Imagine a framed Billboard Record Award with a Platinum silver disc hanging on your apartment wall — that’s Thomas Insana’s ’16 reality.
Insana recently received this award for his production work on Lil Wayne and Rich the Kid’s “Trust Fund Babies” album, a collaboration that earned the #19 spot on the Billboard Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Oct. 14, 2021). Insana spoke to EMS via Zoom, fresh off a call with Interscope Records, and between his finance classes at the University of Richmond.
“I ran to my first class from 9-11 a.m. Then, I got a call from Interscope. I sent a project song to these new people I am working with, and one of the artists, who I never thought in a million years would grab it, just flagged it,” says Insana.
Insana, known in the music industry as “West,” explains the origin of his moniker: it stems from his high school dorm, “West,” at Blair Academy, where he first dabbled in music production. “I didn’t want to use my name, Tom, and ‘West’ felt fitting,” he says. “Once I’m in L.A., I’m no longer Tom. Everyone knows me over there as West, so I live a dual situation.”
Feels Like Home
Insana describes opening up the package that held his Billboard Record Award as “Christmas a hundred times over. That was the dream,” he says, tracing it back to when he first picked up drumsticks in front of his music teacher, Ms. Amelia Gold.
He remembers Ms. Brittany Skylar taking extra time with the drummers in the orchestra and playing the first song he ever wrote on the piano for Mr. Wayne du Maine and Mr. John Ferrari.
“The music program at EMS inspired me going forward,” Insana says, thinking back to a time when Ms. Gold invited violinist Pip Van Genabeek, a composer/arranger who had worked with Frank Ocean, to speak to the middle school students.
“EMS does a really good job of prioritizing kids’ passions,” he says. “It was great for kids like me — one out of every 100 or 200 who want to do something else — inspiring us to pursue what we are interested in.”
Unlikely Inspiration
It wasn’t just music teachers who inspired Insana. “Mr. Messler was the best person there,” he says, recalling how he was “accidentally” placed in his higher-level math class. “Mr. Messler said I’d do fine and kept me in the class. I proved myself in the first week, and I think I got one of the highest scores in the class.”
“I think that is the story of my life,” Insana continues. “When I get put in a position I don’t think I was ready for, I rise to the occasion. I got thrown into the music industry that first year out of high school. I wasn’t ready for the rooms I was in, and I was forced to be, so I worked as hard as I could. And I always have that little snap moment. My dad always would say everything will snap into place. I think that mindset started with Mr. Messer’s class.”
Serendipitous Start
Fun Fact
Tom Insana started DJing skate night at Englewood Field Club when he was 12.
During his senior year at Blair Academy, amidst the pandemic, Insana started producing beats. He sent one to a rapper introduced by his roommate, and the response was immediate. “It ended up going viral on TikTok,” Insana recalls, “I knew it was weird when my sister was dancing TikTok to the song, and she didn’t know it was me.”
The rapper, Lil Keed, signed to Young Thug’s YSL Records, invited Insana to Los Angeles. A whirlwind followed: “I was in the studio every day. Then, a little while later, I produced his entire album. After that, I started moving around and ended up working with Lil Wayne and a bunch of people in pop and rap, and now house.”
Insana’s process starts at the piano, where he applies a “brain gym” technique he learned from Ms. Gold during instrumental music lessons. This technique, involving coordinated finger movements, “helps you separate your brain from telling the different parts of your body to do different things at different times,” he explains, which is essential for crafting complex compositions.
He emphasizes the technical side of modern production, stating, “Everything is synthetic now…there’s nothing live unless you add live instruments, which you can, but for the most part, you’re sculpting sounds and waveforms. Some people think it’s very computer-driven. It is. But you also need prior knowledge. You need to learn the language of the program before you can even be musical.”
Industry Connections
The music industry, despite its scale, often reveals surprising connections. For Insana, one such moment occurred at the 2023 Rolling Loud Festival in Miami, where he unexpectedly crossed paths with fellow alum Lamaar Jaswal ’14.
“We were in jazz band together [at EMS], but he was a few grades older than me, so we didn’t really speak at all back then. Then, we were at this concert with different artists and ran into each other backstage. It was loud, and we’re like, ‘Wait. Why are you here?’ We had no idea of each other doing this.”
Their chance encounter blossomed into a strong professional partnership. “Every session I’m in every weekend is handled by [my manager] Lamaar. He tells me where to be and at what time, and I show up.”
Leveraging Jaswal’s industry connection, including his role as a 2023 #GrammysNextGen Executive Ambassador, Insana even contributed music to a Supreme ad for the 2023 Grammys.
“I know his talent, I know his drive. Now, I get to be the one making sure he’s in the right place, at the right time, to shine. It’s about trust and understanding,” says Jaswal. “It’s a testament to our years at EMS. Those shared experiences can shape your future in ways you never imagined.”
Balancing Act
While Insana waits for three more Billboard Record Awards to arrive — “It takes a while for the songs to earn accolades and streams. And it takes a certain amount of streams to get to a Billboard charting album. So with Platinum, certifications all take about two years to even come through,” — he is looking forward to collaborating with rapper Don Toliver and texting his best friends.
“My best friends in life are ones I made from my time at EMS: Garrett Michiels ’16, Kris Pursiainen ’16, and Caleb Dalgetty. They are the three ride-or-die people I talk to every hour of every day. They’re texting me as we speak,” Isana laughs, adding that he is also close with Davide Andreadis ’16 and Ishan Walia ’16. “We all spend every day in group chats and playing Fortnite. My life friends are from EMS.”
“I love EMS,” he adds. “It’s like a home. I look back, and I’m like, Wow. I lucked out.”
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