Adiel on The Importance Of Telling His Story & Life After Two Worlds

Adiel Mitchell is a singer/songwriter, dancer, and producer based out of Denver, Colorado. His musical journey began as a member of the YouTube-famed pop duo Two Worlds, which appeared on VH1's 24 hour Livestream event "Make A Band Famous" and who's debut project, "Playtime" (EP), peaked at number 11 on the iTunes Singer/Songwriter chart.

As time passed on, Adiel ventured on with his own inspirations and influences as a solo artist. He discovered his voice, style, and sound, creating his own blend of of Pop/R&B with production elements of today's hottest Hip-Hop music. When the duo split, Adiel spent his time completely focused on recording new music and finding his sound. In 2018 he made his official solo debut with "About Last Night". At the top of 2019, he followed it up with "Jungle".  

Stepping into his third year as a solo act, this new single adds to the translation of Adiel’s carefree vision. "One of the biggest challenges I faced that I was also grateful for when I restarted my music career after Two Worlds, was feeling like I really had a chance to start over from the ground up. I finally got a chance to do things the way I wanted to do them. Something I enjoyed while in Two Worlds was consistently working with my friends while just having fun. People like to think, 'Oh, well you were in a group before this. You know what you're doing. It must be so much easier.' But it's actually harder to work with people when I have my own personal ideas. You really have to have team building skills. The hardest part of working in a group is that everything is a compromise. In order to be fair and for the product to be right for everyone, you have to give up a part of your vision sometimes.  You have to put a part of you aside to make room for the other person. Now having the freedom to explore, experiment, and really experience creation on my own, that truly allows me to bring 100% of myself to my art.  That shows people who I am.  You get a complete Adiel Mitchell."

In 2018, his "About Last Night " (EP), featured the hit singles “Black Dress” and “2nd Chances” which was included on the Grammy-considered compilation, "Already On II: The Return of R&B". The compilation also featured singles from R&B greats like Men at Large, Public Announcement, Full Force, and the Latimore Brothers. He recently opened for Amber Mark, NaPalm, Dylan Montayne and sells out of his headlining shows in the local Denver circuit.

Learn more about Adiel's journey below, where he touches on life in Colorado, becoming a master storyteller, starting over after Two Worlds and his new single, "WANT IT NOW". Right now and only on Hype Off Life.

Thanks for coming through! So, you’re gearing up for your first release of the year, “WANT IT NOW”. What’s the concept behind it?

The concept behind “WANT IT NOW” is it being conversational track with storytelling elements. I drew inspiration from a time in my life where I was involved with someone, and the late night “come over” texts would appear, and I’m contemplating should I or shouldn’t I come through.

I started working on this song in 2019 during a time where I going through a few things while working on a project, and I wanted to put a funky spin to it to start this year off on a high note. It was originally planned to come out in 2020, but I wasn’t in a good place due to what’s going on in the world currently. It was a good thing that happened too because I got add some extra details to the song, and I’m stoked that it’s gonna be out on all digital streaming platforms.

The single was produced by DMD the Producer. How’d you guys originally link?

We met up at around 2018 when I released an EP called, “About Last Night”. One of my relatives was friends with him, and I was encouraged to check out his production work. To be honest, we probably met only once in person, and since then we have communicated through emails, texts, and other forms of online communication.

We both are fans of each other’s work, so when I had ideas for songs, I’d send them his way first, or he’d make certain beats and let me hear them first to see if I’d want to record on them. When I made the demo for “WANT IT NOW”, I dropped a snippet on Instagram near the end of 2019, and I was getting a lot of love for it. Feeling real confident about it, I sent it over to DMD, and he was vibing to it and put his touch on it, so that let me know that we’ll be making a lot of great things together, and can bounce ideas off each other.

Music is a universal language, and being able to touch lives with music no matter how it’s made is a blessing, and incredible

The COVID-19 pandemic is slowing things down for all creatives. But, do you plan on making a visual for “WANT IT NOW”?

Yes, I do have a visual that’s accompanying the single. Fun fact: I originally intended to shoot a lyric video for the track with plans to maybe follow up with an official video. I spoke to my brother about it, and he suggested I make the lyric video the main visual since there was a concept behind it. It was inspired by the cover art for the single, and after some tweaks, I made it the official visual.

