Sometimes, it pays off to have your heart broken.
An up-and-coming hip hop artist from Moncton got a big boost for his career and his confidence earlier this month, after a song he wrote about a crush was noticed by well-known pop artist, Noah Cyrus.
“(Noah Cyrus) re-posted it on her page with 4.5 million followers, which was quite a shock to wake up to,” said Roderick Porter.
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Huddled in the back of his basement next to the water heater and surrounded by surplus store blankets used for sound proofing, Porter writes and produces his songs
He says it’s a struggle trying to get noticed in a province that isn’t exactly known for hip hop.
“The majority of listeners are listening to country or classic rock and things like that. I put everything onto online and I feel that that has paid off in dividends in the long run,” he said.
It was a long shot, but a song Roderick wrote called “You” about a crush he had in university caught the eye of a girl all right – but not the one it was originally intended for.
“I had liked her a lot but I felt like she didn’t feel the same way about me. So I vented my frustrations by writing a song about unrequited loved,” he said.
His venting paid off.
Cyrus, who is now on tour, gave Porter’s song a shout-out on her Instagram and he even got a private message from her account, asking to hear more of his music.
Global News reached out to Cyrus for comment, but didn’t hear back from the artist.
Music producer Cairo Weir and Roderick are working on a batch of new songs together and are still reeling from the recognition.
“When you are in New Brunswick, there is not a lot of other people around that are doing it, so you have to search for them through the whole internet,” said Weir.
Now fans are seeking Porter out.
“Some of them treat me like I am super star already, which is crazy. They will send me messages and I will respond and they will be like, ‘Oh my gosh he responded!’ And I am down here in my basement,” he said.
Porter knows he hasn’t exactly made it just yet. He and Weir soon plan to hit the road to Toronto to try and build their careers but are now more confident than ever.
When asked what he has to say to the girl who inspired the song, Porter laughed and said, “Call me.”
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