It’s Perfectly Fine To Be Independent: WHYTRI’s Road To Fortnite (Article)
Here’s something we wouldn’t usually cover. But once we received some exciting news, we had to let y’all know. Take a walk with me.
The new season of Fortnite, Myths & Mortals, comes with new playable characters like Zeus, Medusa, and even the Avatar Series’ Korra. But where we want to focus is one of the bosses: Hades.
Hades’ theme song/lobby music has vocals from an artist who is just a stone’s throw away from us.
Insert the Boston, MA native (and honorary PVD transplant) WHYTRI.
Really think about that for a second. An independent artist made his way to work with one of the biggest and most successful franchises right now, maybe even in history. When we spoke with him about his journey to getting there, he said, “They found me on Reddit from a series I was doing on Instagram (video games my songs belong in).”
Videos he made in his basement landed in the right hands at Epic Games after floating around in the vast webs of the internet and they said, “We need to work with him”. It’s 2024 and this music thing is as wide open as ever. Just like with J. Cole’s known success story of getting his CD to Jay-Z and now being one of the biggest names in music… except much more luck and happenstance.
But keep in mind, this was more than luck. WHYTRI has been grinding and putting in the work for years as a creative. The music continues to evolve. The shows are always an experience to marvel at, leaving spectators speechless with his energy. And he’s always just remained solid as a person. All that channels into his craft and it shows.
With Hades’ theme song, “You’re All Mine” featuring Spencer Sotelo from Periphery, WHYTRI fits like a glove. His style of music does what his series name alludes to: it belongs in video games. The production is always grandiose and sometimes larger-than-life but he stakes his claim each time; never seeming lost or small within these beats. This theme sounds like what Mountain Dew tastes like. Like eighteen Dark Arts spells meeting head-to-head with an electronic barrage of sounds. It leads with his vocals and has multiple levels, including the Rock feature which complements well. Overall, it’s an ominous banger and fit for its namesake to be Hades’ theme song. Hearing this before Hades takes your soul is not out of the realm of possibility.
I asked WHYTRI if he pictured himself in this position all those years ago when he started to find this new sound he’s excelled in. His response was an amazing one, as he paused to reflect, then stated,
“Yes and no. It was expected to get somewhere like this but not in this way. It’s incredible. This opportunity has shown me the real power of the net and the confidence I should have in my craft. All the videos they found? I made them in my basement, man; From Reddit to Epic Games/Fortnite. It’s all surreal. It all just goes to show you don’t always need that major label, those big streams and numbers don’t always matter like you would think they do. Certain levels you can hit without them. I’m so grateful Epic took a swing with me and, in my opinion, it’s a home run.”
He’s opened some doors and will continue seeing what’s behind them while being unapologetically himself. That’s part of what got him here in the first place.
From New England to a global platform that’s featured the likes of Travis Scott, Kendrick Lamar, Lady Gaga, and The Weeknd. From getting the bag in dance competitions to Disney money. From the trenches to a world of opportunity. All this shows there is more than one way to live your dreams, so put in the work and keep finding yourself/your people.