One former San Jose State student’s penchant for unconventionality may be what helps him become a key figure in the music industry.
Rommel Serrano, better known by his stage name Rommii, is a DJ, songwriter and producer from San Diego. He attended SJSU in Fall 2017 as a marketing major until 2019 when he transferred to Icon Collective, a music school in Burbank, California.
“When you can hear someone’s music and it sounds like someone else’s that automatically makes them not as unique,” Bobby Martin, Serrano’s manager and friend, said. “That’s something Rommii understands. He doesn’t want to sound like someone else.”
Serrano’s distinctive path in becoming a musician is what sets him apart from other artists.
As a first generation Chicano, Serrano's heard his parents listen to Mexican rock band Maná.
“[My family] had no musical background,” he said. “I’m kind of grateful and sad about that because I didn’t get any taste from my parents, but at the same time it gave me freedom to now know what [music is] good or not.”
But music wasn’t always Serrano’s career goal. He used to dream of being a professional basketball player in highschool until he saw how talented his peers were at a basketball camp.
Then at 16-years-old, Serrano said he stumbled upon a YouTube video about how to get started as a DJ, after searching for inspirational videos he hoped would lead him to a new passion.
A video of a young man mixing together “Black Skinhead” by Kanye West and “Alive” by Krewella surprised him and led him to watch a video of EDM DJ Skrillex mixing “Collard Greens” by ScHoolboy Q with a dubstep song.
The genre-blending music inspired Serrano to listen to music styles he didn’t previously enjoy, which pointed him in a new creative direction.
“I realized that electronic shows are just a mix of every single genre,” Serrano said. “Indie songs, alternative songs, reggaeton songs, hip hop songs and in between them there’s electronic drops and that’s really what I gravitated to. And it wasn’t what I thought it was.”
Serrano continued being a DJ throughout high school and organized events where he could mix music to an audience. However, it wasn’t until he attended SJSU that he began dedicating himself to songwriting and producing instrumentals.
Serrano said he made it his 2018 New Year’s resolution to produce instrumentals.
“I taught myself every single day and it was the fattest learning curve because I don’t have a musician’s background or anything,” he said.
Serrano’s self-taught lessons were too loud for Joe West Hall and he was asked to turn the volume down by his resident adviser every day. He said eventually, students in the dormitory dubbed him “the kid who was always
making noise.”
He said he remembers one particular student being annoyed at his beginner-quality music, but the student eventually noticed the vast improvement in his skills by the end of the school year.
Serrano met his current manager Bobby Martin, a 2019 alumnus who graduated with a bachelor’s degree in event management, at a party when they both attended SJSU. Serrano said they both connected on their desire to host concerts and other events.
“I thought he was goofy,” Martin said of his first impression of Serrano. “[But] It was pretty cool to see his energy. You could definitely tell he was humble but knew what he wanted.”
Serrano was eventually unsatisfied with hosting events and wanted to perform at them instead.
In 2017, Martin was planning a music show at the San Jose Civic Center. He was searching for opening acts for Norweigian EDM artist Alan Walker when Serrano volunteered.
After performing at the event, Serrano said his family began to fully believe in his dreams and abilities as a DJ after he sent them footage of his performance.
“That was like the turning point for my family,” Serrano said. “They were like, ‘What the hell? That’s you?’ I thought it was cool that they didn’t criticize it anymore. Now my whole family [are] huge fans.”
Serrano said his family now gives him feedback and his grandfather even compliments his work. He said it means a lot to him because EDM usually isn’t played in traditional Mexican households.
Serrano said his favorite performance so far was opening up for San Francisco-based EDM artist Gryffin in 2018.
He said he was mesmerized by the sea of people at the event, which had around 4,000 attendees.
“This was [at] the San Jose State [Provident Credit Union] Event Center and by then I was much more confident in myself and my production,” Serrano said. “It was such a high because I worked so hard to get these moments.”
Serrano’s hard work is also something that friend and former SJSU student Dennese Rodriguez recognized.
“He’s determined and he pursues his goals,” Rodriguez said. “He literally dropped everything at SJSU and came [to Los Angeles and] you don’t see a lot of people doing that. It’s really hard for people to drop everything and just go.”
Serrano said he puts in the work because he and his manager have their sights on something bigger.
“2024 Coachella,” Martin said. “Ever since we met each other that’s what we’ve been saying.”
Serrano said he wants to continue to open the door for other Latino artists in the music industry as his dreams become a reality.
“I think it’s important to have Hispanic figures and it’s becoming more common,” Serrano said. “I want to be one of the known [Mexican artists] in the U.S. and I think if I can do it, I think it will spark an interest in anyone who’s Hispanic to do it.”
