rockyourlyricsTell us more about your album “heart of gold” Where were you emotionally when you wrote it?
Prior to Heart of Gold, I was working as a writer for other artists and pop pitches.
In those type of sessions, it is all about finding someone else’s unique voice and getting across their vision.
That type of writing has always felt very comfortable and safe for me but with Heart of Gold it is was more of a means to get everything that made me feel trapped and conflicted out onto paper.
I hit this moment where I just totally lost satisfaction and joy in life and I desperately wanted to just feel normal or fine.
Writing this project let everything spill out, and it’s the first time I’ve ever used writing music as a means of coping and understanding myself.
It was a way to put everything out, across the table so I could speak to it directly.
What inspired “IDBH”?
I had always been an extrovert that loved being around people prior to that first year and a half living in LA.
All of the sudden I started having this crazy social anxiety and panic attacks every time I was with a group of people or even just in unfamiliar settings.
It was like the person I used to be and where I found so much energy and fulfillment from no longer existed or belonged.
What inspired Majesty?
I thought I wanted to be this person who was totally independent and able to do things entirely on my own.
If there was something I didn’t know how to fix or do, I would learn it so I could handle everything myself. When everything emotionally went downhill for me I thought I could do the same.
I tended to push everybody away when internally I just wanted one person to ask how I was doing and help figure out all that felt wrong.
The whole idea of the song was me saying this is the person I for some dumb reason am choosing to be but please stick around and don’t let me drown in pride.
What do you think is the best verse you ever wrote? Describe how you felt when you realized it was?
This is a tough question.
I don’t really think it is necessarily the best lines I have ever written but this is one that stuck out to me.
In “Trouble in Mind,” which is the first song on the project, the Pre Chorus says “impatient with the pain, faring with the blame.
Lost the name I used to know, All I wanted was a heart of gold.”. When this came out I knew exactly what the concept of the EP needed to be and ended up titling the whole project after the line.
What is the best moment of your career?
I had some very gracious people early on take a chance on me, setting me up with sessions with very talented and amazing writers.
I did this week with maybe 10 or so writers at one of my favorite songwriters, David Hodges’, home.
I had this moment where we were all sitting at a table outside, I was 18 years old and just so grateful to be there.
I couldn’t believe that I got to work and learn from these people. It was just a moment that reminded me that all the work and passion for this shit did have direction and progression.
What the most difficult one?
I’m sure thousands of people have said this but being a songwriter and artist is really mentally taxing.
I think everybody in this game at least once gets to a point where they are constantly doubting and second-guessing themselves, comparing your work and ability to other people, getting your hopes up to see something not work out.
You tend to see a lot more things not work out than fall into place no matter who you are.
How do you usually write the lyrics of your songs?
I’m constantly trying to develop how I write lyrics and songs in general but for Heart of Gold a lot of it came from just singing what I heard over the chords and everything for the most part just fell into place.
I have this unspoken system with one of my main collaborators, Curtis Peoples, where I just start freestyling lyrics and he writes everything I say down and starts to make sense of them.
There was almost always clear statements and sentences of what I felt that he just started piecing together.
Another way I come up with lyrics either alone or working with Curtis is by pulling from short stories or phrases I have written down on my phone.
I tend to get these sudden bursts of creativity and thoughts so I write them all down and use them later.
Are you planning a tour?
Yeah I’m going to be doing some shows in the U.S. and Canada 2017 and 2018 but I have a lot more music to put out as well.
The live show is just as important to me as the music, so I’m ready to play these songs and connect with the people who have been listening!
Do you remember the day you wrote “ haunted”?
You know I remember mixing it more than the day we actually wrote it.
I remember not being blown away by it when we first wrote it because Curtis, Colin CreeV and I finished it so quickly.
At this point, I thought Heart of Gold was already done with the 5 other songs but after getting into these lyrics it was so important to throw Haunted at the end.
My favorite part about this song and why I think it was crucial to put it on was the line “feeling helpless not hopeless”.
The project is dark and sad for most of it but I’m not a sad person, I hope to not be this dark brooding character that doesn’t talk to anyone haha.
I was trapped in a dark place and had no idea what to do, but I knew somewhere there was a way out.
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