We had the good fortune of connecting with lumi and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi lumi, have there been any changes in how you think about work-life balance?
I think it’s important to go through different levels of adjustment over time. With a band, there are always so many moving pieces that change. In respect to that, you have to really hone in on the idea that this isn’t something that will be built over night. Easy come, easy go — waters get choppy, not always smooth sailing — whatever cliche term you’d like to pin on it, is to be applied and moreover, respected. Creating and crafting intent and establishing a flow will typically prevail in a passionate culture for the brand/ music.

Oftentimes, you don’t learn that kind of stuff at the start. Once you begin getting the hang of what you’re doing, and you feel as if you’re ready to “advance” — there’s typically an investment beyond time that has to be made.
We actually made an album in 2018 called “Time Attack” which was an ode to fighting to win your time back, whether it be from working 40 hours a week, time of love invested into people, etc. It was a salute to our efforts and passion for music in a serious manner to uplift us from the work-week demon loop. As “Time” ironically passed, as it always will, lives change, people get into relationships, married, separated, have kids etc — which typically create other periods for adjustments/ recalibrations.

Typically at the end of these thoughts are applied, we’d typically land on the idea of money needing to be made, both personally and professionally. So fast forward to the present time, we’ve since found balance via group chats and figuring out what days work best and meet weekly. It’s important to not stray from the idea of reality and prioritizing yourself and responsibilities with delusions of grandeur. Make a schedule for yourself and take control of your life, be consistent and intentional and things will work out the way they are designed to, in the end.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
My art is the brand director & lead vocalist of Akron Ohio based dynamic Hip-Hop band, Red Rose Panic. We are a live 5-6 piece band that blends elements of Rock, Soul, Hip-Hop and Funk into a magical effort of sound exploration and provocative stage performances. We’ve been performing live for about a decade, and have travelled, headlined and played sold out shows across the country from Cleveland to Los Angeles, New York, Detroit and hometown of Akron, Ohio. In order to get to where we were going, we had no choice but to be aggressively consistent early on! It was not easy and we overcame by being tired of seeing the same pattern happen in our adversarial atmosphere and desired to create an impact and demand more of ourselves. Along our journey, we learned that there is a lesson in every presented situation that you should learn or seek to learn.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
In Akron, there are a few really cool pockets and locations you should definitely checkout. We’ve got some great music venues, such as BluJazz, Musica, High St Hop House and others. These locations all have fantastic drink counters/ bars inside. Highland Square is always going to be a great space to grab some food or coffee/ catch up on some studying at spots like Angel Falls or the library. Highland Square also has a very cool vintage boutique and shop for some amazing gear at Highland Throwbacks. Downtown Akron boasts some awesome outdoor venues and beautiful walkways at the Lock locations, which are everything in the summer time. And if you want to take things a bit upscale, there’s some cool locations in the newly remodeled Northside District (As captured in our “Change Your Mind” music video) that has a speakeasy, great lofts and fine dining at sports like DBA.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
Shoutout to Gold Frame Music – Genius writer and Producer!

Website: redrosepanic.com

Instagram: instagram.com/redrosepanic

Twitter: twitter.com/redrosepanic

Facebook: facebook.com/redrosepanic

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCBEqSUtOkhpbm9Raa8GXXRg

Nominate Someone: ShoutoutOhio is built on recommendations and shoutouts from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.