From coast-to-coast tours in the U.S. to a new life in Amsterdam, Chris is no stranger to reinvention. A saxophonist, voiceover artist, and creative entrepreneur, he’s carved out a career that blends passion with hustle—one gig, one track, and one voiceover session at a time. In this portrait, we chat with Chris about what it takes to succeed as a multi-hyphenate freelancer in the music industry, how the DAFT visa helped him relocate to the Netherlands, and why building a supportive community is as important as finding your next paycheck.
Q: Hey Chris! Can you briefly introduce yourself, where you’re at and what you do?
A: Currently I’m based in Amsterdam, and just moved here in January. I’m working as a touring musician, playing the saxophone with reggae/pop act HIRIE. I’d classify myself as a voiceover artist, songwriter, composer and music producer.
Q: Do you think being a musician requires an entrepreneurial mindset?
A: Of course! Beyond the years of skill acquisition and refinement it takes to approach being a professional musician, ultimately, nobody comes up to you and offers you a lucrative music gig doing exactly what you love.
You’ve got to be able to pitch yourself, juggle opportunities which can be seasonal, occasional or one-off. You have to build rapport, network, branch out. Even classically trained orchestral players often need more than one contract playing with a regional symphonic orchestra. Sometimes they have to commute to rehearse and perform with several groups, while also juggling giving music lessons or other performance-adjacent services.
In my case, being a touring musician is not a full-time, year-round activity. In fact, since the pandemic, most of my year is spent not on tour, and the gaps between tours and shows have gotten longer. So I have to think creatively and with a business mindset to keep myself both creatively challenged as well as paid. That’s where the entrepreneurial mindset comes in—you’re basically your own boss, always figuring out how to keep things moving, staying creative, and making a living doing what you love.
Q: You came from full-time work, doing various side jobs as well. Where did your journey start and the passion, drive and hustle come from that made it happen?
A: In the founding stages of my band, everyone in the band had to sacrifice a bit to figure out how to be able to put their local lives and jobs on hold and hit the road on tour.
We were very lucky as a fledgling band to have been offered a coast to coast tour, but perhaps even luckier that the band members were all able to hit the road. So yeah, for me, the ride share service Lyft (a US-based alternative to Uber) had just launched in San Diego and I signed up. It was a gig I could do when not on tour, make my own hours, and step away from when the band’s tour schedule demanded that.
I was also taking on voiceover gigs sporadically back then, too, some of which I could even accomplish while on the road. Being on the road itself is not very easy, it definitely takes a mental and emotional toll to spend long hours in a vehicle, perform in the evening, often hanging out until the end of show (we’ve got merch to sell, fans to meet and befriend) and sacrificing sleep and personal freedom for weeks or months at a time. The downtime you get isn’t exactly “quality” downtime, so it definitely takes a high amount of passion and drive to make it all worth it.
For some it’s not worth it, and they kind of learn the hard way that the road isn’t what’s right for them. With time, the band built fans, we were able to pay ourselves more and eventually travel more comfortably on a tour bus. We’ve had a lot of ups-and-downs individually and as a band. But the truth of the music industry, in both its live and recorded aspects is that most musicians need to fill in gaps in pay and activity. Some in the band give lessons throughout the year, others do freelance sessions (recording) and music production work. I do a bit of those too as well as a voiceover artist and continue to build a catalog for use in film/TV.
Q: How do you balance chasing gigs that pay the bills and gigs that shape your career in the direction you want to move in?
A: It depends on my bank account at any given moment or month!
I definitely, usually, can’t solely accept gigs that are super exciting or creatively challenging to me. I can’t say that every voiceover job I do is super fulfilling or exciting, but in the moment of performing and recording it, I find my zone and have fun being present for the job, even if it might be a “Top 10 Worst Yacht Accidents in the 2010’s” YouTube video I don’t feel particularly connected to.
One of the most fulfilling things I get to do is write and play music with my friends and then play that music in front of live, enthusiastic and excited audiences. That fulfillment for me goes a long way in filling my happiness bucket, you could say, so when one-off gigs that aren’t exactly as exciting or fulfilling for me come along, I’m perfectly OK with that. I haven’t had to be a rideshare driver in some years, but even driving for Uber was oftentimes a blast, hah, but it’s something that doesn’t move the creative needle in any direction at all with regards to music.
I try to find gigs and activities that either build IP (intellectual property) for myself and my future (my production and song catalog) or are actively musical (like being a hybrid sax/DJ for weddings and events, which I picked up during the pandemic era).
Q: What’s a musician’s version of networking to ensure new gigs are coming in and that you stay relevant?
A: Being ever present on social media can be a very effective way of reminding the world what you do and how you’re doing it. I’ve been contacted on Instagram for collaborations or paid gigs from reels or stories showing off my production, songwriting, singing or saxophone.
