Toyota and UPROXX have teamed up for The Next Gear, a series that puts emerging creatives in the passenger seat of the All-Electric C-HR to talk creativity, big dreams, and how to build a career that lasts. Across three episodes, Grammy-nominated DJ, producer, and songwriter Illenium served as a mentor, riding with melodic bass and trap DJ and producer St. Mary, LA stylist and designer Toreno Winn, and singer, songwriter, and producer Otis Kane — three artists at three different points in their careers, with three very different sets of questions.
For this editorial, presented in partnership with Toyota, we went through all three conversations and pulled out the strongest advice from each — on the work itself, on putting it into the world, on the people who listen, and on what it actually takes to last.
Here’s all the advice Illenium had for getting to the Next Gear.
On the work itself
Lower what you expect of yourself.
“It’s genuinely impossible to do everything perfectly all the time. So expectations shouldn’t be so psychotic of you. You should still be having fun. You really got to make sure your passion is still there.”
Stop waiting for the right conditions.
“The setting is never going to be perfect. It’s always going to be overwhelming. Try to find the little moments of balance and working when you can, and when you’re excited to work.”
Give yourself a break about social media.
“It’s a full time job. So don’t be too hard on yourself and give yourself some space. Because it all comes down to the creative work, in my opinion.”
On developing artistic identity
Don’t let one genre become the only thing you’re known for.
“It’s important not to be so locked into one genre where you are just known for that. I don’t think that’s necessarily a good thing.”
Find what works, hold it, then push on it.
“If you can find something that works… stick to that for a little bit. That doesn’t necessarily mean you’re bound down to one thing. You can still experiment within that.”
Find one unique thing and keep using it.
“If you can figure out a way to find a little unique bit that you reuse, or use in different ways, that’s helpful.” For him it’s drums: “One of the biggest things as a producer that makes you different is your sample choices, and drum choices specifically.”
On putting work out
Learn to let go and put the work out.
“There’s never going to be a perfect scenario where everything is ready. Ever.”
Let it be rough.
“Let things be rough around the edges. I’m a perfectionist in some aspects, but a lot of times, especially with your art, the art can be part of not being perfect.”
Find ears or eyes you can trust.
“You have trusted ears and people that you trust artistically… I think anybody needs that.” Which means being able to kill your own work when it doesn’t work: “You have to be able to let things go.”
Remember that every call is yours.
“A lot of people have their entire career that’s based on business decisions, and a lot of people have absolutely none of it, and they’re just artists. But you can go whatever route you want. You as your own artist can do whatever you want. It is completely in your power.”
On what to make
Make it for yourself and for the people who showed up early.
“There’s a little voice that pops up in your head that’s like, I need to do that again. At the end of the day, you should make music for yourself, and you should make music for those people that have been around.”
Don’t go chasing big songs.
“If you get caught up chasing the ‘I need big songs,’ that’s just not where I’ve taken my career.” He’s clear about what that path costs: “You have to really follow trends, and you have to be so okay with throwing things at the wall. You have to put so much out.”
On the people who listen
Take the second to answer someone.
“There’s some people that you should take a second out of your day, or a moment online, to interact with. It really helps shape a bond, but it also helps them personally…From a longevity standpoint, those are the people that are going to be there six albums later.”
You have to deal with social media.
“There’s no magic cure or answer for social media. Just be on it a lot, and be engaged with those people that are listening to music and buying tickets to shows… You have access to so many people and you can talk to them directly. So try to make it as personal as possible.”
Put a camera on to capture the ordinary stuff.
“Film all of your studio sessions. Put a camera in the back… Put a camera on and talk about what you’re working on. It doesn’t have to be so put up on a pedestal like this huge thing.”
On touring smarter
Book the room smaller than you think.
“It’s always smart to play smaller venues than you could. If you think you can go do a thousand people in each major US city, I’d say first go do 500 and just blow them out. I always say go lower. And then when you get bigger and bigger, then try to shoot for it.”
Early on, take everything. Later, be selective.
“I was of the mindset at the beginning of my career, that I needed to get in front of as many people as humanly possible… And then there’s a time where you need to cut back on that and focus on your art, and really let your headlining shows be something special.”
Aim to break even and put the rest into the show.
“Put all that money into production. Still care about the show, still care about giving something really sick. But don’t care about the finances — care about trying to break even… Reinvesting in yourself is huge.”
Prioritize sleep.
“I force myself to go to bed at like midnight and wake up at eight or nine and get outside. Don’t just go straight to the studio or stress.”
Know how few people survive the other version of this.
“The amount of people that can sustain this — and actually wake up and make all their flights and work out and stay healthy — is very small. Most of the people that have been in it a really long time and are able to sustain it have found a balance.”
Getting To The Next Gear
Nobody is going to outwork you.
“At the end of the day, you’re in charge. No one’s gonna work harder than you.”
Work out what you stand for.
“Every artist benefits from having a purpose. When you take that and think about your brand and what you stand for… that’s really important. It frees you up just to be yourself.”
Separate the goal from the expectation.
“There’s a difference between expectations and goals. The goal was always to be like, let’s do the biggest thing anyone has ever done. But the expectation is, okay, maybe we can headline that big venue in ten years.”
Be ready to grind.
“I really do believe you can do anything you possibly put your mind to. But it takes time, it takes people, and it takes an absolute grind. It’s one step at a time — you’re not going to get there by skipping anything.”
Take the leap.
“That’s my number one advice to anyone that ever asked me, ‘how did you get to where you got to?’ Take that leap of faith.”
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