Beginning this (2019) summer, we're kicking off a new editorial series titled, "Music Matters." We're spotlighting artists mainly from the Christian Hip-Hop (CHH) space ranging from signed major artists to emerging independent creatives. First up, Peabod from Centricity Music; recognized as one of the up and coming artists within the past year. He lays out the heart behind his singles from this year and what's to come.

Can you describe for us your creative process behind the singles released and what's next for you moving forward?

Over the course of the last 6 months, I've been slowly releasing singles. I have one more scheduled to release in the next month or so, and that will complete the EP these singles have been working towards. Originally, some of these songs started as just an experiment. Before I had even signed with Centricity, they were curious to hear what else I might write about, so I started sending them some new songs and "Antisocial" actually came out of that. After I got signed and we released Healthy Snacks, we pretty much immediately started thinking about the next release. With streaming culture being so dominant, releasing some singles felt like a great next step.
 
For me, it was more than just a marketing decision though. I wrote Healthy Snacks purely for fun. I didn't have a goal with that project except to try my hand at a new genre and to dive into the idea of joy. That ended up catching Centricity's attention, and before I knew it; I had a record deal! As grateful as I am for how this process went, I think there were maybe a few steps that I missed in developing as an artist that I might have taken earlier had I followed a more traditional route. So for me, this last year has been a lot of soul-searching, praying, and trying out new sounds while the team and I try to discern where to go next. 
 
All of this just confirmed that releasing singles was the perfect next step. With each release, I was able to try something different and explore what the possibilities could be. Now that we're 4 singles in (with the last one on the way), I feel like I have a better sense of who I am as an artist. I'm super excited to drop this final song to complete the EP, and then I can't wait to dive into another project. I've already started writing for a more cohesive, thematic project and I'm really stoked on where it's going so far.
 
I'm really grateful for this journey that the Lord has led me on and I'm so thankful for every single person who has listened along the way. The last few months of singles have been a blast and I'm so glad that Centricity gave me some space to explore a little bit. Can't wait to show you guys this last song!

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I'm quite grateful for humble artists like Peabod willing to share their heart and add transparency behind their journey as an artist and motives which drive their artistic gifting. The Designer hoodies EP and single are available on all digital platforms for purchase or streaming. Big things are ahead and the future is bright for Peabod as we're all excited to see what the rest of 2019 holds for him.