Reggie San Miguel had been following doobydobap long before she had any idea who he was. She was just someone whose videos he watched.
Then she started using one of his songs. Then she opened a vlog by whistling it, telling her audience it had been stuck in her head.
Who Is Reggie San Miguel?
Reggie releases music as Reggie San Miguel from Winnipeg, Canada. Seven years of releases, all independent. His sound, in his own words: “vibrant and uplifting, something to add colour to your day to day life.”
The instrument at the center of it is the flute – though not the way flute usually shows up in music. “I like to think of my flute as a singer,” he says, “and combine that with a mix of influences that range from r&b, jazz, and bossa nova.” He has been playing since junior high and never seriously considered another path. “Ever since then I knew music was something I wanted to create for the rest of my life.”
His current project, The Everyday Collection, is an ongoing series of songs drawn from ordinary life. “Producing music on my own has proven to be the most unfiltered way to connect with people from all over,” he says.
What Nobody Tells You About Releasing Music
“Every release for an independent artist does take time, money, and emotion because as artists we tend to put our whole selves into the work we created,” he says. “Sometimes getting an immediate or desired reaction from your audience is not guaranteed, or it may be delayed since there is so much to discover out there. When your music is discovered and listened to, it makes it all worth it, but if it doesn’t get your desired reaction, part of being an artist is learning to live and move on from that as well.”
To him, the finish line has always been the work itself. “Finishing a song or album that you can be proud of, that’s the real success.”
He Found Thematic Through the Creators He Was Already Watching
Reggie had spent years watching YouTube creators. He noticed which ones were using music, where it came from, and how it fit. Playlist pitching had worked for him in bursts – “the highest peaks have come from both pitching to playlists and being featured on other peoples content” – but he knew its limits. “The reality is that it can only last so long, and the cycle of getting new music spread begins again.”
He found Thematic through the same habit: watching. He noticed creators using music from the platform and felt he had something to add. What he didn’t anticipate was that some of those creators were people he was already following.
One Song, Two Creators
“The one vlog that will forever be ingrained in my brain is when doobydobap not just used my music, but also started whistling one of my songs at the top of the video, saying it’s been stuck in her head,” he says.
“To have my music not just used, but also whistled and enjoyed by the person using it is the sort of connection you hope for as an artist,” he says.
She was not the only one he had been watching. “I also need to shout out people like Ashley Choi, Joan Kim, and Jenn Im who were people I had been following even before they used my music. Forever thankful for them.”
Then there was dearnessie – a different kind of discovery. She had been opening her vlogs with the same song, “Ruby Grapefruit,” not as a one-off but consistently, over an extended run.
“I feel like the way she used my song Ruby Grapefruit captured exactly what I was trying to bring to mind or evoke with the song, which was the brighter and sunnier moments of life,” he says.
The same song. Neither creator coordinated with the other – they just both heard it.
(Creators: “Ruby Grapefruit” is available to license on Thematic.)
From 100 Listeners to Something He Didn’t Expect
Before Thematic, Reggie had around 100 monthly listeners. “Which to me at the time was amazing, to think that many people were listening,” he says. He’s now at 3,000+ monthly Spotify listeners – a number he tries not to track too closely. “I try not to pay too much attention to it.”
What reaches him are the messages. “I’ve been fortunate to hear from people who have found my music through others’ videos, thanking me for what I’ve put out. It really is an amazing feeling as you’ll never know who you can reach, and that always serves as inspiration and motivation to share and create.”
“Shout out to my listeners in the Asian countries.”
What Seven Years Actually Taught Him
“One thing that took me a while to figure out or realize is that sometimes a song you finish doesn’t have to get released right away,” he says. “I always think, would this song be good just as a single, or do I think it would be more effective if it were part of an EP or an album? I find I’m more satisfied with a release thinking about that beforehand, and feeling like I’ve presented my work in the best way possible.”
For artists who feel like no one is listening: “Do it for yourself. You are the first audience who hears your music. Be sure you enjoy what you do and what you create. If you’ve put honest feeling into your music, then someone will eventually connect with what you create.”
On putting music on Thematic: “I can honestly say I have had no major issues at all. Joining Thematic has been life changing for me both as a musician and person, and have even connected and created with other musicians as well.”
Get Your Music Heard by 1M+ Creators
Reggie San Miguel didn’t set out to find fans in the creators he was already watching. He set out to make music that felt true – vibrant, uplifting, built for everyday life – and the right people found it.
Thematic connects independent artists with a community of 1M+ creators across YouTube, TikTok, Instagram, and more. Your music, in real videos, reaching real listeners – the ones who find you in the middle of their own life and go looking for more.
Listen to Friends Of
Spotify: Reggie San Miguel on Spotify
YouTube: youtube.com/@ReggieSanMiguel
Instagram: @reggiesanmiguel
Thematic profile: Reggie San Miguel on Thematic
✨ Creators: Reggie’s full catalog is available to license free at the link above.
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