Caj Flow: Business By Day, Music By Night
Toronto-native singer, song-writer, producer and 2019 Rotman Commerce graduate Caj Flow, whose real name is Anthony Johnson, lives the best of both worlds, as a man who works at a firm in the day and dives right into his world of music by night. As of this writing, Caj has generated thousands of music streams in addition to working as a project coordinator at FACTOR, a company that administers contributions from private radio broadcasters and the Department of Canadian Heritage to support the Canadian music industry. Ahead of the release of his new track, Problem, RCEM’s Creative Writer Fizza Chaudhry reached out to check-in.
FIZZA CHAUDHRY: Let’s start things off with a generic, yet important, question. When and where did your passion for music start?
CAJ FLOW: Growing up, I was always surrounded by music. I lived in Switzerland until I was 16, but my parents mostly played 90’s/early 2000’s American and British hip hop and R&B. They got me an iPod, and sitting and listening to music became my favourite activity ever!
My mum was a dance teacher and used to make song mixes for her choreographies. My first time actually messing with music was at about 7-8 years old, when I’d play around with her software and try to come up with my own mixes. My parents felt like it might be something worth exploring for me, so they downloaded a better software called FL Studio and enrolled me in piano classes. That was essentially the start of how I got into making beats and uploading them on Youtube and Soundcloud.
Years later after moving to Canada, when I could work in person with artists, I started learning about songwriting and eventually went on to contribute ideas for vocals as well. A lot of my ideas went unused and I was curious about how they would sound in a finished product, so I decided to just make entire songs myself. That was the moment that I “became” an artist. This whole process took over ten years, so it’s been a long journey!
FIZZA: Your music is a mix of contemporary pop and hip-hop, which musical artists have influenced your music’s genre? Which artist do you think you would find the most influence from?
CAJ: Kanye has arguably been one of the leading modern influences in the blending of hip hop with other genres. I’m deeply inspired by his approach, but also by Drake (for his sense of melody) and pop artists like Lauv, blackbear and Jeremy Zucker.
Other people that are less known by the public but still incredibly important are the producers and songwriters behind the scenes: Max Martin, Benny Blanco, Julia Michaels, Justin Tranter, Ian Kirkpatrick, Sarah Aarons and Ali Tamposi collectively wrote or produced a lot of my favourite songs these days!
FIZZA: You have hit many milestones that a ton of upcoming artists have not been able to do yet, such as peaking at #6 on Spotify’s India Viral 50 chart, and being featured on both BBC’s Asian network and Rolling Stone India. What do you hope to achieve in the future?
CAJ: For now, I’m just going with the flow and trying to enjoy the process. All the small successes I’ve had came when I decided to change my strategy and be more fan-oriented, make music that they enjoy and create a real bond with as many of them as possible. My biggest priority is to keep building on that approach, and I’m excited for whatever new achievements come along the way!
FIZZA: You had graduated from Rotman back in 2019, what did you specialize in and in what ways has your degree helped you in your music career?
CAJ: I briefly considered going into the Finance stream (peer pressure!) before realizing it wouldn’t be the right move for me, and ultimately specializing in Management. It’s helped me in a few different ways:
From a course-specific point of view, I’ve directly applied concepts I learned in the Marketing (RSM250) & Branding Strategy (RSM458) courses. I create my own paid IG/FB conversion campaigns, so I spend a lot of time thinking about my brand, and the most cost-effective ways to attract and retain listeners.
Additionally, being completely independent with no legal representation or management, it’s up to me to negotiate with all the artists and companies I work for (as a producer/writer) when it comes to deals and terms on payments & royalty arrangements. I still go back to what I learned in Ryann Manning’s Managerial Negotiations (RSM461) course, which I credit for helping me secure better agreements.
Looking at this question more broadly, the act of getting this degree has taught me persistence, discipline, time management and organizational skills, which are much-needed in the music industry. It’s taught me to prioritize what’s important, and to get things done fast.
FIZZA: In what ways is the business world similar to the entertainment industry?
CAJ: Entertainment itself is a business, so many of the concepts explored in our degree come back in that world, from accounting, to financial analysis, marketing and HR best practices. The larger entertainment organisations are not too unlike the traditional types of companies that we are exposed to throughout our Rotman degree.
When it comes to smaller entertainment organizations or even having your own creative venture as an artist, producer or service provider, it becomes more comparable to what we would expect from a startup; working hard and long hours in the hopes of scaling up a business, and a small number of people completing many different job tasks. There is a general can-do attitude and a willingness to take risks.
This wasn’t part of your question, but an interesting difference I have noticed as a whole is that the business world can sometimes be very process-oriented (things must be done in a specific way), whereas the entertainment industry will sometimes ignore or sacrifice processes if it leads to quicker results.
FIZZA: There are many young adults who want to have a career in the music industry but are pursuing a degree. What would you recommend they do to get into the industry?
CAJ: Network – not only on a purely professional basis, but also make friends with people in the industry. If they like you, your name is likely to come up during conversations. What you’re all doing at RCEM is an amazing initiative and definitely one of the best ways to get into the business. I actually got my foot in the door (third year internship at Warner/Chappell, publishing division of Warner Music) in a similar way, by creating a student group in which I could interact with music professionals.
Also look at your own competitive advantages that make you unique from others hoping to enter the industry. The Rotman program is academically demanding, so skills that may set you apart from others in the field are incredibly strong time management skills and the ability to deliver excellent work within short deadlines. The music industry is known for being chaotic, so if you can brand yourself as someone who can thrive within the chaos, there will be opportunities for you.
FIZZA: Describe your process for creating the “perfect” song.
CAJ: Good question! I wish I had a proper answer or formula. Every track happens differently. My most common process for coming up with a new song is usually this:
Start off with an emotion
Make a chord progression and/or instrumental that fits the overall vibe/emotion
Record myself singing vocal ideas (no lyrics, just melody!) until I land on some good ideas to explore further.
Piece together which melodies should go where (verse, pre-chorus, chorus, bridge).
Come up with lyrics to fit where the melodies are for each section.
Finish the production and then send it all off to my sound engineer to mix & master the final version.
I also occasionally send my demos to producer, songwriter and artist friends to collect some ideas from them (usually for step 4 and 5) and then sometimes integrate these ideas into my work as well. Collaboration is a great tool and it’s important to let go of any ego and hear people out if they have awesome ideas.
FIZZA: Which of the songs that you have put out is your favourite? Would you ever go for that vibe again?
CAJ: Definitely “Kerala”. Not only was it a genuinely happy song (it’s about my girlfriend!), but it was so cool to see it resonate with so many people across the world! I’ve made great connections through this song and it’ll always be linked to wonderful memories.“butterflies” is a close second and I am similarly pleased and astonished at how much it continues to grow and impact people. I definitely will make more songs in those styles in the future.
FIZZA: Can we expect to hear any new music from you in the near future?
CAJ: There’s a big debate going on in the industry right now: albums vs series of singles. From my own experience and anecdotal data from my peers, I think that for most new artists, singles are the best method to build a fanbase and grow. So, yes! I try to drop something new every month or couple of months. You can expect a new track soon.
FIZZA: One fun question just to end off our interview on a high note: What fictional character do you identify with the most and why?
CAJ: Ha! I’d say the professor from the show Money Heist because I really like to think things through, make lots of contingency plans, and I always do my best to help the people I care about.
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Written By: Fizza Chaudhry
Edited By: Rania Taariji
