Skylar Grey - Working With Eminem For 10 Years & Signing A Record Deal At 17

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Hold music. You want to avoid it and so do your customers. So say goodbye to holdmusic and hello to faster, smarter support with Salesforce. Make service more personal and agents more productive using built in trusted AI. Then watch costs and wait times drop and satisfaction soar. Support customers in a whole new way with Service GPT. Learn how@salesforce.com ServiceGPT what is going on, everyone? Casey Adams here. Welcome back to the Rise of the Young podcast. On today's episode, we have Skyler Gray here with us. Skyler Gray is an American singer and songwriter and she actually worked with Eminem for over 10 years. And two of her biggest hits include I Need a Doctor with Dr. Dre featuring Eminem and Love the Way youy Lie featuring Rihanna. So if you don't know those songs, I'm going to go ahead and play you a 15 second snippet before we get into the episode. So with that being said, here we go.

Just gonna stand there, watch me burn. Well, that's all right because I like the way it hurts.

So I'm sure you know that song and that was featuring Rihanna. But this is actually Skyler Gray's voice in the song I Need a Doctor with with Dr. Dre featuring Eminem. That being said, here we go. 15 seconds.

I'm about to lose my mind. You've been gone for so long I'm running out of time I need a doctor.

All right, so those are the two songs that I wanted to play for you guys before we get into the episode. Just to make you more familiar with the with who Skylar Gray is. And with that being said, please do me a favor and share this episode with a friend. Post it on social media, tag myself, tag Skyler Gray, and let's dive into the episode. Today's podcast is brought to you by Viral Style. Viral Style provides a concrete solution for individuals who are looking to start an apparel brand, including clothing, accessories or decor. Instead of wasting thousands of dollars in upfront costs, Viral Style can have you up and running for free. Viral Style is a platform for anyone, including marketers, artists, musicians and influencers. Viral Style has been recognized by Inc. 5000 as one of the fastest growing companies in 2019. To learn more about Viral Style, go to www.viralstyle.com and and become a seller today. Again, that's www.viral style.com to learn more. Now let's get into the episode. All right, what is going on, everyone? Casey Adams here. Welcome back to the Rise of the Young podcast. Today we have Skyler Gray on the show. Thanks so much for coming on.

Skyler, Hi.

Thank you so much for coming on. I mean, first off, I want to say that I'm a huge fan of not only your music, but I know you worked with eminem for over 10 years. And I'd love to start there because that's such an iconic not only figure, but to be able to collaborate with someone at that level for so long, you've not only built an amazing career, but I'm sure you've learned many lessons through that. But for everyone that doesn't know where your music journey started, I'd love for you to touch on that.

Okay, man, my music journey has been a very long one. I started performing with my mom when I was 6, so it's like all I've ever known. Never really had a real job other than music, aside from like, you know, the occasional two weeks stint at a restaurant and then hating it. But, yeah, so I started making music really young and then I. I think I discovered Eminem's music when I was like 12 or 13.

Okay.

I'd have to do the math to be sure, but right around there. Yeah, I heard the song Stan. That was like my favorite song ever. And, you know, I had to like hide the album from my parents and not let them know I was listening to it because it was a little bit out there for a 12 year old. But I was obsessed with it. I just thought, like, it was so creative and ballsy. And I also loved the, like, juxtaposition of his rapping with Dido's voice. And hearing that was a huge inspiration to my entire career. I was just like, I can do that. Like, I want to. I want to do that someday, you know, from that time. And so then I think, like, I mean, I went on tons of different musical journeys. Like, I dropped out of high school, moved to LA when I was 17. I performed with my mom since the time I was a kid until I was about 14. I think that's when I went solo from her. We had like a duo.

Yeah.

And then I went solo and then, yeah, moved to LA when I was 17. And man, I was like in all different genres of music. I was doing musical theater and Folk music and whatever I could get my hands on. It was just like a sponge. I just wanted to soak it all up.

Yeah.

But I think subconsciously, the whole time, I was, like, manifesting wanting to work.

With Eminem from an early age.

From an early age. And then one day, it finally happened.

Yeah. How did you guys. How did you and Eminem meet?

