Bekaji’s passion for music runs deep, rooted in his childhood and shaped by a lifelong love of sound. From early exposure to harmonies at home to his growth as a solo producer, his journey reflects both creativity and a drive to constantly evolve. With a strong focus on collaboration and personal development, Bekaji is making his undeniable mark in the music world. With big plans for the future, he is definitely on our artist to watch list —so we took the opportunity to sit down and learn more about his journey and what’s to come. As always, make sure to stick around till the end of the interview for a free download!
The Interview
You recently started your Bekaji project, but your musical roots go way back. Can you share a bit about your background and how your journey began?
Well, my love of music predates my conscious memory. My parents both had beautiful voices; my dad used to harmonize with every song that came on the radio. I’m grateful for the opportunity to observe from such an early age that music was something that could be interacted with, added to, and not just appreciated. My mom says that I was humming harmonies to songs before I could form words. They put me in piano lessons when I was seven, and I’ve been playing almost daily since. Over the years I’ve picked up a handful of other instruments, but it all started with piano and it remains my primary instrument. I played in a couple bands in middle and high school, then really started digging in around 2020. I’ve joined a handful of live bands since then, and I started producing around a year ago.
Having been part of a live band for a while, does that experience bleed into the music you create under your Bekaji moniker? How does the energy and dynamics of the band influence your solo work?
It’s all coming from the same source. Every time I play with another musician, it changes the way I play to some extent. I learn something from the way they play, or the way I find myself responding to their playing. Playing with other people is like a dance that you get better at the more you do. To some extent, the exciting thing about getting into production has been that I get to dance alone, at my own pace, and really carve out the exact sound that I hear in my head without having to connect with another musician before the magic can happen. But every time I sit down in the studio after jamming or playing a show with a band, there’s fresh inspiration from those artists that I can pour back into my solo work.
If you had to pick the most influential artists that have shaped your production style, who would they be and why?
Thankfully, several of my good friends are talented producers and have helped me find my way around Ableton and lock in my sound. Yongi and Wisdomtraders have both shown me a ton of stuff when we’ve collaborated, and both of their sounds are consistent sources of inspiration for me. Flintwick has always been one of my favorite producers, and he’s been a fountain of knowledge whenever I’ve needed it. He actually mastered “Origin”! Thanks again bud!
Besides my friends, Anomalie and Tennyson are both pretty much constantly in my rotation. And I’ve really gotten into huck.jorris lately. Beautiful stuff.
Do you have any rituals or habits that help you get into the right mindset for producing music?
A lot of time’s I’ll just hear a melody in my head as I’m going about my day and need to get it out. Sometimes I head straight for Ableton; other times I’ll start out on my upright piano or guitar and work it out for a bit before moving over to the DAW. There’s no real rhyme or reason to when the songs come. I just do my best to drop what I’m doing and let it flow when I feel it coming on. Once I get started on a track that I’m liking, I usually stay glued to the desk for a couple of days until I’ve got the song more or less finished.
Looking ahead five years, what kind of growth or evolution do you hope to see in your career?
I mostly just want my music to reach as many people as would like to hear it, and to be able to collaborate with the artists that inspire me. By that point I hope to have an established fan-base, to be playing shows consistently, and to have grown deeper into an ever-widening community of artists who get a kick out of making good music with their friends.
When you’re unwinding, what’s your go-to SoundCloud mix or playlist to kick back to?
Wisdomtraders just dropped a ton of full sets on his page, so I’ve been working my way through those for the past week or so. Typically I just use my Weekly wave to discover new artists and then explore their discography from that point. I like to really sink into an artist’s vibe when I listen to their music, so I spend a lot more time listening to albums and EP’s than I do listening to mixes. This week it’s been a lot of pheel. and Saturna.
Now that 2025 is underway, do you have any upcoming releases people should be keeping an eye out for?
I’m hoping to release an EP some time this Spring. I’ve got a couple tracks that just need mastering, and a couple of other ideas that I’m excited to flesh out. Yongi just drop a new track last week on Soundcloud that I’m featured on, and we’ve got a few more collabs that will trickle out over the course of the year.
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