From birth till death, what a person has achieved and the nuance that achievement closely resembles, defines their lives. From an early age, there is always that entity an individual idolizes and aspires to pursue a specific career. But the cycle of life is accompanied by tough choices and decisions. Usually, one's dreams and the idea of success align, but on the off-chance they do not, the person is faced with the decision to either pursue success or choose to follow their dreams for internal peace and satisfaction. A living example of a personality who faced this decision head-on and conquered both planes, is a widely famous pianist, composer, songwriter, and producer, Kitt Wakeley.
While surviving in this world, one cannot be blamed when their personality is molded to be superficial and wealth-oriented. In this world, a mindset that success comes when one acquires wealth and fame, prevails. World history has been known to praise the rich and famous. It is systematically fed to young minds that the only personalities worthy of admiration are wealthy social standings. Similar was the case with Kitt Wakeley.
Born on July 3rd, 1979, Wakeley originated from Memphis, Tennessee. From the beginning, Wakeley's love for music incorporated his being. But this love was constantly thwarted upon by the world's conventional meaning of goals and dreams, and Wakeley was in danger of becoming another wealth-oriented clog in the ultimate corporate system called human society.
His saving stride came when Jack and Linda Wakely adopted him at the young age of 8. After adoption, he moved to Holdenville, Oklahoma, with his parents to start a new chapter in his life. Contrary to social norms, his parents always supported Wakeley's pursuit of personal aspirations rather than pressuring him and guiding him to adopt stereotypical ideals that grew his passion for music. He started his journey in search of musical mastery by learning to play the trumpet. After this, he moved on and gained expertise on the keyboard before gradually transitioning to synthesizer instruments. By the age of 16, Wakeley had started fashioning his tunes and amateur lyrics, which were skilled and beautifully composed even to warrant airtime on Oklahoma radio. This success boosted his confidence which led to many other flourishing regional projects.
Throughout his high school years, Wakeley partnered and worked with different bands of various genres, which contributed to his, now massive, understanding of the music world's different styles. This garnered him much recognition in the regional community. As a result, by the time his high school life came to an end, he was already offered numerous sponsorships from music programs at state universities. This was no less than a blessing as higher education for him seemed like a far-sighted idea. This was also the time when the inevitable fear of the unknown started creeping upon him.
Fear of the future and social stability caused him to ignore all the music program invitations he would typically jump at given a chance and opted for a more professionally acceptable education. He enrolled in East Central University and earned his Bachelor's in Pre-Law and Sociology degree. He decided to go one step higher and secured a Master's degree in Public Administration from the University of Oklahoma. Even though he took a path opposite to his desires, his love for music did not diminish, and he developed an interest in EDM. He began exploring this genre and tried blending electronica with Rock and other musical styles. He spent time with many bands during this period which only furthered his love for the different genres of music. The most notable of his many experiences was with a progressive rock band based in Oklahoma City, Mydion.
After completing his studies, Wakeley stepped into the professional world by starting a business venture with his John P. Jiles as his partner. His company Medicorp dealt with medical billing, consulting, and cost reporting services. This initial venture soon became a towering empire as they climbed the corporate ladder steadily and hastily established as an umbrella company called Valir Health. Wakeley was now a directing principle in a huge corporation. He had obtained the social goals that society advertised and implored with wealth to match the status, but he still did not feel at peace.
The fire of music was still burning in his soul, so even after accomplishing everything an average person could ever want, he did not rest. The point at which any other individual would halt all efforts and bask in their achieved glory, Wakeley started his journey in the music industry. By experiencing all the different styles and forms of music, he realized the orchestration was his true calling and he started immediately striving to perfect his art. His continuous efforts came to fruition when he released his first solo album under the pseudo-name AudioKaoz, Cinematic Chaos. The album was a combination of Rock and EDM. This project helped establish credibility and land an opportunity of serving as member of the National Academy of Recordings and Sciences (NARAS) and a Grammy Voter. His search for harmonical perfection led him to stages and events in Eastern Europe. In 2015 he released his second album, Midnight in Macedonia. This was the debut for Orchestral Rock, a mixture of Rock, piano, EDM, and orchestra. It received a much better response than his first release, even scoring Grammy ballots in 4 different categories. His third release, Symphony of Sinners and Saints, set even grander benchmarks for Wakeley. It hit number one on Billboard's Crossover Classical Charts. It entered the categories of Hard Rock Albums, Top Rock Albums, Top Current Album Sales, Top Album Sales, and Independent Albums.
Wakeley's continuous passion for his dream even got him inducted into the illustrious Indie Music Hall of Fame in September 2021. His recent major, even which took place in Carnegie Hall in New York City, was sold out, which added to his success in the music industry.
Wakeley braved the social norms without losing passion for his dreams. He did not let his success in the corporate world derail his even grander journey to becoming an EDM legend. He used his corporate as a stepping ladder to further his thirst for musical knowledge and mastery. He persevered in all aspects of his life, always giving his 100% to his dreams, and finally secured a spot amongst the most notable musical artists, composers, and producers of our time.
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