Not everyone can say that they know a busy college student who can write their own music while juggling the responsibilities of school and life.
From writing and releasing his own music, to winning the first ever Spartans Got Talent competition – fourth year Armoni LeGras, who is a radio, television and film (RTVF) major, is doing it all.
“If I’m not writing, I’m drawing. I just do that – that’s my whole life,” LeGras said. “Pretty much everyday I’m writing [songs] I keep it in my notes.”
LeGras’s mother, Stacy LeGras, said her son began writing original songs when he was just five years old.
LeGras continued to write songs as he got older, and is still writing today.
“Ever since I was really young I just loved dancing and music – the whole nine,” LeGras said. “I wanted to make my own kind of vibe.”
His mother said LeGras has done nothing but make her and his father proud with his creativity and progression in music.
“We’ve been proud of [LeGras] for years,” Stacy LeGras said. “He’s always been that kid that just always shines. He has always shined no matter what he did.”
Until middle school, LeGras did not take his original songs too seriously. At this age, he started looking up to celebrity performers such as Bow Wow and Chris Brown.
“I really looked up to those kinds of performances and performers. It was awesome to me, so I wanted to try it out and thought I can do it,” LeGras said.
Today, LeGras likes to write music about his personal life and emotions. He said his lyrics are mostly about love and heartbreak since those are easy topics to write about.
“I like telling the truth, I don’t like garbage music. I don’t like people talking about stuff they don’t mean,” LeGras said. “I just try to put my own story into lyrics.”
LeGras said when writing songs, he listens for words in conversations that would be good and pairs them with the music.
“Usually somebody will say something to me that strikes a chord in my body,” LeGras said. “I always end up writing it down and put it on a song.”
In his music career now, LeGras has started working with a producer, Ayush Bahri, a fourth year mechanical engineering student at San Jose State.
Though Bahri has only been producing for LeGras this last year, he shared his thoughts on how the songwriter’s opinion regarding professional music change over time.
“He’s definitely gotten more serious about it, as in, he wasn’t really looking at music as a thing that he could possibly be doing in the future full-time,” Bahri said. “Now, he’s definitely practicing his words and everything. He talks about more sensible things [in his songs.]”
His mom said LeGras has always had a knack for creativity, whether it was drawing or making music.
LeGras said he was taught to put education first in hopes that it would help him with a music career in the future.
“I said ‘well first of all, you need to get your education,’” LeGras’ mother said. “‘You get your degree in the field that you want to be [in] – that’s your top priority. Nothing can stop you.’”
For others who want to start making music, LeGras shared a motto that helped him stay calm when releasing new projects.
“I always go by this saying, ‘fuck around and find out’ because if you like what you created, test it out in front of people,” LeGras said. “Shoot for the stars, why not?”
As he continues his fourth year, LeGras plans on releasing new music before this summer.
His new music project will be called “The Audacity” and will be available on YouTube and Soundcloud.
