Young Marco Interview Looks At 4 Our Generation EP & Much More
For those that are familiar, when you hear the name ‘Young Marco‘, you can’t help but think about the unbelievable talent that this young man embodies. For those who aren’t, you’re missing out.
Born and raised in the ‘Hollywood of the south’, Atlanta, Georgia, Young Marco is a 19-year-old singer whose drive and motivation stops at nothing. The Atlanta crooner has been on the scene for quite sometime now and is already making a big name for himself.
Starting out as a little boy with a voice and a dream, music has forever been in the heart of Young Marco. The singer started writing his own songs at an early age, which eventually transpired into something even bigger.
Gaining inspiration from musical geniuses like Michael Jackson, Frank Ocean, and even Drake, Marco has been able to develop his own creative sound—giving off a nice mix of alternative R&B and Pop.
Marco not only uses his music as a creative outlet, but also as a platform to touch the youth of today’s world.
He recently released a single called, “PROM,” which made a tremendous amount of noise throughout social media. The song did so well that he decided to take it on the road—performing the single at various high schools around Atlanta.
While touching souls one by one, Young Marco continues to be the voice of the youth.
With his new EP, 4 Our Generation, Young Marco showcases himself in a way many have never seen before and for those just getting familiar with the singer, it’s very likely something you haven’t seen from a young artist in a while.
Let’s just say, this is only the beginning for YM. Check out our exclusive interview below!
Parlé Mag: You actually started out with the intentions of becoming a rapper. What prompted you to become a singer?
Young Marco: Um, I say females. [laughs] I feel like females love singers. Honestly—no disrespect to the rappers, but in Atlanta they don’t really take rap very serious. Like, for some reason, you say you’re a rapper and it’s just like, ‘Oh, I can rap.’ When you say you’re a singer they just respect your craft more and your art. So, I just wanted to sing. I feel like I get my point across better.
Parlé Mag: Being in a genre that is so broad and forever growing, what is your favorite part about singing your type of music?
Young Marco: Honestly, it’s like, I say the reaction of the people understanding me. I think that the hardest part is getting people to understand me. When I perform my records, they’re pretty deep. They’re really, really deep records. The fact that people can relate to them and sing along to the records and actually know where I’m coming from is my favorite part.
Parlé Mag: Often times. some artists are coerced into just doing what’s commercially popular. What helps you to not get so caught up in the hype and stay true to yourself and your musical brand?
Young Marco: I stay creative 24/7. I think that’s the only thing on my mind. I tell myself every day, ‘Stay humble; remain humble’. I pray a lot, too and just talk to myself. I feel like that’s the most important thing—knowing yourself well. I just love to tell myself, “Stay humble; stay focused. Don’t forget why you’re doing this.”
Parlé Mag: One thing that I think is most admired about you is the fact that you cover real-life topics through your music. Last year, you released a single called, “Gone Long Gone,” and you even hit the road performing at various shelters. What inspired that project?
Young Marco: Honestly, there was a domestic violence situation going on with one of my friends close to me and—I won’t say any names, but she was really close to me. I just felt like I should make a song about it and actually celebrate the fact that she was able to get away from it. So, I wrote the record to celebrate that. I know it’s a lot of people going through that, too. A lot of youth, like, young people, are going through this as well. All ages are going through things like this. I felt like if I made a record, they would understand and respect it more because it’s their peers talking to them. So, I just decided to write “Gone Long Gone.” I wanted to speak on something that people are barely talking about now.
Parlé Mag: Right. So, speaking of a message, what message are you trying to convey to the youth?
Young Marco: Be yourself! I know that kinda sounds real cliché, but that’s the only message I have for people. Be yourself and you can do anything you put your mind to. I really mean that. You can do anything you put your mind to. I just want to inspire people to not only be like me but to be better than me. People want you to learn only what they teach you, but you can go outside of that box and learn a lot more.
Parlé Mag: Speaking of singles, you also just released your single, “PROM.” The song really sparked a lot of buzz. Could you talk to us about that?
Young Marco: Yes! PROM, PROM, PROM. It was based on my high school experience. My prom, which was like two years ago, when I was in 11th grade. I was homeschooled throughout high school. So, you know, going to prom around public school students and they see each other every day, it was pretty awkward and weird. You know what I mean? So, I went with no security or nothing. I was like, ‘Okay, I gotta be in this room with them for however many hours and I have to act like a kid.’ You know what I mean? I felt like a new kid in school. So, when I get there and I’m at prom, I’m like, ‘Well let me just enjoy myself and not look nervous and not try to stand out.’ I already felt like the odd one. So, I just wanted to blend in for the night. “Let me blend in; let me have fun. Let me be a teenager.” It actually turned out perfect! I remember like, right after the prom, I told my friend on the way home, ‘Yo’! I’ma write a record about my prom experience.’ He laughed and was like, ‘Get outta here!’ I was like, ‘I’m dead serious.’ I called him the next day and told him I wrote the record. I was living with the record for like two years; I wrote the record like two years ago, but I finally recorded it this year. So, I was living with the record for a while. In the midst of learning how to play the guitar, that was the first song I ended up writing. It came out an amazing record. I feel like everybody going to prom and if you did go to prom, you remember your prom experience, I just want you to get that same feeling all over again.
