Today we’d like to introduce you to Sedona Spencer.
Hi Sedona, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
Initially, I began my pursuit of the music industry as an audio engineer working in professional recording studios located in Nashville, TN. When the pandemic hit in 2020 and everything shut down, I took the knowledge I learned in audio engineering school, along with the techniques I learned in recording studios, and applied it to my own artistry. I had always wanted to be a musician, but at the time, I didn’t have enough confidence or even know where to begin. I figured there was no better time than 2020 to commit to learning every facet of music I possibly could.
I started writing lyrics for original songs, recording my own vocals in my home studio, producing my own music, and learning how to sound design in Serum. Writing songs was an excellent outlet for my creativity and became therapy for me during a time when everything was so uncertain. It felt unbelievably empowering to pour everything into my own creative vision rather than someone else’s. I completely fell in love with the art of making music, and that is when SED’S VORTEX was born.
Near the end of 2020, I began releasing music independently for the world to hear. I was honestly terrified because sharing your art with the world to criticize puts the artist in a vastly vulnerable position, but once I did, I realized it wasn’t as intense as my mind had made it out to be. During that time, I also dove back into DJing and started curating sets by mixing all my favorite songs from various genres. I also picked up the hobby of photography and videography, and truly enjoyed learning more about the methods of capturing the magic of each moment. Every creative outlet I was dedicating energy to felt like it was honoring my inner child.
After returning to work in the studio in 2021, I knew that I wanted to do something more fulfilling. I knew my heart wasn’t in audio engineering anymore, so I decided to take the leap and move back to my hometown of Phoenix, AZ, to finally pursue my music career. I began to get my name out there by securing many bookings for small-scale DJ gigs and quickly gained traction with my project. Then, at the beginning of 2022, a talent agent from Relentless Beats reached out to me to book me for my first professional DJ performance. I was over the moon to be discovered by the top EDM promoter in Arizona, and I knew this was the beginning of something big.
In 2022, I played a total of 20 shows with different promoters at different venues, which really fueled my intention to release more music so my sets would feel more original. I started collaborating and producing music with other artists and began landing vocal features where I could write my own lyrics and record my own vocals for other artists’ tracks.
In 2023, I landed my first main stage booking for a major EDM festival, PHXLIGHTS, where I got to play a ton of original music and sing live throughout my performance. The response was nothing short of incredible. Shortly after this performance, I landed my second main stage booking for another major EDM festival, GOLDRUSH, but this time, it was a B2B booking with my talented fiancé at the time, PRETTYHARD. This performance was so special to us because we had just gotten engaged and wanted to make our debut one of a kind. We played a bunch of new collaborations that were unreleased to the public, we sang live together for the first time, and he even played his electric guitar live on stage during our set. This undoubtedly put us on the map as forces to be reckoned with.
From 2023–2024, I locked in three major collaborations with established artists and released many singles, vocal features, and live performance mixes. This momentum categorically sparked a fire in my creativity, so I began working on my first EP. On 1/11/25, I released “ORIGIN STORY,” which is a 5-track, multi-genre, gapless playback project that depicts my journey before SED’S VORTEX was established. Each song reflects the highs and lows of discovering your most authentic self, learning that it’s okay to walk away from experiences that are draining you, and being brave enough to relentlessly take risks and fearlessly chase your dreams. On 11/25/25, my husband released his debut album, “CASTLERAVE,” which is a 13-track, seamless playback album, and I collaborated on five of the songs on this project.
Overall, in 2025, I released a total of 10 original songs, which I’m extremely proud of. My growing catalog of original music is now at 20 songs, and I plan on releasing more music and remixes very soon, so stay tuned! Now, I’m currently offering various types of lessons and services related to music production, audio engineering, singing, DJing, and photography/videography.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
In pursuit of greatness and something truly extraordinary, I believe that there will always be challenges. It has been a tremendously difficult journey for me along my artist quest. The music industry is extremely shady, and you must watch out for the red flags along the way and ultimately learn from them. People, whether they be managers, promoters, other artists, collaborators, or even friends/family, often don’t have your best interests in mind. I’ve learned that in the process of striving for success, sometimes the people closest to you are the ones who want to see you fail the most. I have lost so many close friends and relationships because of my dedication to music and their lack of understanding and empathy for my vision.
