Singer/songwriter Camino is on his way to becoming a certified superstar. Def Jam Recordings’ newest signee poured his history, both painful and joyful, into his debut EP Burning Fire and Celeb Secrets can’t get enough of it.
Camino’s life has been nothing short of a battle, but music always seems to be his motivation. Born and raised in Mississippi, Camino’s favorite genres range from southern blues, roots, soul and trap. His father, who served as a firefighter for 35 years, adored singing to his youngest son as a baby. It was music from Mississippians such as Muddy Waters, B.B. King and Elvis Presley that deeply inspired a young Camino.
“When you listen to me, it’s like I’m taking you to church. I grew up on Waylon Jennings, Alan Jackson, B.B., and Muddy mixed with R&B and hip-hop culture. I always felt the pain in music. If there’s no feeling, it’s just a song,” he tells Celeb Secrets.
Camino’s love for music intensified in high school, where he spent his time playing drums, learning the guitar and bass, and starting to rap. At the same time, he had to take on the darkness of crime-ridden Jackson, Mississippi.
Music took Camino all the way to Atlanta, Georgia, where he endured homelessness for almost a year. He laid his head down in studios and even a bus bench. During this time, Camino had the opportunity to work along B.O.B and Akon. However, Camino experienced another disappointment when his deal with a record label in L.A. fell through.
In 2019, Camino got his big break when Def Jam signed him. “It took a little while to find my home, but I did,” he goes on. “The story really starts now.”
Celeb Secrets was lucky enough to get an exclusive interview with the budding artist. Take a look below to learn more about the Burning Fire EP, a personal side to Camino, and even some fun facts. Take a read at the full Q&A below to learn more and don’t forget to let us know what you think of “Burning Fire” by either leaving a reaction at the bottom of the post or by sending us a tweet at @celebsecrets.
You can connect with Camino by giving him a follow on Instagram at @camino.
Celeb Secrets: “Burning Fire,” the first single from your debut EP, has such a powerful melody and vocals. Can you tell us more about the song and its inspiration, writing and recording process?
Camino: “Well I wrote this song as a form of therapy. I wrote it to help me with the death of my aunt Peggy, who at the time was the closest person that had passed away to me. Her husband (my uncle Wallace) was a pig farmer from MS. I looked up to him my entire life. He was a person of few words, but pretty much a neighborhood hero. He was married to my aunt Peggy for 60+ years and when she died I knew he lost his best friend in the whole world. So I wrote the song from an empathetic perspective imagining what my uncle felt. What he would say. At first I wanted the song to be sad because it was my therapy and Mel and Mus added the drums to make it more uplifting.”
Celeb Secrets: How has your experience being homeless influenced your music?
Camino: “It made me more grateful for everything I’ve got. It influenced me heavily to look at things around me differently. To appreciate the smallest of things differently. I’ve looked at the worst of things and found the drive to keep going. I found inspiration to work harder to succeed in music because I experienced that time in my life.”
Celeb Secrets: Did you face any challenges while making the Burning Fire EP and if so, can you touch more on those and how you overcame them?
Camino: “Life was a challenge. I lost my record deal, best friend, my uncle that I literally wrote the song about. I felt like I lost a lot during all of this. But I overcame it by not losing the faith. The hope. I never lost the vision to see it through.”
Celeb Secrets: Is there a message that you hope people will grasp when listening to your EP?
Camino: “Faith, hope, & perseverance. I want to give people hope that you can do anything in this world that you really want to do. No matter what you are going through. Faith that it will get better if you push through the tough times.”
Celeb Secrets: Since we’re Celeb Secrets, what are some behind-the-scenes secrets (or fun facts) from making the Burning Fire EP that we wouldn’t know when listening to it?
Camino: “Well, Paul McCartney’s drummer Abe Laboriel Jr. and his dad Abe Sr. (Who is the most recorded bass player of all time, also he’s played for Stevie Wonder and Michael Jackson on their albums) played all of my drums and bass for the entire EP.”
Celeb Secrets: As the world begins to open up are you looking forward to more opportunities to perform live?
Camino: “Absolutely! I can’t wait to get on stage again. I can’t wait to meet my fans, to touch the people, to see the people who care about the music so I can personally tell them that I appreciate and love them. IN REAL LIFE.”
Celeb Secrets: Have you already started working on more music? If so, what can you tease from it?
Camino: “Yes! I have an album coming later this year! It’s gonna be crazy and I sometimes tease things on my IG live! You just gotta catch me, I just go crazy sometimes, the fans love it!”
LISTEN TO BURNING FIRE EP BELOW:
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