Today we’d like to introduce you to Anthony Ontiveros.
Hi Anthony, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
At nine years old, standing in the middle of a rave surrounded by hundreds of adults, I had no idea that one night would define the direction of my entire life. I was just a kid from the Imperial Valley experiencing electronic music for the first time, but I remember thinking, “This is what I want to do someday.”
Looking back, that passion started long before I ever stepped into that venue. Some of my earliest memories are getting ready for school in the mornings while my parents had MTV music videos playing in the background. I would watch whatever artists and songs were on, and without realizing it, I was developing a love for music at a very young age. As I got older and the internet became a bigger part of my life, I started discovering different genres and artists on my own.
Growing up in El Centro, a small town in California’s Imperial Valley, there weren’t many people around me who shared the same interests. In fourth grade, I discovered a Latino electronic music DJ named DJ BL3ND, and it opened my eyes to a whole new world of sound. I had never heard anything like it before, and it was then that I fell in love with electronic music.
My parents were always supportive of my interests, so when I found out he was performing in a nearby city, they bought tickets for me and one of my friends. We were the only kids in a venue full of adults, and I remember never feeling music like that before – the bass was so intense that I could feel it in my chest and stomach, the lights and energy of the crowd felt like an entirely different world, and by the end of the night my ears were ringing from how loud everything was. I remember standing there watching the DJ perform and thinking, “This is what I want to do someday.” I didn’t know what that would look like yet, but that moment stayed with me.
After that experience, I started teaching myself how to DJ. I downloaded Virtual DJ and spent countless hours practicing mixes before my parents eventually bought me my first Numark DJ controller. I loved creating mixes, but I still didn’t understand how music was actually made. A few years later, a friend introduced me to FL Studio, and that completely changed everything. There weren’t many resources for electronic music production at the time, so I taught myself through experimentation and hours of practice.
Throughout high school, I continued making music and releasing songs under a different name. I was making Big Room and Progressive House, heavily inspired by the EDM artists I looked up to at the time. Looking back, the production was horrible, but I remember being so proud of those songs and replaying them like they were the biggest releases in the world. Even though I was still learning, that excitement was what kept me creating.
After high school, I attended the University of Arizona, where I was introduced to a much larger music scene. Being surrounded by festivals, DJs, and other creatives motivated me to take music more seriously. I started DJing parties, collaborating with other artists, and building my skills as a producer. I even created a small dorm studio where I would make music and record friends.
When COVID happened, I moved back home to El Centro, and that unexpected change ended up becoming one of the most important turning points in my journey. During that time, I connected with a local artist and my friend to this day named Habit, and we started making music almost every day. Working with him helped me grow beyond just producing and taught me more about recording, engineering, songwriting, and the creative process as a whole.
During this time, I also started taking my production more seriously and began uploading beats online under the name “Prod by June.” At first, it was simply a way for me to share my music and connect with other artists, but over time the channel started gaining traction. I was uploading consistently, networking with other producers, and building relationships with artists who were also passionate about creating. Some of those connections eventually led to opportunities working with artists in the San Diego and Los Angeles scenes, which gave me the confidence to take the next step and move to San Diego.
In 2021 I moved to San Diego and built a home studio where I was working with some of the biggest local artists, producing music, and learning the business side of the industry. My studio was the living room with the recording booth in a small room underneath the stairs of my townhouse that I called the “Harry Potter booth,” but it became a place where I created some of my most important work. I spent countless nights recording artists, making beats, and chasing the dream I had since I was a kid.
Over time, I reached a point where I felt stuck. I loved music, but I started questioning whether I could truly build a career from it. I experienced some of the difficult realities of the industry, and eventually stepped away to work a traditional job while continuing to create music on the side.
In 2023, everything changed. My girlfriend and I found out we were expecting our first child, and around the same time, I lost my job. I was trying to figure out what my next chapter looked like, so I decided to try something different. After seeing producers share screen recordings of their projects on TikTok, I decided to do the same. I was sitting on this beat I named “Ethereal,” and without overthinking it, I screen recorded my DAW playing the beat and posted it. I had no expectations, but overnight, that simple video changed the entire direction of my life.
