​A lot of people look at my life from the outside and ask, “How do you balance it all? How do you switch gears from being a barber to being an artist?”

​The honest truth? I don't really switch gears.

​I'm not "Korben the barber" by day and "Unalive" by night. I’m just me, all the time—a socially awkward, kind of funny weirdo just trying to make it. My mind is always going.

​The "balance" is really just a 24/7 grind, and every part of it has a purpose.

​The 3 AM Grind

​My day doesn't start at 8 AM. It starts at 2 or 3 in the morning.

​As I’ve mentioned, this is when I have my "creative episode." It’s when I’m writing, producing, or sometimes just ranting into a microphone. But when that creative burst is done, my day isn't over. It's just moving to the next phase.

​I use those quiet, early hours to learn—researching the music industry, figuring out how to build my company (UNALIVE ENTERPRISES, LLC), and putting the business foundation under the art.

​The 5 AM “Why”

​Then, between 5 and 7 AM, my real 'why' wakes up: my son.

​Everything shifts. The hustle isn't just about me anymore. It’s about getting him to the bathroom, making him breakfast, and maybe watching some cartoons together. He's a toddler, and that time is everything.

​Then it's off to daycare for him and off to work for me—cutting hair from 9 to 5:30.

​I don't get a lot of crossover. My clients don't really know they're getting a cut from 'Unalive.' I just do my work, keep my head down, and stay focused on the next step.

​I'm Not “Settling for Okay”

​People ask why I do all this. Why the 3 AM nights and the 9-to-5 day job? Why not just pick one?

​It's because I have a dream. It's a dream for me, for my son, and for his future kids.

​I want to give us a better future than anything my family has been able to provide by just “settling for okay.”

​I'm not settling. This grind is about building a legacy, piece by piece.

​And the music? That's the part that keeps me sane through all of it. It's the release. It's the one place I can process everything without a filter.

​At the end of the day, it's simple:

​Making music is free. Sometimes, it even pays.

Going to therapy is very expensive.

​When you support this music or buy this merch, you're not just supporting a song. You're supporting that 3 AM grind. You're supporting that dream for my son.

​Thanks for being a part of the hustle.

​I get asked all the time: “What’s your songwriting process?”

​The truth is, there’s no simple formula. It can be a slightly different process every time, but there’s one thing that’s always the same: it always starts with a deep emotion and a need to express it.

​A song is never "just a song" for me. It’s a feeling I have to get out of my system. Once that emotion is there, it usually takes one of three paths to become a finished track.

​Path 1: The Lyrics Come First

​Sometimes, the words just hit me. I'll have a full concept, a line, or a verse, and the lyrics are so specific that I have to build a beat from scratch to match that exact mood. This is like having a story and then scoring the movie for it.

​Path 2: The Beat Comes First

​Then there are the other times. I'll be producing, messing around with a melody or a drum pattern, and the beat itself will give me the idea for the lyrics. The sound of the track will spark a feeling or a memory, and I’ll build the song around that.

​Path 3: The “Hum”

​And honestly, sometimes I don’t have either. I’ll just sit at the microphone and hum a melody. No words, no beat. Just a feeling. I'll keep humming until the right words start to form and what needs to be said just... comes to me.

​The 3 AM Creative Episode

​So, how do I capture all this?

​I'm not precious about it. I can write anywhere. My Notes app on my phone is filled with half-finished ideas and one-liners that I've had to pull over and write down.

​But most of the real work… most of the breakthroughs… happen when the world is asleep.

​A lot of my best material comes from this one specific pattern: I’ll wake up at 2 or 3 in the morning. It’s not insomnia; it’s like my brain is telling me it’s time to work. I'll have an intensive creative episode of writing and producing that can last a couple of hours. It’s quiet, there are no distractions, and I can just lock in.

​After that, my brain needs time to reboot. It’s intense, but that’s usually when the most honest material comes out.

​My Setup: Keeping it Raw

​When it's time to record, I do it all right at home. My setup isn't about thousands of dollars in gear; it's about capturing that raw idea in the moment. I actually use a stage mic, not a fancy studio mic, but it has a great quality that fits the sound. It proves you don't need a million-dollar studio, you just need the idea.

​How I Know When It's “Done”

​This is the hardest part. How do I know when a song is finished?

​I’ll be honest: I never really know if it’s "ready." It's not a magic feeling.

​I just get to a point where I can't think of anything else to add to make it better.

​It's a gut feeling. It’s that moment where you listen back, and you can finally just let it go. It’s said what it needed to say.

​It’s not a clean 9-to-5 process. It’s a bit chaotic, it’s emotional, and it doesn't really keep a normal schedule. But it's my process, and it's honest.

