1. What is your favorite record from the 90’s and why? As a single, my favorite record has to be Paranoid Android by Radiohead. Every second of that track is an expertly crafted masterpiece. As an album, my favorite record from the 90’s is Ok Computer, of course. When it comes to genres, I typically inundate myself with a type of music for a couple of years and then change what I listen to heavily for the next group of years. I was born in the early-90s so my exposure to the songs of the decade was a bit delayed but my early teen years were all about alternative rock music from artists like Radiohead, Foo Fighters, and Weezer. My late teen years absorbed mostly emo rock bands like Taking Back Sunday. My college and early twenties were all indie rock bands like Bombay Bicycle Club and The Last Dinosaurs. I currently follow a lot of hip-hop and jazz. Although I still listen to my favorite artists from those times, Radiohead has never left me. I absolutely adored Radiohead’s OK Computer. It almost brings me to tears when I listen to it.
2. If you could produce the soundtrack to a movie, which genre or movie would you choose?
Producing the soundtrack for Black Panther: Wakanda Forever would be insane! I was incredibly impressed by the work of Kendrick Lamar and various artists on the first movie’s soundtrack. I would love to explore ways to create a soundtrack that melds elements from African cultures and hip-hop in my own way.
3. How would you describe your hometown sound?
Memphis is a melting pot of sounds and music genres. The city is known for merging influences and creating new grooves so it’s hard to pinpoint one specific, hometown sound for me. I would say Rock’n’Roll, Soul, and RnB stand out in my memory but Memphis simply reminds me of musical harmony with soul. That isn’t the cleanest answer but Memphis can really give you whatever you’re musically looking and while still being unique to itself as a city.
4. When you feel discouraged, what keeps you motivated?
When I feel discouraged, I either take a step back from the issue and speak to my close friends or family or I look at something from my list of inspirational pick-me-ups. I’m not the most talkative so I recommend everyone have a go-to list of inspirational material that they can view when discouraged, for consistency. Have a tangible source of inspiration that relates to everything you do. For me, that could be an impressive cutscene in a video game or anime, art from manga panels, a specific moment from a tv show that I can pull up quickly, or a song. Inspiration is an incredibly potent source of motivation.
5. Do you play or watch any sports or video games? I play video games rather often. I work as a lead animator in the game industry so I like to play games to keep me inspired and learn new techniques. There’s so much talent in the game industry it is really inspiring. My favorite games of all time are Final Fantasy 7, Super Mario World, and The Witcher 3. Beyond that, I play just about everything when I have the time.
6. What is your favorite motivational lyric or life quote? Always be yourself, express yourself, have faith in yourself, do not go out and look for a successful personality and duplicate it. - Bruce Lee
7. If you made a song for the year 3000, what do you think would be different about it? I think a song for the year 3000 would be a sensory experience. I don’t have an idea about what my sound would be but, in the year 3000, I imagine music won’t solely be something for the ears. I feel there will be a type of stream able surround sound for the body. An example would be an artist or engineer could have a subwoofer expressed in the back or the lower legs of the person listening and maybe the vocals are felt in the front of the chest and move up to the head for the more thoughtful pieces. Another idea would be hi-hats being felt in your fingertips and snare hits felt in the palm of your hand. I don’t know what kind of interface this would all come from but if smartphones become embedded in the body and mind, maybe there’s a chip to allow Spotify 3000 to enable Body Audio. (I just made that up.) To summarize, I think the difference from the year 3000 and now would be songs would be streamed and precisely felt in your futuristic body.
8. Who are you looking to collaborate with next?
I’m a relatively new artist so I feel I have still have to amount to something greater before I’d feel confident enough to seek out collaborations. Confidence aside, I would want to collaborate with Smino first. I love his music and his incredible vocal talent as a hiphop artist. I’d love to see how our minds might connect to make a track.
9. Spring, Summer, Fall or Winter? Fall! I love the colors, the pleasant weather, soothing winds, and that I can wear jackets for style and not survival.