The commitment it takes to make it these days often feels impossible unless you completely abandon your social life and set forth strict guidelines that you must follow. However, I’ve learned that my life is still worth living, although I strive to be further along in my career than I am today. I still deserve to take a night off from producing here and there to spend quality time with my loved ones. Having a healthy balance of music/work/life is always the goal. There are shortcuts you can take along the way, but I don’t ever want to compromise my integrity, my morals, my mental health, nor my authentic self for a fleeting shortcut to success. I’d rather build a strong foundation with my dignity intact and have the process take longer.
Unfortunately, I have struggled with being genuinely respected, credited, paid, and included throughout my career. I’ve been taken advantage of, discriminated against, undermined, left out, conned, and misled by fellow artists, collaborators, promoters, and industry executives. Most of the time, people are only out for themselves and are willing to take whatever they can get past you, as long as it solely benefits their agenda. The biggest tribulations I’ve experienced firsthand have been particularly regarding collaborations with other artists. These days, I am hesitant to collaborate with artists I don’t know because of past involvements. I have dealt with intentional distribution errors, the absence of track splits/royalties, the absence of my name being credited on the song, illegal contract discrepancies, and collaborative agreements that were disregarded, shelved, and given no explanation as to why they weren’t honored.
Although I have learned how to handle these situations appropriately, and I’m thankful these occurrences happened early in my career, these conflicts have negatively impacted my mental health and well-being. I’ve had to let go of a lot of awful things without ever being able to shed light on what truly transpired behind the scenes. There have even been concocted stories circulating because I have stood up for myself and defined my worth by speaking up when something isn’t right. As a woman in the music industry, often, if you don’t just take what you are given, even when you know you are being deceived, you are labeled with derogatory names like a diva and a prima donna or have your reputation portrayed as that of someone difficult to work with. I also experienced this heavily when I was an audio engineer working in recording studios.
In a male-dominated industry, women are often looked at as inferior in their line of work. When a woman challenges authority, it becomes dramatized even when it’s handled with the utmost professionalism. Although this is the unfortunate truth behind many industries, I would rather be labeled as something I’m not than be taken advantage of throughout my career. If standing up for myself, staying true to my goals, and knowing my worth is a threat to others, then it’s not my responsibility. At the end of the day, I know who I am and how I carry myself, and I will always remind myself of that truth when difficult situations arise.
Navigating all the moving parts of being an independent artist, like bookings, marketing, management, performance rates, music distribution, industry legalities, and social media content, can be overwhelming. A lot of people cannot fully wrap their heads around the time and energy it takes to be an independent artist building their career from the ground up with limited resources. In almost 6 years of this voyage, I have not had a manager, a publicist, an agent, nor a mentor. Even though it would be nice to have guidance, I’ve learned that in this industry, you cannot trust everyone. I would rather take matters into my own hands and have 100% creative control of my artist project.
That’s why I am beyond grateful for my husband, PRETTYHARD, because we are both in this together. We both take on similar responsibilities and face similar challenges, so we can be each other’s safe space when we’re pushed past our limits. There are times when we’ve both had to step in as each other’s managers to make sure we are not being deceived in dishonest situations. Having a great support system is crucial in the pursuit of chasing your dreams. Although I’ve lost many relationships along the way, I have gained an entire community of love and support from people who genuinely care about me and my craft.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I’m a producer, vocalist, songwriter, DJ, audio engineer, and sound designer under the stage name SED’S VORTEX. I’m best known for a multi-genre sonic style that integrates organic sounds and analog instruments into EDM and for incorporating my own vocals into my music and live DJ performances. I specialize in songwriting, singing, and producing electronic music by working in Ableton.
What sets me apart from others is that I pour my entire heart into everything I do, and I am tremendously intentional with what I put out for the world to see. I’m also a perfectionist, which can be a catch-22; however, in music, I believe it is a positive characteristic because I won’t ever generate something that is mediocre. I create captivating art, produce cinematic music by crafting immersive, expressively resonant soundscapes, write conceptual, emotionally charged lyrics drawn from personal experiences, and curate electrifying live performances where I blend diverse genres and styles of music with live singing.
There are a few standouts among my almost 6-year journey that I am most proud of. A special one is being able to connect with my community and inspire others to trust their intuition, chase their passions, and live out their dreams that they may not have had enough courage to pursue otherwise. My purpose through music is always to connect, inspire, and uplift those around me. If I can do it, so can you!
