Arden - Destiny and making an impact - 003
By Jordan Slobodinsky & Thomas Burnell
Striving to find unique individuals is part of the message of Mod570. Finding people that make amazing visuals or new sounds, even those who venture into the business world. Sticking out and being different in the best possible way, something we strive to show our readers. Connecting artists to you, connecting people to you.
As I reflect on this message, I realize it all started a long time ago. If you would have told me that when I met Arden that he would have started this all, I am not sure what I would have thought of you. Probably something like “Tommy? The kid who’s grandma is the loudest at our little league games?”. But here we are, reflecting on Arden and who he is. Currently the Founder and CEO of Mod570, the mind behind all of it, the one that brought the team together.
However, most did not know that he has been working on music since 2016. Releasing his EP “Lottery Ticket” back in 2019 with fan favorite “1 Hour feat. Mac T.” Lottery Ticket being the name due to winning $700 off of a lottery ticket and buying entry level studio equipment. A cool little story to the beginning of his music interest and career.
I met Tommy when we were around 9 or 10 years old. We played little league together for years, and while I’ll admit that my base running left a lot to be desired, I always remember he and his parents/grandparents being kind and supportive. Life went on and Tommy and I had a few classes together and remained friends in high school. After graduating, life took us down way separate paths.
But in the midst of 2020, and all the hell that it was, he reached out to me. I saw from his social media that he now goes by Arden, so I was more than curious as to what this opportunity could be. When he said he needed a writer, I was more than willing. Since then, we have had an open line of communication, coordinating great stories about some awesome talent.
We asked Arden some questions just like our other artist showcases to explain his motives and impacts for his music - along with a new song dropping this Friday on May 27th called “Destiny.”
“The music has always been a passion of mine, in fact, it was something I was involved with before Mod570 was even an idea in my head. I was fascinated by music artists growing up like Eminem, Lil Wayne, Drake, Soulja Boy.. so many to name honestly, but overall I always dreamed of being a music artist like those guys.”
Maybe it’s because we grew up listening to the same radio station in our hometown (97.7 - if you know you know), but I am in the same boat as him. Eminem and Lil Wayne have always signified a bit of rebellious youth and disorder in my eyes. Meanwhile, Arden is quite the opposite, carefully coordinating projects and content like this. I am anxious to see the edge of this new music.
“Once I released Lottery Ticket I feel like people just saw it as a side hobby at that point, and honestly if you would’ve heard some of the original work.. You could tell it wasn’t professionally sounding or structured. At that point I had no guidance or knowledge of songwriting / production. I was simply just pressing record on Garageband and cutting the ends off of the stems lol.”
I heard plenty of people say that music made at home is awful. To that I say, go rent a studio - I would love to see that receipt. Everyone starts somewhere, and while I admit that the sound mixing was less than adequate for some early songs, Arden remedied this quickly. Check out his Spotify today and this is hardly an issue. To be honest I love the raw sound of some music, including more recent releases that were recorded at home by Travis Barker and Machine Gun Kelly. Music should be raw.
Then 2020 came with the pandemic starting off, but it was a sort of magic-like time period for Arden, connecting with LA and starting up Mod570 with Dave and I.. along with meeting and creating partnerships with LAPRINTS, DJ Rello, BLV, ConnectedSound, Hoy’s Full Body Fitness, Bald Eagle Beer Store and a handful of Lock Haven businesses. On top of that, working with local artists to eventually branching out all over the US and UK by building a network through social media.
“I feel like I was finally able to step into my true self when it came to connecting with the names above in the industry, and that motivated me to truly follow my dreams and passion of doing music, helping out the communities through Mod570 and moving to Philadelphia, PA for my music and careers.”
To me this all happened so quick. I remember talking with Arden and Dave Kohen one morning about some content we had upcoming, and the next thing I knew he was in Philadelphia. But he kept the content rolling for a while. Now that we have ramped it back up again, it feels like Arden learned something while focusing on work.
“I’ve learned a lot over the past couple of years by going out on my own to get things done. It helped build my character and perspective on life. I’ve learned new things including what to do, what not to do, trusting myself, believing in myself and more. Being an independent artist can teach you a wide array of things - I’m happy that this is how things have turned out so far with the people that have experienced it with me along the way since 2016.”
“Now that I am in Philadelphia, I’ve been able to share my music and brand with a new audience, connecting with others who have similar goals and motives as me. It’s a surreal feeling to start experiencing the life you want to live - and that’s what I wake up to every day. I’m extremely blessed and humbled to be where I’m at, even if I’m not where I want to be yet.. And I think that’s something I can connect to others with. We always want something, but when we achieve that.. there always ends up being something else that we want after. I’m hoping I can connect with my audiences & supporters in a way to relate to everyday life. That's what I really would like to do."
Kind of ironic, I live in Pittsburgh while Arden is on the other side of the state. That city is a sprawling metropolis that rivals New York City and Los Angeles in terms of size, and I think Arden is perfect for life there. Even though I can't wait to see Kenny Pickett blow them out of the water this year.
Regardless, I am also super excited to hear his new music. Much like our readers, I am not really involved in the music side of things. I’d prefer to spare our readers from that tragedy. Instead, check out Arden’s new single, Destiny.
“My single Destiny is really about the romance, 1 on 1 intimacy and realization of the women that want everything nice and more - It’s a song that shows growth through love and romance with the man singing to his mistress and trying to provide for her - giving her the best that she wants and deserves. While at the same time giving my listeners a song to dance to.”
What can we expect from you this year?
“Different ideas, new songs and performances - overall just consistency with new music and everything that I say I plan on doing. As a creator you have a special gift and that’s something I plan on releasing more of moving forward. Along with that, we have some collaborations coming out of Houston, Texas that will show through in time - I’m confident my supporters will be surprised and happy. I have a show lined up in July that we will be announcing later this month / next but I’m really just trying to focus on showing you all my talent through music and entertaining moving forward.”
“Destiny is available May 27th at midnight, and I am thrilled to show you the new sound and visual surrounding the Arden brand with Mod570 - as well as all of the new & returning artists that we have collaborated with. Special thanks to Baley, LA, Jaycee, Urban Knight, Blindforlove, Makeshift Philly and everyone else that was involved with this project.”
If you are interested in supporting, you can listen to Destiny on Apple Music, Spotify, YouTube, Amazon music and more of your favorite streaming platforms.
And better yet, there is a music video to be released following the drop of Destiny on May 27th 2022 along with merchandise.
Thanks for reading, and make sure to subscribe (bottom of page) for the next 570 blog article!
Music links and merchandise below - use code "Destiny" for $5 off Destiny Merch!
Watch Destiny here:
Destiny Music Video - YouTube Premier
Destiny Merchandise from Mod570
Follow Arden on Instagram - @arden.mod570