Formula Indie Sessions _ Interview with Double G

What is your earliest memory connected to music?

My earliest memory connected to music was when I was around 3 years old and my parents took me to see Brooks & Dunn in concert. They were my favorite artists at the time, and I still remember them signing a picture for me afterward. I had it framed on my wall for a big part of my childhood. My mom always jokes that when I was little I wanted to be a “singing doctor.” The doctor part didn’t exactly work out, but I guess the singing part did haha.

Music was always really important to me growing up, even if it wasn’t necessarily something my family bonded over together. It became something personal that I discovered on my own. I grew up during the early internet days with dial-up internet, hearing that loud connection sound every time I wanted to jump online, and spending hours downloading music off LimeWire. Looking back now, those moments played a huge role in shaping my taste and love for music.

I also remember coming home from school in middle school and immediately turning on MTV back when they still actually played music videos. I would save money from shoveling snow just to buy CDs. One that really stands out was buying a Good Charlotte album since they were from Maryland, where I’m from. Seeing artists from my home area making an impact made everything feel more real and possible to me.

Over time, music became more than just something I listened to. It became a way for me to express myself, process life, and eventually connect with other people through my own stories. Looking back, I really think music helped shape who I became as both a person and an artist.

How did your passion for creating music begin?

My passion for creating music really started back in high school with my friend Gagne. We were both on the varsity baseball team, and honestly, it began as us just messing around making diss tracks about rival schools. Somehow those songs ended up getting posted on The Baltimore Sun high school sports discussion forums, which felt huge to us at the time because we were just having fun with it. We probably made about four or five songs together at his house. He came from a very musical background and already understood recording, mixing, and production, so that was really my first introduction to the creative side of making music instead of just listening to it.

Fast forward to 2015 after my senior year of college when I decided not to continue pursuing baseball. That was a tough transition for me because baseball had been such a huge part of my identity for most of my life. I felt pretty lost trying to figure out what direction I wanted to go in next. Around that time, one of my friends, Jack, came back from college and would play keyboard and pads at parties while I grabbed the mic and started performing. I’ll never forget people yelling “encore” and wanting more. That moment really stuck with me because I realized the confidence and energy I had developed through baseball translated naturally into performing music live. After that, I went all in. I bought a cheap setup off Amazon, a basic mic, preamp, and recording software and taught myself how to record and mix my own music by watching YouTube tutorials. I stayed up almost every night for about a year straight learning everything I could.

As far as influences, Eminem was definitely one of the biggest early inspirations for me. I think a lot of white rappers naturally grew up inspired by him in some way. Machine Gun Kelly was also a huge influence during my early years when he was heavily focused on rap music. A lot of people used to tell me I sounded similar to him back then. Looking back now, music gave me a new creative purpose at a time when I really needed one, and it completely changed the direction of my life.

What’s the story behind your current music project?

My current music project is centered around a song called “The Lou,” and it’s probably one of the most personal songs I’ve ever made because it came directly from a real-life experience that completely caught me off guard. Baseball was a huge part of my life growing up, so I started pitching one of my songs, “How Bad Do You Want It,” to every Major League Baseball team in the USA. I spent mornings reaching out and sending emails, hoping maybe one team would connect with it. Out of all 30 MLB teams, the St. Louis Cardinals were the only organization that responded. Not only did they respond, but they began using my music inside Busch Stadium during the 2025 season. As an independent artist, that alone felt unreal. I ended up driving over 30 hours with my family to St. Louis because I wanted to experience it in person and see what was happening with my own eyes.

That trip changed something for me creatively. The city and the people embraced me in a way I never expected, and I left feeling like I had a real connection with St. Louis. That experience became the inspiration behind The Lou. I wanted it to feel like more than just a song. I wanted it to feel like a thank-you letter to a city that showed love to somebody they didn’t have to believe in.

The craziest part is that the story kept growing even after the song was finished. The Lou ended up being played inside Busch Stadium on its release night before a Cardinals vs. Red Sox game in front of roughly 30,000 fans. The Cardinals scoreboard crew even started calling it their “song of the summer,” which is still surreal for me to say out loud.

