Talent is not enough on its own to ensure you live a successful life. Success is more of a journey than a destination, as songwriter Brandon Delgado’s career proves.
Brandon and his family moved to the US when he was 10 years old. Everyone in his family barely spoke English, and that really isolated him from his peers. His self-esteem was nonexistent, and he had no friends besides his baby brother, Jake.
To make ends meet, his parents worked long hours. His dad would start his days at 3.00 am and come back late in the evening. His mom was juggling nursing school, her job at the deli, and taking care of Brandon and Jake.
Brandon’s English had improved by the time he was in 5th grade, but then puberty was settling in. The shy kid was now a brooding preteen who thought the world was nothing but an enormous field of unfairness. Music and computers were the only two things he didn’t hate.
Brandon spent a lot of time listening to music to make sense of the world, and that’s how he started writing songs. In the beginning, he was doing it to express himself, but soon that changed. The more he wrote songs, the more his feelings settled.
Throughout high school, Brandon perfected his songwriting in his free time. Although the culture shock had now cleared and he’d made a few friends, he was too used to being alone and preferred it anyway. He poured his feelings on paper and eagerly waited to finish high school to become a proper artist.
Right after his high school graduation, Brandon packed up his bags and hightailed it to LA. It was time to become a big name, travel the world, and perform in front of thousands. Unfortunately, that was a dream he’d have to work hard to achieve.
One of his first friends in LA told him outright that his music was unpolished when Brandon asked him what he thought. Instead of feeling discouraged, Brandon spent the next two years perfecting his artistry. He developed a unique sound, attended networking events, and sent his songs out to various producers.
His first tangible success happened in March 2019, when one producer took him under his wing and helped him improve his music. After a few improvements, Brandon’s single “The Muse” was ready. He uploaded it to several streaming platforms and started promoting it.
Two months later, the single had attracted a viewership of 50K+ views on YouTube. Today, it has been viewed 1M+ times and gained Brandon 200K+ subscribers.
Brandon’s success has come as the result of two key factors. One, he has been consistent and relentless in his pursuit. Instead of giving up when things didn’t happen as fast as he wanted, he went back to the drawing board and made adjustments. He graciously accepted suggestions and made improvements in his style and sound.
Two, he sought a support system. The networking events he attended helped him get mentors who pointed him in the right direction. He says, “There is no uncharted territory. Someone has already been where you want to go.”
Currently, Brandon is working on his new album “We Were Stronger,” which is scheduled to drop early next year. He says it’s his coming of age album and sums up his life’s experiences: “It’s love, loss, the pandemic, grief, and healing.”