Mod Sun is the music chameleon. His ability to adapt to fit within hip hop, pop, and hard rock makes his musical history as colorful and diverse as the world around us.
I discovered him on Warped Tour several years ago and his career has taken him through countless unpredictable waves since then. He started his journey in a post-hardcore band in the early 2000's and eventually branched off to experiment with his own "hippy hop" music in 2009.
"I've played dive bars on the side of the highways for ten years before I got a shot. Before I even did Mod Sun I was on the road steadily for six years. When I was 14 years old I was a musician," said Mod Sun.
After paying his dues on the road, his unique brand of positive vibes, infectious energy, and room-brightening smiles kept him on my radar as an influential artist with an important message.
Mod Sun doesn't fit the mold of your typical hip hop artist. He follows his intuition and doesn't conform to the stereotypes of a single genre, which creates a plethora of opinions about him.
"I don't fit in. I've been an outsider all my life and every time they try to bring me on the inside I laugh in their face. I don't expect to fit in this industry," said Mod Sun. "I'm a polarizing artist. You can see I'm being myself and I'm authentic."
From the start of our interview, he was quick to discuss his mentality framed by the law of attraction and gratitude for the present moment. It's clear that these ideals bleed into everything he does musically, especially his single "I Remember Way Too Much." He says this single shows a vulnerable side that everyone can relate to because he shed the narcissistic persona of himself in order to show a nostalgic perspective of his life. The song feels reminiscent of the past even though it's new.
"That's what saved me. I would bottle up all of my emotions and then I'd go ride around in my car in my city late at night when no one was in the streets and just scream lyrics at the top of my lungs and cry and smile and reminisce. I wanted that in my song," said Mod Sun.
Amidst his pattern of releasing a steady stream of singles online, he is also planning on released an album and a book in the future. These labors of love take longer than a single song but he reassures me that it will be worth the wait.
Another source of attention for Mod Sun is his recent stint in the tabloids following a public breakup earlier this year. I didn't want to ask about his personal life but rather explore his viewpoint of the industry after experiencing the worst parts of it. He explained that he strives to leave every interview with an important message that contains substance in order to change the way gossip sites operate.
"The only way to change an industry is from the inside out. I don't think in order to win a war you need to fucking go up to the people you want to beat and say 'I'm gonna kill you.' I think that if you want to change something, you work with it," said Mod Sun. "So put me on the camera, I'm gonna show you what these celebrities don't show you. I'm gonna show you vulnerability. I'm gonna show you emotion. I'm gonna show you a human experience. I'm gonna show you someone who has something to say."
His fresh mind and sober lifestyle is showing a new side of Mod Sun that is family friendly and transformative. The next chapter of his career is here.
You can stay up to date on everything Mod Sun has coming up here: http://modsunmusic.com//
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