Familial Foundations: A Look Into CID’s Musical Family
The foundation of one’s musical DNA looks a little different for everyone. Some people have commercial artists in the family. Some have zero music exposure until they go to school with their peers. For Grammy Award-winning producer CID, music has always been a family affair.
Carlos Cid might be the first career musician in his extensive family, but music has long been in his genes.
“No one in my family pursued music,” Carlos tells Gray Area. “But my grandfather was very musical, my mom was very musical and she played piano. So from an early age just sitting down at the piano with her and learning how to play whatever. It was just messing around, never lessons… My grandparents had a piano in their house, so every time I’d go over to their house for the weekend I would just sit at the piano and try to figure out a song by ear just fiddling around,” he continues.
But that “messing around” proved to be a perfect starting point. The organic nature of this introduction planted a seed of curiosity unbound by any subconscious resistance that might have stemmed from forced learning. CID recognizes this saying, “It sparked that like, ‘Wow I understand notes and stuff.’”
Carlos was not the only member of his familial generation to catch the music bug. His two brothers, eight and ten years older, surrounded Carlos with the sounds of their classic rock, hip hop, and R&B discovery. His oldest brother even inadvertently fueled Carlos’ instrumental hunger with the pursuit of his own.
“My oldest brother is [also] very musical,” CID alludes. “He always had keyboards in the house and drums. He’s 10 years older than me so when he was 16 we had a drum kit in the house. When he wasn’t home I’d be down there teaching myself how to play the drums banging away.”
A household of music-interested beings would be enough to start almost anyone down an artistic path, but when those beings all share a culturally vibrant Hispanic heritage, that start seems unavoidable. Family parties rang out with the lively themes of salsa, merengue, bachata, and more.
Considering the deep well of organic love of music in which Carlos Cid grew up, it seems only natural that he’s become one of the most prolific producers in the scene today.
