Students worldwide always look for music as an outlet to express their imaginations. The class of 2024 grew up listening to mainstream music on radio stations, and other teenagers dreamed of singing on stage in front of crowded audiences. Children watched countless music videos on YouTube for inspiration, including classic contemporaries such as“Oldie” by Odd Future and “Broccoli” by DRAM featuring Lil Yachty. Although he appears nonchalant about his creativity, NC senior Christian Isaac Limardo draws direct inspiration from his favorite artists and curates songs with entertaining melodies in his spare time.
As the world shut down due to a tumultuous pandemic, teenagers experienced immense boredom as their school life transitioned from physical classrooms to mentally draining Zoom meetings. As a result of pandemic-related ennui, Limardo joined a PS4 voice chat with people, and they started writing verses for hip-hop beats. The NC student decided to join in, and even though he insists that the songs he jokingly made with strangers “sucked”, the PS4 call led to a chain reaction that inspired him to pursue music.
“I just got into the music scene two years ago. The music I listen to is the only inspiration I have for my music, and once I started listening to more genres like R&B and Hip-Hop, I’ve been taking in what I hear and using it vocally. I just make stuff when I feel like making it. Most of my ideas come from real emotions, feelings, or events. But sometimes I just come up with a scenario and go from there,” Limardo said.
The 17-year-old visionary claims that he curates random songs for fun and that it does not matter if he becomes successful in the music industry. Yet, for a hobby that seems minuscule alongside his interests in art and fashion design, he does an incredible job with the music he releases on SoundCloud. Whenever Limardo wants to record a song, he simply grabs his iPad, connects it to his headphones and starts implementing elements of melodic rap while singing over copyright-free YouTube beats.
Before Limardo changed his SoundCloud name to “ISAAC”, he released enjoyable tracks under the name “Sum_Bout_Me”. His most streamed song “LUCID x DREAMING” certainly caught the attention of avid music fans for its hypnotic instrumental and infectious chorus. Limardo looked for a PinkPantheress-type beat on YouTube and he tried to imitate the beloved artist through vocal glitches and his lyrics about a romantic partner. With his sudden name change on SoundCloud, he hopes to write personal tracks while maintaining an unconcerned mindset about his future with music. He states that he wants to do what makes him happy, and his cheerfulness certainly shows itself through his vocal inflections and song structuring.
“Christian Isaac Limardo is a boy I met in my Culinary class. Christian makes some good music, and his sound is just heavily influenced by artists like Tyler, The Creator. As Christian’s number two fan, I, of course, have listened to all of his music. His lyrics are often themed around his crush and longing for her. Personally, my favorite song of his is ‘JELLY’, but all of them are bangers [sic],” senior Kahlo Flores said.
In NC’s class of 2024, Hispanic students stand out as visionaries in comparison to their classmates. People such as Bianca Orfila-Molinet work diligently to change NC, and other Hispanic students like Miguel Flores-Padilla have certified themselves with a successful future. While Limardo does not know how his Puerto Rican roots influence his creative endeavors, he uses his heritage to remind himself of where he came from. Limardo reflects the same ambition that several Hispanic innovators experience, and he claims that he has produced 100 songs over three years. If a Hispanic artist like Limardo can curate astounding music without even trying, his future remains promising with songs such as “HOLD ON” and “ONE QUESTION”.
