Class act

An upcoming local music phenomenon is Hug High’s Carlos Kovac. Not only does he create beats and write songs for Spanish, hip-hop, and R&B music, he’s also a wizard in academics. He was recently accepted into the University of Nevada, Reno; San Diego State University; University of Long Beach California; and University of Fresno, California. He works hard to maintain his grades, but in the meantime, he never neglects his real passion: music.

“I was going through rough times, and I really wanted a release,” he says. “And through music, I really found a way to express myself in a positive way, and it’s really allowed me to be in a vulnerable state.”

He makes the music magic, oddly enough, when in the bathroom.

“My most creative time is when I’m in the shower,” he says with a laugh. “I take my cell phone in there because almost every day when I shower, I think of my best lyrics, and I think of song ideas, and I’ll literally hop out of the shower in the middle of whatever I’m doing, and I’ll record it really quick on my phone.”

Kovac was recently given an immense opportunity to go to Grammy Career Day in San Francisco. This activity gave 700 high school juniors and seniors the opportunity to experience the many careers in the music industry. Through workshops, performances and discussions, students learned about careers in production, composition and business. The time Kovac spent at these workshops gave him the courage to break out of his shell and show his fellow peers what he is really made of.

“Throughout my years in high school, I’ve always wanted to perform at the assembly,” he says. “It’s always been a huge dream of mine.”

Well, he did it and gave the students a memorable performance.

Not only do his songs reflect how Kovac feels but also what his friends feel.

“I like to put myself in other people’s shoes, too,” he says. “I have a friend who was raped, and I wrote a song that was inspired by her just through what she’s been through and just letting her know it’s OK to have gone through what she went through.”

His music touches on the hard cold reality we all sometimes have to face.

“My goal in music is to evoke an emotion in people, and if I can do that to anybody, then I accomplished my goal,” says Kovac.

With passion, drive and ability, Kovac hopes to set himself apart from the wannabes in the music industry.

“You really have to chase your dreams because they aren’t going to come to you,” he says.