How I got T-Pain's attention and recorded with him

Hi Steemit!

I thought I'd share with you this cool experience I had in 2017. It literally changed my life, and hopefully it can inspire/motivate other artists.

Back in April 2017, I released a live video of myself experimenting with a new keyboard technique that I'd been developing.
I had figured out that with a specific MIDI controller (the Akai MPK Mini), I could play keys and drum on the pads simultaneously thanks to their proximity. I named the video Finger Twisters:

Response:

The video went pretty viral on Facebook and got a lot more attention that I expected. Shortly after, I was contacted by a software company named Polyverse Music and was asked if I'd be interested in demoing a program called Manipulator - an audio plugin that let's you harmonize and manipulate your vocals in realtime.

I agreed to check it out and was immediately inspired to write something (while further experimenting with my keyboard/drumming technique):

Manipulator Demo

Response:

In addition to sharing the demo on social media, I also posted it on Reddit. The video made it to the first page of the "videos" subreddit, and shortly after, I received a comment that I did not expect:

Apparently, the real T-Pain was interested in working with me. Even though I hadn't listened to a ton of Hiphop, I knew enough about the Grammy award-winning singer/rapper to understand that this was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity!
I immediately sent him a PM and we started chatting. He seemed very positive and enthusiastic at first, but unfortunately (probably due to his busy schedule) stopped responding after a while.

I knew that I had to do SOMETHING to get his attention again. So I took an excerpt from his fantastic NPR Tiny Desk concert and overdubbed it with my own live playing. I shared it on social media, posted on reddit and tweeted it to T-Pain. At this point I wasn't really expecting too much.

GLASYS Jams on T-Pain's "Up Down" (Tiny Desk)

Response:

What happened next completely caught me off guard. The video made it to the front page of Reddit, received over 500,000 views on YouTube within a few hours, received a TON of press and most importantly - a response from T-Pain:

Shortly after, I was contacted by T-Pain's manager and we set up some studio time together in LA! We spent two days in the studio together jamming and recording ideas. He's a great guy and it was an absolute blast!

I still don't know when any of the stuff we recorded will see the light of day since T-Pain just released a new album and is busy touring. But even without a released collaboration, I have gained SO MUCH from this amazing experience that I had to share it with you. My social media following has grown exponentially, I'm getting some really amazing gigs and things are looking great for 2018!

I guess the point of this post is to say that if you set your mind to something and believe in yourself, anything is possible - as long as you DON'T GIVE UP until you achieve that goal... however long it takes! I know it sounds cliché but I truly believe it.

Happy New Year everyone, and thank you for reading!
GLASYS