My name is Kristian Silva. I am 24 years old. I am a professional musician, and I am Acting Regional Manager of the Artist Intern Program at Hit Records Worldwide. I was born on March 24, 1991 in beautiful, sunny, Miami, Fl. I was raised in a middle class family in the suburbs with my two 2 sisters. I went to school like a normal kid up until the third grade.
I had begun taking gymnastics classes a year before, and I had become very good at it. I decided to do gymnastics all day and get home schooled instead of having to go to school. I trained from 9am to 7pm Monday through Saturday. Wednesdays and Saturdays were half days; we trained from 9am to 2pm.
This was my life for 6 years, until I got an opportunity to travel and compete for the national team of Spain. I moved to Spain at the age of 13, alone, and I lived with my uncles for about one and a half years and half, while practicing at the Olympic training center during the day.
I became national champion of my age group in Spain and went to the 2006 Junior Olympics in Athens, Greece.
Later that year, at the age of 16, I decided to quit gymnastics and go back to public high school in Miami. I wanted to be a normal American kid. I moved back to Miami, and my parents were distraught when I told them I no longer wanted to be a gymnast.
I started school on Oct. 10 2007, and this was the beginning of my new life. My parents did not support my new lifestyle choices, and we did not speak for four months. I got grounded all the time.
This was a new chapter for me, and guitar had already been a part of my life for the past two years. My father got me a guitar instructor at 14. The teacher cost $50 an hour, and I learned a ton in this lesson. My father broke the news after the lesson that the classes were too expensive, so I could no longer have an instructor.
Now, with a single guitar lesson under my belt, I took it upon myself to continue my guitar education, no matter the cost.
I had no money at the time, so I took to the internet and free books from friends to learn to play the guitar. Fast forward two years into the future to my first day of public high school. High school was very easy compared to everything else I had ever done, and I loved it.
I enrolled for my senior year, and I met a ton of kids that played music. I embraced this group of friends and learned as much as I could about the guitar. Some kids made fun of my novice skills, but this didn’t stop me. I graduated high school, and a few months into college, I got a call from one of the best musicians at school. He invited me to start a band with him. The rest is history.
I changed my major in college from Firefighter/ paramedic to Music major.
These were my first music classes ever. The first week was so difficult. I had never read music before, and I felt like the underdog compared to my classmates who had years of middle school and high school music experience. I got over my fears and accepted the language of music, the story of music, and the discipline.
My skill increased exponentially, and the same kids that laughed at me at school were now cheering me on during local concerts, parties, and even our debut music video. We played over 70 shows together in four years. I graduated college with my A.A. degree in Music Education.
I had moved out of my house at the time, and I was living with my girlfriend and another couple in a small apartment with a dog. I rode my bike 10 miles each way to get to my retail job at the time. My parents had given me a car but had taken it back when I decided to move out of my house. I taught guitar lessons at the time as well and rode 11 miles with my guitar on my back to get to my students.
When I was 20 years old, I received a call from my mother with an opportunity to attend my dream school Musician’s Institute in Los Angeles, California with a full scholarship. I had an epiphany; I realized I was not happy with my life.
My mom told me, “If you pass on this opportunity, it will not come back.”
I slept on it, and it hit me the next day like a sign from something larger than me. The light shone through my sliding glass so brightly that I thought I was going to pass out. My vision went from blinding yellow to white light. I felt like a heavy stone was turning in my mind. It was so heavy and significant. No willpower or strength in me prior to that moment could ever stop that stone from moving. It was as if a large switch in my mind had flipped, and there was no going back.
I think I experienced myself grow. Before my very eyes, I was changed.
The song Once in a Lifetime by The Talking Heads came to mind in this moment. The light faded. I look around. The music stopped. I stood in the empty hollow kitchen as the sounds of me breathing bounced off the layers of paint on the walls. I didn’t make a sound. “This is not my beautiful house…This is not my beautiful wife.” To myself I said, “This is not for me.”
I dumped my girlfriend and told her I wanted to go to LA. She was so distraught, because I didn’t want to continue our relationship long distance. She got a new man in an instant.
I was heart broken, but my future was soon to change. I made it to LA. I already passed the bachelor’s program entrance exam, and I have started school.