Parlé Mag: What made you wait so long to record it? You said you wrote it two years ago.
Young Marco: I like to live with my records for a while. Not even the complete product. I like to live with the lyrics for a while before I even go in there and record. I’m not the type of person to go right in the studio, hear the beat, then get right to it. I love to just play it and sing it over and over again in my head and just listen to the lyrics. Read them over and over again in my head and figure out what I want to do before I go into the studio. I had a lot of records at the time and they were telling me we gotta do the EP. I’m like, ‘Okay, well, let’s go in there and do it.” When I got in the studio, I was like, ‘I’m doing “PROM.” I gotta make sure I get “PROM” done. I want it on my EP.’ So, I go through my recordings on my phone and I marked like–I might put an A next to every recording on my phone or if it’s a melody I really like and I want it on the project; I’ll put an A next to it—which means it’ll be on the album. So, I went through it and we just listened to the recordings and “PROM” was one of the main records. I had to do it! It was an amazing beat and I put the guitar with it and it came out perfect.
Parlé Mag: It did! It’s a really nice song.
Young Marco: Thank you.
Parlé Mag: We hear that you’re actually on a high school tour for “PROM” at the moment. Any crazy fan experiences you’ve had so far?
Young Marco: Yes! Um, the last school I did was really, really amazing. I was wondering if they were going to know me. But, when they called my name and I walked out, the whole entire prom just went crazy. It just lit up, then I got to “PROM” and they sang like every word. It was beautiful; it was really beautiful. I mean, I was dancing by myself because everybody had dates, but I just liked seeing everybody dance and turn up for that night.
Parlé Mag: Awww!
Young Marco: Prom experience is really amazing. I’m enjoying it—being able to touch everybody and see my fans.
Parlé Mag: Let’s talk about your debut EP, 4 Our Generation, which was recently released. What would you say was the best part about recording that project?
Young Marco: The best part? Hmm. I would have to say, the learning. You know what I mean? Everything that I learned. That was a whole different level of creativity for me. I honestly stepped outside of the box and they took me somewhere else to get an understanding of what music is really about. When I got there with them it was like, ‘Yo’, this is how you do this; this is how you do that. Try singing in this pocket. Try hitting them with this or a different approach.’ It was fun just stepping outside of the box and trying to create a new sound and new records for people that I feel like my generation needs. That’s why I called the EP, 4 Our Generation. It’s a sound, particularly for my generation.
Parlé Mag: Which song on the EP you would say you connected with the most?
Young Marco: Connected with the most, hmm. I would have to say—honestly, I would have to say, “PROM.” I mean, “Gone Long Gone” is a huge record. But, I would just have to say for the youth, it’ll have to be “PROM,” most definitely.
Parlé Mag: Nice! So, going into this project, what were your main goals, in terms of how you wanted your fans to perceive this body of work?
Young Marco: I really wanted people to understand it and respect the art of music. That was really the main goal. For people to respect the art of music and my artistry and everything I was doing at the moment. I wanted people to get it; I wanted people that don’t listen to pop music to finally listen to pop music.
Parlé Mag: Yes!
Young Marco: It doesn’t matter what type of genre it is. Good music is good music. So, I wanted everybody to be like, ‘I can listen to this. This music is timeless and it’s fun music.’ I really wanted the record to be really fun. I know I can do really sad songs, but I wanted every record on there to just be exciting for the youth. I strictly made it for the youth. That was my goal. I’m making this for my generation—the younger people. Some of the older people can vibe to it as well, but the goal was to hit my audience—my peers.
Parlé Mag: What’s next for Young Marco?
Young Marco: Touring! Most definitely. Shows, and shows, and shows, and shows! I’m going to rock out a lot this entire summer. Exciting things. I’m going to do a lot of shows. I have a lot more stuff coming up. I was recently on VH1, which was pretty dope—for Black Ink Crew. That was amazing. I got a great response from that. I’m just enjoying it right now. I’m going to stay focused and it’s a lot more to come. Just keep following my journey.
Catch up with Young Marco on social media:
Twitter: @Iam_youngmarco
Instagram: @Iam_youngmarco
Website: www.iamyoungmarco.com