Then there’s checking on former collaborators and clients throughout the year to stay top of mind. I’m always creating on my own, if not for a specific pitch or goal, then just for the fun of it. It takes a few taps of my phone to document snippets of that process on social media and it can sometimes be as simple as that––staying present and relevant.
I’m also actively checking out and applying to voiceover and production or composition gigs via Upwork and LinkedIn when I need to get a boost of client work. It’s a combination of a kind of passive and active effort. Networking for me typically results more in collaboration with other songwriters, which often involves writing and collaborating on music that is pitched for opportunities which may or may not materialize (it’s a competitive field!). I have to make sure to leave a little time in my schedule for that type of collaborative work and balance it with paid/work for hire opportunities.
Q: Tell us your best tips for balancing gigs, managing your time, and juggling finances all while touring the world.
A: While it’s good to stay creative and active on tour, it’s definitely a no-no to bite off more than you can chew.
I think being very open in communication with collaborators while on tour goes a long way. When off tour and looking to fill in time, I increase my creative output as well as gig applications and one-off contracts. So I might do a 6 hour audiobook in my off time, something I would never accept while on the road.
It’s good to get a feel of what your chances are of snagging certain gigs throughout the year. For me it’s wedding and holiday event seasons for DJ gigs, checking my band’s schedule (we often book 4-6 months out) and applying to projects and gigs that I know can fall between those windows of high activity.
Don’t forget to keep your chops up––be it saxophone, songwriting, production. When I’m on tour, I’m less motivated to open my laptop and just create without a specific goal but maintaining some creative practice even a few times a week goes a long way as opposed to waiting till after a tour. I’m obviously wearing many hats as a songwriter, touring musician, and producer but luckily keeping all these skills up kind of feeds into each other. Nonetheless, I have to be conscious about how much I’m dedicating to all these skills throughout the year to stay on point.
Q: You recently decided to up and move to the Netherlands. What led you to this and why Holland?
A: My wife and I have long wanted as a couple to spend some time living outside of the US. This stayed as a mostly vague goal as we spent much of our 30’s developing professionally in our respective fields.
Having children put a bit of a timeline on things as we didn’t want to uproot and move anywhere if our children were in their teenage years. It also changed the focus heavily away from what we might enjoy and appreciate as a childless couple, and onto what would be best for developing children. We think there is a huge value in giving our children an international experience and the increased perspective that would be fostered.
The culture, location, infrastructure, and kind of lifestyle possible in the Netherlands, particularly in Amsterdam, felt in line with much of what we value––living in a walkable city, a region full of culture and diversity, the bike life, saying goodbye to hectic California highways, and coming to appreciate some real weather (I know, many people think it’s nuts to leave California sunshine for anything else, but we embrace the change!) Oh, and then there’s the issue of a visa that permits us to easily uproot and work abroad.
We found that freedom in the DAFT visa which is specific to the USA and the Netherlands and allows one to work in the Netherlands as a sole-proprietor/solopreneur.
Q: You mentioned how each song you write and produce is its own little business and gamble. Please tell us more about this.
A: Totally. For me, this is where the balance comes into play of fun, passion, creativity and real world commercial viability.
When you write a song to pitch to a specific artist, there typically is a lot of competition pitching their best to that artist. So the results of collaboration do not often end up being recorded by the target artist. Nonetheless the song now exists as a speck of potential.
It could be for another artist at some point in the future, or even in its demo form, as the perfect song for a sci-fi movie trailer, or a breakfast cereal commercial. Even songs that are recorded by lesser known indie artists can be picked up by bigger artists sometimes years after their creation. Songs can go in a lot of different directions after they are crafted into existence.
Even after such an opportunity happens, the song continues on in your catalog waiting to be tapped for future opportunities. Staying in touch with your catalog and constantly finding those opportunities for each individual and unique song is definitely a part of a songwriter’s business activities. The gamble comes in the creative process, you don’t often have a guarantee that it will go where you want it to, but in the moment, in the room, or on the Zoom, you put that all aside and give in to the dream, create the best version of the song as it seems to want to be written and then you put your business hat in the weeks and years to come with that musical property.
Q: Why did you choose Xolo and how has your experience been with the platform and service so far?
A: I happened upon Xolo through a Facebook group dedicated to other solopreneurs who have (or are planning to) move to the Netherlands.
One of the big challenges we face as expats is navigating the Dutch tax system, business practices and regulations for invoicing and carrying on as a business. So far, the team has been super responsive and helpful in getting me set up (I’m still only months new, mind you). It feels super relieving to know that there is a proper Dutch accountant along with Xolo to ensure I don’t make any mistakes in conducting business as a ZZPer in the Netherlands.
Q: What one thing would you hope a reader here may take away?
You’re stronger with community. Being a freelancer can sometimes feel lonely. Find your tribe, build your network, join communities, go outside of your comfort zone a little if it’s not natural for you, because it’s well worth the support you both receive and give.
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