ATLANTA — Atlanta artist, songwriter and producer Buddy Red has been putting in work and devoting his time, energy and focus into creating his own lane in the music industry.

Buddy Red, whose real name is Messiah Harris, is the son of Atlanta hip-hop icon T.I. and comes from a talented family full of versatile artists, and creatives. Buddy Red said he is focused on not being like anyone else and creating his own path.

“My music is a combination of all the artists that I felt challenged by artists I love growing up listening to their music. I aways thought about how they did that. It’s a combination of that and my feelings and thoughts that I believe are intensity sensitive,” Buddy Red said.

Buddy Red said his name pays homage to his grandfather and uncle and he also wanted an historic name. He said he “knew older people would appreciate my music.”

“Buddy was my grandfather’s name on my father’s side, and Red was my uncles name on my mother’s side,” he said. “Both of my father and mothers’ side of my family have heavily impacted my growth and development as a young man. It felt only right to bridge the two gaps with myself and my music.”

He began creating and producing his own music when he was 16. He said Rock music is one of the avenues he chose because its loud.

“In my mind, it’s loud because the artist has something that they want everybody to hear. I’ve been quiet for a long time,” he continued. “Not necessarily because I didn’t have anything to say, but because I never really knew how to say it until I started playing my guitar when I was 18.”

Buddy Red said his style and avenue was inspired by Led Zeppelin, Jimi Hendrix, Pink Floyd, Muddy Waters. He said challenged himself to interpret what they did into his own words and inject his own feelings into it.

He recently released his new single “Sold His Soul” and is excited for fans to hear what else he has in store. He wrote “Sold His Soul” years ago when he was trying to understand what that concept of selling your soul meant.

“The song production wise is a bit more intense compared to my last singles. This one is a lot more personal and reflective,” he said.

The song “Sold His Soul” is available on all streaming platforms, Apple Music, Tidal, Spotify, YouTube and his social media pages.

In 2017, he produced the hit single “Family Connect” featuring his father T.I. and brother, rapper Domani. The song was released in 2018 and was included on T.I.’s album, “Dime Trap.” The song has millions of views on YouTube and streaming platforms.

“I would play it for them a couple of times before they jumped on it,” he said. “I always play my brother and my pops music that I make. When it finally did happen, it was cool. It was a cool moment.”

One of the biggest things that Buddy Red learned from his family growing up is the importance of giving back to your community.

“My pops wouldn’t be who he is without the community,” he said. “Growing up, he’s instilled the lessons of giving back to where you come from. Community is very important to me.”

He frequently performs at Northside Tavern, the Trap City Cafe, and other businesses in the Atlanta area.

He is set to perform at the Tutti Fruitti Music Festival in Canton on Saturday.

“Whenever I have a gig, people feel something from it. That’s confirmation for me that my sacrifices that I have made to get where I am is worth it because it impacts people,” he said. “It’s not about me anymore, it’s about people in front of me smiling. It’s a pretty cool feeling, and I look forward to sharing that around the world.”