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You may have noticed the change to our theme music this week on the Defining Success Podcast.  We have our guest for Episode 38 of the Defining Success Podcast to thank for that.  Eighty Bug is big into music, dieting, puppetry and archery and is here to show you that having multiple passions is okay!

Eighty Bug is a singer, songwriter, DJ, arranger and producer.  She has crossed genres from pop, hip-hop, soul, R&B, rock, country, electronica, downtempo, and dance music with her unique southern soulful voice and electronica influence.  She’s extremely active and knowledgeable about a wide range of subjects.

Eighty was born in Camp Pendleton in California and she was always on the road and went to 18 different schools as she was growing up.  She was quite an observer and would learn to observe others and assimilate into their culture.  She has lived in Atlanta, Seattle, L.A., San Francisco and Brooklyn.

Music has always been in Eighty’s blood.  Early on in her career, she was a signed artist and since then has written music that has appeared in music and films.  As a musician, you’re traveling . . . You play music, sleep and eat.

Aside from music, Eighty loves to eat and loves educating others on the uses of food and incorporating them into your diet.  She has been able to travel all over the world because of her music and has developed her culinary skills along the way.

Eighty has opened for bands that she’s loved including Run DMC and Lupe Fiasco.  She’s gotten lots of placement in television shows.  One of the pieces she wrote appeared on an MTV show and it was a very heartfelt emotional song and helped to connect people to the story of the disaster that occurred in New Orleans.

When Eighty writes new music it inspires her.  Anything can happen with her music and that’s what she loves the most . . . the creative process of writing a new song.

She used to work for a band called Jupiter Rising and she wrote this song called Hero, which is one of her favorite songs and got picked up by an Oprah charity, the International Women’s Museum which used it as their theme song.  When she creates music, it’s not about money or fame, it’s about writing songs that brings blessings or hopes for other people and their lives.

The International Women’s Museum finds women artists around the world and works to display their art to others.

Eighty is also a puppeteer.  She began working with puppets as a young child and she made lots of different characters.  She worked for Disney in the character department and got picked up to be a puppeteer.  She also had an opportunity to work for Jim Henson and worked with some of the best puppeteers in the world.

The coolest thing about puppeteering to Eighty is playing other characters.  Others may not believe it, but Eighty is very introverted and she loves playing a character and thinks it’s very cool to play another character and use that to connect with other people.

Eighty loves to eat good things and if it doesn’t taste good, she’s not going to eat it.  And when she’s done eating it she wants to feel good.  Her motivation is to make food that tastes good and makes her feel good afterwards.  Her passion for eating drove her to start the Knife and the Spoon food blog where she educates others on having the proper diet.

The best thing Eighty enjoys is having great communication with her friends and building upon that every day.  Her multiple passions allow her to express herself and share experiences with her friends.

Eighty has made a lot of poor choices in the music business and she’s been through a lot of the trials and tribulations that the music industry has, but she’s become a better person for it.

DJ Josh One and Eighty worked together to create a new song which is appearing in some Microsoft’s upcoming advertising campaign.  They released a song called Chasing Rainbows and they also wrote another song called Universal and posted it on iTunes.  One of the Microsoft people heard the song, loved it, and are planning on using it.

Engaging Discussion Questions:

• What are you passionate about?
• Do you have multiple passions?

Links to Great Stuff:

• 80bug.com – Welcome to Dj80.com and 80bug.com, home of 86 Productions. Here you can read about, listen to and watch the progression of artist 80 Bug – from singer, songwriter and DJ to topline/melody writer, arranger and producer. Dj80bugg has crossed genres from pop, hip hop, soul, RnB, rock, country, electronica and downtempo to dance music with her unique southern soulful voice and electronica influences.
• Microsoft – “As a company, and as individuals, we value integrity, honesty, openness, personal excellence, constructive self-criticism, continual self-improvement, and mutual respect. We are committed to our customers and partners and have a passion for technology. We take on big challenges, and pride ourselves on seeing them through. We hold ourselves accountable to our customers, shareholders, partners, and employees by honoring our commitments, providing results, and striving for the highest quality.”
• Creative Minds & Visions – Creative Minds & Visions was established to help people live the creative life by developing a clothing brand that promotes artists, musicians and those in the entertainment industry.

Success Quotes:

• “It’s all good in the end and if it’s not good, it’s not the end.”
• “Success is waking up every day and liking yourself.”
• “Keep your mouth shut.  Think before you speak.”
• “Think about the potential impact that what you say has.”
• “Be thoughtful in your process.”
• “Life loops when you make the same choices.” – Will I Am
• “Leave yourself open to the possibility of anything.”
• “No matter where you go, there you are.”

Special Requests:

• Listen to Universal by 80Bug in iTunes.
• Share your thoughts with us about the new intro music that Eighty created for us.