Reach Records Artist GAWVI shares valuable advice he got about balancing success and family
ORLANDO, Fla. — Reach Records artist GAWVI shared the best advice he ever got on balancing success and family life while on the road.
GAWVI, 30, and his Reach Records family: Lecrae, Andy Mineo, Tedashii, Trip Lee, KB, 1K Phew, and WHATUPRG just wrapped up their Unashamed Tour where he showcased his talents as an artist.
After almost a decade of making chart-topping hits as a hip-hop producer, in 2017 GAWVI released his debut album "We Belong," and followed up the album with his singing debut "Panorama," which he called a “big transition.”
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"I used to be doing more of the producer side. But now I really dived into just being the artist singing more and all my songs now," GAWVI told The Christian Post in a recent interview held backstage at the Unashamed Tour’s Orlando stop.
Part of his transition now includes two small children and being intentional about spending more time with his family, which he described as “amazing.”
"Family is definitely a blessing. My daughter, now she's 3 years old, little Giana, she's my heart. Then, my son, he's 1 year old now, Camilo, he's my buddy. Then me and my wife. We just completed five years. So it's been amazing,” GAWVI gushed.
When asked to share the story behind his song, “Don't leave,” which is dedicated to his wife, the talented composer opened up about their marriage journey as a young couple.
"On the album, I do talk about my family a lot,” GAWVI said. “So right before Panorama I went on this tour. It was a great experience, but I was gone from my family for like two months. Basically, when you're away from your family like that, it causes a lot of friction.”
“I was just trying to be real on the song, 'Don't leave me.' I was like, 'babe, I'm coming back home and I know we're going through a lot of rough times right now.' It was one of those venting moments that I know my wife really appreciated when I came back home and she heard the song.”
The South Florida native also dedicated his song, “Trapchata” to his wife, which he called “a romantic song for her.”
GAWVI then shared how he balances his musical success and family life. He confessed he’s “still learning” how to manage everything properly but shared a nugget of advice he was given.
“I definitely know the importance of family. Me and my wife, we're going through marriage counseling, it's so needed. One of my old friends, he was my youth pastor too, he told me something amazing. He said, 'me and my wife, we do marriage counseling once a month,’” he said.
“It doesn't have to be for everyone. That doesn't have to be your formula. But even if their season is amazing, they still feel that they need to go to marriage counseling, just to make sure to check in to see how is everything going,” GAWVI continued.
He then explained some of the things he personally does to keep his relationships strong.
"I want to make sure I check in with my wife. I want to date her consistently. I want to make sure there's always a spark,” he confessed.
“Even with my kids, I want to make sure I'm very intentional spending time with them. Lecrae taught me the best [advice]. He was like, 'kids don't spell love, L-O-V-E, they spell love with time. That makes so much sense.”
GAWVI is currently making music for label mates Andy Mineo and Trip Lee, and is working on an album that he's hoping to release in the fall.
