It’s hard to imagine that there was ever a time when [rum.gold](https://www.instagram.com/rumdotgold/?hl=en) wouldn’t want to put his name on his music. Luckily, in 2018 he dropped the “anonymous” title on Soundcloud and began releasing songs under his current moniker. Today, he’s returned with his sophomore EP. “aiMless,” washes over you like you wish all music would. His light, breezy voice carries the confessional lyrics where they need to go.
The six-song release puts the intimacy of the artist’s music on display, and features a collaboration with singer [Jamila Woods](https://www.instagram.com/jamilawoods/?hl=en). We had the chance to catch up with rum.gold before the project dropped. Read our conversation and check out his EP below.
**You called your last EP, “yaRn,” "the selfish revolution of a wallflower.” How would you describe this project?**
I think the feelings I’m trying to explore on “aiMless” are much more complex than those of my first EP, because trying to understand why I am the way I am will likely be something I work at for the rest of my life. aiMless is me attempting to explore where I come from, to know where not go. In some ways I feel like I bit off more than I could chew because trying to understand the ways in which trauma cycles through generations and my place in that cycle would require more space than a 4 song EP, but this is just a beginning.
**How did you come up with the name rum.gold?**
It’s my last name. My last name is Drumgold, but I’m not a drummer by any means, so I took off the “d”.
**How did your collaboration with Jamila Woods come about?**
I had the privilege of attending a Spotify writing camp in NYC for 3 days. On day one I was in a session with producer and bassist [Alissia Benveniste](https://www.instagram.com/alissia/?hl=en). We had started working on just the bare bones of a beat and guitar lick/chord progression. Jamila walked into our studio because no one had shown up to her session. She was super sweet and asked if she could join, and as soon as she did the song came together. Jamila and I were actually writing about two very different things and we were able to find a common phrase to tie those ideas together on the chorus. We were all in good spirits, the vibe in the room was special. Almost like it was meant to happen the way it did.
**You’ve gone from dropping music anonymously on Soundcloud to releasing your second EP, and doing interviews. Do you feel like you’ve grown more confident in your artistic voice since the start of your career?**
I’ve definitely grown more confident in my voice, and I have many people in my life to thank for that. My close friends and family that show me nothing but love and support, my partner, my manager, and all the people I don’t personally know who send me messages, comment, and share my music. Thank you all!
**What about “Call It What You Want” made you choose that track as your lead single?**
“Call It What You Want” is my first love song. I had never written one before, because I wasn’t sure I’d ever felt love properly and unconditionally. I’m a Cancer, so I love love songs, but I usually write about very sad things haha, and I wanted my first release from my second EP to be something new and different for me.
**Your songs have incredibly poetic lyrics. How would you describe your writing process?**
I pretty much always start with lyrics. Those are important because I never wanna have a song that sounds cool but I’m not saying anything. I have a notebook that I write random thoughts and ideas in constantly. So whenever I find myself in a quiet space and in the mood to write, I always have ideas and concepts to start with. From there, it’s all just chaos. No song has the exact same process. For half of “aiMless” I actually collaborated for the first time on the entire writing process with amazing musicians who I can call friends now. Jamila and Alissia of course, and the last being producer and songwriter George Moore, who I was very excited to get in a studio with. My process is always changing, which I feel is important for me.
**What can we expect from you moving forward, after the release of “aiMless?”**
I’m trying to shift to album mode. That’s next. In the meantime, staying safe and staying happy is important. And I hope you all are doing the same!
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Photo Credit: Brooke Didonato
