While some may enjoy singing as a pastime, singer and songwriter junior Brandon Bassir envisions a bright future of singing and performing as a full-time career.

Bassir was discovered by complete chance.  One day, while humming to himself on an escalator at the Sherman Oaks Galleria, producer Emile Ghantous took notice and stopped him.  He honed in on Bassir’s musical talents immediately and invited Bassir to his studio.  Although he was skeptical at first, Bassir visited the studio and has been working with Ghantous to record new songs ever since.

“Singing is what I want to do and what I [enjoy most],” said Bassir.  “[I want] to make music in the most genuine way possible and not be the typical ‘for the moment’ artist.”

His main goal is to build himself a career in the music industry.  He is working with other artists and song writers such as Nasri Atweh, who has written for Justin Bieber, Chris Brown, Jojo and Michael Bolton.  Bassir hopes to land a record deal in the near future.  He currently has 10 songs recorded and six separate music videos.  In addition, he has new music in the works that he hopes to debut soon.

Bassir’s major breakthrough was a television show that was filmed in China and featured talented young singers across the

world. In April he was chosen as one of three other contestants to represent America.  He stayed in China for 16 days filming the show, which turned out to be an incredible hit in China, grossing over 200,000,000 viewers per episode.

Bassir often finds himself frustrated with many of today’s artists, realizing that most are driven by money or fame.  He looks to powerhouse artists such as Frank Ocean and Kanye West for inspiration.  Their examples motivate him to become a better performer and a more unique individual.

“Every time [those performers] put out music they [take] risks,” said Bassir. “That is what I am trying to do.  I want to come from a different place, a place of truth.”

Bassir hopes that his work will one day challenge what is deemed mainstream music.  He describes his work as a mix of pop and hip-pop, meeting each genre halfway.

“[My music] is very organic and very old school,” said Bassir.  “I aim to make it timeless.”