Naylor’s Notes: WARHELO

You’re mining for diamonds, and you’re getting tired.  You ask yourself, “Do I continue?”   Then without skipping a beat, you decide to quit.  Sadly enough, and little do you know.  There is another minor on just the other side of the hill mining toward you.  Then, while walking away thinking you are all alone. The other minor directly behind you had found the diamonds you were destined to find in the first place.

“DON’T STOP NOW!”  “THERE IS A TREASURE WAITING FOR YOU, AND IT’S CLOSE ENOUGH TO TASTE.”  “YOU CAN’T STOP NOW!”

Check out what “WARHELO” has to say in this interview.

Where are you originally from?

I´m from Kurdistan, northern Iraq, but I found Norway as my new home place since I was four years old. I love Norway, but I love the place where I was born even more.

When did you start performing music?
I started creating and writing my own music in 2007. Over the years I’ve been practicing and working hard to explore myself and my music. In the beginning I did it for fun and too have something to do, but over the years I realized that this is something I wanted to put my mind to and work hard at while reaching success.

I have never actually performed on stage before or in front of any audience. That is a goal I’m working hard to achieve.  I hope that I will experience that soon.

Which instruments do you play?
I don´t play any instruments, but I own a guitar and a keyboard. I try to practice on it and play it for fun when I have the time, but besides that, I write new songs.

Describe your music interests and abilities.

“ANYTHING EXCLUDING PUNK.”

I’m the kind of guy that builds a good Spotify list and follows it daily.  That way I can find new amazing artists’ whom I’ve never heard of before.  

“I CAN THEN EXPERIENCE GOOD MUSIC.”

As for the abilities, I don’t really know.  I’m a Hip-hop kind of guy, I like to write music and develop myself every day.

What famous musician inspires you?
Consisting of Eminem, Macklemore, J. Cole, Jake Miller and Justin Bieber. These are artists’ that I could listen to everyday without getting tired of them.

What are some of your best musical memories?

“EVERYDAY IS A MEMORY.” 

I’m grateful to have the chance to create music.  It’s a bonus that people listen to me, and share it.  I just recently started taking this music thing seriously, so I haven’t experienced a lot yet, but if I have to give you an answer, that will probably be my interview with the local newspaper for my single, “One Day.”

What public events do you have coming up.
I have a lot of new music coming out this year. You should be prepared because some of it might just blow your mind.

What would you say to beginners?

“THE MOST IMPORTANT THING IS TO BE YOURSELF, AND BELIEVE IN YOURSELF.”

Being yourself will build your audience.  

“THAT, I PROMISE!” 

Don’t let anybody bring you down, because I was just like you, but after time people started to believe in me.

How do you balance your music with your family and friends?
It´s alright, everything works perfectly. I´m not a superstar yet, so I have time for everything and everyone.  Like I had mentioned before, I just started taking this music thing seriously, so now I have control.

Should we be expecting any new releases?
Yes you should. I am working on plenty of new music and hopefully an EP in the summer. I´ll try to make something happen fast.

Where can we follow your career at?
You can follow me everywhere.  Every social media outlet you can think of.

Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Snapchat, YouTube, Soundcloud, Spotify, and you can find my biggest releases on ITunes.

“SEARCH ME AS @WARHELO.”

Do you attend jam sessions?

I haven’t attended any yet, but I have one coming out soon with a friend of mine, hopefully we’ll make the best out of it.

Are there any musical family members?
My family isn’t musical, but my brother actually likes to sing in our language (Kurdish) He performs in weddings and other events.

What made you decide to go Hip-hop?
First of all I DO NOT have a nice or pretty singing voice, so that´s a problem I’d have to go with.  The most important reason is that you can tell your life story with Hip-hop. I’m comfortable with this genre and I feel like I can write anything that comes to mind.

“HIP-HOP SAVED MY LIFE!”

Where did the name, “WARHELO,” come from?
My actual name is Warhel, so I came up with a name that’s similar to mine.  I figured it would be easier to remember.  I just made it easy and put an O in the end, that’s the story behind Warhelo.

Where do you see yourself in 5 years?
The only reason I’m going to give you this answer is because I believe in myself and I work hard.

“IN 5 YEARS, I CAN SEE MYSELF LIVING THE DREAM, ON THE TOP FLOOR IN LA, PAYING THE BILLS WITH MY MUSIC.” 

About Johnny Naylor:
Johnny Naylor is the founder and owner of 1st Shot Music and a feature writer for Jammerzine. His work can also be found on 1st Shot Music and Naylor’s Notes. You can also get his latest updates on his facebook page.