_**How do you go about writing a song? Does it require a certain state of mind or a place?**_
\- If I'm writing alone I'll usually already have a melody in my head that I'll sculpt the rest of the song around. I like to stick with writing on a piano when I'm first sketching the body of the song so I don't get distracted by the production side of things. If a song sounds good with the simplest arrangement possible, it's a solid indicator that it has serious potential.
Lately I've been doing a lot of co-writing which is a completely different ballgame. Everyone has their own way of going about starting a session so I've used that as a personal challenge to get better at adapting. For me, I don't think I require a specific state of mind., but rather a pretty immediate connection with whomever I'm writing in order to make a song that sounds like "me."
_**Your sonics and visuals seem to be infused with nostalgia – Is there a certain era you find particularly interesting?**_
\- Growing up, music was always playing in my house. My mom was the 80s queen while my dad was drawn to the music of the late 60s and 70s. In my mind, this was the peak "rockstar" era - The height of glitz and glamour of the music industry. There's something about the 1970s that feels so wild and unruly to me. The creation of the gender-defying Ziggy Stardust, the flamboyant rise of Elton John, the pyrotechnic fueled KISS tours, Grace Jones's redefinition of what it means to Turn A Look, the bacchanalia of Studio 54. I'm enthralled by it all...
_**Fashion and music have always been intertwined. Do any style moments come to mind that have influenced your style or music?**_
\- Yes!! The two moments that pop right into my head are Cher's 1974 Bob Mackie Met Ball look and David Bowie's Freddie Burretti ice blue suit from the 1972 "Life on Mars?" music video. Iconic!!
_**Your latest single “This Crazy” has such interesting production elements - you can almost feel the song jumping through time. The main guitar lick is right out of 70’s rock and other parts have sparkling synths that are very current. Is Nostalgia a driving factor in your work?**_
\- Bands like Fleetwood Mac, Earth, Wind & Fire, Bowie, ABBA, and The Rolling Stones were constantly on rotation in my home growing up so I think those influences just come out naturally especially when composing instrumentals. On the other hand, I love the idea of fusing those sounds with current artists like Tame Impala, LCD Soundsystem, and Blood Orange.
I wouldn't say nostalgia is a driving force, but I am of course naturally drawn to the sounds of the late 60s - early 80s since that was the music of my childhood. However, loneliness and longing are two major themes in my music so I can definitely see how that tone translates into nostalgia. After all, longing and nostalgia are one in the same.
_**How do you see the blend of genre and era developing in your work?**_
While in college, one of my mentors told me that in order to be an outstanding producer, you have to listen to and draw inspiration from music that lives outside of the genre of music you're making. Otherwise, you run the risk of sounding like a carbon copy of your peers. So I try and listen to music that doesn't necessarily fit my aesthetic and I'll make notes in my phone when something sonically catches my ear. Lately I've been diving into Industrial Metal, Philadelphia Soul, and Doo-Wop and figuring out how to take specific sonic characteristics and transform them within my own production.
_**Is there any more you can tease about your future endeavors?**_
I have some new songs up my sleeve that are almost finished and I can't wait to have a larger body of work out there. Even at 24, it feels like I've experienced so many new facets of life since I wrote my last EP and I'm really excited to share everything I've learned since then. But what I'm most looking forward to is finding my fully realized voice as a songwriter/producer and polishing my musical and visual identity as an artist. So keep those Google Alerts on, folks... more is coming very soon
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Written by: Jake Harrison
Photographed by: Dannah Gottlieb
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