The story itself also started taking on a life of its own online. My St. Louis story video ended up going viral with over 200,000 views across social media, and Cardinals fans started embracing both me and the song. Seeing people from a city I didn’t grow up in connect with my journey was something I never expected, and honestly it was truly life changing.

For me, The Lou represents something bigger than music. It represents what can happen when one opportunity turns into a relationship and one city decides to believe in you.

How would you describe your sound to someone who has never heard your music before?

If I had to describe my sound to somebody who had never heard me before, I’d say it’s real-life authenticity mixed with raw storytelling and genre-bending sounds. I’ve always loved telling stories through music and creating songs that people can genuinely see themselves in. I want listeners to hear a verse and think, “I’ve felt that before,” or “I’ve been through that.” I want people to feel something when they listen, whether that’s motivation, nostalgia, pain, happiness, or hope.

At the same time, I also love creating high-energy records and anthems that can make people want to run through a wall. Songs you can hear in a stadium, the gym, or during a big moment in your life. I also enjoy stepping outside the typical boundaries of music and tapping into niche topics, brands, and communities. I think some of the coolest music comes from creating something unexpected and finding ways to connect with people where they already have passion.

What is one thing you’ve learned that completely changed the way you make music?

One thing I learned that completely changed the way I make music was to stop creating what I thought people wanted to hear and stop chasing what I thought was “cool.” Instead, I started making music that actually connected with my soul and came from my heart. When I first started making music, I spent a lot of time chasing trends and trying to fit into sounds that I thought people expected from me. Looking back now, it wasn’t authentic. I think people can hear when an artist is forcing something, even if they can’t explain why. I remember having a tone in my voice during those early years that just didn’t line up with who I truly was. I was trying to fit into a version of myself that wasn’t real. 

Once I let go of that and started creating music that actually reflected my life, my experiences, and my world, everything clicked. Making music with purpose and authenticity changed everything for me. Not only did it become more natural, but it also became more meaningful because I finally felt like people were connecting with the real me instead of a version I thought I needed to be.

What tools, instruments, or software are essential in your creative process?

Even though I’ve been recording at the same studio since 2018, I’m probably a little different from what people expect because I’m not the artist sitting there engineering my own sessions. My engineer Stephen Antonelli handles Pro Tools and the technical side of recording, and over the years we’ve developed a process together. Sometimes we’ll even record with two or three different microphones at once just to compare the sound and decide which one fits the song best.

For me, the biggest tool in my creative process honestly isn’t software, it’s preparation. I always have my songs written before I walk into the studio, and not only written, but practiced for weeks and sometimes even months beforehand. I try to memorize everything because I never want to sound like I’m reading from a phone while recording. I really believe once you know your lyrics inside and out, your recordings level up dramatically because you can focus completely on emotion and delivery. I also pick beats well in advance. I work with multiple producers and often search YouTube or BeatStars for inspiration. One producer I’ve built a really strong relationship with is Balloon Beats. We’ve made more than 20 songs together, including some of my biggest records like How Bad Do You Want It, Snow Day, and The Lou.

Outside of music itself, I’m also very hands-on creatively. I edit all of my own social media videos using Adobe Premiere Pro and create my own graphics and promotional content using Canva and Adobe Lightroom.

I also have a few pre-studio rituals. I make sure I eat right leading up to sessions, not just the day of but the whole week before. I always drink decaf green tea with honey and lemon before recording. I’m a huge coffee drinker every other day of the week, usually three or four cups every morning, so recording days are probably the only days I’m behaving myself… and then right after the session I’m right back to coffee again.

Which indie artist or song are you loving right now?

Right now I’d have to say UnderRated, formerly of Potluck. He was a huge inspiration to me growing up and I listened to his music all the time as a teenager, so hearing him release new music again has been really nostalgic for me. It takes me back to a much simpler time in my life. What makes it even crazier is that life kind of came full circle. Back in 2012 I traveled to Reading, Pennsylvania with my boy Citro to watch Potluck perform live. I bought a Potluck hat at the show and both UnderRated and One Ton signed it. I actually still have that hat today. Fast forward years later and I was incredibly blessed to not only build a relationship with UnderRated, but also have him featured on two of my own songs, “Tetrahydrocannabinol” and “Croptober.” That’s one of those moments where younger me probably wouldn’t have believed it if you told him. Seeing him creating again and being able to reconnect through music has been really special.

