You may know Armon Butler ’21 from his Mountain Affair performance in the fall of 2019. Butler’s performance of his original song, Black on Black, won him second place, and he’s continued to make music ever since.
Under his stage name Barcari, Butler has released multiple singles, as well as an entire album called “1998,” which came out on January 7, 2021.
Butler began writing poetry around age six, but it wasn’t until high school that he got a laptop and accompanying music software to create beats. Covenant alum Nabil Ince ’18 (also known as the artist Seaux Chill) gave Butler his first mic and encouraged him to make music. This led him to extend himself into recording and producing–which he does all by himself.
“1998” is the culmination of a lot of emotions and stories.
“‘1998’ is uniquely me. I took all my hurt and was able to express my negative and positive emotions–every song is vulnerable to me. It was like a self-therapy session,” he said.
Butler is a business major and looks forward to entering into the field of financial consulting. However, he would love to make music his full time career.
“I want to always progress in creating music and work on marketing and networking. By the time I graduate, I want to know my fanbase better, especially in different states so I know how to cater to them.”
The most important thing to Butler in his creative process is to always make music for himself and not lose his drive. He also wants to grow in his dependence on God and keep remembering God is at the center of his life and his art.
“I wouldn’t be anywhere without God. I feel like God is paving a way for my music. Even though I’ve experienced a lot of criticism (because my music is explicit), I believe I can glorify God in the way I work because I work so hard. I feel like it’s all about where my heart is. I also know I can glorify God with how I use whatever money I do earn from music.”
“1998” is Butler’s self-proclaimed biggest musical success because of all the time and dedication it took to create. He’s happy to have completed a full album because it gives his fans a lot more content to listen to. He wants his fans to know he has a lot of momentum right now, since his number of streams and listeners are increasing, and he feels more consistent in working on his music.
His most recent single, “Dulce Periculum,” was released on Valentine’s Day, and he aims to release his next album by the beginning of March – this album’s title and song names will all be in Latin.
Butler specifically shouts out his friend Victoria De Lima ’24, who curated “1998,” disapproving and approving of songs throughout the creation of the album.
He also thanks Becca Moore, Coordinator of Student Success, whom he can always count on to be honest with him.
“She taught me that it’s okay to voice my vulnerability. She’s given me a lot of advice on dealing with my thoughts and emotions, and without that, this album wouldn’t be what it is.”
You can stream “1998” on Apple Music or Spotify, and you can stay up to date on his projects via his Instagram: @bxrcari.