Hi, I’m Ilya. But you can call me Tweny
Ilya Cernenoks - multidisciplinary sonic artist on a mission to explore every dimension of sound.
Born in Riga, Latvia. May 15, 2003, I started my music journey at 16 years old, simply writing raps on YouTube beats. Writing itself was not enough; I wanted this music to actually exist. To me, the vision of listening to my own music just as I listened to everything else out there was a dream.
And so I decided to save all the money that my parents used to give me for lunch and candy, and after a few months of saving as my life depended on it, I bought my first microphone, audio interface, and a pair of studio headphones. As soon as I got home and plugged it in, my life was never the same.
It did not take me long to start producing and mixing, because I could not afford to outsource any of that. I wanted my music to sound as good as possible. And I knew how I wanted it to sound. So I figured, once I learned how to do it properly, there would be no one who could do it better than me.
Without any guidance except video tutorials, I embarked on the journey and started exploring the world of music production completely on my own.
It’s just the beginning
The next thing you know, I am almost done with high school, and nothing but dreams about making music and being an artist are stuck in my mind. All I know is how to make groovy beats and write cheeky bars. I am working part-time in a local studio that my friends built, mixing for local artists for 25 dollars per song and catching beers with my buddies in the evening.
And of course, the question of education was more relevant than ever. I am very grateful, as my parents’ position was quite flexible: they demanded that I study and get a diploma, but they let me pick whatever I wanted.
I always wanted to leave Riga, as I never felt that I belonged there. My ambitions and my vision were bigger than what this town could bear. So I found Saint Louis College of Music in Rome, Italy.
As I did not have much knowledge, I started with a Foundation Year in 2022. It covered both departments: Sound Engineering and Electronic Music, and in 2023 I successfully passed all my exams and enrolled in the 3-year BA degree in Electronic Music.
Artsy student life on a budget
While attending the university, I was always trying to get my hands on all kinds of projects. Inside the university and outside of it. Either it was a project by someone else that I would participate in, or it was me who was in charge, and I was pulling my friends into it. There is something about me; I just do not like to wait for things to happen. I like doing things. I like making things happen. Barely anything in this life was handed to me; usually, I had to put in work to get them. And I am grateful it was this way. Because no one is going to hand you your dreams on a platter. Best believe, to even get a little closer, you need to move in ways you cannot imagine. So that’s what I was doing and still do to this day.
I also scored my first gigs as an MC and gained some experience performing in front of the crowd during that period. Also had some experimental shows, where I was making beats right in front of the audience and later rapping over them.
While studying, my primary focus was to sharpen my skills - whether it was rap, production, mixing, sound design, or anything I was into. I was just getting better as a musician, producer, engineer, and sonic artist. And of course, when you sow the seeds and water your plants, the results come through in due time.
What I been up to lately
I am always on the grind. I am always perfecting the craft and growing as an artist in every way available to me. This will never stop, as there is no finish line or limit to one’s greatness and abilities. This is just the way my life is - it is a journey of self-discovery and a pilgrimage to the highest highs in the craft one can achieve.
But no matter how much I want to be a man of my own, I also share a great passion for being a part of an amazing team. Great art at times is only achievable by collective input. Sometimes it requires not a unique and unmatched vision of a talented individual, but rather collective input and a compromise between a few talented individuals. So I am actively looking for a collective to join and participate in bigger audio and musical projects.
Because, as a matter of fact, I know that I can certainly add something that no one else can. I am just looking for the right space, time, and people to share my vision with.
Peace, Tweny