i need to make a more formal post on this but considering i've been alluding to it a lot, i think about the line "now the lowlifes at the top floor" so much. everyone in heartsteel is dealing w their own issues, and they're going to prove to the music industry they're so much more than that.
especially in regards to ezreal; i'm still fiddling with how exactly i want his lore to go, but i've been talking it over with val, and generally:
his parents were big in the showbiz business, particularly overseas; i think he always wanted to follow in their footsteps, despite how little time they had for him he was still raised by his uncle, as they had little time for him
it was also very easy to call him a nepo baby because of this; he was a manufactured idol, after all! but it's not exactly the truth. if ez didn't have his own skill, his parents wouldn't have given him a second glance.
they are retired by the time ezreal debuts, though; which in a sense makes his "fall from grace" that much worse in his own eyes. they stepped out of the limelight only for their son, much awaited prodigy, to absolutely fail market-wise. he was so focused on actually making it that he rushed through agencies and didn't bother double checking, i think.
this absolutely destroyed him and he moved out for a while. probably crashed at some friends. got his own place, away from his parents, and was in true misery at that point.
i think he stlll kept up with a lot of the music industry, despite how unhealthy his obsession was at times. he also kept in shape, went through his vocal warmups/training, etc-- he never really gave up on his dream, but his self-esteem took a blow instead.
i think heartsteel genuinely saved him. not having to ride someone else's coattails, not having to stick to a sleek industry standard, being able to do it their way-- it's the most freedom he's ever gotten. and like what i said before, all of heartsteel have gone through their own trials and tribulations, so they'd know better than anyone else how the music industry burns you.
i think ezreal jokes about his past with the gang and will get flustered if they bring it up, but hasn't really told them how badly it affected him. he's committed to his dumb, shining persona, even if its detrimental to his relationships off stage. more than anything, he doesn't want heartsteel to get panned by the media. it's true most of them probably wouldn't care, but ezreal does, & has always cared very much what the fans think of and want from him.