​For all the other creatives out there, how do you know when your work is finished? Let me know in the comments.

A lot of people ask me what music I listen to, and I think it's one of the best ways to get to know an artist. My sound is a blend of everything I've ever been inspired by, and the 'Unalive' project wouldn't exist without these core influences.

​Here they are, starting with who's on top of the world right now.

​1. Tyler, the Creator (The Artist)

​When I think of Tyler, I don't just think of a rapper—I think of a complete artist. He's a perfect example of what it means to build a whole world. It's not just the music; it's the production, the visuals, the videos, the brand, and how he’s evolved over time. That's a huge inspiration for what I want to build with Unalive: a full, cohesive vision.

​2. Eminem (The Lyricist)

​As a songwriter, you have to respect the craft. And for me, Eminem is the top-tier benchmark for the craft of lyric writing. The way he can bend words, build complex rhyme schemes, and tell a raw, honest story is unmatched. That commitment to pushing the limits of lyricism is something I try to bring to every track I write.

​3. T-Pain (The Innovator)

​T-Pain honestly changed the game. He took Auto-Tune, something people used as a subtle correction tool, and turned it into a full-blown instrument. He proved that you could be an incredible songwriter, producer, and melodic genius while using vocal effects in a bold way. He paved the way for so many artists who blend R&B and hip-hop today.

​4. Justin Timberlake (The Pop/R&B Fusion)

​JT is a master of blending R&B smoothness with perfect pop structure. He showed how you could take raw R&B influences and create massive, undeniable hits without losing your credibility. His sense of melody, his performance, and his willingness to experiment with producers like Timbaland and The Neptunes set a standard.

​5. Stevie Wonder (The Master)

​You have to know the history, and Stevie Wonder is just timeless. You can't talk about modern R&B, soul, or pop without talking about him. His mastery of melody, chords, and pure, raw emotion is on another level. When I'm working on the R&B and melodic side of my music, he's the standard for pure musicality.

​6. Parliament (The Groove)

​And then, you've got to have the funk. Parliament (and Funkadelic) is all about the groove. It’s that deep, undeniable bassline, the raw energy, the rhythm that just hits you in the chest and forces you to move. It’s a reminder that music, even when it’s dark or lyrical, should have a physical vibe.

​It's this combination—the artistry, the lyrics, the innovation, the pop-R&B fusion, the melody, and the groove—that all gets poured into the Unalive sound.

​Now I want to hear from you.

​Music is all about discovery. Who are your biggest influences? What's one artist or album that shaped your taste?

​Drop them in the comments. I'm always looking for new stuff.

It’s here.

​After all the time spent designing, planning, and building, I’m hyped to finally say the official Unalive merch store is now LIVE.

​This has been a long time coming. For me, it was never about just dropping a logo on a shirt. It was about creating pieces that feel like the music—items that carry the same energy and tell the same stories.

​This first collection is built around a few ideas that are at the core of the Unalive project.

​The 'Hopeless Romantic' Design

​This one is the most personal design in the collection. It comes from a painting of two people in bed that was made for me by my then-girlfriend.

​The name "Hopeless Romantic" says it all. The art perfectly captures that feeling of vulnerability, intimacy, and the complex highs and lows of a relationship. It's for everyone who's been there—wanting to believe in love, even when you’ve been burned. It’s for all of us who still feel things deeply.

​It's a heavy piece of the story, and it felt right to make it a central part of this first collection. We’ve got this design on the classic T-Shirt, the Sports Shirt, and the Premium Heavyweight Hoodie.

The 'Skydive (Next Question)' Hoodie

​This design is for one of the most raw and confessional tracks I've written. The title "Skydive (Next Question)" isn't about jumping from a plane—it's about the "sewer slide," the “half-baked suicide.”

​It's about that relentless, internal spiral of questioning everything—your identity ("Next question who am I"), your reality ("Next question truth or lie"), and your own self-destruction. The song is a raw look at addiction ("Percocets, weed / Alcohol, speed"), inherited trauma ("I'm aftermath of when 2 addicts breed"), and feeling like you're in a total free-fall.

​This hoodie is for those moments of chaos and brutal honesty. It's the story of hitting the bottom and not knowing where you'll land, just waiting for the next question.

​And of course, we have the official 'Unalive' logo merch, including the *Embroidered* Sports Shirt and hoodies in both 'Classic' and 'Premium Heavyweight' styles. This is the perfect way to rep the brand and show your support.

​Grab Yours (And Get 30% Off)

​This is more than merch. It's a way for us to connect, and for you to wear the stories we share.

​As a thank you for all the support, I'm giving everyone 30% OFF their first order. Just use the code UNALIVE30 at checkout.