Well, so my music journey had definitely some rough spots in it. And this came out of the roughest spot I'd ever been in, which is, you know, I moved to LA, got a record deal when I was, you know, 17, 18, and then I had a little success with a song called Where'd you'd Go? Which was my first experience in, like, working on a rap song. And then my whole career kind of fell apart after that.

Wow.

Yeah, because I had this record deal, but. And I had this hit song with Mike Shinoda of Linkin park, you know, and it was a big. It was like a number two song. But then I didn't know what to do with that. Like, I didn't know how to follow up that moment.

Yeah.

With, like, you know, how to snowball it, you know? And so I learned a lot of really hard lessons during that time, but I, like, lost my record deal, management, lost my lawyer, like, lost my boyfriend, and it was just like the world took a big shit on me.

What do you think? What was the catalyst from that? Because, you know, you said you had a number two song. How did it. How did it go from number two song to falling apart?

Because I didn't know anything about, like, marketing or anything like that at the time. All I did was make songs. Yeah. Like, you know, I didn't really have a good understanding of the business yet. I was very young, you know, and so I think I just. I didn't know how to handle the success of that song and how to, like, turn it into something for me. Like, I didn't attach my name to it enough. I. You know, it was. It was a lot of things.

Yeah.

And so, yeah, I just. I didn't seize the opportunity the way that I could have.

Okay. And that was right after you signed, and that was one of the first hits you had. And. Or what. What age were you during that time?

I think I was 19 or 20 when I had the hit. And then everything kind of fell apart over the next few years, and, you know, I got kind of stuck in a situation where I was signed to a label, but, like, there wasn't much support there anymore. And I was just like, what am I doing? I can't release music anymore. I felt kind of trapped. But finally that got worked out and I had. But I was broke and I had to leave la. It was just too expensive for me to keep living there. And it was also just depressing because I felt like a total failure. So I left and I moved to a cabin in the woods in Oregon.

Wow.

By myself. I was 22 or 23, and I just disappeared from the industry. Not permanently. I just knew that I needed to, like, take a step back and remember why I even got into music in the first place and, like, find my love for music again. And so I had this vision of just being alone in the woods with a studio, you know, and just creating music without anybody's opinions, without the business getting in the way and just kind of like, find that romance again. Because when I was a kid making music, I remember sitting at the piano all night for hours, singing my heart out. It just felt so good. And then at that point in my career, I was like, making this music and it didn't feel good. It wasn't fun anymore, you know, So I had. I had to find that romance again. And out of that came love. The Way youy Lie. So while I was in this cabin in the woods, I reached out to the only person I had left in my corner. She was my publisher. And I hadn't. I hadn't spoken to her in years, but she was the only person that was like, still technically on my team. And I reached out to Jennifer and I just said, hey, like, I need to figure out a way to make a living in music. I have to. It's the only thing I know how to do. Can you help me? And what are people doing right now? What do people need? Like, I, you know, I told her my. One of my biggest dreams since I was a kid was to, like, work with rappers and. And do hooks for rappers. And she was like, well, we just signed this guy, Alex, the Kid, big producer, and he's up and coming. I'm gonna connect you guys. So she connected us over email and we just went back and forth over email and I recorded the hook to Lovely Lie to one of his tracks that he sent. And literally a month after that, it was the number one song.

That is insane. Wow. It just turned around like that. Not saying turn around, but going from this. I wouldn't say depressed, but you separated yourself, you moved out of la and then you write this song, pouring your heart out. And then that's when just so much success started pouring In.

Mm. Yeah. Pretty much when I stopped really listening to everybody else, when I just fell back in love with music, is when I had the most success.

Wow. So it's Love the Way youy Lie. How did your life change after that moment?

It was a wild ride. I came back to la okay. I just felt like, okay, I'm gonna seize the opportunity, you know, not gonna mess up like I did with Where'd you Go? And so I took opportunities writing for people and doing more hooks like I did I Need a doctor for Dr. Dre. That was actually the first time I met Eminem. So, like, lovely light. Obviously, I did that from a cabin in the woods. And actually everybody who worked on that song, we were all in different cities while that song was created. None of us were in the same room together. Rihanna was in Dublin. Eminem was in Detroit. Alex was in New York. So it happened over the web. But after that, and it was so successful, Em invited Alex and I to come to Detroit to work with Dre. And so then I Need a Doctor came out of that. We performed it on the Grammys in 2011, I think.

