“I just have always had a passion for making music that I could never shake no matter how hard I try.”
In a modest home on the West side of San Antonio, Texas, a working father has just gotten home from a long day at his landscaping job. As he enters his house he kisses his wife, places his work gloves on their kitchen counter-top, and joins his four kids at the dinner table. He takes turns listening to each of his children as they tell him how their day was, and exchanges smiles with his wife while doing so. This is the average weekday in the life for 23-year-old artist Steadysuffer. His weekends, however, if not preoccupied by playing with his kids and donning the title of family man, are spent nodding his head to instrumentals. With his eyes locked on a singular position on the wall in front of him, Steadysuffer’s emotions creep out, as he waits for lyrics to float to the front of his mind. Sullen guitar and heavy baselines are the trademark groundwork for Steadysuffer’s tracks. Lyrics detailing his parents’ divorce, depression, and other mental health issues are some recurring motifs. But the thing that makes Steadysuffer’s emotions most tangible in his songs is his unique vocal delivery. Steadysuffer’s voice invokes raw emotion, but however pained his vocals are, they never seem to let up.
UU: Where does the alias “steadysuffer” originate?
Steadysuffer: Trying to develop a name to represent you, your music, and your image is never as easy as it seems but in my case I feel like “Steadysuffer” just came naturally. One thing about struggling with depression is that it’s so easy to convince others that you’re perfectly fine whether in real life or online it’s just too easy. Just because someone seems okay, fine, or happy doesn’t mean that person isn’t breaking down on the inside. It’s a never ending suffer.
What inspired you to get into making music?
I’ve always known I wanted to make music one way or another since I was a kid. I originally wanted to form a band up until I found this scene about 4 years ago. there was an artist by the name of Jake Cooley who I was really into at the time. We became friends and he pretty much convinced me to get my first mic. That’s when I started making music under my first alias “bby malice”
What did you listen to growing up? How are those sounds incorporated into your own work?
I grew up listening to a comprehensive collection of genres. But if I were to pinpoint exactly when I actually felt connected to a certain sound is when I started hanging around my older cousin. He showed me bands like Aiden, My Chemical Romance, Circa Survive, Saosin, A Skylit Drive, Underoath, Scary Kids Scaring Kids, Sky Eats Airplane, etc. Also, old shows on fuse basically shaped my music taste. I’d say my sound is definitely influenced by a good number of bands from my childhood. That era of the 2000’s post hardcore, experimental, and emo sounds was a very important time for me in music, so I like to express that side of me.
What is the music scene like in San Antonio? Do you think it affects your sound?
The music scene here in San Antonio hasn’t really caught up to speed in my opinion [laughs]. I know very few other artists from here and I’m not very social with locals. That being said I can’t say that it affects my sound really.
What is your favorite track that you’ve worked on thus far?
My favorite track would have to be one of my more slept on songs called “I don’t wanna be a burden anymore” produced by toofargone. Mainly because it’s a glimpse of what it was like growing up in a broken home and dealing with neglect, physical / mental abuse, and being misapprehended as useless.
If you could work with any artist of your choice, what would your dream collaboration be?
I would hands down have to choose Anthony Green as my dream collaboration. He’s always been a huge influence on my music since the start and he’s who I’ve adapted my vocal style from.
What’s your writing process like?
I honestly rarely write lyrics down. Usually when I receive a beat I hear it once and if I can get a vibe from it I hop in my studio and play it again in Mixcraft and record as I listen the second time. So that when the lyrics come to me they have a natural feel and catches the real emotion I was feeling then and there.
Who are some of your contemporaries that you look up to?
I don’t really know who I look up to anymore honestly.
What’s the story behind your “don’t enter” series, why not name them individually? Is there something of personal significance that binds them together for you?
The 3 songs of “don’t enter” that are out right now definitely hold personal significance on a whole other level compared to any other songs that I have written. Part 1 was inspired when my best friend was going through something with some friends of ours that we grew up with, and some of them were trying to really cause harm to him physically over something childish. Part 2 has a similar sound but an irrelevant meaning. It’s mainly about specific situations in my past before I turned my life around. Part 3 carries the most emotion out of the whole series. I wrote it about my parents and their split when I was a kid. My intentions for that song is to reach out to those struggling with problems in their home whether it be parents, stepparents, siblings, or whatever family conflicts they’re going through because I know how hard it can be, it’s a song to help you feel like you aren’t alone.
Who’s underrated right now?
So many artists in full honesty are underrated but my favorite underrated artists right now are seejayxo, david entendu, scapegoat, King Theta, violeteyez, stillframes, lovespelledbackwards, Sleye, and lil skele.
Favorite producers to work with?
I’d have to say splashgvng, IOF, mothfries, pretty boy ron, and jason22k.
Should we be expecting any cohesive solo projects in the near future?
Yes, I have a good amount of songs in the making with some killer producers that I’m really looking forward to sharing with my listeners.
Any parting words for readers?
I hope this helps understand me and my music more. I appreciate you giving the time to read. Thank you for listening to my music, it really means a lot to me. Thanks to UU.
Steadysuffer is still a work in progress, and the traction he has now was not amassed overnight. Currently, his most listened track has nearly 100 thousand plays, while his least popular has barely cracked 200. But the numbers don’t matter to Steadysuffer. As aforementioned, he just wants his listeners to know that they aren’t helpless. “I know how hard it can be, it’s a song to help you feel like you aren’t alone.” Listen to Steadysuffer’s “Don’t Enter Pt. 3” Below.