Lenny Walters is a young Northland rapper who has been told to get his head out of the clouds and be more realistic - now he has made it into the finals of a competition that could launch his career.
The 21-year-old and Norty North Movement are two acts from Northland to make it to the finals of the Def Jam NZ Showcase where they will be performing in front of Michael "Big Mike" Neely, a talent scout with Def Jam - an American record label.
The winner of the competition in Wellington tonight will be introduced to the Def Jam family.
Mr Walters wants to be a worldwide artist and said it was an "amazing opportunity" to be in the finals.
"I know it's not a traditional [job] at all and a lot have said 'get my head out of the clouds' or 'be realistic' which is kind of downing. I believe in myself and that's all that matters."
Mr Walters, born in Te Kopuru and raised in Whangarei, started rapping at 14 but was not always a fan of rap music.
His rap name - Freeks the Amateur - represents that "we are all freaks of nature" and that he started as someone who "couldn't pull two sentences together", he said.
"My oldest brother Ron and best mate Dougs were rappers and they influenced me to try it out and now I just can't get enough. I always loved poetry and the messages you could give, but I would not say I was a huge rap fan," he said.
It was Michael Jackson who made him want to be a performer.
Mr Walters now loves rap and writing lyrics. But he does not have a notebook filled with songs because school put him off books. Instead he writes verses on his phone.
"You can tell stories, make a statement, dedications to everything. The beauty in music and writing is there are room for errors and sometimes the imperfections are what makes it perfect," he said.
Mr Walters has been performing on stage since 2014 and this year won a competition to open for international hip hop artist Rittz.
He said it's "cliche" but his main inspiration is his family, and winning the competition would be an "absolute honour".
"I'm completely nervous, completely excited. Just know I am going to freak out and what usually happens is I just let the freak come out of me."