Living.
Every Monday, I will share a resident of the South Bay contributing to making our community a better place. Today’s MCM title belongs to Sam Itani who made a bold decision early this year to follow his passion of pursuing music.
Itani, 26, grew up in Beirut, Lebanon for the first 10 years of his life and then moved to Los Angeles, CA. Upon graduating from North High School in 2007, he went to El Camino College for two years and got an AA in Arts. Soon after, he went to National University to get his undergrad in Psychology.
For four years, he worked as a behavior therapist before realizing he was not following his true passion. He says, “I then decided to quit my job and pursue a career in music” When Itani told his boss he was going to quit, he says, “It was surreal. I thought about it for a long time before actually going through with my decision to quit my job and pursue my dream of playing music.” He found that it felt strange at first, but he loved his decision in the end.
“It's my passion and I would never go back to working as a behavior therapist,” he says. He told his boss that he found something that he enjoyed doing for the rest of his life and that the job wasn't for him. He says they highly respected him for his decision
He describes his music style as Acoustic-pop. He wants people to feel motivated and happy when listening to his music. “I just want to spread positivity and display a clean image. I don't want to be a rock star. I want to be that musician that moms take their kids to see and will feel safe doing so,” he says.
Itani uses the acoustic guitar, piano, bass, vocals and electric guitar when creating music. He says that his feelings are the inspiration behind his lyrics. “Music is my way of telling people about my feelings, since I don't like talking about them,” he says.
He says a typical day for him is very busy as he is constantly recording, meeting with videographers and photographers, networking and doing photo shoots.
You can learn more about Itani on all forms of social media.
YouTube:
Instagram: www.instagram.com/samitanimusic or @samitanimusic
Twitter:
Facebook:
Www.facebook.com/samitanimusic
Snapchat:
@samitanimusic
Website:
Email: For Buisness Inquiry
[email protected]
\When Itani is not playing music, he enjoys helping people in need whenever he can. He donates money overseas at least once a year and also expresses his hopes for humanity and such things in his music. “My music is medicine for those that are suffering. It gives them a sense of hope,” he says. He also enjoys spending time with his family and friends.
Thank you, Sam, for reminding our youth that it’s ok to follow your passions. Check out Itani's latest song dedicated to mother's on his YouTube page.
“If you don't follow your dream, you will feel as if you haven't lived.”
– Sam Itani