Star of Earth to Echo, Brian “Astro” Bradley is trying his hand at films; but his passion lies with the music that truly takes him out of this world.
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Before 17-year-old Brian Bradley—also known as Astro or The Astronomical Kid, from the first season of The X Factor USA—was able to walk he’s been a fan of rap.
“I knew I wanted to do music since I was a baby,” Astro explains during an exclusive interview with Techbook Online at Philadelphia’s Ritz Carlton Hotel, “music is my life; I eat, sleep and breathe music.”
Soft-spoken with a loud Brooklyn accent, Astro—almost totally consumed by the big, plush chair he’s sitting in, which is placed next to a poster advertising his new movie: Earth to Echo—tells me acting is something he’s trying out and he’s not sure whether it will be a long-term part of his family-friendly brand.
“This is my second acting role ever,” he says, noting his first on-screen appearance came in the form of guest-starring on CBS’s Person of Interest, “I’m not sure if I’m going to do this forever.”
Astro nonchalantly reveals he didn’t do much preparation for the PG movie which opens nationwide July 2nd, and that most of his acting training came during his 5th grade drama lessons, which he only took because he was excused from two of his academic classes. Music on the other hand is what makes Astro’s heart beat, and for as long as he can remember he’s been hypnotized by that rhythm.
Although born in Brooklyn, Astro spent a period of his life in Queens, where he lived just an earshot away from the Queens Mall, which had a record shop inside. As young as age five, he would visit often and buy CD’s based on the album covers. One of the first albums Astro purchased was Biggie Small’s Ready to Die.
“I was talking to the baby on the cover at one point; it was moving,” he said, admitting he was quite a weird kid.
When Astro was 8 years-old he went to his mother and told her he wanted to be a rapper.
“I spit some lyrics, it was garbage, but she entertained it; she called everyone she knew to listen,” he said, before issuing this warning to parents: “don’t kill your kid’s dreams.”
Astro was lucky enough to not only have parents who supported his dream, but who also refused to let him give up on it.
“There were periods were I didn’t want to do it anymore, but my parents kept pushing me; they stopped me from being another kid just hanging around on the corner or playing basketball,” he said.
Now in his late teens, Astro denounces the “kid rapper” moniker and is setting his sights on being the boss. By age 20, Astro says he wants to open up a CD shop in Brooklyn.
No matter the product though, Astro is crystal clear that he’s an entrepreneur and that the real big picture he excited about is ownership of something meaningful and something musical.
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