Meet Aaron “Servaun” Williams | Musician & Content Creator

We had the good fortune of connecting with Aaron “Servaun” Williams and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Aaron “Servaun”, what led you to pursuing a creative path professionally?
Being a creative person is in my blood. With my mom being a singer, my dad being an artist, and having multiple musicians in my family, it was only genetically fitting that I would become a musician, DJ, producer, sound engineer AND content creator. They have been instrumental in motivating me to continue pursuing my passion to this very day and I wouldn’t trade it for anything in the world.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
I’ve been playing drums for 20+ years, practically since I was 2 years old, and have been self-taught since then. I began playing in church at the age of 14 and still currently play there. I began to venture out to play jazz and orchestral music in high school where I won several “Outstanding Musician” Awards in competitions as well as the national “Louis Armstrong Jazz Award.” From there I also got the opportunity to play other genres such as rock and roll, alternative rock, reggae, and metal. During that time period, moving into my college years, I started my own band in called “PA3 Quartet,” a jazz fusion quartet that played across the Chicagoland area. I also joined the alternative rock band “The None Others” and recorded two studio albums, as well as had a SOLD OUT appearance at Reggie’s Rock Club. After college, I began to establish myself in the independent artist scene in Chicago and played for Sunday Sessions, Mara Love & Friends, Aaron Gunn, CallMeIsreal (Izzy & The Rastâz), Tyriq, Daniel Lamar, and many others. Currently, I play drums for multiple artists, most notably Erthe St. James and B. Lilly & The Natural Element.

My passion for producing and DJ’ing started and began being cultivated when I started working for a non-profit organization called BUILD Chicago. BUILD is a nationally respected gang intervention, violence prevention, and youth development organization based on Chicago’s West Side that works to save lives and mentor young people who live in the city’s most challenged neighborhoods. Their services reach over 2,500 youth a year helping them build hope, resilience, and a path to a promising future. I was able to work with so many talented young people who wanted to learn skills i hadn’t dabbled in yet, but for them, I’d learn to walk on my hands. That led to me learning to DJ and produce beats.

Content creation is my newest found passion. I’ve always love the art of storytelling, especially in audio/video format. It started with my love for professional wrestling, which is exactly that, STORYTELLING. From watching TV shows, to movies, to videos on YouTube, I LOVE the art of creating QUALITY content in all areas! I’m currently venturing into live music themed content creation and plan to expand more as I grow in this field.

In my life, I’ve faced many challenges. From sick relatives, losing relatives, car accidents, being bullied, being broke, depression, anxiety and everything in between. There were times where I questioned if music was what I wanted to do. But sticking to my faith in God and having my support system kept me from making what would’ve been the BIGGEST mistake of my life, quitting. Because of that, to this day, I go ALL IN every time I have the opportunity to entertain people, create a beat for any artist or media entity, DJ a party, engineer sound for a live event, or create content for anybody. To quote my favorite actor, Denzel Washington, “without COMMITMENT, you’ll never START. But more importantly, without CONSISTENCY, you’ll never FINISH.”

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
For food, depending on your taste you HAVE to hit the Chicago hot spots. For breakfast, any DINER got the BEST breakfast. I’m talking the grill in front of you type restaurants. For lunch, either Portillo’s for a Cheddar Beef Croissant, Uncle Remus for some sweet saucy fried chicken, Giordano’s for some STUFFED pizza, or my favorite, Home Run Inn for regular pizza.

If we wanna have a good time, we gotta head to Rosemont to check Adobe Gilas club for great food, great drinks, and amazing dancing. We could also head downtown and just walk around and go sight seeing. Personally, my favorite place is the Chicago Riverwalk.

For live music, Untitled Supper Club, City Winery, Copper Still Lounge, Culture, and anywhere in the Wicker Park area is the place to be.

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?
First and foremost, I want to give my thanks to God, for blessing me with my many gifts and talents that have allowed me to make a living. I can’t leave out my mom for being my support system since DAY ONE. My grandma “Nana” has always been a rock to my family and especially to me when times were hard. I also want to credit BUILD Chicago for cultivating me on a professional level that opened my eyes to the many talents that I use to this day.

Website: https://linktr.ee/servaun

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/godgiven_musician/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/servaun

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/servaun/

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCJQticxtZuDsoo5Y5owLGYQ?view_as=subscriber

Image Credits
BLS Unlimited LLC (@blsunlimitedllc) Kieferroflix (@ferrophotos)