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to the fullest. I had a few points in life where I wasn’t really
sure I was going to make it. Those times made me realize
how short and precious life is, and what a gift we are given.
If that is the case, being a “cookie cutter” human isn’t going
to change the world, or make me happy. At the end of the
day, I can only make a positive difference for others by being
Adrian. And Adrian isn’t like anyone else in the world. So, it
is my duty to be me!

RL: You didn’t grow up in a traditional way,
how did your childhood influence your artistry?
AB: I am not sure I am grown up or will ever be, but I was
sure raised in a weird way. My parents are very cool, very
brave and very nonconforming. My dad was a sniper and
in law enforcement, then was retired after being injured.
He became a saddle maker, then a cowboy (not a rancher
– a cowboy). Then we sold everything, and moved to St.
Andrews, Scotland. And we were all over when I was a child.
We lived in Ukraine, France, Switzerland, Germany, Poland,
etc. Technically I was raised overseas. When someone asks
me where I grew up, my first response is usually Scotland
because that is what I remember the most. I feel like
growing up the way I did immersed me in art and different
cultures to an extent that created a need to produce art
myself. I love art in all mediums. Whether it is songwriting,
composing on the piano, playing the guitar and singing,
singing opera, painting with acrylics, or sketching, all of it
was shaped by my childhood. When we returned to the
states and I was older, we always had horses and cattle and
were constantly around livestock – but that childhood of not
being raised in the cowboy world actually made me love the
west more. A little “reverse psychology” by life!

RL: Who has been your biggest supporter
of your music career?
AB: I know the cliche answer here is my family, but that's
the truth. My Mom, dad and sister have always supported
me no matter what. There are not many parents I know that
would allow a fourteen-year-old to start a career and do the
things I was able to do, or drive me to my shows until I was
old enough to drive.

RL: Can you tell us a little bit about your process when you
are writing a song? Do the melody or lyrics come first?
AB: I’m going to be really annoying here: I have no process.
I know writers who have to sit down in a certain place, and
have certain circumstances to write a song, and I’m not one
of those. I know writers who cannot produce unless they
are hit with the lightbulb of inspiration and produce grander
within five minutes, I’m not one of those either. I have had
songs appear from nowhere and have worked on certain
songs for years. I am constantly writing though, anything
from poetry and lists to books and silly rhymes. I wish I
had a “process” but these days it seems like I just wait for
the muse! ª

60 Rodeo LIFE