 Today's guest to turn his true passion in life into a competitive career. Darren Brown is making his way as a musician in New York City while touring the world with some of today's biggest artists. This is School of Hustle, the show where we find advice and inspiration from people who are making their own way. I'm Shannon, the VP of Social Hierarch Go Daddy, and I live and breathe the hustle of business. Today we're filming from the hustle of it all at the WeWork Time Square in New York City. Everybody, let's give Darren a huge welcome to the show. Thank you for being here. Thank you so much for having me. This is amazing. So great. Appreciate it. Well, I have to start out by sharing with everybody a little bit about how I met you. Oh my goodness, when I met Darren, I was at Mimi's over on, like, Second Ave. Mm-hmm, 52nd, Second Ave. Yeah, and Darren was playing the piano and I come in, you know, having a great night in New York City with some friends and you were at the piano and there is chaos. What is going through your mind in that kind of an environment where people are literally shouting out requests, asking for music? How do you handle that? It can be overwhelming for sure. The chaos, it's pure insanity, but it's fun. So I'm thinking, okay, what song am I going to do next? What's happening over here? Are the people listening? But the bottom line for me is everyone having a good time. That's really what's going through my head and just enjoying it and not letting the crazy take over too much. And there's a huge difference, I'm sure, between entertaining my friends and me and the crazy crowd at Mimi's and being on stage at Madison Square Garden, which is one of the bigger arenas in the country, and you've done both. Yes. It's definitely just a little bit different. And I mean, I had an experience performed with Enrique Glacias and I was out with him for a couple of years playing at the most amazing places and there is nothing like performing for thousands of people or a couple of times hundreds of thousands of people and just feeling that energy, feeling that crowd even though they weren't cheering for me per se, but just being part of that whole experience, the energy, it was amazing. And in New York especially, I mean anywhere being a musician is competitive, Nashville, LA, but New York does have an element of competition to it and you're competing. You're passionate about music and you're on stage with Enrique Glacias. Yes. I mean, how do you think about your craft and your hustle to be some of the best of the best in what you do? Well, I gotta say the hustle started at a young age for me because I never had to pump gas or flip burgers like all my friends when I was in junior high school. I did my first gig when I was 15 and it was the local moose lodge, no big deal. And then the following year when I was 16, I said, okay, I want to keep this going. This was amazing. I made $75 last year of just doing one gig. This is so great. So I called every restaurant in the area at least 50 and until I got someone to give me a chance to go on down and do an audition and then that turned into my first steady gig. And then it just snowballs from there. It is scary at times because you don't have something to necessarily have the foundation of, oh yeah, you're going to get your W2 and you're going to have a job that's always there. But I think nothing in life is guaranteed so I prefer just to make my own way. I really do. I love that you said make your own way because that's what you're doing. And it's such a common phrase for us at GoDaddy as well. And I actually want to unpack a bit more into how you foster your love for music and your hustle. But I don't think all of our viewers would be happy with me if I didn't actually invite you to play something so we can get a sense of what you sound like. I'd love to. Would you be willing to play a song for us? Absolutely. Let's do it. Okay, we're bringing the piano bar right here to School of Hustle. This song is called It's Bad Until It's Good. And it's a positive message. Sometimes you go through a breakup and you think, God, I'm never going to fall in love again. But this is just that message that it's always out there. Don't give up. Love affairs a double dare. A long shot at its best. If you think you want to quit on love. Hold on, meet your suggestions. It may sound all too simple. I've never understood. Until you find the right one that's bad until it's good. I still don't know the reason. Explain it if I could. Until you find the right one that's bad until it's good. You talk about your troubles from all your loves before. They start with hearts and flowers and end with slamming doors. A hundred pounds of heartache for every ounce of trust. You toss and turn till they break. As dreams fade into dust, it may sound all too simple. I've just never understood. Ain't no taking shortcuts cause it's bad until it's good. I've understood that there ain't no taking shortcuts. Cause it's bad until it's good. You got it. I'm catching on now. I'm going to take a little solo now. If you need a new beginning. Long read today. You don't know till she's right in front. It just stands to reason that she's looking for you too. It's too simple. I've just never understood. That there ain't no taking shortcuts. Cause it's bad until it's good. It should be understood. That there ain't no taking shortcuts. Cause it's bad until it's good. One more now. It's bad until it's good. One more. It's bad until it's good. Not myself. That's what it makes you do. It