more realistic songs have connected better with your fans …

Yeah, I really do think that the more depressed that I am the better the song does. Ahahahah, what… Yes, because it is so real. People are sad, hurt, and people have been through a lot. And I have way of conveying what that feels like through music.

When people go through a breakup they don’t know how to feel, and how to express their feelings. So, I am more like the voice for someone who feels something similar.  That is why I have a responsibility to upload the breakup songs.

There are breakup songs that I heard from my favorite artists, that have helped me so much. More than that artist will ever know. Like crying in my bed listening to this song. Because this expressed exactly what I was feeling, and I was not able to say it. So, if I can do that for another person, I have a responsibility to do that.

Older generations think that Gen Ze’s have skipped the traditional route of education… Yeah … I feel like there are two types of education – an educated fool - you have the education, but you are life dumb. Then you have people that they experience life, but they do not learn. They do not read, and travel… Yeah… the music that you have, how do you define that stigma, from the age, as well you being a You-Tuber, and just a musician…how do you combat that stigma, if you get it(that stigma)…

Oh, wow that is really a great question, and we (Jaida and I) were literally just talking about that earlier today… see I am actually good at what I do! … yeah! Ahahaha

I was going to mention that earlier we saw this Tik-Tok this morning; of what intelligence and education is.  Yes, it is really education versus intelligence. I think that it is important for me to understand that education is a choice that you make for yourself.

It is not defined by what type of degree, or what books you read etc. What is it about for your life that you feel that you need to learn to become successful, or to understand the world around you better.

If you can do that for yourself, regardless of the formal education you have. I consider a person intelligent to be able to learn what they need to learn. I do feel like I have been able to do that, because I am a high school drop-out.

I am doing fine, and I have learned things that the average person will not learn. The knowledge that I have for music and music production. Other’s that take the traditional education route would pay $70,000 to learn.

I was able to do learn by paying no money, but making money from learning, and doing it, So I consider myself intelligent and educated in the areas that are important to me.

I respect and love that. To clarify… from my research you are an Independent Artist? … Yes, I am! …  What can you tell someone the benefits are, and the challenges. I am speaking of control and owning yourself top to bottom. Knowing what needs to be done, I am thinking would be a huge benefit. And control of the messages that you are intending to send out …   Absolutely … But the downside is maybe the challenge of the ability to reach a larger audience.

But you do have YouTube.  However, my generation and older do not consider the non-traditional routes like YouTube, TikTok, and the other streams as being that relevant. Yet they do connect with people, and you know that. So, what would you say are the challenges and benefits of being an Independent Artist…

I think that you completely nailed it in what you were saying. Times have changed, and if Artists really understood that you can do whatever that you want right now with your music. And it was not like that 10, 20 years ago. You had to be signed, you had to have people controlling you to be heard on the radio.

At this time … you can be a kid in your bedroom post it on TikTok, go viral, have every record label wanting to know who you are, and sign you. Which is exactly what happened to me.

However, I think a lot of Artist still have the mindset that I have not made it until I am signed by a record label. Which is so far from the truth, record labels see you as dollar signs, and they are just a bank.

So, if you are willing to be in debt to somebody to get a little further ahead, then do it. I just don’t think that that is a good idea. You can control all of your money, masters, and you as an Artist. It will just take a little bit more effort of you being a boss, if you are not ready to be a boss, then yes sign (to a record deal).

However, if you are ready to be a boss – a businessman, marketing person, social media person … and the Artist after all of that, then that is the route that you should take. That was the route that I took, and that I will continue to take. I do not see myself signing to anyone anymore.

Do you see yourself creating what the group 1975 did? They have their independent music label, and they signed a deal with Universal. They still own themselves, but they are a subsidiary of Universal … Yes, I think that is a good deal to make. If the deal works for you, it is cool.

I signed a distribution deal with Soundcloud, but I still own everything. It is only a distribution deal for a defined amount of time. And if I can continue to take small distribution deals like that, then that is a good route to take.

A friend is signed to three different labels and has received three different advances.  He still owns his masters. He has given these teams small albums that he won’t own; but he doesn’t mind when a team will give him $100,000 for 12 singles. Nd he has no attachment to how well they will do.

If those 12 singles go viral and he received $100,000, okay, because he still owns his own back catalog. He will still own his catalog, so it will only benefit him. Now that is smart. You must play it like a game of chess.

Now, what are three staples of clothing that make you feel most confident…

Oh, staples of clothing …  that is an interesting question. You know I do not know honestly. I feel awkward in everything that I wear. I think it is hard to feel confident, maybe because I don’t think I know my style. I don’t think I have a style.

Maybe you can help me answer this one Jaida … It can be accessories too… I feel like his hair is his best accessory… Yeah, I was getting ready to say that if my hair looks good, then I am okay, and I can wear anything. If my hair is good that day, I will feel good about myself. 

