From the Frontlines to the Studio: A Story About They Call Me Biz
Despite the risks and hardships, plenty of dedicated frontline workers continue to commit to doing their job during COVID-19. They Call Me Biz is one of those dedicated frontline workers. But not only is he a frontline worker, he’s also a musician. Both careers allow for Biz to help people and provide inspiration through real life experience.
Learn about They Call Me Biz below as he talks about life being flipped turned upside down since COVID-19, carrying weight on his shoulders, and how he’s able to merge his two careers together - working at a hospital and music .
While many people may know you from the music world, you’re also an employer at Northwestern Memorial Hospital and have been for close to 13 years. Your career as an individual has the capability to impact those in the world. As we head into July, break down these last four months. How much has your life changed since COVID-19?
It’s been a wild ride. I work in ER and X-ray - everyday is crazy. It’s normal to say the things that I’ve seen aren’t that routine. While I’ve gotten used to it, when this pandemic came along, it knocked me off my game a little bit. Everything basically turned upside down.
At first everything was tucked under the rug and everyone said that everything’s going to be fine. Then all of a sudden we are in a full blown pandemic, everybody is wearing masks, people are having their temperatures taken. At the beginning of this, people were scared, I would walk out to the waiting room in ER and I was overwhelmed. Hundreds of people piled in freaking out about everything that’s going on. And then it transitioned from that to a ghost town because people were told to stay at home and not go to the hospital unless they had to. Surgeries were cancelled and everything that wasn’t deemed emergent stopped happening. It was such a weird paradox, on one end everything is shutting down, but also we are in a pandemic so you never know whats going to happen when people are getting rushed in and out. Just that fear that I felt from employees and the people was wild. I’ve been in a lot of scary situations, but this time the air felt different. Doctors didn’t know what to do and people were constantly acting on their toes, trying to figure this out as it goes.
I feel like things have leveled off a little bit now and we’re getting a better grasp on it. However, as you can see around the country, we’re seeing spikes again. We thought it would go away when it became warm, but we’re still learning.
It’s definitely a crazy thing to think about. Your priorities get shifted really quickly when things like this happen.
For people who aren’t in the hospitals and aren’t aware of everything that goes on behind those doors, what are some challenges that you’re facing in a time like right now?
I’m not going to front, I had some thoughts of conspiracy inside of me when things kicked off. I cant help that, I’m human. But I had to step back from that and say I don’t know why this is happening or what this means or if this is government control. That doesn’t matter because real peoples’ lives are being affected and people are dying.
You can say whatever you want, but it was so hard to come home or be places. When you’re just at home chilling, making music, playing Fornite, you don’t think this is real. It’s easy to distance yourself from it. When I’m home looking out my window, I feel like everything is okay. When I’m at work, it’s a whole different world. I had to check a lot of people and tell them, whatever you think is going on is fine and we can sort that out later, but right now people are being affected. So maybe you don’t agree with a lot of stuff or maybe this will turn into something crazy, but right now we have to take care of each other. That’s really all we can do. Because that’s all we know - what’s in front of you.
“I THINK THAT PRIORITIES HAVE SHIFTED.
IT DIDN’T MATTER WHAT YOUR ROLE WAS, APPRECIATION LEVELS SKYROCKETED.
FROM HOUSEKEEPING TO DOCTORS, IT MADE ME REALIZE THAT WE ARE ALL ESSENTIAL PEOPLE.”
What has been one good thing that you’ve noticed during this outbreak? Either something you’ve seen on social or something in the hospitals.
I think that priorities have shifted. Everybody had to come together for this. Nothing else mattered. It didn’t matter what your role was, appreciation levels skyrocketed. Everybody from housekeeping to doctors, it made me realize that we all are essential people.
I’m a little worried that will change when life ‘goes back to normal.’ But that was the coolest thing that I saw. People flashing their lights, making crazy noises at 8pm every night. People looking at things differently was and still is the best thing that has come out of this.