Okay.

Yeah, the 2011 Grammys, which was crazy, because that's another thing I manifested from childhood. Perform. Performing at the Grammys, and I mean.

Yeah, working with Dr. Dre.

Dr. Dre and Eminem.

Yeah. Like, what did you. What did you learn from that experience and what was going through your head during that time?

It was all really surreal. But, you know what was really going through my head? And I think this is just because I'm. I've always been really hard on myself in anything that I do, whether it's school, academics, whatever. I'm always trying to, like, strive for perfection. It caused me to actually think that, like, now I've peaked. And, like, yeah, I actually got a little depressed about it also, because people were reaching out constantly to have me write songs for them, and I felt like I had to deliver on the same level every time I had to deliver another Love the Way youy Lie, it had to be just as big a hit. And when it wasn't, I beat myself up. Wow. So it was, like, a lot of pressure I put on myself.

That's interesting perspective. The song I Need A Doctor, one of my favorites. And just to let you know, I've been a Eminem fan for years now. I'm 20, and I remember listening to that song back in the day. And I want to ask you, what did you learn from working with Dr. Dre and Eminem as artists, but also as business professionals?

Well, one thing that I realized by working with them both is there's really a reason why they're at where they're at. It's not like an accident. They are so not only talented, but like a pleasure to work with, you know, in any industry, People can't survive very long if they are total assholes, you know? And so I realized that, like, it's important to be enjoyable, to work with.

I love that. Yeah. When it comes to the way you write music, do you have a certain place you go nowadays, but also just throughout your career? I know that you said that song came out of the cabin in the woods. Do you still have places or rituals like that when you create or what does your life look like now when it comes to the way you create music?

I'm always on an edge. I'm always, like, teetering. And it's because I'm trying to work in this industry and I'm really sensitive. Anybody's negative comment affects me. I take it personally. I mean, I don't have a thick skin, as you would think. Like, they say you have to have a thick skin to succeed in this industry because there is so much hate and negativity and jealousy. But it's really hard to not be affected by negative comments, not only by people online, but, like, criticism from my own team and my own. The people that I work with. It really gets in my head. And so it's important for me to. In order to stay in touch with, again, why I love music and the romance that I have with music. It's important for me to not live in la. That's why I live up in Napa.

Yeah.

And to just like, really check myself on when I'm letting somebody really get to me. And because I like to relate it to, like, a painting, an artist, where it's like, you don't. Painters don't ask somebody to, like, hey, pick up a paintbrush and help me fix this painting, you know? It's not like it doesn't work like that. Most painters are on their own, and they make their art the way that it is. And if people don't like it, screw them, you know? And for some reason, it's easy for me to think of it in that metaphor. And so sometimes when I'm too in my head about what somebody said, I have to think. I have to remind myself, like, this is my painting.

Yeah.

This is my art. Like, fuck everybody else. I love that, you know? But it's really hard for me to do. But every Day I have to catch myself and do that.

Yeah. When it comes to just this past year, 2020, what have you learned from this year? And when it comes to your daily routine and what you're looking forward to with music, I'd love to have you catch us up on what you've been working on.

Well, yeah, man, this is such a weird year for music. But in a weird way it's like really great for me because I never wanted to tour. I like doing big shows. I love going on stage with Eminem, I love, you know, doing like spot dates. But I don't want to be a road dog. I don't like living on the road. And Covid shutting down touring has actually been like beneficial for me and it's put the focus more on like online marketing and stuff like that.

Yep.

And it allows me to stay home, work in my studio and upload music whenever I feel like it. So that's kind of my ideal way to work, to be honest. And now that I don't have a label, which, you know, Interscope was great, but. But it just, it wasn't working out after a while. And to be able to just totally create freely and release freely is the most liberating thing.

Yes. So you're completely independent right now.

Uh huh.

Very cool. What have you learned from working with labels and what's your advice to aspiring artists? Because I've had a couple different, you know, Rick Ross and Wizcleaf as manager on the show and we've talked about the music business and we what they've learned from being in the industry. And I think you have a very interesting perspective there. But what's your advice to young artists when it comes to signing to labels versus being independent?

