“I was told I couldn’t sing, that I wasn’t good enough on guitar & that I sucked as a musician. Each time I was told I wasn’t good enough I tried harder, to the point where I have evolved into the artist I am now. Now I make music for the love.”
Interviews
Getting on a mic & just saying things you don’t feel or understand is going to result in a bad & not genuine song. Being honest & doing what feels right sonically or lyrically when making a song has really helped me a lot.
Being able to work with Beyoncé was an incredible experience. When it comes to my approach to music, she always says to be true to yourself especially with the music I am writing. For me, I always want my music to be real & something that I have experienced.
“I would tell artists to become resourceful, be mindful of your business, leverage your network & have fun. Join organizations, listen to music business podcasts. Find the way that works best for you in order to learn & arm yourself with information that can help you in your journey.”
A song that is vulnerable, yet bold and has a strong message, but gets your toes tapping is always the goal when writing!
My parents are both prone to high emotions, very outspoken & rebellious. They were violently allergic to conformism & taught me to always question things, push boundaries, push buttons, seek beauty & knowledge in a hedonistic way.
“Every aspect of my life is somehow connected to my art or is art in itself; the way I maneuver through a capitalist society, the way I deal with obstacles, problems, losses & successes.”
I think although we are an indie pop band, we all grew up on the same stuff. We all were really invested in the Warped Tour scene as young kids, even though our music doesn’t sound anything like those bands. We loved all the hooks & melodies.
“It would be a good thing if just one bloke questioned why he was always being such a dick to his girlfriend and made an effort to change his behavior.”
Whoopi Goldberg’s character in Sister Act said “if you wake up in the morning & you can’t think of anything but singing, then you’re supposed to be a singer”. That’s the way it has always been for me.
I wanted Just Poetry to be an accurate reflection of life and being versatile as an artist is definitely necessary to capture those reactions.
“I was addicted to codeine for 15 years. That doesn’t give me any more or any less right to write about those things, but why shouldn’t I? I’m making art, and often, art is not pretty. Not pretty, but still beautiful.”