Meet Edwive Seme | Eddie, Edwaffle- Poet, Producer, Vocalist

We had the good fortune of connecting with Edwive Seme and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Edwive, what’s the most important lesson your business/career has taught you?
The most important lesson I learned throughout trying to jumpstart my career is “consistency”. Whatever it is that you do, you gotta stay consistent at it and continuously put int he work; whether that’s doing research and learning, practicing your craft, going out to network, etc. The best way to see results is by being consistent. Ive gotten traction a lot of time in my career, but then I’d start slowing down and not putting in as much effort. That sort of behavior always leads to a decline. It’s like running to get a momentum, and then you just start walking; you’ll never be able to jump that high at this point. So stay consistent, and you’ll see the results. Also be nice to people, but that’s a whole other topic.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
I go by Eddie, Edwaffle, and I wear many hats, more than I can manage sometimes. I started out as a painter but eventually got interested in poetry. Poetry led to me to doing Spoken words in College, and by the time I left Art school I was starting to make beats. My career has been on and off since then, switching from a heavy focus in Art to making more music, and sometimes just having a day job to support my creative endeavors.

I mentioned earlier that consistency is the key, but for me it’s a challenge. This lack of focus always harmed instead of advancing my career, I found myself starting over every time I would leave Art to go back to Music. I wasn’t growing enough in either and found it hard to build a solid network.

I had become not just a painter, and writer, but also a producer, composer, and sound engineer (but never simultaneously). I had to evaluate what I really wanted to do, and figure out how to intermingle all my skills into a single focus. Over the past 3 years Ive been focussing on music a bit more and have been using Art as an extra skill (album covers, flyers, visuals, and even shows just to network about music). I still find myself having to compose, write, vocalize, mix, and master everything but I like that sort of control over my Art, and I can manage those.

One last lesson I would like to to add is learning to let go of your ego while staying true to your vision. Sometimes people just didn’t get what I was doing, but a lot of times my music was bad, like really bad. I would let my ego blind me; I never wanted to believe that sometimes it just wasn’t good, my creativity had its limits.

Eventually I realized that I wasn’t improving because of that unwillingness to listen; Since then I’ve gone back to college for Music production, started a collaboration with a musician named Resurrection, and have designated my girlfriend as my official listener before I drop anything. I also submit to other producers and bloggers to get their unbiased opinion. At the end of the day, I’m able to objectively listen to everyone and decide what changes, if any, need to be made in order to stay aligned with my vision.

And did I mention you should stay consistent?

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
Barhopping in Wynwood is always fun especially on Saturdays. There’s something for everyone. It’s a really good starting point because usually you’ll meet a group and continue the adventure on a whole other side of town. And if you’re into music, then check out 1800 Lucky (Records in the front, Party in the back). I have to also mention Sweat Records in Little Haiti because that’s where I get most of my records.

For fine dining, Brickell is the spot of course but if one doesn’t mind driving a bit more South, then there’s also Sunset Place in South Miami. It’s a little less expensive and easier to find parking. I feel like I should mention the mall at Sunset Place, but it’s gotten less exciting over the past few years so instead I’d recommend Aventura Mall to shop.

We can’t forget about Live Music, and although some of the most iconic venues have closed down, there are still a few gems popping up like The Anderson, ThankYouMiami, Showfields, Roots Miami kava, The Spot (it’s actually called The Spot in Wynwood) and as of recently Mystic Joint (a little kava bar/smoke shop in Cutler Bay). Backroom sessions usually puts together different shows in various parts of town, so that’s a good page to follow for live music.

Lastly, I recently went to the Everglades National Parks to shoot a video and I had a blast, so I would recommend that too. I was actually inspired to go by a coworker. The view is amazing, and each park is so unique. There are a lot of photo opps but I would say not to get stuck behind a camera. The best part is there’s no service so it requires you to truly disconnect, immerse yourself and become aware of your environment. Just be ready for the heat and bugs; it truly doesn’t get more Miami Florida than that.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I would like to give a shoutout to Resurrection, a musician that I’ve been collaborating with lately. He plays bass, guitar, and keyboard. He influenced me to learn chord progression, and it’s helped me tremendously when discovering my sound. He’s also an artist who refuses to stay in the box; he’s experimented with Hip hop, Rock, R&B, and even Flamenco. I also like experimenting with and blending different genres so I really admire seeing that in another artist. Working together has given me newfound motivation, it keeps me going on my worst days. It’s important to have a collaborator like Resurrection to bounce off ideas, inspire each other, and motivate us when we feel like giving up..

Website: rezmusic.net/rezwaf

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/edwaffle/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/edwive-seme-91042878/

Other: https://open.spotify.com/album/4sInO5CUJG49h1HPbZiNtH?si=o1ng-CKgRw6H_BJtrRt0uw

Image Credits
Sobal Media Papa Romeo Fernando Gutierrez Samuel Perez (Resurrection)