I mean, to me, like, labels are, they can be really great. One thing they bring to the table is like when people hear you're signed to Interspope Records, you automatically have this stamp of legitimacy, you know, and then they have a lot of contacts and ways that they can help promote your music, attaching you to brands or like getting brand endorsements for your videos. And they also supply money. Like they're basically loaning you money to make your art. Yeah, but you know, it's hard because especially like as a young female, for me it was like really hard to not let myself get pushed around by everybody who's an expert and thinks they know what's best for me. And it gets really confusing because you think like, oh, if I follow it, this person says I'm gonna be successful if I follow this person says, I'm gonna be successful, and then you end up chasing all these things. Then you lose yourself in it. You totally, like, lose your vision and your passion and your. Your artistry. And so, like, people always say, stay true to yourself. And, you know, I guess I've heard that so many times, but I didn't really know what it meant until I went through something like this. And if I could go back in time and like, really stay true to myself from day one, things would be different. But, you know, I can't go back, so I'm just trying to clean up the mess now.

I love that. When it comes to your. Your journey, when it comes to big performances, what is that feeling like? You and Eminem walk on stage, packed arena. Obviously not in 2020 right now, but just that energy and that moment. Do you have a particular moment that you look back on and it just leaves you frozen in time or something you can reflect on as a highlight of your career where you would just look back and say, this was the day. And I had this title of feeling that I'd love to share with someone. And that is something I strive for everybody to get to.

Oh, man. I mean, I feel that every time I walk out on stage with him, it is the most comfortable that I've ever been on stage.

Yeah.

I do a lot of. Or I did a lot of like corporate gigs with small audiences and like touring on my own, which was fun. But for some reason I was so much more nervous for those shows when they're more intimate. Being on stage in front of like 100,000 people, there's nothing like it. Yeah, but it's. It's so very odd and how comfortable that is compared to an intimate environment.

Okay.

In an intimate environment, I feel more like I'm under a microscope in a huge audience environment. I. I don't know. That to me is like, that's the best moment. I hope that every artist gets to feel that. Yeah, that experience that. It's like it's unreal. And to have that many people sit singing your words that you created back at you, it's like that's that moment where you're like, this is what it's all about. And it's a drug and it's addicting and you want more and more of it, you know?

Yep, totally. No, absolutely. What would you tell your 17 year old self about your journey so far and what have been the biggest lessons that you've learned along your journey?

I mean, I feel like we talked a lot about that. But like just staying true to yourself, like I would, I would go back to my 17 year old self and say, hey, like, stay true to your vision. Don't let anybody push you off your path. You know, I do think that authenticity plays a huge role in the music that's successful in the world because people aren't stupid. They can see through it. If you're faking it. If you're not the person that you're portraying, eventually it doesn't work long term, you know, and so authenticity is a huge thing. And then I also think that people always put this emphasis on being unique and standing out, but I really believe the most unique person you can be is yourself. And so instead of trying to find all these different characters and experiment with all these different unique Personas or whatever, it's like just look deeper inside and expose that.

Yep. I love that. Who's an up and coming artist that you see a lot of potential in.

Somebody. I just discovered. I think she's really great is. I think I'm saying it right. Holly Humberstone.

I haven't heard of her.

Yeah. I just saw one of her music videos recently and I loved her vibe.

Okay. I just looked her up. Okay.

Holly Humberstone.

Yep.

Yeah, I really like her music. I love the vibes. I love those like 90s grunge kind of influence. I'm like a huge 90s grunge lover. And so to see that coming out in somebody who's 20 years old is like, yeah. Exciting for me.

Very cool. I'll definitely check it out. She seems super dope.

Yeah.

When it comes to you specifically spending time on social media and building your brand as an independent artist. Now, how are you looking at the future of social media and streaming and just the music industry overall?

I mean, I think that this whole Covid thing has really made people reevaluate and like adjust and come up with new platforms and new ways to promote music. It's been like a huge learning and development experience for the industry. And I don't know, I think, I mean, for me it works really well because again, I don't love touring.

Yeah.

So being able to like, I'm just trying to figure out my best platforms, the ones that work best for me because there are so many out there and like streaming is never going away. It's always gonna. It's gonna keep, keep going and keep getting bigger.

Yep.

At first, you know, like back in the Napster days, the whole online music thing was scary. But it's like with Any. Anything that happens in technology and in the world. Like, even TikTok, I, like, part of me hates it. And I feel like my grandma talking about an answering machine. She's like, what is this? You know?

