We had the good fortune of connecting with Nate DeVera and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Nate, how do you think about risk?

In my day job as an aerospace engineer, risk is a topic that always comes up. Risk is unavoidable but must be mitigated. You can never eliminate all risk in a given situation, but you must do what you can to burn down the most risk that you can, to the best of your ability.

In life, people tend to be risk averse. All of us will choose low risk if we can still maintain our own personal necessities. However, to push the boundaries and strive for more than what is in radial reach, taking risk is not only necessary, but it is inevitable – this is an interesting parallel to my engineering application, as risk is always going to be present in complexity & innovation.

I have constantly strived to be more than just the status quo in everything that I am and everything that I do. I think this is partly due to my upbringing as a first-generation American born child, as both of my parents are hardworking immigrants (Mother, Israel & Father, Philippines) who instilled strong diligence into our family. In addition to my upbringing, I have always felt an innate calling to go above and beyond, in anything that I do. Sounds silly, but even with something as simple as cooking a meal, I go all out with research and prep and execution, because I can’t settle for mediocrity even in the trivial. My mindset and methodology is that takings risks by stepping into the world of unknown challenges ahead is a necessary step in the formula for the success I want to achieve in life.

In my career as a musician, the risk is clear: if I continue to balance it with my full-time engineering job, then I have late nights ahead of me, sacrifice to time with my friends and family, the risk of judgement by my peers and strangers (ex: promoting my music), the investment of resources (time, money, etc.) that I am committing to this, ALL WHILE the potential outcome that it may never reap any benefits (people may not like my music, I may get judged, my career would flop, etc.). If I let those risks change my trajectory, I would never have launched (aerospace pun unintended).

I took this risk because music has always been a part of me, my soul, and what I believe to be my purpose in life. When it came to the point that I decided to pursue music as a second career (alongside my full-time job as an Aerospace Engineer), it was an easy decision to make for variety of reasons.

Above all other reasons, I love the idea of people creating something that is 100% themself (in my case, creating something that is 100% ME). Nothing beats that. Even doing the innovative work that I do as an Aerospace Engineer, there is always someone who contributes before, alongside, and after you (that’s okay, by the way, because it takes a village for certain huge feats; however, some ownership gets lost there).

What I love about my career as a musician, and from starting DeVera Industries LLC, is that I create things 100% on my own that have never been done before: cradle to grave. That is truly unique. Fast forward countless long nights from when I “officially” started this endeavor in 2021, I am now a one-stop shop for 100% of my music and the business I built: I write, produce, mix, master, and engineer my songs; I graphic design all of my album artworks; I book and promote my own shows; I content create and manage my social media, from Instagram to TikTok. I understand that there is a ton of risk in this business model, given that I am a single-point failure for all those times. However, I see it in a different light: by taking on those risks, I have enabled myself to grow into the best, most decisive, most creative, and most original version of myself as an artist and CEO.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?

Music has always been part of who I am – whether I actively pursued it or not, it always found me.

Some background on me: my first time formally performing on stage was in 8th grade in our school production of the musical, Grease, where I played Danny Zuko. From that point, I fell in love with performing and began applying my love for music. I did musical theatre throughout high school and continued my musical journey by being part of my university’s premier male a cappella group (all while balancing it with College Rugby, my engineering degree plan, multiple part-time jobs, and other leadership roles). Coming out of college, I started my full-time job as an Aerospace Engineer, and music found its way back into my life. It was like an itch I couldn’t scratch – I had written songs over hip hop music I loved for many years, and it wasn’t until late 2020 / early 2021 that I decided to take real action. Once I did, I never turned back.

I realized that being an artist and exercising that right-brain part of who I am not only gives me a balance from the left-brain engineer inside of me that I practice in my daytime career, but it also fulfills the innate sense of self-purpose that I have to share music with the world; that is something that I believe I am on this earth to pursue. Music creates a unique bond between humans (writer to listener, listener to listener, etc.) that transcends tangible description. This is always something I have loved about music and now have the opportunity to appreciate more through the creation of my own catalog.

Was and is it easy? Absolutely not! But the pursuit of greatness in life rarely is. For every innovator (especially artists), regardless of the field, we all hit the adversity barrier that is a combination of rejection, imposter syndrome, and the thought of giving up; this can happen monthly, weekly, daily, and even hourly, depending on the day and experience. Sometimes the thought of continuing to be an artist seems ludicrous. “For what? Why am I doing this?” every negative thought floods the brain. What I have learned and seen in some of my professional idols is that you must believe in yourself to a delusional amount (balanced with diligence and consistency, of course) in order to truly succeed. The dream of “making it” may feel irrational and illogical. Guess what – it is (to you, to your peers, to the world), until it isn’t (when it happens and actually manifests); once that happens, it is one of the most logical thing to have ever happened.