does. Well, I want to get back into your story. And I want to go back a bit. Because from what I understand, your father and your grandfather made a tremendous impact on you as a musician at a young age. They did. Telling about their influence on you. Well, I think the biggest thing with both of them was that neither one of them, and including my mom too, said, you can't be a musician. You have to go be a doctor, a lawyer, or something like that. I never had that pressure that what I was doing was wrong. They saw that I had talent. So I guess they felt it was a safe bet. But I never felt any pressure to do anything and follow my dream, follow my music. And it was quite influential. I mean, my dad, one of the first memories I had is sitting down at a piano. I had to be three or four. Because it literally is my first memory that I can think of. And I just saw their hands moving. He's a self-taught pianist, played boogie-woogie, never took a lesson. But there, his fingers are flying. So I was in love. That was it. That was completely it. And then with my grandfather, he was also just, was always singing and singing the great American songbook. So that's where my love for all of the old songs came into play. So it's like that influence I'm feeling even now is I've actually, all of my new music is going in that direction. I'm trying to keep the idea of the American songbook alive but infuse it with new songs. So it's a dream going for it though. So that's one of the songs that we're putting out there. I felt like it had sort of an old songbook feel. Maybe like a little crooner or like, I could sense that. That makes sense. Yeah, exactly. But trying to give it a modern twist just a little bit. Yeah, exactly. So your training is a mix between traditional classical training and being self-taught like your father, right? Yes. How did you go about developing your craft? Well, I did start with classical when I was seven years old. And then I did go all the way through college, Manhattan School of Music with a jazz piano degree. But I think the most important thing for me was always just sitting down at the piano. And it wasn't really practicing. I never felt like practicing of, I did all the scales. I did that stuff. And I usually did that the night before my lesson just so I could go and, all right, I have that. But then the rest of the time, I would just play and try to mimic what my dad was doing. Because he would just sit down and play. There were notes up there, but he wasn't really looking at them. He was just doing what came to his mind. So it was this balance of classical, which is very particular. You're reading the notes. And you do lend some of yourself to it as well. But in improvisation with jazz, it is very in the moment. And your vocals are a separate skill set. Yes. So how do you go about, one, playing the way you do, but then being able to sing? The singing, I think, came later for me. And it wasn't until somewhere after college where I was like, oh, I actually should be pursuing this as well. I had written songs and I was always singing, but I never felt that I was at the point where I could share it. So singing is completely self-taught for me. And I've gotten some pointers along the way, but it really just comes from my soul, from my heart. And I love it. And how do you go about making money in New York as a musician? What is your process to get gigs and to always be busy? It is difficult. It's really difficult because there's not many other places that are as competitive as New York. So you really, you really do have to hustle. You can't let anything slip through the cracks. You have to return phone calls, all the basic stuff, emails, be on time. And I think there's also another factor. Just be kind, be good to people. Nobody wants to work with somebody who's a jerk. It's simple things. And then you do have to have the talent. All of those other things, that's just the starting point. And then you have to be able to deliver. How has the trends today toward technology and live, like, streaming music, music services versus, like, going to the mall and buying a CD? Does technology and that new trend toward music acquisition do anything to influence your career and your work? Or no? Well, it's certainly something I'm thinking about now because I am in the middle of releasing some new songs. And last year I was like, oh, I'm going to release an album. And I was like, wait, nobody really does that anymore. It's all about the single or maybe a few songs at a time. And no one's, maybe I'll print a CD for myself, but there will not be a mass printing of CDs because no one's buying it like that. But I think it's OK. There's a good side and a bad side. But ultimately I like that now it's just direct right to the fans, right to the people who want to hear you and there's no middle person. And so I'm trying to find the positive of this ever-evolving world. What do you love most about what you do? I feel very fortunate because I'm able just to connect with people and just have almost like this one-on-one, even if it's in a chaotic setting, of just some people will say, oh, the way you sang that song or when you did that song, it made me think and made me cry. It made me happy. Just being able to invoke an emotion, I'm very grateful that I can do that. And sometimes it's not necessarily me. I just sometimes feel like a conduit for something. But that's when it really feels special because it is about having those moments where someone says, wow, you really touched me. I want to