Meet Isaiah Weatherspoon

Today we’d like to introduce you to Isaiah Weatherspoon.

Every artist has a unique story. Can you briefly walk us through yours?
Born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, my parents saw that I gravitated to music and rhythm at the young age of two. One day as a toddler, I was sitting in my car seat while my parents were driving. My dad was playing the local gospel radio station. The song that was playing in the car was “Blessed” by gospel singer Fred Hammond. I began to tap along to the music in my car seat that was being played while keeping the right time and beat. My parents both looked at me in amazement, because they couldn’t believe that I was keeping time with the groove of the song. Since then, my love for music and drums increased.

I received my first drum kit around age four from my grandmother. I would practice drums for hours until it was time for bed. I then started playing drums for the church children’s choir on Sundays. The urge and eagerness to practice didn’t stop at a young age. Throughout my teenage years, I played drums in many different bands which genres ranged from Jazz and Gospel to Rock and Blues. All of these amazing experiences led me to the prestigious Berklee College of Music in Boston, MA at age 17. Now, at age 20, I can honestly look back and thank my parents for always supporting me in my gift, from driving me to shows, lessons, and gigs to encouraging and praying for me to continue cultivating my gift. All of those things I am greatly appreciative of.

Please tell us about your music.
I am a drummer/musician. I love playing the drums and creating music with other musicians because I can use it to my advantage to make people around me feel good internally. My goal is to always make sure that the listener/audience notice how much I’m enjoying myself when I’m playing the drums no matter how small or big the setting is. I want the audience to see and feel how passionate I am with every drum stroke. One thing that I’ve come to understand over the past few years is that music touches the soul and spirit. Therefore, it’s always great to perform and make music with good intention and a positive attitude, because the audience will feel that and it will be easier for them to connect in a positive way.

Given everything that is going on in the world today, do you think the role of artists has changed? How do local, national or international events and issues affect your art?
Personally, I think that the role of an artist is always changing. In most cases, artists can get inspired by their own perspectives, everyday life, culture, and real-life experiences. All of those different pieces can shape an artist’s style and story which can easily become memorable and powerful. I believe that my art has changed mainly based on my experiences locally. While being at Berklee, I’ve been fortunate enough to meet and hear so many different musicians from all over the world that my ability to appreciate other genres of music are much stronger than before. I now work on incorporating other styles into my playing on the drums by watching and listening to other musicians, artists and many different genres of music. This exercise helps me to think about making my art more versatile.

How or where can people see your work? How can people support your work?
Anyone can view my work through my YouTube channel by subscribing to Isaiah Weatherspoon. I also post videos, pictures, and many Instagram snaps to keep everyone up to date with what I am doing through Instagram. Feel free to follow me on Instagram @isaiah_weatherspoon!

Contact Info:

• Email: zay.thedrummer@yahoo.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/isaiah_weatherspoon/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Isaiah-Weatherspoon-224537441684192/

Image Credit:
Yuwei Huang, Alesis Drums, Dave Green, Boss Lelanapaparn

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