I believe that what I am doing hasn’t been done to the level that I am both currently doing it at and striving to do it at. To elaborate further, I want to shed some insight on the music industry:

Most people hear a song (on the radio, Spotify, Apple Music, etc.) and give the credit damn near 100% to the artist. While that artist is most definitely talented and deserves credit, what is buried under the surface (a majority of the time) is a product (the song) that has countless layers of contribution to make that a reality: the producer who made the beat/tune, the sound engineer who mixed and mastered the song file, the group of writers who helped the artist, the marketing team who manages the messaging and socialization of that song, the team that works with distributors to get the song distributed, the record label who own the majority of the stake, and the list can go on and on. In some situations, the actual artist has so little to do with the finished product you are hearing, how you are hearing it, and the fact that you are even hearing it.
That is why I am proud to be an independent artist. As mentioned previously, I am responsible for and am the originator of 100% of my catalog. What that means, from the business side, is that I reap 100% of the rewards of my catalog’s success. Emotionally, as an artist, that is priceless. Financially, as a CEO, that is unilateral revenue.

Don’t get me wrong, I am not the first independent musician who is working diligently towards his or her dream of sharing their music around the world, and I definitely won’t be the last… But have you ever met a Rocket Scientist and Rapper? I say that tongue-in-cheek, but my balance of two intensive careers as an Aerospace Engineer & Musician, at the level that I am performing both of them, is unprecedented. In only 4 years of school, I attained 3 degrees: an M.S. in Mechanical Engineering, a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering, and a B.S. in Mathematics. While I cannot disclose much of what I do as an engineer, I can say that I have grown rapidly and spearheaded innovations on my program in ways that are both untraditional and exceptional. To do that, all while pursuing a second career in music/entertainment, arguably one of the most competitive and erratic industries out there, is something that I take pride in.

I aim to show people who have multiple passions in life that it is absolutely possible to do and attain both. Most mentors in my life often have discouraged me from pursuing too much – to be frank, they are right: you can only cut your pie into so many slices. However, I want to show the world and others out there like me (with multiple passions but may feel trapped in a career or have had their courage chipped away at throughout the years) that with some decisiveness, planning, and priority management, turning multiple dreams into multiple successes is absolutely achievable.

Who I am and what I believe my “brand” represents is the idea of embracing dichotomy. I feel like people feel as if they are forced to choose one side of something: choose one opinion, choose one political outlook, choose one religion, choose one side of your brain, choose one dream, and so on. It goes back to the misinterpreted idea that “if you don’t stand for something, you will for anything.” I say misinterpreted, because I believe people use this outlook to narrow their aperture on life until they are looking through a keyhole; they turn a world full of possibilities and multiple outlooks into a single-faceted, superficial, and false reality. Instead, stand for complexity; stand for depth; stand for a multi-faceted reality that enables your highest potential. Then, and only then, will you not fall for falsehoods.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.

Health/fitness and the outdoors is an integral part of who I am, so if a friend was visiting for the week, we would definitely be utilizing the beauty that Denver & Colorado as a whole has to offer! If was during the summer, I would make sure we would be hiking in the Rockies multiple days, maybe even camping, to breathe in that fresh air. If it was during the winter, I would plan a trip in a mountain cabin to enjoy the snow and go skiing/snowboarding a few days.

Down in Denver, I would show my friend the awesome parks that the city has (Wash Park, Confluence Park, etc.) and throw in some games of volleyball and spikeball while we’re at it. Food is important to me, as it is something that my family has always bonded over. So, I would make sure that we hit my favorite restaurants in LoDo, RiNo, LoHi, and so on, that the city is home to (same favorites: Federales, Aloy Thai, Machete, anything sushi related, Guard & Grace, bartaco, Man vs Fries, and I could keep going). At some point in the week, I would so make sure we went to a concert at Red Rocks; it’s a Colorado staple that I can’t let my friend miss out on.

I am sure I am missing some, but those items alone would make for a perfect week. I have grown to love Colorado since I moved here in 2019 – I was raised in Las Vegas, NV, my whole life, went to school in Dallas, TX, and moved to Denver for my engineering job. Of all of the places I have lived, nothing compares to the beauty, vibrancy, and energy that I feel in Denver. I am so grateful to be here!

Graduates, faculty, family and friends attend the Lyle School of Engineering Graduation Diploma Ceremony, Saturday, May 18, 2019 in Moody Coliseum on the SMU Campus.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I wouldn’t be anywhere close to where I am right now in life without the support and love of my family – both “by blood” and chosen family. All of you have molded me into the courageous man I am today through your valuable lessons, your unwavering kindness, and your steadfast encouragement. Whether I’ve known you my whole life or just the past year, you have all been advocates of me as a human being since I can remember, and for that, I am indebted to each of you. I love you all more than language can convey!

Website: https://linktr.ee/natedeveramusic

Instagram: @natedevera42

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nathan-devera/

Youtube: https://youtu.be/mD9UctuHrOQ

Other: TikTok – https://www.tiktok.com/@natemusic42 IG Link – https://www.instagram.com/natedevera42 Spotify – https://open.spotify.com/artist/7LQqIB7tbjyOTRv4wczaJf?si=lcXX4BlvQt2QoYQXW-PhRw Apple Music – https://music.apple.com/us/artist/nate/926995007 SoundCloud – https://on.soundcloud.com/2hN3n

Image Credits
Credit: Thomas Sedberry –> Musician Pictures of me (all of them excluding the one engineering picture of me in front of the missile) all taken by the same person, Thomas^

Nominate Someone: ShoutoutColorado is built on recommendations and shoutouts from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.