It’s difficult to spend even thirty minutes on SoundCloud without the name ‘ginseng‘ popping up somewhere on your screen. Born Christian Baello, The omnipresent artist from Lake Elsinore, California has been making a name for himself in a variety of fields since 2015. His tastes over the years have ranged from ambient to indie; dark and heavy metal to clean and airy trap; gritty to melodic. If one thing stands certain, it’s that he’s a force to be reckoned with in just about every genre he’s pursued.
In contrast to what he initially released for years, ginseng has spent the past two years refining a sound that’s about as melodic as it gets. His knack for crafting mind-numbingly addictive melodies and pairing with his standard choice of percussion— often two-step hi-hats with vibrant, echoing Zaytoven 808s— have landed him opportunities to work with not only some of the most elite and talented in the scene, but also artists outside of the realm of rap; his mysterious credits on Mike Posner and blackbear’s “Dennis Rodman” attest to that. In his own realm, various songs with XXXTENTACION, Lil Tracy, THOUXANBANFAUNI, Famous Dex, RonSoCold, Mackned, Lil West, and other big names help to round out just a few of the many talented artists he’s become associated with in the last four years.
On the other side of SoundCloud, he’s shown noticeable growth in the past two years under his rap alias Lil Wintr. With the unforeseen success of his most recent drop in “Priorities“, he’s looking to build more on that hype in the upcoming months. Also, rumors of his and his brother’s band dream, ivory returning this year have been circulating throughout Twitter, though nothing has been confirmed. With a multitude of possibilities and exciting plans for 2019, we sat down with ginseng to discuss some of his most prominent accolades in the past along with what he’s looking forward to in the near-future.
Underground Underdogs: Can you introduce yourself for the few people who don’t know you?
Ginseng: My name is Christian and I make music under the name of Ginseng. I’ve been making music for about three to four years now.
You’ve accomplished a lot of things in those four years or so, and you have a plethora of accolades that stem from more than just the rap side of SoundCloud. Who are were/are your biggest influences across the board?
In terms of beats, my influences starting out were Misogi, Cight, FIFTY GRAND, trbld boy, etc. I was really into the airiness and ambient sound of that time. That’s how I started making my own music and slowly evolving my sound into what it is. At the moment, I don’t have any main influences, but I do keep an ear out for anyone who’s creating new and unique music. It helps me stay creative and inspired in making shit I don’t usually do.
You maintain a noticeable presence on social media, and your IG live sessions are usually pretty popular, with you making beats and previewing music in your red-lit bedroom. The walls of your room are filled top to bottom with band posters, what’s your favorite one?
Out of all the posters in my room, my favorites are probably my Mickey poster or my poster of Thank Your Lucky Stars by Beach House. Both have really special meaning to me in one way or another. Ever since I was a kid, I’ve loved Mickey and Disney in general. As for the other poster, Thank Your Lucky Stars is an album I’ve loved for awhile now and the cover art is so perfect. The title of the album also means a lot to me.
Speaking of band posters, if I recall, you play a few instruments, correct?
Yeah, exactly! I play guitar and piano. My parents kinda forced me at a young age but I’m thankful they did. The knowledge behind playing an instrument definitely helps with making music. I’ve been playing both the piano and the guitar since middle school.
Your style of producing has changed a lot since you first started producing. You’ve gone from the piano beats in 2016, to the various plug and darker beats in 2017, to the style that you have now. How would you say you’ve evolved as a producer, and how would you define what you’re making right now?
Yeah, it’s changed quite a lot throughout the years [laughs]. I can say I’ve evolved a lot, and through doing that, I’ve learned to be pretty versatile in what I make. Right now, my style switched from melodic-type beats to a more darker sound. At the moment, I’ve been focused on producing for different artists, so I also have to change my style in terms of who’s rapping on what. But this upcoming year I’m going to be focused on evolving my sound even further; hopefully it’s evident.