Some other independent artists I’ve been enjoying lately are Ollie Joseph, Nate Good, Connor Price, Ekoh, Jez Dior, and my boy King Griffy. I was also fortunate enough to work with Ekoh on my song “All My Life,” so it’s always cool when artists you respect become part of your own journey too.

How have your personal experiences influenced your music and artistic vision?

My personal experiences have probably influenced my music more than anything else because almost every song I create comes from something I’ve lived, felt, or gone through.

Baseball played a huge role in shaping my mindset growing up. It taught me discipline, competitiveness, work ethic, and what it means to keep pushing even when things get hard. Then later in life I experienced moments where I felt lost, uncertain, or was trying to figure out who I was outside of the things that once defined me.

I’ve also gone through personal struggles, loss, relationships, setbacks, and life-changing moments that completely shifted my perspective. Becoming a husband and father, losing people close to me, and even experiences like the St. Louis Cardinals story that inspired “The Lou” have all added different layers to who I am and what I create.

I think every experience gives me something new to say and a different lens to see life through. Some songs come from pain, some come from motivation, some come from gratitude, and some come from wanting to celebrate moments that feel bigger than myself.

At the core of my artistic vision, I want people to feel two things when they listen to my music: understood and inspired. I want somebody to hear a song and feel like they’re not alone in what they’re going through, but I also want them to walk away feeling motivated to keep moving forward.

What emotions or messages do you hope listeners take from your work?

What I hope listeners take from my music really depends on the song because I think every record has a different purpose and a different reflection point. With a song like “See You in Heaven,” maybe somebody grieving a loved one realizes they’re not alone in what they’re feeling. With “How Bad Do You Want It,” maybe somebody hears it before a workout, a game, or a big moment in their life and feels motivated to keep fighting and pushing toward their goals. With “The Lou,” maybe someone connects with the idea that real relationships and opportunities can come from unexpected places.

At the end of the day, I just want people to take something positive away from my work. I want listeners to feel hope, motivation, connection, comfort, or even just a reminder that anything is possible. I think I’m pretty diverse in the messages I create because life itself is diverse. We all experience different emotions and moments. Some days we need motivation, some days we need healing, and some days we just need something that makes us feel good. More than anything, I just want people to feel something. Because when music truly makes you feel something, it stays with you and becomes part of your life long after the song ends.

 What’s the most important lesson music has taught you so far?

The most important lesson music has taught me so far is that this journey is a marathon, not a sprint. When I first started making music, I think I had the same mindset a lot of artists have in the beginning. I thought I was going to drop a song, it would instantly take off, and everything would change overnight. Obviously I learned pretty quickly that it doesn’t really work that way.

Music taught me patience, but it also taught me authenticity. Early on, I spent time making music that I thought people wanted to hear or what I thought was “cool” at the time. Even when people liked some of those songs, it never fully connected with me because it wasn’t really who I was. I eventually learned that the best music comes from the heart, not from chasing trends.

Music also taught me that failure isn’t the end. I’ve released over 100 songs throughout my journey and honestly, if I’m being hard on myself, I’d only consider a handful of them major successes. That doesn’t mean the others didn’t matter though. Every song taught me something, every song helped me grow, and every song added to my catalog and my story. I’ve probably failed more times than I’ve succeeded, but I’ve never looked at that as a reason to stop. If anything, it pushes me more because all it takes is one song to truly connect on a massive level. And when that moment comes, I won’t just have one song for people to discover,I’ll have an entire body of work and years of experiences behind it.

What is a dream venue or festival you would love to perform at?

This answer has actually changed recently because one of my dream moments is becoming reality. As someone who grew up playing and loving baseball, being given the opportunity to perform at Busch Stadium before a Cardinals vs. Braves game this July, while also throwing out the first pitch is honestly surreal and a true dream come true for me. 

Piggybacking off of that, I’d also love to perform at my hometown sports venues like Oriole Park at Camden Yards and M&T Bank Stadium. Being able to bring my music back home and perform in places I grew up watching games would be an incredible full-circle moment. As far as festivals go, I think for a lot of artists, names like Rolling Loud and Lollapalooza immediately come to mind. Those stages are legendary and if I ever got that opportunity, I’d absolutely give everything I have into the performance.

