The 19 year old Grammy-nominated singer and producer should already be on your music radar.

If you’ve been listening to genre-bending L.A. group The Internet or played Kendrick Lamar’s DAMN. on repeat, then you’ve already heard the work of Steve Lacy. Standard Culture, an extension of the hip and trendy hotel chain The Standard, caught up with the young creative to discuss his music inspirations and growing up in Compton. Aside from a photoshoot, Lacy also performed one of his standout tracks “Dark Red” from an EP he released earlier this year. When asked about his initial reaction to making it on Kendrick’s album, he responded “The song was playing in my headphones and I’m just, like, bawling my eyes out, walking down the street by myself crying. And I get back to my hotel, and there’s a big ass DAMN. billboard across the street from my hotel, ‘Pride’ is in my headphones. It was like, ‘Wow. I really did this.'”

Watch the video below, read the full interview here, and be sure to listen to his EP on SoundCloud.

(Photo by Roman Koval via Standard Culture)