Justin Bailey, 19, was given his first guitar at a very young age. It lit a fire under him that continues to this day.

“My grandfather got me an acoustic guitar when I was young,” Bailey said, “and I began showing interest in music in many different ways after that. I started taking guitar more seriously later and got myself an electric to learn lead guitar. From there I started a rock band and became our singer, almost by default, but it sparked a new interest for me, and I began to train my vocals as well. I also picked up the drum kit, bass, and electronic production/beatmaking along the way, but guitar and vocals are both my primary instruments.”

Although mostly self-taught on the guitar, Bailey credits instruction at Sweetwater and vocal coaching with Rochelle Starnes with giving him confidence. Bailey has played long enough to refer to his “old band” The Setup when sharing his favorite musical memory playing at a friend’s graduation party.

“It was a nice outdoor stage, and it was a great feeling to celebrate and perform for a big group of our friends all together.”

As he works toward a music industry degree through Purdue Fort Wayne and Sweetwater, Bailey records under the name Houston, available on multiple platforms.

“I want to take my career to a level where I can work with other artists that I enjoy listening to. It would be my dream to make a song with someone like Travis Scott or Kid Cudi.”