Meet Jorge Zuniga | Music Producer / DJ

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

Hi Jorge, why did you decide to pursue a creative path?
Since I can remember I was always attracted to music, art, film, or any type of creative endeavor. As I became older my parents always pushed me to find a career that would create a stable income, so during university, I was taking a variety of different classes to find what I wanted to do in my life while I was always creating music and taking art classes too. I knew I had to make a decision soon so I really took a hard look at myself and started an elimination process. I soon realized that what I wanted to do was music, it was the only thing that came naturally to me and made me happy. I made the decision to quit school and double down on what I was good at (music) and went all in. I had to get a job that gave me the flexibility to skip some days to pursue my artistic career until I decided to become a full-time creative.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
I’m a creative person under the stage name ‘Never Dull’. This project came about naturally (unlike previous attempts) and did not expect much from it, and I think that’s why it took off. I started this project to make feel-good music, something that I still put into practice today.

The greatest challenge was transitioning to a full-time creative. Most of the time I had to work my regular job and create at night and on weekends. It took me a long time to find a job that would give me the flexibility to go out and perform, while also earning a living wage. Any creative working 2 jobs knows it’s hard to stay creative because you’re so tired most of the time. I had to fight through that while working on my craft and learning as much as I could until I became a full-time creative.

Another challenge is maintaining. Musicians are more like entrepreneurs these days. I had to learn a bit of everything apart from music, marketing, networking, content creation, visual arts, videography, and more. I quickly realized that making music wasn’t gonna cut it, and I had to be open to learning other things that would complement my music.

I want my brand to be known as Feel-Good Music. I want to strive and make the best music I can make without being put in a box while making people feel good, whatever form that looks like.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
I don’t go out much but it would probably go like this:

Have breakfast at Metl Bar Creamery & Cafe in North Park, (amazing Ice cream), then probably hit the K1 Speed go-carts after. Have lunch at In & out and then go to Balboa park and hang out. At night, definitely hit Downtown to grab some drinks. Maybe try to go to a concert or something music-related.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I’d have to thank my sister Michelle for inspiring me to take the dive as a full-time creative. Michelle is a free spirit, always taking risks and learning as she goes. She always pushed me to do what I loved but really become the best at what you do, and that’s what I’ve been trying to do. She also taught me to take risks even though I might not feel ready, usually everything sorts out for the best in the end.

I also want to thank my wife Karina for believing in me when things got rough, mentally and financially. Being an artist is being an entrepreneur all in itself, and there’s a learning curve to that.

Also my current manager Dantonski really opened my eyes to the music industry and helped me professionalize my business in the beginning. He really brought a fresh perspective and helped me to work on the areas I needed help in.

Also the book ‘The War Of Art’ by Steven Pressfield gave a new perspective of an artists daily struggles and how to overcome them.

Website: https://www.neverdullmusic.com

Twitter: @iamneverdull

Other: TIKTOK ▶ https://www.tiktok.com/@iamneverdull INSTAGRAM ▶ https://instagram.com/iamneverdull SPOTIFY ▶ https://open.spotify.com/artist/2u3rmzZC0psTER2sDfUebm?si=Fdg2FAfnQKWREjYYC_DT7w FACEBOOK ▶ http://facebook.com/neverdullmusic BANDCAMP ▶ https://neverdull.bandcamp.com

Image Credits
-PALOS.