I can’t wait for people to see it as they’ll be pulled into a world while watching. That happened to me when I was putting everything together. I’ll be posting it on various platforms in a portrait format so you all can get the feeling like you’re a part of the visual.

Speaking of new content, you’ll be releasing your debut album soon. What type of vibes and content can we expect?

That’s a good question. It’s gonna be a melting pot of my various sounds, it’s hard to put a name to it. If I was to put genres to the album, it would a mix of Pop, R&B, Hip Hop, and Soul. The influences on this album would definitely be Bruno Mars - as he brings a classic sound and energy to his music - Drake and Jaden Smith, as they bring their own style and originality to their artistry. I’m a dancer as well, so I wanted to make music that makes people dance. Overall, I want to bring different sounds together, and bring the dancing element to it for an enjoyable experience. The work I’ve put in on this album, I’m looking to make it a timeless one. I’m super stoked about it.

Your music is a dope mesh of R&B, Hip Hop, and Pop. What similarities and differences have you noticed among the 3 genres?

A similarity I’ve noticed especially with artists like say Ty Dolla $ign, is that they stay in a certain groove that’s easy listening, with production that you bop your head to, and they don’t stray too far out of it. Another thing that I’ve noticed nowadays is that artists are making music that caters to social media, like the songs were made to be on TikTok for example.

One difference I’ve noticed though especially major label artists, is that they’re going into their own lane. You’re learning more about them now, you see them trying different things, and their brands are stepping out into their own even when they sometimes blend with other creatives. I feel we’re steadily stepping away from the “Soundcloud” culture, and getting back into the funky pop world. I’m really excited to hear the new sounds that are coming out this year and beyond.

How have you honed your skill as a storyteller over the years?

It took a lot of practice to be honest. I’m very fortunate to have my own home studio, so i’m able to record whatever and whenever I want, and make adjustments where needed. I know enough about production and engineering where I don’t need to hit up a professional very often. I do need them when I want to have my music mixed and mastered, but I try to teach myself a few things as well as learn from those who better than me in certain areas.

For storytelling, it came down to practicing, and being vulnerable. I got good at telling people stories that they want to hear, and holding back on my stories as I feared that mine would not be as relatable. With enough practice over time, I was able to articulate what I had in my head better, and partner with people who could help with putting it together.

Now i’m in a place where I’m more confident with my stories, I tell MY stories, and I don’t have to try so hard when sharing them. Going back to “WANT IT NOW”, I'm very proud of it because I was able to conceptualize a moment from my life, put it on paper, and make something special out of it. The feedback from those who have previewed it has been amazing, and I can’t wait for the world to hear it.

I believe the more we lean into becoming more transparent and show vulnerability, the more people can heal and grow

So, you’re based in Denver. How’s life treating you out there?

It’s good! It’s not too fast paced, and not too slow paced, but I anticipate moving at some point. It’s good because the cost of living is not as expensive as other places, and I get to have my own space where I can take my time in developing my craft fully. I have family here, I have friends here, but you can get too comfortable here which can lead to frustration especially when you want to do more.

Colorado’s a “boxed” state in a sense, and you have to avoid being locked in. Other than that, the people are great, the weather is interesting to put it mildly, and Colorado’s a progressive state so adapting to new ideas happens quickly. I encourage people to come and take my place so I can get out (chuckles).

We don’t hear much about it, but how is Colorado’s music scene?

It’s dope, I think there are a lot of cool artists out here. In my dance experience, I noticed that when a trend starts on the West Coast, it turns into completely different vibe when it enters the East Coast. Here in the midwest however, it’s like we’re late to the party. So, there’s a lot of influence here that feels like a leftover trend, and there’s not a lot of originality.

I think that when it comes to the music scene, there are a lot of dope artists here, but you can easily feel out their influences. It’s like if this person makes this kind of music, then everyone around that person makes that same kind of music. This is why I stay in my own world and studio, write and record whatever I want, and don’t fall into that kind of trap.

Back in 2012 - 2017, I was heavy into YouTube so anything I made enabled us to not be influenced by what’s going on in Colorado, and when we toured, we’d hit various states outside of Colorado. I had to make that detachment, and when I stopped being involved in YouTube, I had to focus on my nationwide and global reach.

