Meet Remie Gasirabo | Media Brand & Studio Owner

We had the good fortune of connecting with Remie Gasirabo and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Remie, we’d love to hear more about how you thought about starting your own business?
Grand Rapids has such an enormous creative scene that it was a pretty obvious necessary investment for me to open up a 24hr creative studio. Though I don’t necessarily compose music, take photos, paint, etc., I recognized how vital it is to not only have a workspace and access to the essential tools and equipment to create but also the benefits of being a part of a like-minded community. Having a strong creative network can be vital for the success of any artist, and our foundation is built on that.

I believe that as a young adult who was surrounded by so many talented artists and individuals, having a professional creative space to capitalize on and strengthen our skills could have been crucial in achieving our personal and group success at an earlier time. So now, I hope to provide that for the next generations to come.

While we are technically a for-profit business, we are very budget-friendly and community-driven. Our vision is to be a library of sorts for local artists to develop, practice, and hone their passions and talents.

Can you give our readers an introduction to your business? Maybe you can share a bit about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
Flyyr Population Creative Studios is a 24-hour studio based in Grand Rapids, MI. We provide an all-inclusive creative+work space for artists and groups from all backgrounds such as artists/bands, podcasts, audio and visual production, as well as book clubs, meditation/yoga groups, and more!

Our 1500-square-foot workspace is supplied with high-quality audio production equipment like the Apollo Twin X Quad Interface along with a Neumann TLM 102 microphone. We also provide visual background support systems that include backdrops, multiple lighting options, reflectors, travel options, and more!

There are so many things that I believe set us apart from other studios in the Grand Rapids area but the biggest would be that we’re budget-friendly and community-driven. This means we understand financial hardships may arise and that shouldn’t always prevent you from being able to create or work. We’re always open to customized and fair payment arrangement options but the biggest benefit for an artist is our monthly subscription option. Instead of having to pay a fee each time you need to use our studio, we provide an option for an artist to pay a fixed rate once a month which provides them with 24/7 access to our full facility and equipment utility.

This is not the easiest financial decision to make as a business, but for me personally, I think the long-term investment will pay off. There has already been some incredible content created out of our studio and I believe the future impact and opportunities our studio will provide will be priceless.

One thing I am most proud of is our first merchandise collection which we released in the spring of 2023! The reason is that the models we collaborated with are two highly influential and extremely talented artists from Grand Rapids that I am personally a huge fan of. On top of the phenomenal photographs provided by Flyyr Population Creative Studio’s Head Photographer, Renato “Gordo” Pecina Jr.

It’s available now on our website at www.flyyrpopulation.com/store

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
The first place we have to eat is Chez Olga on Wealthy in Easttown. They have the best Caribbean food in the city hands down and if I could afford to I would eat there every day! You cannot come to Grand Rapids without actually seeing some rapids so a walk downtown along the river is always a must. But, my favorite part about living in Michigan is the Great Lakes for sure. Living out of state for a while opened my eyes to how much of a privilege it is to be able to take a 30-minute drive and be on a beautiful beach. Grand Rapids also has an active music scene, there’s usually a local band/artist playing at the Intersection or Pyramid Scheme on the weekends. While it can use more diversity, you still can discover some talented artists.

But in reality, if my friends come to visit me we’re more than likely going to leave town to go up north, Chicago, or Detroit. Grand Rapids is a nice affordable place to live but doesn’t have much to offer from a tourist standpoint.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
First and foremost, my strong, growing, and supportive family and my life partner Erin are the biggest motivation behind every single thing that I do!

I want to shoutout my best friend & brother from another great mother, Jeff Bailey who I witnessed in person open Fruit Studios in Northern Virginia back in 2018. He provided me with some great insight into the necessities behind opening a recording studio. Along with inspiring and motivating me that I can do it too.

My sister Gabbie has always been a big help with my media brand and keeping me up to date with new artists, trends, and events. She’s a culture savant and a blessing for a sibling.

My older brother Joel had a crucial impact on my early music taste and development in style. While I have very much refined things to be of my own, his introducing me to one of the greatest & most underrated rappers Styles P., and also letting me wear his jersey and Jordans was vital to me finding my way to flyy.

And of course, I could never leave out the pillars of my life, my parents. Surviving and escaping a genocide to provide me with a better life is a debt that words could never express and anyone could never repay. I just hope to make them as comfortable, happy, and as proud as possible someday.

Website: https://www.flyyrpopulation.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/flyyrxpopulation/

Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/flyyrxpop

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/flyyrpopulation

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UChLJtmaQbSMjXSG796Q9xiA

Image Credits
Renato “Gordo” Pecina Jr.