Rhythm and blues music is one genre that has seemed to endure the test of time even when countless other musical styles have emerged. RnB transcends generations and cultural differences, which makes it relevant even if people’s tastes in music are constantly evolving. Every generation has seen its own poster guy or girl for RnB, as many artists have since gone in this direction with their music.
Gospel music is a genre that has close ties with rhythm and blues, as well as soul music. Many RnB and non-RnB artists that have made strides in mainstream music had backgrounds as gospel singers when they were younger. Elvis Presley, who the world knew as the King of Rock and Roll music, actually earned his first Grammy award as a gospel musician.
Today, one artist slowly taking on this route is Brandon Delgado, a 28-year-old singer-songwriter from Memphis, Tennessee. Brandon’s parents were very active at their local church, with his mother being its worship leader and his father an instrumentalist. He inherited his mother’s talent in singing while he slowly developed his skills in playing multiple instruments like the guitar and piano with his dad’s help.
Brandon had a tough childhood, especially when he went to school, despite his parents’ constant monitoring of his academic life. He was bullied by many kids mainly because of his Christian upbringing, which was deemed as uncool by his peers. Brandon was a shy and insecure kid because of this unpleasant experience and became isolated and aloof.
With his teachers’ help, Brandon slowly overcame his shyness and became more open by joining stage plays at school. Many people started recognizing him as an immensely talented kid instead of a nerd and weird churchgoer. Brandon was inspired to further hone his singing and instrument skills. Especially with the overwhelming support he got from his family and friends.
During the early 2010s, Brandon left his hometown to go to college in New York. Where he was expose to other genres of music. He started listening to mainstream artists like Maroon Five, Justine Bieber, and Justine Timberlake and developed a liking to them. Brandon created a YouTube account and started uploading videos of himself covering some of these artists’ songs.
After a few years, Brandon’s videos started gaining steam and earned thousands of views until they got to millions. He was surprise at first, but later on. He realized that he needed to bank on this budding popularity to share more of his music. Brandon also uploaded many original songs, which got the attention of major record labels in the U.S.
Brandon has reportedly already signed with a record label, but he hasn’t disclosed any details yet. Instead, he wants to surprise his fans that are constantly growing in numbers with his upcoming releases. Brandon’s fame wasn’t instant, but he chose to wait for his time. As he knows there is a season for everything. When his turn to shine came, he moved forward and looked back only to thank the people who supported him.