On the creative side, I am beyond ecstatic to announce that I have booked a massive show at an iconic venue in Arizona for 2026! On September 18th, I will be supporting Zeds Dead at the Mesa Amphitheatre for their Journey Of A Lifetime Tour, which is their largest and most ambitious headlining tour to date, featuring massive outdoor venues and expansive production design. This is a very special moment in my career because Zeds Dead has a colossal influence on my music, and they are one of the artists who inspired me to pursue the artist path in the first place. This is definitely one of the biggest bookings for the SED’S VORTEX project. I cannot wait to make my Mesa Amphitheatre debut and showcase my best performance yet with a whole new sound and tons of new music! My set time is tentatively from 5:30 PM – 6:20 PM, so come early and stay late. Much love, TRIBE!
It is an absolute honor to secure several track collaborations with bigger artists in the industry, but it’s even more flattering that those established artists initiated the collaborations and reached out to me first. Despite the adversity I’ve faced, I am most proud of continuing to put myself out there and work with genuine musicians where there is mutual respect between our artist projects. Soon, I will release a new collaboration with the artist BlvckRose, where I sing and produce on the track. The song is called “Angels Like Me,” and the concept is written about the misfortune of being taken advantage of and having someone go out of their way to break you down. It depicts the painful, yet resilient, process of going through immense trauma, having to pick yourself back up, and persevering despite the damage that was done.
Lastly, I am most proud of staying true to myself and my artistry by not allowing the intensity, exploitation, and manipulation of the music industry to overtake my genuine passion. It may be the longer route to take than having overnight success, but this path is certainly building a strong foundation that will fortify my future career making it indestructible. I am happy to be a fully independent musician, solely managing everything you see. It can be difficult to keep up with all the moving parts, but I am proud of myself for rising to every commitment and exceeding the expectations I’ve set forth. At the end of the day, my creative control and artistic vision are the most significant assets to my artist project, so the fact that they are both still intact and stronger than ever is truly a blessing.
What makes you happy?
Without a doubt, music makes me happy. Ever since I was little, music has always had a deep, profound impact on my life. The way that listening to music can instantly evoke such a wide range of emotions, like joy, sadness, nostalgia, and excitement, is so powerful. So now, being on the other end by making music, there is truly no feeling like it. Alchemizing my painful experiences, writing lyrics to process my discomfort, and turning them into something beautiful that can resonate with people to help them feel less alone is why I do what I do. I want to continue to build community by connecting with people through the universal language of music.
I refer to my fanbase as TRIBE because I truly believe that as a society, we are meant to be connecting with each other and leaning on each other a lot more than we do. It feels as if we are drifting further away from our humanity. Technology is a double-edged sword in how we connect, and these days, it feels like screen time is more important than real-life experiences. Plus, the world has become so cold, greedy, and selfish that I feel as if I want to do as much as I can to connect with people who are struggling, share our life stories, and build safe spaces.
I’ve always felt immense joy in helping people. Whether it be helping people discover what their true passions are, helping them take initiative in their creative endeavors, or even teaching people how to DJ, produce, sing, record, mix, and master is incredibly fulfilling. The most rewarding part of being a musician is being able to inspire people to chase their dreams and help people have confidence in themselves and believe in their abilities. I will always be an advocate for women and minorities, and I will continue to carve the path for people who face discrimination since I’ve experienced it firsthand. Being able to share my knowledge and experiences with my community makes all the trials and tribulations worthwhile.
I’ve enjoyed helping my community so much that I am now officially offering lessons regarding all the different facets of music that I am a part of, like music production, vocal coaching, audio engineering, and DJing. I’m also able to offer my services virtually so I can expand my horizons beyond Arizona. Joining forces with like-minded individuals who share the same intention and passion for their craft as I do is also something that brings me pure bliss. I absolutely love doing creative collaborations like conceptual photoshoots, artistic music videos, and live concert media, so I am now offering media services like photography and videography for events, live performances, and artist portraits/headshots.
Pricing:
- Booking Rate for Live Performances (rate varies upon bookings; contact sedsvortex@gmail.com for inquiries)
- Music Production Lessons (Ableton/Serum) & Audio Engineering Lessons (Recording, Mixing & Mastering) ($100 – 1-hour session)
- DJ Lessons ($100 – 1-hour lesson)
- Vocal Coaching ($100 – 1-hour lesson)
- Photography/Videography Services ($100 – $200 – 1-hour booking)
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.sedsvortex.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sedsvortex/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SEDSVORTEX
- Twitter: https://x.com/SEDSVORTEX
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCEBCoOq9DqMkoKXTkT0Ev1w
- Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/sedsvortex
- Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/5d8p4PvQQnWusFPDOiPgzT
- TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@sedsvortex