Do you feel like there’s a lot of weight on your shoulders right now being a frontline worker?
I don’t look at it like that. I feel like I’m doing my job. Thats what you do in these times. It was never something that I signed up for. I used to do casting for movies. I went to film school at Columbia and slowly thought I was going to do medical stuff. I was an assistant in the medical department, my friend got me a job and it just kept growing into different positions. But you know what, I love working with people and helping them. Its definitely scary, but it’s a beautiful thing.
As we transition into music, how have your two passions crossed over throughout all of this?
I think my job has forced me to look at the big picture in life. It’s really hard for me to get caught up in the bullshit because people don’t even know. Time is short. Money doesn’t even matter. I used to get so caught up on numbers and how many people were at my shows. I used to be in the studio with these people who have blown up and sometimes I think to myself, damn where did I go wrong. But the music is the answer and the reward. You talk to anybody that’s made it and the journey is always the best part. I feel like seeing life and death in front of me has made me appreciate the simpler aspects of success and almost the truer versions of success. I’ve been more honest in my music and doing it for me, as opposed to trying to figure out what other people want to hear. I think that’s what created success for me on my journey.
You talked about finding purpose throughout your music journey. Is that something that you’ve always thought or when did you begin to look at life through that lens?
I’d say about a year and a half ago. I got real sick. I got blood clots and could’ve died from them. It happened while I was at work. I passed out and I thought I was having a heart attack. When I woke up in the hospital there was a shift in me. I had been so anxious at work from being around life and death all of the time. But I was able to separate myself because I never thought it would happen to me being young and healthy. Now I realize it doesn’t matter, there are no rules. That was a game changer for me. Then I realized, what if I died? I would’ve never made it. But then its like, what does make it even mean? I made a certain amount of money? I got a certain amount of views/likes?
I wrote this song called Nobody Cares that’s going to be coming out soon. It’s not as negative as it sounds, it’s about being in this journey by yourself. It’s a very melancholy type of song. When I look back on my music and everywhere it’s brought me - it has brought me all of my friends, you and I here, talking right now. I got married to my wife who I met at my show. None of this would’ve happened if it wasn’t for my music. So I wrote in the song, “looking at it now, I guess I really did succeed.” Thats how I look at life now.
I know we are in quarantine and I’m sure you’re extremely busy with work, but have you been working on new music?
I’ve been trying to stay more active, but the crazy thing is I’m in the studio always working. I’ve got like 30 or 40 records that I need to put out. I don’t know what it is. That’s my goal right now. I overthink things a lot and I’m going to just start putting music out. You will see that very soon. I just like making music, I need to get better at releasing it. Ever since this pandemic started, there hasn’t been live music or open mics, which I spent a lot of my time at previously. I don’t even know what that scene is going to be like anymore.
Last November, you had your music being played at the Bulls game. What was that like for you?
It was incredible. My team and I were jumping and going crazy. Security was trying to have us sit down, but I kept telling them it was me up there. While my music played for 30 - 45 seconds, hearing my voice get blasted through the speakers at the United Center and seeing people bopping their heads to my music, man, that was a taste of what I call success. That’s the validation you look for as an artist. Although I don’t have a huge social following and streams, I’m always grinding.
“MY ADVICE WOULD BE TO GET RID OF ALL OF THE SMOKE AND MIRRORS
BECAUSE ALL OF THE STUFF YOU’VE BEEN RUNNING FROM IS WHAT YOU NEED TO FACE”
As you look back on these last 100+ days, what’s one thing you’ve learned about yourself that you want to share with others?
The one thing that I learned about myself is that I really lack focus. I’m a man with a lot of half finished plans and I want to change that. Half finished books, half finished video games, half finished songs. It’s time for that to change.
The other thing that quarantine has taught me is that you can’t run from yourself and I think too many people do exactly that. By the time they realize they were doing it, it was too late. My advice would be to get rid of all of the smoke and mirrors because all of the stuff you’ve been running from is what you need to face.
Written by: Nico Rud