At the time, I had less than 100 followers, so I wasn’t expecting much. Within minutes, the video started gaining attention, and by the next morning it had reached over 100,000 views. That moment completely changed the direction of my career. The song eventually reached millions of streams, and artists I had looked up to for years started reaching out and connecting with my music.
At this point, I began creating under the name Kronus and returned to the electronic sound that originally inspired me as a kid. Shortly after, my daughter was born, and becoming a father changed the way I looked at both life and music. It became challenging to balance raising a child while building a career, but it also gave my music more meaning and purpose.
Some of my favorite creative moments came during the most challenging times. There were nights when my daughter would wake up and the only way she would fall back asleep was if I was holding her, so I would use those early mornings to create music. One of those moments, around 4 AM, inspired my song “Story of My Life.” It reminded me that some of the most meaningful music comes from the experiences you are living through.
In 2024, I made the decision to leave my full-time job and pursue music while being a full-time dad. It was one of the biggest risks I’ve ever taken, and it came with its challenges. Finding time to create while raising a child wasn’t always easy, but there was a beauty in the struggle. I was able to be present for the moments I would have otherwise missed – watching my daughter learn, grow, and experience new stages of life while still chasing the dream I had been working toward for years.
Today, I continue building Kronus while raising my daughter and creating music inspired by both the sounds I grew up loving and the experiences that shaped me. Looking back, I’m grateful for every chapter of the journey – from the kid in El Centro discovering electronic music for the first time, to becoming Kronus and sharing my sound with people around the world. I feel like I’m still at the beginning of this journey, and I’m excited to continue growing, performing, and creating music that connects with people in a meaningful way.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
The biggest challenges throughout my journey have been learning how to navigate the music industry while also staying true to myself. Coming from a small town, I spent years teaching myself how to produce music without having a strong community around me. Later on, as I started gaining opportunities, I experienced some of the difficult sides of the industry, which made me question whether music was something I could truly build a future around.
Becoming a father also brought a completely new challenge. Learning how to balance raising my daughter while continuing to pursue music forced me to become more intentional with my time and creative process. There were moments where I felt stretched thin, but those challenges ended up inspiring some of my most meaningful work.
Looking back, I’m grateful for those struggles because they helped shape both me and my music. They taught me how to be patient, keep going when things weren’t moving the way I wanted, and find inspiration in the experiences that were happening in my own life.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
I create electronic music as an artist and producer, but my background goes beyond EDM. I spent years producing hip-hop and working with artists, which helped shape the way I approach melodies, emotion, and storytelling in my music today.
What sets me apart is the journey I took to get here. I didn’t grow up in a major music city or have a traditional path into the industry. Before becoming known for electronic music, I spent years building my name as a producer in the West Coast hip-hop scene. Bringing those experiences together with the electronic music that first inspired me as a kid allowed me to create a sound that feels like a true reflection of who I am.
At the core of it, my work is about keeping that same feeling I had when I first discovered electronic music – the excitement of hearing something completely new and wanting to be a part of it. My work represents every chapter of my journey coming together, from the kid who went to his first rave at nine years old to the artist I am today.
So maybe we end on discussing what matters most to you and why?
What matters most to me is freedom. Having the ability to create, make my own decisions, and build a life that feels true to who I am. Music has taken me through so many different chapters and I value having the creative freedom to explore every side of myself.
I’ve never really followed a traditional path. From teaching myself music in a small town, to building a career in an industry where there was no guarantee of success, I’ve always been driven by creating something of my own. Becoming a dad added a whole new level of purpose to that, because now I’m not only chasing my own dreams, but also showing my daughter the importance of believing in yourself and taking risks.
At the end of the day, I value authenticity. I want to continue creating a life and career that feel true to who I am. And if I can make music I’m proud of while still being the dad who knows all the words to random toddler songs, I think I’m doing alright.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/krxnus/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Kronusofficial/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@kronusofficial
- Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/krxnus
- Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@itskronus
