Music
Wes Period
TEXT BY ZEE CHANG
PHOTOGRAPH BY DARIAN ZAHEDI
Wes Period. Even the name itself is punctuated and pronounced,
much like Wes’ stage presence. Wes has an exuberant energy
that radiates on and off the stage. Growing up in La Habra, CA,
a county that meets the state average in almost every capacity,
the not-so-average Wes Period rose up and landed in the world
of music and Hip Hop. Now twenty-five, Wes creates a unique
blend of R&B, Hip Hop, and late nineties Punk influences within
his music. His catchy songs caught the attention of Taste &
Tone/Atlantic Records and they released his song “Champagne
Champion” under their singles label. Bursting at the seams with
passion and creative energy, Wes Period anticipates the release
of his upcoming debut album, Late Bloomer. His excitement to
show the world his latest work is contagious.
Who do you consider to be your main musical influences?
I think it’s because of my age bracket that I connected to Kanye
West’s music. I remember very clearly when College Drop Out
came out. I was sick and my Grandma bought me that album to
help me feel better. I sat there listening to it over and over. Other
more rooted influences came from my parents. They introduced
me to people like Carol King, George Benson, and lots of Quincy
Jones-produced material from the late seventies.
Did you always know you were going to get into music
and hip hop?
No, I didn’t. Other than music and Hip Hop, the other stereotypical thing that I pursued as a Black-American kid was trying to get
into the NBA. So in my sophomore year of high school, I was on
the school basketball team. But it just so happened that the first
What is your favorite song that you’ve written to date?
It changes all the time, but I wrote a song called Erica. It’s about
someone very special to me and it’s the first song I’m releasing
where I sing all the way through. It’s my very first, actual love
song. It’s going to be on Late Bloomers and that’s one I definitely
want people to have their ears out for.
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game of the season happened to be the same night of my very
first gig with my band. I ended up playing for the first quarter,
and then left mid-game for my show. After that night, I chose
music and never went back to basketball practice.