‘The parallel lives of our Independent Professionals’ presents a-connect IPs who are running exciting ventures outside of their consultancy work. From part-time journalists and B&B owners, to musicians and shellfish breeding, our entrepreneurial IPs tell us just what it takes to have a dual-track career.
Today, Bruno Santos, who joined the a-connect network in London in 2016, shares with us his inspiration to become a musician, how he combines his occupations and of course, where to find his music.
Read the full interview here.
1. When you are not working as an IP, what do you do?
Music is my main occupation away from consulting – especially writing, performing and recording original songs.
I am enthralled by every step in the music production process, from lyric and music composition, to playing multiple instruments and creating great sounding records. I am also my own publisher and label, handling everything from production and copyright registration, to distribution and promotion.Technology allows me to do this from home or even on the road while working as a consultant with clients overseas. Music accompanies me everywhere.
I also enjoy spending time with family/friends and pursue parallel hobbies, including long-distance running and anything that involves creating and learning.
2. How did you start singing and playing music, and who has inspired you the most?
My start in music came from growing up in a musical home with a violinist mother and music-loving father. It was not long before I picked up a (tiny) violin around the age of 3 and later began exploring other instruments. Inspirations came from everywhere through the cultural diversity of living in 12 different cities – 10 countries – 6 continents. Countless people have inspired me in different ways on the multiple disciplines I pursue within music.
3. What has been your biggest success as a musician?
I do not believe there has been a single “biggest success” in my musical path. Every technique mastered, song written, collaboration, gig, record produced, track published on Spotify, iTunes, Amazon or anywhere else, press/TV/radio appearance (such as Rolling Stone magazine, Billboard, MTV, and many more) – each step has been a key success in building and maintaining my life in music.
Picasso famously said: “All children are born artists, the problem is to remain an artist as we grow up.” Remaining an artist at the edge of my craft and consistently creating new material, despite parallel lives in demanding fields such as consulting, is a big success in itself for me.
4. How does being an IP influence your music career and how does being a musician influence your IP-career?
Music inspired my interest in business and ultimately consulting. I stumbled into the music industry at a young age and quickly (a) noticed commonalities among seemingly unrelated industries, (b) understood the value of strategy and (c) discovered that I enjoy learning about and solving complex situations that generate a positive impact. Both careers are complimentary to each other and require overlapping skills such as structure, persistence and teamwork. In consulting and music, I am constantly absorbing external inputs to create a tailored output from a blank sheet of paper.
I believe the discipline, creativity and entrepreneurial spirit developed in music seep into my consulting work and add value to projects even when my clients have no idea about my music life. In turn, consulting has strengthened my leadership, communication and analytical skills, which are all valuable in the music business.
5. Are you performing on a regular basis?
Currently, I am ambitiously concentrated on writing and recording new music. Time is scarce when working as a consultant and initiatives in music can be endless. While I love performing, my attention naturally shifts between studio and stage depending on where I am in the music creation–promotion cycle. A focused drive within each realm, consulting and music, allows me to sustain and excel in these parallel activities.
6. Do you plan to focus more on the roles as a musician or on being a consultant in the future?
Both roles are meaningful to me for the intellectual challenges involved, potential for impact, people I work with, autonomy and congruence with my global background. They are not mutually exclusive and I plan to continue engaging in exciting consulting projects while maintaining my music in parallel.
Bruno is an a-connect Independent Professional who began his career at Petrobras in Singapore, a major global petrochemicals-supplier before moving to Brazil, where he worked for boutique consulting companies and Procter & Gamble. His experience spans multiple industry sectors, with a focus on Financial Services, FMCG, Chemicals and Agribusiness. Bruno has lived all over the world, including the Middle East, Asia, Europe, and North and South America. Balancing his life as Independent Professional and Musician, he strongly relies on technology to connect both worlds.
Bruno sings and plays all instruments heard here on Spotify and iTunes.
