By Vy Nguyen & Jenny Tran
On the sunny and cool weekends of September, with the date marking the 16th, junior Ian Valle’s new song dropped with a bang. As his second single of all time, Valle released the song through a plethora of platforms, including YouTube and Spotify, and promoted on his social media pages for all to listen to. During the past year, Valle has gained traction for his music, as he debuted at Fountain Valley High School’s The Voice in 2021 and released his first music video First Day, drawing up a space in music for his voice and career.
When he was just four or five years old, Valle found a love for music. From jamming out to Michael Jackson to participating in middle school talent shows, he found ways to pursue music as a hobby.
“Music has always been a part of my life,” Valle said.
He draws inspiration from the groundbreaking names in the music industry, such as Freddie Mercury, Michael Jackson and 2000s rapper Kanye West. Even beyond his musical role models, Valle underscores his inspiration as coming from his own life experiences, which especially rings true with “No Offense.”
“I really just wanted to make this song not particularly about me, but a song where people can all gather around and have something that they can relate to,” Valle said.
During a trip to Palm Springs over last summer, the expansion from Orange County to the rich city in California’s Coachella Valley made something inside Valle’s mind click, and the idea for “No Offense” began to write itself.
“Many of us might have experiences with people that give us criticism that isn’t constructive per se… They try to diminish us, maybe they criticize us. They’ll say ‘Hey, but no offense’ this and ‘no offense’ that, but in reality they’re trying to offend us,” Valle said. “I knew that many people in this world had experienced something like that, and with that, I saw the need for it to be made.”
“No Offense” isn’t Valle’s first rodeo, either. With his extensive musical experience, he has a sizable catalog to his name—having written ten songs preceding this new release. However, “No Offense” is only the second one he has officially released, with his first song “First Day” debuting in February.
The release of “First Day” shocked Valle, gaining notable public attention for it from social media and even at school. He found this response greatly motivating, knowing that there are people out there who are genuinely interested in his music. As someone who is so fervently passionate about music, it was a significant moment in not just his musical career, but his entire life.
“Music has been something that I’ve felt that I could always go to. I felt that it’s given me an opportunity to express myself,” Valle said. “It has always just been an outlet for me as well, because it’s a way to show [yourself] to the world and connect with that other part of you in your life.”
However, as a student, Valle has run into difficulties balancing his hobby with his academics and other extracurriculars. Especially with his more rigorous schedule this year, it’s sometimes hectic to pursue his music along with everything else. But, because of this, he has found the importance of keeping organized and on top of things.
“I think it is very critical for anybody who wants to achieve a certain level of success, a certain level of developing a skill,” Valle said. “I understand that, you know, day-to-day we can get carried away with many things. We have deadlines to meet, we have events that we have to go to, a social life, all this type of stuff. And I think what’s very critical and what has helped me is just staying organized.”
At the moment, music is currently just a hobby of Valle’s, and he currently doesn’t have any plans to pursue it as a career. However, he believes that it will always be a part of his life.
“I think it’s important that whatever it is that we [are] after high school…it’s important that we always connect to our roots and connect to the things that give us that spark of passion,” Valle said. “Creativity is definitely something that’s highly important and should be included in everybody’s lives.”
For those looking into making music, Valle believes the best advice he can give is to have trust in their abilities and make sure they are passionate about what they are doing. He also emphasizes the importance of really engaging yourself if you are to pursue a skill. Music is one of the first things he hasn’t merely dabbled in—and it’s paid off.
You can listen to “No Offense” and Valle’s other songs on all streaming platforms, and keep with his music updates @ianvallle on Instagram.
