THE VIRAL TALENT YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT
When Corey Staggers picks up a saxophone these days, what follows is his own unique style. The New Haven, Connecticut musician tends to mix improvisation with some of pop culture’s most well known songs, delivering the type of sound that could draw even the least cultured individuals to listen. He often breaks out in dance mid performance, vibing along to his own horn, with the look of someone who’s always loved to play. Thing is though, he didn’t. There was a time in which he had to be dragged to his sax, as he’d preferred to take a much different route. “I was actually forced to play the saxophone,” He says. “It was mandatory to play an instrument in the band.” At the time, Staggers was a budding athlete, preferring sports over music, but his parents seen something in him and that horn. Years later, Corey Staggers is social media’s favorite saxophonist, a budding talent who is ready to breakthrough in the industry.
“I was actually forced to play the saxophone”
Staggers’ New Haven neighborhood wasn’t exactly the ideal breeding ground for budding musical talents, making his pursuits quite rare around town. “Not too many people do what I do, especially where I’m from,” He says. “You usually see people working hard to make it to the league as an athlete, rapping or hustling to get money any way they can.” Staggers eventually fell in love with the sax & began practicing and studying talented musicians. He looks towards not only saxophonist, but violinist, flutes, trumpeters and other instrumentalist to improve on his flexibility. As he began to perfect his craft, the world started to take notice.
“Not too many people do what I do, especially where I’m from”
After making a number of saxophone-playing videos on his Instagram, Staggers struck gold with his interpretation of Fetty Waps’s “Again” cover. The video of him pumping out the melodic tune went absolutely crazy on social media, putting him on countless platforms and helping his following take off. “Fetty retweeted it and followed me, then that was it, I was everywhere,” He says. The moment served as a major boost for his career, opening the door for other opportunities to come.
These days, Staggers has over 18 thousand followers on IG who wait patiently for his next video on the sax. His success is far from strictly a social media thing though. He’s enjoyed his share of success on stage too, including opening up for Solange in front of 15,000 people at the Brocolli fest in DC. Going forward, he plans to perform with some of the top musicians in the world, enjoy a great solo career and hopefully win a Grammy as the sax continues to give him a sense of purpose. “If I didn’t play the saxophone and wasn’t musically inclined, I don’t even know what I’ll be going to school for now,” He says. From playing sax because his school made him, to only going to school play sax, the universe is funny sometimes. Chris Staggers’ parents seen his gift with the horn years ago, and at the rate he’s going, it won’t be long until the whole world sees the same.IG: @Cstaggz05Cover image by @thankyouriz