I think that you are a baggy pants, and big shoes kind of guy. Yes! Because I have really skinny legs. So, I have learned that baggy pants are really like my thing… Okay then baggy pants, hair, and Dad sneakers – and see now those are your staples.  

How do you deal with negative comments, or people …

Good question, negative comments … I have had to learn that the Internet is not real. Nobody says any of the shit to me in person that I have heard online. Which proves that these are just kids behind the computer, or phone and they will say the same thing to you, that they have said to ten other people that same day.

They are just expressing their anger to the world. And things that they think will make other people laugh. It is not real, and there is nothing on the Internet that is real…

True, except the money when you get paid…. Hell, yes now that is real. When that shit hits my account, I do say this shit is real. Comments, or people, I do not attach myself to negative, or positive.

I have had videos that I have gotten death threats, and the worse comments. Somebody once said …  ‘This shit ruined my day’. Ahahahah. Yes, then someone said … ‘I want to kill myself every time this song pops on my ‘4UPage’. People can be awful, they want to ruin your day, and often that is because they are having a bad day.

They are not feeling confident, and they feel that they need to bring others down, to feel better. That is how I have always viewed negative people.

My perspective on that… one of Tony’s songs called ‘A Safe Place’ went viral. When our relationship was long distant, and we bought each other stuffed animals. That was our love language. He said often how that (the stuffed animals) brought him back to his childhood and made him feel safe.

I mean we are in our twenties and doing that. We know that others might think that that is beyond weird… Uh no! not at all, I think that is adorable. I have noticed through him that he talks about things that are hard to talk about through society’s pressures. About masculinity and femininity and where the line is between that. With his most recent, ‘Safe Place’ is a recent experience of that.

These guys show what society define as being masculine, but when you look at their profiles it is clear that they have issues of understanding where that line is drawn. They are trying to be as masculine as possible, but they are insecure about it. That is why they are saying that. Exactly! Obviously growing up you had parents that didn’t make you feel safe to be yourself. Now you need to shit on everyone else.

I feel when someone needs to destroy someone else’s character it says more about them, than the person that they are judging… Oh my goodness, yes! That right there is the whole concept of Yhorlife – whoever you are love who you are authentically.  Just be you, whatever that is. Because what works for me will not work for you. We can read the same book and come back with totally different perspectives of the same book.

It is why the concept of an Influencer I never understood, in the traditional sense… Exactly … They are saying – you want to be like me. No, I don’t want to be just like you, you can be inspiring. But you need to love yourself enough to know what you like and what you want to create.

You know what is beautiful about that too is that the more hate that I have gotten on the Internet, the more loving it has made me as a person, towards other people… Really! … yes, because I have experienced a lot of hate on the Internet, and I could not imagine saying this to another person.

So, it has made me look at other people like this is just this person being themselves.  Regardless of what they are wearing, or their sexual identity. Everyone is just a person just trying to be who they are. And there are just shitty people out there that don’t love themselves enough to accept that fact. People can just be different.

How do you define resilience…

Resilience… I would say it is just being dedicated. Whatever it is that you are going for in life against everything. I got off a tour that was the hardest tour of my life (so far). Where I did it all by myself. I had to carry everything myself, set-up, play, breakdown, and sell merchandise. It was hard, I told my manager that I didn’t want to do it, but I thought that this was the goal since I was a kid.

I have given myself no choice. So, every opportunity I take. That is resilience, a lot of people cannot do what I have done; nor make the sacrifices. As an Artist you must be resilient. I have a lot of friends that are Artists, but who won’t make the type of sacrifices that I have made, and I can see that.

I want to tell them if you want to make money from this, be successful, and make this be your full-time thing you have to go broke sometimes and be humble. You must smile when you don’t want to smile. Yes, I was taught to be kind to everyone from the top to the bottom, no matter who they are, because that is what matters… Yes, and that is exactly it! That is what matters.

Tell us about your tour, and where people can find you…

I just got off from a tour, and I am not planning any more this year.  I am planning a tour for the Spring 2025.  I just feel that I need to get back into social media and step out of the real world for a bit, and back into the Internet.

Where can people find you, and anything new from you… In my Bio, or on my Spotify, it is just Tony22 on everything. I am constantly showing up there.

What is your favorite way to unwind… hanging with Jaida, eating food, playing videos, watching Anime and Cartoons. Favorite food… Pasta, my favorite is red sauce, meatballs, very average pasta. I would eat pasta every night.

We had pasta last night. Also, we love sushi, and we eat it a couple of times a week … Yeah, we do! we have a sushi place walking distance from our place. It is like a revolving sushi place. Oh, yes, they have a place like that in Mexico City!

Thank you both!