Embracing Vulnerability: Pardyalone's Journey From Anxiety To Artistry

In the realm of music, few artists possess the ability to harness raw emotion and translate it into captivating melodies that resonate deep within the soul.

Enter Pardyalone (aka Kalvin Beal), the 22-year-old prodigious producer, writer, and engineer, who has emerged as a poignant voice in this landscape, unveiling his long-awaited debut album, I Left You In Minnesota.

A journey from his hometown of Minnesota to the sun-soaked shores of California, the album serves as a sonic chronicle of his personal growth, pain, heartbreak, and battles with mental health – all of which have deeply resonated with his fanbase.

“When I started making music, I felt like I didn't have a voice of my own to share how I felt to somebody else. I was anxious about the judgement that people were going to give back to me if I told them how I felt,” Beal told Purple Sneakers over the phone from a park in his hometown of Big Lake, Minnesota.

“I was just very pessimistic and just lost. When I started making music, I would just make it so I had a bunch of songs. And I was like, fuck it, I'm gonna put a song on SoundCloud – and the response from it was enough for me to be like, ‘Oh, like, you're actually listening and understand this.’” 

“It helped me understand that I wasn't alone in feeling this type of way. That's what I tell a lot of people. I feel great telling you how I feel – some days I feel happy as fuck, some days I feel shitty, you know?”

Pardyalone’s latest album serves as a testament to his evolution as an artist since his initial breakthrough in 2020, with the tracks transcending genres and creating a sonic landscape that is uniquely his own throughout the musically diverse album – a move Beal says was intentional.

“There were so many lanes that I was wanting to do when I first started making music,” he explained.

“I can do a lot of other stuff other than the things that people think I do. That's why I wanted to do an anthem like To My Father and My Bad, and I wanted to do emo pop-punk songs like She Likes My Tattoos.”

“There are also songs I wrote two years ago, like I wrote These Days a year and a half ago, in my mum's basement when I still lived there. So it was like an actual piece of me from Minnesota in this project. It's just cool to see the growth in that and not having to be boxed in on this next project.”

His unique approach to music certainly had people paying attention – including Blink-182’s Travis Barker, with whom he linked up for Alone after two of Barker’s children, Alabama and Landon, reached out to him.

“He's super cool,” Beal says of the legendary drummer. “When Not A Home blew up, Travis’ son and daughter reached out to me on Instagram and I gave him both my number. Then Travis called me on FaceTime one day, and he's like, ‘What's up, dude?’ And I was like, ‘What the fuck, bro? Like what up?’”

“He asked to link up and I was like, ‘damn bro, for sure!’ And that was the first song, the first time I ever went to the studio, the first song we ever made together — it was a really cool moment.”

As for other musos on his radar for future collaborations, Pardyalone already has another major artist he’s hoping to link up with.

“Machine Gun Kelly, We are going back and forth at the moment. We will get a song together sooner or later. Other than that I’d love to collab with Post Malone and Bon Iver. I guess they’re the main ones that I’m inspired by what they’re doing,” he said.

Despite having to hit the stage for Lollapalooza the next day – a feat any artist would be nervous about – Pardyalone remained effortlessly cool, calm and collected ahead of his epic show, which would go on to be praised across social media.

.@pardyalone’s first-ever festival set was a MOMENT at @lollapalooza (he brought his mom on stage in the last clip)

A SUPERSTAR IN THE MAKING #Lolla pic.twitter.com/oSSKytgsQQ

— Our Generation Music (@OGMusicCo) August 6, 2023

Asked if he was apprehensive about the performance, Pardyalone mused, “I mean, like the day of I am for sure.” 

“On the day, I get into this jittery zone, but I take a couple of shots, and then I'm usually alright, but I try not to think about it, but it is pretty nerve-wracking. I'm not gonna lie, it is.”

Beyond his musical prowess, Pardyalone's story is one of resilience and triumph. Opting to pursue music over succumbing to the grips of addiction that once surrounded him, he now stands as a beacon of hope and inspiration for his ever-growing fanbase — a community of young supporters who are drawn to his vulnerable yet empowering presence.

“All of my fans are here for the same reason because I haven't really dropped a song that's like, ‘Yeah, let's get fucked up and go insane!’ It’s always been me being vulnerable, letting you know that it's okay to feel, letting you know it's alright to be human-like, we're all humans.”

“We all hold up each other’s heads up, it’s a really cool thing to be a part of.”

And while the rising star is undoubtedly destined to be a household name, he revels in the peace and grounding that comes with visiting his home in Minnesota, away from the hustle and bustle of California.

“I haven't really had time to practice what I preach as a human being, you know? So now it's like, I can finally just like get on a scooter and sit in a park, with absolutely nobody around me,” he laughed. 

“It feels great to come back to Minnesota and see my family outside of ‘Pardyalone’, for people to see me as just Kalvin. I think the next step for me is to just refine Kalvin and figure out what's next.”

And as for whether he’s planning a trip Down Under in the future, Beal says it’s certainly on the cards.

“I would love to come to Australia, I need to go overseas. I need to break that barrier – but I’m also terrified of planes,” he admitted. “I'm really hoping next year if we just keep moving in the right direction – I think it's very possible.”