It’s a Cinderella story that once had a dark side.
Brett Guidry, who grew up in Seal Beach, said he has a lot to be thankful for.
He recently won the Power106 “Who’s Next” Competition, rising to the top of a field of more than 1,200 other music aspirants.
“They will be playing one of my songs during their ‘New At 2’ segment. They will also be flying me and my team out to Austin, Texas on March 15 to open up for Major Hip Hop artist J. Cole at the SXSW Music Festival.”
Thing were not always so bright for Guidry.
After his father passed away, Guidry said he went down the wrong path in life.
“I found solace on the streets and became hooked on drugs at a very early age,” the 26-year-old man said. Guidry, who goes by the stage name Imprint, said he began “chasing a criminal lifestyle as a way to buffer my own problems.”
He eventually ended up in jail and nearly faced a six-year prison sentence.
With nothing but time on his hands, Guidry began to do some soul searching.
“I realized a change needed to happen,” he said. For Guidry, whose mother, Jackie Guidry had worked as the secretary to the Seal Beach city manager, the change came from his lifelong interest in music—particularly hip hop.
He said it was not until he found his own brand of “West Coast swagger” that he finally found a way to channel his aggressions into a more positive light and one that now included a devotion to God.
Guidry began honing his craft in a rehabilitation center, Imprint cemented his now lifelong goal.
As a member of what he calls “the Mash Down Babylon community,” Guidry quickly embraced this new lifestyle and attacked the microphone with a zeal and a style that he unabashedly said drove other acts into envy. After the release of his first album in January of 2011, “The First Impression” this undoubtedly made it’s mark and set Guidry apart from his contemporaries.
Guidry said he is hopeful that his victory in the Power106 contest will kick-start a music career that will allow him success and also a way to influence people in a positive way.
“I believe doors will open for my career,” Guidry said. “I will just continue to make great music, network, perform, and keep God first in all that I do. It would be wonderful and amazing to get signed by a record label, but the main goal for me is to just gain as many fans as possible and be able to tour the world and make a living off of the music I make.”
Guidry said he was thankful to Seal Beach, his friends, fans, and family.
“Without the Lord and their tremendous support, well, then I would not be where I am today,m” he said.
“This is by far the biggest opportunity that I have ever been presented with and by the grace of God, my dream has become a reality. I want to give a very special thanks to all the people that hung in there with me throughout this month-long contest. It means the world to me that they stayed committed to voting once a day and getting your friends to vote. It is such a blessing to know that there are people that believe in you and that want to see you succeed.”
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