He daringly stepped foot on stage. He can feel the crowd’s anticipation as they bombard the edge of the platform. But the only thoughts flowing through junior LJ Salinas mind are his lyrics.

For Salinas, nothing could beat the thrill of being on stage, as he rapped for the first time at his church group “Takeover.” Over the course of the last four years, LJ perfected his musical taste through writing his own music. With the support of his family and friends, his career is taking off as he performs more frequently.

“I remember at some point towards the end I got this tingling feeling in my fingers, I didn’t know why,” Salinas said. “I felt like the nerves kind of went away but I don’t know, just the lights hitting you and all the eyes on you, having that voice over everybody, it’s just a different experience.”

His first time performing his own music on stage was nearly two months ago, in August, at Rock Point Church. With over 200 people in the audience, Salinas had a great turnout for his first debut of his rapping career, giving him a chance to bring the messages behind his lyrics alive.

“A lot of my music is based on personal experiences and other people’s experiences,” Salinas said. “Whether it’s depression, loneliness, all the way to the events that happen in the real world like police brutality and Trayvon Martin. I write a lot of music that people can educate themselves [with] and maybe help them deal with something.”

For LJ, these performances are about more than just the music; he strives to follow in the footsteps of his favorite artists J. Cole and Tupac, bringing meaning to his songs the listeners can appreciate.

“I started doing this to counteract me being bullied, it was kind of my way of dealing with it and [my parents] saw that,” Salinas said. “Instead of telling me to stay quiet they told me ‘hey, you need to voice your opinion.’ I just want to set the right example for [my brother] and not let him grow up the way I’ve seen my friends grow up.”

LJ’s siblings Isabella, age three, and Matthew, age 10, are significant influences in his life and to his music. He hopes his music will show Matthew the importance of confidence and perseverance. Salinas intends to continue to chase his dreams of being a professional musician, and encourages others to follow their heart every day.

“Everybody can contribute to society,” Salinas said. “I know some famous lines that I got from Tupac, he says something like ‘I don’t think I’m going to change the world but just because we’re not going to change the world doesn’t mean we can’t talk about how we should change it.’”