Yeah, totally.

But if you don't embrace it, it's gonna happen. You can't stop it from happening. You can't stop this new wave of technology from happening. I mean, I think we're gonna end up having virtual. Like, virtual reality concerts that are just, like, video games, and people are going to be showing up in their own skins and. And having parties with their friends in virtual. In a virtual space.

Yeah. So interesting.

It's pretty exciting to me, honestly.

Yeah. It's like you saw, like, Travis Scott did the Fortnight live concert, and just seeing how that was able to happen, it's so fascinating to see where not only the music industry is going, but the potential of those type of experiences.

Yeah. Yeah, totally.

Very cool. I have a couple more questions before we wrap up, and one of them is just, when it comes to your passions outside of music, where do you spend your time?

I love my kitties. I love animals in general. I have two cats right now. Used to have some sheep.

Okay.

But they all. They all got eaten by mountain lions. Yeah. It was terrible. It was, like, the most heartbreaking experience in my life. But I love animals so much. And then I'm super in love with my fiance, and we make a lot of music together. I'm super into cocktails and wine.

Okay. And, like, you're in Napa, the heart of the. The heart of the wine valley.

I just like to experiment with, like, different concoctions of, like, different liqueurs and making cocktails, like, just, like, inventing things.

Yeah. What is Skyler Gray's number one? Go to cocktail.

I'm really into Negronis right now.

Okay.

But I do, like. So it's gin, Campari, and vermouth. Sweet vermouth.

Okay.

And then I like to actually add either lemon or lime because I like it a little bit more acidic. And I also have just started using alternate Campari because Campari is used with or is made with that red dye that's really bad for you. And so I've been looking up alternatives to it. And I guess Campari used to be made with red color. Used to come from a bug called. I can't remember what it's called. It starts with a C. They used to dye it with, like, bug juice. And then they thought they started using Red40 or whatever it's called, but then There's a company that now makes the original bug juice colored Campari more, you know, so I've been, like, getting into, like, finding alternate liqueurs and stuff that are more naturally made and things like that.

Hey, that's very interesting. Do you have a favorite book? I see your library behind you. Are you a reader?

Oh, my God, no.

No.

We bought this house and like this past year, and there were so many books in it, like thousands and thousands. They left everything behind.

No way.

And so we've been, like, clearing them out slowly and just to, like, kind of make them look presentable. I just color coded.

Yeah, yeah, it looks amazing.

I don't. I don't know what any of those books are.

Okay, so not a reader. I love it.

But I did read Harry Potter. I love Harry Potter.

Very cool. Love that. Well, last question before we wrap up, and that is just moving forward into 2020. What are you excited about? New music. Where is the best place, Place for the listeners to follow you and where can they tune in to your music?

Well, I think the best place to follow me is the place I'm most active is Instagram.

Okay.

As far as getting updates and stuff like that. But, you know, I'm always trying to figure out how to expand my reach, especially not having a label now. And so when I drop a song, like, if anybody likes it, please share it. I don't think people understand how much it means to an artist to have their song shared by their fans. And so, yeah, just like Spotify, it's also a good place to follow. I think you can actually. I didn't even know that you can follow people on Spotify. You get, like, notified if they drop a new song. I just am learning this, but yeah, that would be a good place because I plan on releasing about a song a month.

Oh, wow.

I'd like to do it more frequently than that, but it's just like, you know, it's a lot of work to also get all the videos and the photos and the content done to surround it so that you can promote your music. So I'm working as fast as I can.

Love that.

Yeah. And I just hope to keep releasing music and hopefully along the way, maybe do some collaborations or get some stuff in some movies or something.

Love that.

Yeah, that's the plan.

Very cool. Well, you have my support and everyone listening. Please do me a favor. If you're not already following Skylar on Instagram, I'll make sure to link that down below so that you can go do that. And that being said. Skylar. Thanks so much for coming on.

Thank you so much.

Monarch Legacy of Monsters An Apple Original Series the world is on fire. I decided to do something about it. On November 17th.

This place.

It's not ours. Believe me. The most massive event of the year arrives. If you come with me, you'll know everything. I promise. Legacy of Monsters streaming November 17th only on Apple TV Plus.