02/22/2023
2:22PM
Kingdom Hearts: How My First Project in 2018 Shaped My Sound
Kingdom Hearts - EP
In 2018, I released my first music project, Kingdom Hearts.
As my debut project, I knew I wanted the music to come from a real place. Not necessarily true stories or personal details, but something rooted in my actual life experience. I felt like if I was going to be an R&B singer and emotionally connect with people, I couldn’t just write music based on fantasy alone. I needed inspiration that genuinely meant something to me.
That’s where Kingdom Hearts came in.
As a kid, that game wasn’t just entertainment. It was a whole universe built on themes that stuck with me: darkness and light, identity, friendship, temptation, growth, purpose. It taught me how powerful emotion can be when it’s tied to a journey. So when it was time for me to put out my first body of work, I pulled from that world and translated it into music.
Track 1: Falling for You
The first track, Falling for You, takes me back to the opening scene of Kingdom Hearts 1. Sora is falling from the sky into the ocean, right before he steps into a journey that leads him through darkness to protect the people he cares about.
In my song, I flipped that narrative.
Instead of falling into darkness, I’m falling for a woman. And as I fall deeper and deeper, I start seeing the depth of her whole being. It’s about surrendering to emotion, the way a story pulls you in before you even realize you’re fully inside it.
Track 2: Lust
The second track, Lust, isn’t about lusting for a woman.
It’s about the lust of fame and fortune.
It’s the pull of success, attention, money, recognition, and everything that comes with it. Those things can be positive, but they can also get dangerous if you don’t learn how to get out of your own way. If you let the hunger drive the car, it will consume you. And eventually, you won’t even recognize who you are anymore.
That song was me putting that truth on wax early, before life had the chance to teach it to me the hard way.
Track 3: Know Your Worth
The final track, Know Your Worth, spoke to me the moment I heard the beat.
Over the years, I’ve noticed that sometimes people assume my songs are about them. Like I’m telling a specific story, or sending a message, or exposing some private chapter of my life. But that’s never been my goal. I’ve never been interested in giving the world a detailed explanation of my personal experiences through music.
What matters more to me is creating something universal.
My songwriting naturally leans toward messages that people can apply to their own lives. I want the words I choose to feel like they belong to anyone who needs them, not just me. Know Your Worth is exactly that. A reminder that’s bigger than any one situation or relationship.
What That EP Taught Me
Creating Kingdom Hearts was a learning experience in every way.
It was the first time I truly tested my ability as an artist, but it was also my first real test as a businessman in the music industry. I got to see what it meant to create, release, present, and stand on something that had my name on it.
Looking back now, eight years later, it hits different.
I was 21 years old, in college, building a brand around my music from my apartment. I didn’t have everything figured out, but I had vision. And what’s remarkable is how much progress I’ve made since then with LegendofLinc.
Kingdom Hearts wasn’t just my first project.
It was proof that I could take inspiration from my life, translate it into art, and start building something real from it.
And that was only the beginning.