How one musician went from homeless to Hollywood star

Roy English may have worked alongside some of the music industry's biggest names, including Jeff Bhasker, Teddy Riley, and Matt Wallace (to name a few), but that doesn't mean his success has come easily. English for a time was homeless while pursuing his passion for creating music. If you've ever listened to Alesso's hit-single "Cool," which features English's singing and songwriting, the song may take on a new meaning once you find out that the lyrics were written while English was homeless, walking down Hollywood Boulevard.

Roy English's incredible story paired with his vulnerable and authentic lyrics are the reason why his music resonates with so many people. He's as real and raw as it gets. His newest EP "I'm Not Here" features swaggering electronic beats and English's infectious, light vocals. His EP tells a full narrative of a youthful experience filled with love and loss. It's a testament to Roy English's position as a creative genius. And as a result, "I'm Not Here" is poised to the soundtrack to your summer.

On the heels of English's debut EP launch, we caught up with the California singer/songwriter/producer about where his love of music first began, how he built up his career as a musician and more.

And for even more Roy English news, head over to AOL.com at 6 p.m. ET for more exclusive features, including his creative process for his newest EP.

When did you first discover your love for music?
There was always music in my household. My mom was really big into all sorts of world music, from Celtic music to African music to James Taylor. I grew up listening to all sorts of stuff. When I was in junior high I wanted to sing and play guitar, so I picked up a guitar. I couldn't really play it to save my life. I went to lessons for two lessons, but I hated it because I didn't want to learn other people's songs. I wanted to make my own songs. So I started writing because of that and I tried to start singing, but I couldn't sing at all. I literally couldn't hit one note to save my life. But I just kept singing for about 8 hours every single day no matter what. After school I was such a nerd and I didn't do anything else.

What led you to pursuing music professionally?
Honestly I don't think I could do anything else. For me, music, singing, and creating is something I have to do it whether or not I can make any money doing it. I think a lot of artists are challenged with their typical daily lives, but art makes all the sense in their world. I think you're born with certain passions that you have to discover. When I started, I didn't have a great voice or was musically talented ... I sucked. But something hit me when I realized I have to do this even if it kills me. I went to one day of college and I never went back. It's not that college isn't great, but for me and pursuing this, I knew it wasn't the path I had to take. I started a band and we got signed to a little indie label right after that. We toured the country for four years and I got my chops learning how to play in a rock band and playing shoes. We were living off $5 a day and getting something from the McDonald's Dollar Menu for every meal. I was grinding, but it was awesome.

Is there any difference between writing for yourself versus writing for other artists?
I always just write for myself. I'm very selfish. No matter what I do, I write with the intention of writing for myself. You can tell when a song is written by someone hoping to make a top hit. It's noticeable when so and so writes a song and they're singing in this Barbadian accent but they're not from there. Then you realize they wrote the song for Rihanna and now it's their song. You can tell when something is inauthentic and I never want to be that. So I always write for myself and if someone still sees something in it then great. But the real emotion is always captured in the song no matter who it goes to.

So with "Cool," I wrote that song for myself. I was homeless at the time walking down Hollywood Blvd and I was looking at the stars on the pavement, and that was my first line of the song, "I saw stars on the pavement, California dreams. Look up to the bright lights, no stars did I see." And I wrote that four years ago and it ended up coming out much later into a whole different song. But it always starts with myself.

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