“I don’t care how rich you get, if you’re not doing something that you love to do, you will NEVER be happy.” – @BlessedbcofGod

Listen to the interview
Episode #292 : A.V.A Live Radio Behind The Music with Jacqueline Jax : http://www.blogtalkradio.com/avaliveradio/2016/01/27/episode-292-ava-live-radio-behind-the-music-with-jacqueline-jax

GETTING TO KNOW GREGORY LUSTER
by Jacqueline Jax host of A.V.A Live Radio

My personal definition of success is..
not only being financially stable/set, but doing something for a living that you love to do. I don’t care how rich you get, if you’re not doing something that you love to do, you will NEVER be happy. I would rather do music for a living and be broke than be rich and hate my everyday job. One thing that I am proud of is auditioning for a talent show entitled “Gimme The Mic Charlotte”. Close to 500 people auditioned and I was chosen to make it to the top 25 before being booted off. I will never forget that moment.

My over all goal for my life & career is….
Leading individuals closer to God through my music. Helping people to understand that its ok to be different.

3 Ways that I challenge myself…
1) Never be content. And what I mean by that is I’m always thankful for EVERYTHING that God blesses me with. But, I always say to myself “greater is coming” because if you’re content with where you’re at I believe nothing greater can/will come.

2) I try to perfect my craft. I’m always listening to my music and being my own critic, trying to figure out what I could have done different on a particular song so the next time I won’t make the same mistakes. Maybe I could’ve said different words in my rap or did a different melody for my singing. Maybe I could have mixed the song better.

3) Increasing my praying and Bible reading daily.

Music business…
The music business is a very difficult arena to enter into. Its just like any other thing though, if you want it bad enough you will grind to get it. I’ve been scammed out of money, music, time, etc. However, I’ve also networked and met some very interesting individuals along the way. Traveling to different places is always a joy to do. The only thing that keeps me sane and able to overcome hurdles and pitfalls is God.

Social media…
It is a quick and inexpensive way of advertising. Videos and songs can go viral and you can literally become an overnight celebrity.

Challenges…
Balancing my music, family time, financial responsibilities and spiritual life is a very hard thing to do because every one of those areas in my life demand 100% of you.

Singles vs an album…
Talk about the differences in your marketing strategy to support your preference. Singles are designed to keep you as an artist relevant. They’re designed to keep the attention of your audience until you can release you actual body of work. To me I have no preference on what I release as long as I can release SOMETHING. I don’t approach either one any different. Of course I try to stay “up to date” with what’s out. However, I do things that come from the heart. Fans like to hear heart-felt songs. And like I stated earlier, my music is geared toward the younger generation.

I’ve been singing since I was two years old…
I grew up in the church. My Dad (r.i.p.) was a Evangelist so he would travel to different churches and sing/preach. He would take his family with him, which consisted of my Mom, my brother and I. I come from a very music-oriented family. I always knew that music was what I wanted to do, but I didn’t take it serious until I was in late middle school early high school when my friends and I formed a group called Amour. From there, I never stopped and never looked back.

Breathe…
is me having a conversation with God. In the first verse I’m speaking from the perspective of the average male now a days who having problems with the mother of their kids, mistakes that they have made and feeling like there is no way out. The second verse is speaking from my perspective and everything that’s going wrong with this world. It’s speaking about violence, brutality, being a Christian and how hard it is, etc. https://gregoryluster.bandcamp.com/releases

Honestly, every song I write has me in it. And what I mean by that is the subject matter I’m speaking about in a song 99% of the time is something I have personally experienced/experiencing or someone close to me has, which affected me in some way. With that being said, this particular song was written by me while I was going through a rough patch in my life financially. This song was just an emotional cry out to God for help. I did shed a little tear when writing this song.

The album/mixtape does not have a release date yet…
However, this song, along with my previous mixtape “Psalms 37:23 Spiritual Progress Vol. I” I hope to be uplifting, inspirational pieces of work. My whole objective is to relate to everyone who listens to my music while helping them build a closer relationship with God. I’m wanting people to know that NO ONE is perfect and you’re going to make mistakes. So I don’t want to come off as “Holy” towards anyone. I used to drink, smoke, and participate in various activities that weren’t good. But, those things have made me the person who I am today and helps me to create the music that I do.

Do you find that there is too much emphasis on being current and trendy…
Honestly, when I turn on the radio, which is hardly ever, EVERYONE sounds the same. Too many people are trying to be the next T-Pain. Or the next Jay-Z. Or the next Drake. I’ve always been an “outsider” and didn’t really have a lot of friends growing up. So, naturally I’m always trying to do something that no one else has ever done.

I live in Salisbury, North Carolina…
and the music scene here is OKAY. Salisbury is a small town and I’ve come to learn that NC artists tend to not help each other. That’s why most artist move to big places such as Atlanta or New York. There’s alot more opportunities there and more people are willing to help.

I love spending time with my two kids and my Wife. I have a beautiful Wife and we’ve been married for 4 years. My daughter is 5 years old and my son is 3 so you can imagine they are a handful, but I love every minute of it.

I would love to have 5 minutes alone with…
My Dad. He died of liver cancer when I was 13 years old. I miss him so much and I would give anything just to have a 5 minute conversation with him. He is ONE of my biggest inspirations. He’s the reason I got started doing music.

I am most afraid of…
Never living to my full potential.

Social:
Instagram, Twitter and Periscope – @BlessedbcofGod
Facebook.com/icea.k.a.gregluster
SoundCloud – https://soundcloud.com/gregoryluster
Youtube – https://www.youtube.com/user/gregoryluster
http://artistecard.com/iceakagregluster
https://soundcloud.com/gregoryluster/ice-aka-gregory-luster-breathe-prod-by-sinima-beats