I’d also love opportunities tied into sports on a bigger scale, like MLB All-Star Weekend or even the Super Bowl halftime show. I’m a huge sports fan outside of music, so I think there’s a pretty obvious theme here. My biggest dream would be combining the two worlds I’ve always loved the most: music and sports.

If you could collaborate with any artist, past or present, who would it be and why?

If I could collaborate with any artist past or present, I think I’d have to say Eminem. He was one of my biggest idols growing up and I think he inspired an entire generation of artists, including me. I remember being fascinated by his storytelling, his wordplay, and the way he could make people feel something through his music. Getting on a track with Marshall would definitely be a dream come true.

Another one for me would be Machine Gun Kelly. I know he gets mixed reactions from people, but I’ve always been a big fan of his hip-hop music and he was a huge influence on me during my early years of making music. A lot of people used to tell me I sounded similar to him back then. I was also a huge fan of Linkin Park growing up, especially Chester Bennington. Being able to create something with him would have been incredible because of the emotion and energy he brought into every song. And then there are some full-circle moments I think would be amazing too. Collaborating with Brooks & Dunn would take me back to that childhood memory of seeing them live when I was three years old, and I’ve also always been a huge fan of Smash Mouth because every kid growing up in the 90s knew “All Star.”

Where can our listeners follow and support your music? (Website,Spotify, IG, links)

The best place to find me is on Spotify, Apple Music, YouTube, and all major streaming platforms under Double G. You can also follow me on Instagram and TikTok (@DoubleG410), where I share music, behind-the-scenes content, and pieces of my journey along the way. 

I recently launched my official website, www.doubleg410.com, which has become the home base for everything I’m building. Fans can find my music, updates, merch, and follow the journey there as well.

More than anything, I just appreciate anyone who takes the time to listen, share a song, or support what I’m doing. Every stream, message, and interaction means a lot to me because this journey has always been built one real connection at a time.

Looking toward the future, what’s your dream for the next chapter of your musical journey?

Looking toward the future, my dream for the next chapter of my musical journey goes far beyond numbers, followers, or chasing fame. I want to continue building something real and meaningful. I’d love to reach a point where music becomes my full-time career and allows me to support my family while doing something I genuinely love every day. I want to continue creating songs that connect with people, telling stories that matter, and building relationships and opportunities that I never imagined possible.

I’d also love to continue expanding into sports and bigger stages because those moments have become incredibly special to me. Opportunities like stadium performances, major events, and continuing to combine my love for music and sports would be a dream.

Now that my daughter is here, I think my perspective on everything has changed even more. She’s only a few months old, but she’s already given me an entirely different purpose and outlook on life. More than anything, I want her to grow up and see that I chased something I truly believed in. I want her to know that you don’t have to settle for the safest path if you’re willing to work hard, stay persistent, and bet on yourself.

If one day she looks back at my journey and feels proud, or uses it as motivation to chase her own dreams, that would honestly mean more to me than any stream count, award, or headline ever could. At the end of it all, I want to be able to sit back one day and say I stayed true to myself, built something meaningful, and left behind something bigger than just music.

What do you hope listeners will discover about you along the way?

I hope listeners discover that I’m just a regular person who decided to chase something bigger than myself and refused to put limits on what that could become. I want people to see that I’ve always tried to do things my own way instead of following what everyone else was doing. I think there’s something really powerful and satisfying about creating your own lane rather than trying to fit inside somebody else’s box. Whether that’s through my music, building my indie label Up Next Entertainment, or the way I approach opportunities and relationships, I’ve always tried to stay true to who I am.

I also hope people see that I’m a go-getter. I’ve learned that sometimes you can’t sit around waiting for opportunities to appear. Some of the biggest moments in my journey happened because I decided to create them myself. I pitched all 30 MLB teams. I taught myself music. I built relationships and took chances. Most importantly though, I hope people discover that everything I do comes from a real place. I want them to see someone who stayed authentic, kept pushing forward, and never stopped believing in what was possible.