It’ll be quite exciting to see how you continue to broaden your horizons this upcoming year. You’re absolutely everywhere, no matter the genre; you’ve worked with everyone from Mike Posner, to Famous Dex, to RonSoCold, to Mackned, to Mixed Matches, to most recently Lil Tracy. Out of every song you’ve been a part of one way or another, which one is your favorite and why?
Out of all of them — that have been released — my favorite probably has to be “10 Racks” with Tracy. I’ve been a fan of him for awhile, and when I saw the snippet I was mind-blown. He went crazy on it, and it’s something I’m really proud to be a part of.
You’re a part of The Red Mirror and you somewhat recently joined Keyworld. How did that come about, and is there anything you can tell us about the ever-so-mysterious Red Mirror?
In terms of Keyworld, I’ve been a fan for a long while now. I have friends in that group, and one day Nvyuu and Misogi asked me if I wanted to join. At first I thought it was a joke, but they actually let me in, which is amazing. The Red Mirror is a special group I’m part of, and you’ll be seeing our name around this coming year.
Let’s talk about your vocal project Lil Wintr. A lot has changed in the two years of Lil Wintr; it sort of went from a joke that a lot of people liked to something that you could seriously run with if you ever needed to. In the time between Iced Out Wintr and “Priorities”, what’s changed?
Yeah! It’s pretty cool. Iced Out Wintr was made as a project that I wanted to have fun with and not really give a fuck about. After that tape I started recording more frequently, but I started getting serious with it when I put more time and effort into the songs. It’s something I surprisingly enjoy doing, and its something people seem to fuck with, so I know I’ll always be doing some Lil Wintr shit when I have the time.
It’s definitely apparent in everything from the beat to the vocals. You, Hella Sketchy, Shiro, Marcelo, and Despair make up (for the most part) D1. You’ve all progressed incredibly since the last tape, and you’ve spoken quite a few times on how you’d known them for years before you even met them initially. How have they helped to influence you musically and as a person, and we should we expect another project from you all?
Thank you so much! My friends have helped me immensely throughout the years, and they continue to inspire me everyday. We’re all constantly working on new music so it’s refreshing to keep up with what everyone’s making. We’re planning on a new project, but we’re not quite sure when it’ll come out.
Almost a year ago, WINTRSZN came out; the red-haired version of yourself is the one on the cover. You’ve been known to dye your hair a myriad of colors: what’s your favorite color you’ve ever picked, and what color do you see yourself going with next if you choose to do it again?
My favorite color is probably the blonde that I did a year ago. It came out pretty well considering how hard the process was [laughs]. I definitely see myself going with the green hair in the near future when I can bleach it again. It’s something I’ve wanted to do for awhile.
Last but not least, that brings me to you and your brother’s band, dream, ivory. You and Louie have been on hiatus for about two years now; was it just a phase that you both sort of grew out of and moved on to different things, or are you still playing with the idea of finishing Flowerhill Drive?
Sadly, we just haven’t had the time; it’s something we’re still passionate about, and we plan to continue dream, ivory this coming year. Flowerhill Drive isn’t a project we’re putting out anymore, but we have a new album we’re going to start working on very soon. It’s bittersweet because “Welcome and Goodbye” got so much attention, and I feel like we kind of lost the traction we had, but we’re going to start fresh in the coming months.
Speaking of dream, ivory, you and your brother seem to be really good friends; he appears in a ton of your stories, you hang out together a lot, and you both have made music together for a long time, regardless of the genre. Has your relationship with your brother always been really close?
My relationship with my brother has always been strong. I’d consider him my best friend so it’s reassuring to always have him around. We do a lot of shit together and we’re into the same things, so that’s why it’s so easy for us to get along (other than the fact that he’s my blood).
That just about wraps it up. Is there anyone you’d like to give a shoutout to?
Thank you so much for the opportunity! Shoutout to all of my friends and everyone that has ever supported me.