shift gears right now. Yes. And I so much enjoy hearing your music and your story. And now I want to play my favorite game called Hustle Time. Oh boy. May I have 60 seconds on the clock? Yes. OK, you ready? Full or Android? Apple. If a genie granted you three wishes, what would you wish for? Peace in the world, no one to be hungry and for everyone to be happy. Snapchat. Has a long life or is a lost cause? Lost cause. Large dogs or lap dogs? Lap dogs. Charmnae, yay or nay? Yay. Fireplace or fire pit? Fireplace. What's the first app you open in the morning? Messenger. Song that is currently stuck in your head? The song I just played. Aliens, Factor, Fiction. Fiction. Have you, if you lose access forever, do you pick search engines or social media? Search engines. One thing you want to, on a desert island with you? A radio. Favorite pastime? Music or movies? Music. Music or podcasts? Music. Three things in your closet right now? These new boots I just got. This, oh, this really, this nice jacket I almost wore and this silver black tie. Dream dinner guest? Six second. Two? Oh. Dream dinner guest? Oh, dream dinner guest. Yeah, dream dinner guest. We're going to do it. We're going to do it and count it. Yes. Who is it? Billy Joel. Exactly. Have you met him? I have. I have a couple of times. Really? Well, I counted the cards and we got 15. Okay. Nicely done. Nicely done. Favorite part of your day? It's really more the favorite part of my night. Yeah. Because it begins at night. That's when I'm the most creative. Best piece of advice you've ever gotten? Any advice you could take with a grain of salt? Worst piece of advice. Probably the same. How do you use your career to inspire others? I hope that I show that hard work pays off and you can find your dreams. And I just feel like I'm halfway there, but you've got to go for it. Ever felt like walking away? Yes. One thing you still need to learn? To not be such a perfectionist. What do you want people to learn from you? Follow your dreams and you can do it. You really can. What's next for you? New music coming out. Some of the stuff that I played, more things and just going to be out there performing, releasing songs, have a video coming out, a holiday song. Oh, nice. It's going to be exciting. Yes. Who inspires you? I've been lucky enough to be surrounded by people that really inspire me, but I've got to say right now, the love of my life, Melanie, she's my fiance and we support each other. She's also a singer and a musician and we get to make music together. Who challenges you? My fiance. Yeah, same person. You need someone in your life who's going to tell it to you straight and if you're wearing the wrong shoes, you have to know. That's right. Well, this last piece of advice is for our favorite pug, the famous noodle. Noodle admires the fact that you have made a career out of doing what you love. He aspires to do the same thing one day, but he's concerned about not being able to find consistent work after making the switch. How do you manage to stay busy in show business and move into a performance sort of space leaving a career that's more grounded that you're used to? Well, the first thing is to know, hi, Noodle, that it's not going to happen overnight. You're going to have to work hard. There's going to be late hours. There's going to be some nights where you're going to feel like you have to give up, but that's the moment where you have to dig in harder. And then when that moment comes, you just got to be ready for it. A buddy of mine, Doug McCormick, who I wrote that song with, he has this quote and I love it. It says, when opportunity knocks, don't make it pick the lock. Interesting. Be ready for that moment because you never know when it's going to happen. And just be yourself. Just be your cute self. And ready over. You hear that, Noodle? You're on your way to much success. Well, as we close School of Hustle, we always like to end with a final thought. So I'm going to read three quotes and ask you to pick the quote that resonates the most with you and why. Okay? Number one, the man who has confidence in himself gains the confidence of others. Number two, it is never too late to be what you might have been. Number three, don't worry about failure. You only have to be right once. They're all so good and also true, but confidence at first one. That's really it. That's it for me. I didn't have it when I was young. Just starting out, I was very quiet and shy. When I got behind the microphone a little bit came out, but it really took a while to get that confidence. And then once I found that and just found myself, then it's amazing things haven't happened. And I guess it's part of just believing in yourself because if you don't believe in yourself, no one else will. Thank you for that. Let everybody know how they can find you and listen to more of your music. Okay. There's a couple of places, DarrenBrown.com, and that's spelled D-A-R-I-N, like Bobby Darren. So there's even a musical side there. And Instagram, that seems to be the place these days at DarrenBrownMusic. Well, make sure to follow Darren and make sure to also follow GoDaddy because every week we are bringing amazing stories and advice and inspiration from fabulous entrepreneurs and you don't want to miss out. Follow GoDaddy across social at YouTube, Instagram, LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook. And thank you again. Thank you so much. I loved the music and the inspiration. So much fun. Thank you all for watching. We will see you all again soon. Bye.