local artists, contenders for award: Atkins Brothers up for duo/group Music Video of the year

catching up with Brenton

How does it feel to be nominated for this award? It's a very validating feeling to be recognized by industry professionals. I'm extremely grateful for the recognition and opportunity.

What do you think contributed to your nomination this year?

There's something really special about making art with my brother John Dylan Atkins. We've been doing it our entire lives. It was a true collaborative effort and he did an amazing job giving the song a visual story that drove home the message and meaning of the song. I also think my son Harrison's acting in the video was extremely important and I couldn't be more proud of him!

Looking back at your career, what is your proudest moment so far?

It might sound silly, but I think I'm most proud of taking the chance and putting myself out there, and sticking with it regardless of the results. So many people will tell you that you can't do things in life because they're too afraid to try. It's up to you if you believe them.

What has been the biggest challenge you've faced in your music career, and how did you overcome it? Time is the biggest challenge I constantly face. I have a career outside of music and homeschool my son, so I have to deliberately make time to write new songs and record. I play every instrument in all of my songs and also produce and master them, so one song can take me up to a year depending on how complex it is. I've gotten a lot better over the years at not wasting time during recording and have a better feel for how I want to produce things now. I'm also extremely lucky to have a supportive wife who makes sure I make time to work on my music!

5) Can you describe your songwriting process? It always starts with an acoustic guitar and I normally have a chord progression in mind that I want to work with. Sometimes the lyrics happen stream of consciousness and it doesn't take very long at all, and those have been my best songs in my opinion. I'm honestly not as good at sitting down trying to force something out.

6) How do you balance the pressure to create hits with your artistic vision? I haven't listened to the radio in like 15 years, so I honestly don't know if I know how to write a hit because I'm not even sure what they sound like anymore. All of my favorite artists create very interesting and unique sonic landscapes. I don't even concern myself anymore with how my songs will be received. I'm just worried about being my true, authentic self, and making the music that speaks to me. I think that's the best way to create any form of art.

7) What are your goals for the next few years?

I'm completely self-taught as a musician and as a producer so my main focus is always to continue to learn and get better at my craft. There are so many things I can be better at and I always try to stay focused on the things I can control. With my son getting older, branching out and playing live in new places becomes easier as well, so that is something else I'll be focusing on.

😎 Are there any collaborations or projects you're particularly excited about? I'm extremely excited about the song I'm recording right now! It's completely different than anything I've released so far so it makes it a lot of fun to record! You can expect to hear my brother John Dylan Atkins on it as well!

9) How do you see the music industry evolving in the coming years? That's a really interesting question that I'm not sure I have a great answer for. I hope artists can find a way to leverage some of our power back from the streaming service giants, but I'm not sure it's realistic sadly. Seeing what effects AI has will also be something to keep an eye on.

10) What message do you hope to convey to your fans through your music? It varies depending on the song. My song "Time" is a very lyrically driven song with a clear message to the listener to not take the time you have in life for granted. My most popular song on Spotify "Love's Here" is more about the instrumentation creating a dreamy mood for the listener to hopefully get lost in.