Today we’d like to introduce you to ReiLife.
Hi ReiLife, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
I’ve been around the entertainment industry my whole life. When I was 3 years old, my mom placed me in dance classes where I learned rhythm and beat, but also most importantly, how to perform and grab the audience’s attention. I spent about 8 more years in dance learning all styles from Ballet to Hip-hop. When I was 11 years old, I had the opportunity to go into acting classes and got picked up by a manager.
My manager got me into commercials first starting as an extra but within a short year I landed a principal role in the “Tooth Fairy 2”. I took a break from all of the acting and just wanted to live my life. This was the start of 6th grade, I was making friends, playing sports, and going to school dances. I look back on it now and laugh because I wanted to be like everyone else and didn’t realize what I had really accomplished in my short life as a kid.
But I went through middle school and high school with the same routine until that life I lived became just a distant memory. In my senior year of high school, I had a first love, a nice paying job, and was getting ready for college. Once I got to college I found myself hanging out more with the band members, photographers, and people that had similar interests in music and fashion.
This is where I really learned how to start writing lyrics and creating melodies for songs. Once COVID-19 started I had left college and picked up a job as a delivery driver. For the whole year of 2019, I just focused on work and kept writing songs, but I felt lost in a way. Kind of like I’m doing my responsibilities that everyone should do but I wasn’t feeling fulfilled in what I was doing.
I remember feeling weak and for the first time in years, I prayed to the Lord and asked him for a sign of what I should do with my life, a week later I met local Jacksonville artist Boomi.
We started to freestyle over a beat he was listening to and I guess he saw something in me I never saw. That’s when he invited me to the studio to record some music. I thought I was going to just sit in the studio and see how it all worked, I didn’t know it at the time, but he actually paid for my session so I can record my first song.
On March 23rd, 2021 I recorded “Options”, I listen back on it now and laugh about how different I sound compared to today. But for the first time in a long time, I felt like I had a purpose on this earth again.
Boomi would then proceed to be my mentor and show me the ropes of being an artist and what you have to put in motion to make shows, music videos, and even studio sessions happen. I began to expand my social media presence and started to see a positive response.
Now I’ve started to work on broadening my audience, along with meeting artists (Zeke Avery, Kyron Lucas, Gud Mvrning, Shark Nation, Gio J Productions) and working with them trying to build a full-scale network of local music talents. Still have a long way to go but from all the recent love and support I’ve been receiving, I can tell that this is only the beginning of something amazing.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
I don’t think anyone that gets into the music industry has had a smooth ride.
I’ve definitely met a lot of artists that believe in the good of music. But on the other hand, I have met some individuals who are only interested in tearing down others to get themselves ahead.
When you lose trust in individuals it becomes very hard to make opportunities possible by yourself. The way combatant that is I keep a team of close individuals that have the same mentality and work method on creating music.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
I am known for making music, mostly pop/rap/alternative hip-hop, but I also want to give other local artists the content to expand their audiences as well. I take pictures of local artists along with video clips that show their audience who they are as a person.
I’m most proud of being able to make a movement happen in Jacksonville through music. I want people to know that the world isn’t as bad as the major networks try to make it out to be. It’s okay to fall down as long as you get back up, and we all have the strength to get back up.
I feel like what separates me from the others is probably my mentality, I have more of a love for the art and making something amazing instead of focusing on the fame and riches.
Are there any important lessons you’ve learned that you can share with us?
Being true to myself is a very important lesson I’ve learned. Can’t deny my flaws but also I’ve learned to understand my strengths. Being true to myself is being able to balance the good with the bad and become the best person I can be.
Contact Info:
- Email: ReiLife.Music@gmail.com
- Instagram: https://www.Instagram.com/ReiLife.Music/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/reilly.gentges
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/reilife2/status/1405040797721010178?s=21
- Youtube: https://youtube.com/channel/UC1LcftPcX36RLYXyivpNfaw
- SoundCloud: https://soundcloud.app.goo.gl/JyJvS5gJLuqpAWTFA
- Other: https://open.spotify.com/artist/5l7D2Kt2Ov9hhbHRpg4iEz?si=NrAq3K0DRnuBSkw7mOWF-A
Image Credits
2kFerg and ReiLife
