This up-and-coming artist's name may be tricky to remember at this point in time, but there's no escaping the familiarity of his latest hit song, "ILY (I Love You Baby)."

His name is Surf Mesa and at the young age of 20, his future is bright. His fame is spread wide across TikTok and his song is streamed and played on the radio airwaves worldwide.

The lyrics come from Frankie Valli's "Can't Take My Eyes Off You" and are sung by the talented Emilee, who Surf met and collaborated with on TikTok. After a few different variations and tests of the song, the two decided on the finished product that clearly made an impression on the music industry.

Originally from Seattle, the freshly established DJ is now settled in Southern California where he now spends his day working in Hollywood and collaborating with even bigger names such as Gus Dapperton.

Although his list of credentials is somewhat lengthy, what struck me the most from our sit-down Friday afternoon was his musical background. He's someone I can relate to and his musical talents resonate with me. From one piano player to another, I respected his love for music performing arts.

Oh, and of course I had to throw in a few "fun" questions (pun unintended) to wrap up the meeting that included:

  1. Favorite food on the fly, since he's always busy and on the go?
  2. Favorite body wash or soap?
  3. If you had the choice to fight either 100 duck-sized horses or one horse-sized duck, what would you battle?

Much love to Surf Mesa for his time and a great sit-down with a down-to-earth artist that I'll be looking forward to seeing big things from in the near future. Perseverance is everything these days and just in the few minutes I spent with Surf, it's clear that he's destined for greatness.

No ceilings. That's my motto.

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