I may be disconnected from the scene here, but the music i’ve put out have definitely caught the attention of residents here, and I get a lot of support especially when I do shows, and I share the stage with many of the artists here. I get a lot of love even though I don’t attempt to be a part of the circles here, me crossing genres has allowed me to connect with various collectives without being locked down to any.

Giving back that positive energy and knowledge makes you a better person

So, before starting your own path you were the other half of Two Worlds. What was the hardest part of starting again from the ground up?

I think you get comfortable with a certain way of life, fanbase, and content. After a while you no longer are satisfied, you don’t feel happy doing things, and you have to start over. I think the hardest thing is to accept that you’re starting over, and this is the reason why.

I struggled with that for a while because I refused to admit that I wasn’t happy, but I kept telling myself this is how it’s supposed to be. So, I didn’t feel discouraged when I finally made the move to start over, and I get to have a say on everything I’m doing now.

I think losing some of the support I had while being a part of Two Worlds was difficult because you think that they support you here, they’ll support you in anything you do, and that’s not really the case. I had to adjust and make new fans, and I’m grateful I did because now I’m in a position to tell my own story, and people are supporting me on that.

I’m at a place now where the good outweighs the bad. I now feel like I didn’t take two steps back when I left Two Worlds, I took progressive steps forward. Two Worlds is still supported even though the last release was in 2016, and it’s insane to me because people are still vibing to those older songs. It’s all about moving forward.

What do you love most about being a musician?

It’s so fun! I think the hardest thing as a musician right now is not being able to do shows due to the pandemic, but to be able to make music, release them, go on tours and connect with those who love what you do is really fun. To see people sing and dance to your creations, and fellow artists wanting to collaborate is pretty cool.

Watching some of my influences like Bruno Mars having fun on stage makes me want to connect with the people like that, the type of music they make inspires what I want to make, and I learn from them. The way the music makes me feel, is one of the best parts of being a musician. Music is a universal language, and being able to touch lives with music no matter how it’s made is a blessing, and incredible.

If you could rewind and re-live any part of your career, which would it be?

I’d probably take two moments. The first would be back to 2018, when my “About Last Night” EP came out. I just came back from a long west coast road trip with my best friend and I played one show at Herman’s Hideaway in Denver.

I was super nervous, but I was excited because at midnight the EP would’ve been released. I performed some songs off it before it the release, and I knocked my performance out the park. It’s like something came over me when I touched the stage as all my nervousness disappeared. Before this I took a little break from music as I left Two Worlds, and that performance showed me that I can do this on my own. I would definitely re-live that one as it was a big turning point in my life.

The second one would be back in the Two Worlds days. We used to attend this event called VidCon which was basically Coachella for YouTubers. We did this performance which was really good, and on the way back to our hotel, I had to stop to go to the bathroom. As I turned around to head to the bathroom, we got mobbed by fans. It was unbelievable, we’ve seen stuff like that in a Justin Bieber documentary or concert.

It was crazy to the point where I got a little flustered because I really needed to go to the bathroom. But we were taking pictures with fans, signing autographs, and it felt like I stepped into the Twilight Zone. I’d come across fans of TW to this day who would let me know that they were at that event, and it blows my mind every time because there are people who still love and support TW. It was so unreal, incredible, cool, and definitely a point in time where I would re-live. 

In 2019 I was a part of a headlining show, and the amount of support I got when I got off stage was crazy. It felt like no show before that, and seeing people be there for me at a time where I’m getting the chance to tell my story, to let them know who Adiel Mitchell is, to feel the love and everything that came with that was unfathomable. In that moment it was God telling me that, “this is your time, go for it!”. That moment geared me up, and here we are now.

What message do you have for your fans?

If I had to pick one message for the fans, and it sounds cheesy, but be yourself. Be authentic to you, the people who are around you are receptive of that, and I promise you it’s scary to be transparent especially in the social media era.

There’s a lot of manufactured lifestyles and images portrayed in social and regular media, and they cause a lot of self doubt and insecurity, and I believe the more we lean into becoming more transparent and show vulnerability, the more people can heal and grow, and grow to you.

I encourage you all to be yourself, watch the blessings flow, and watch the negative energy leave your life. I’m very fortunate to have a strong support system, and it took me a while to really appreciate it, and be able to give back in positive ways. Giving back that positive energy and knowledge makes you a better person, and it also helps me to make better music.