Can you share a bit about your upbringing and how it influenced your passion for music?
Happily! I was raised in a very musical home with a mother who loved to sing and play piano, a brother who taught me how to play guitar, and a father who took me to concerts and made playlists to catch me up on all the music I missed while I was in the business of not being alive yet.
I’ve always been very drawn to music and my parents have always supported me in every way they could. I was put into singing and piano lessons as soon as I was old enough to sit still and could actually reach the keys, and I ended up going to a performing arts high school. I’ve been very fortunate to have such a supportive family, it’s definitely heavily influenced my dedication to being a musician. I’m eternally grateful for that.
At what moment did you realize music was your true calling, and how did you pursue it professionally?
I don’t know if I ever actually had a moment where I went “Hey, this is what I want to do!” as much as I just always thought of being a musician as what I was meant to do.
I did have a moment when I realized I was significantly more passionate about music than other people are. I was talking to one of my best friends in high school about life and what we were going to do after we graduate. I said something along the lines of “Well everyone wishes they could be a famous musician or actor or whatever it is they’re passionate about.” And she responded with “I don’t.”
As for when I decided to pursue it, I graduated a year early from high school and my dad sat me down and gave me an offer. He suggested I take a year off to pursue music with his support as my manager, and if it went well then I could keep pursuing it. If it didn’t go well then I would go to college for whatever it was that I wanted, again with his full support. Clearly it ended up working out pretty well because I’m here right now!
What was the most challenging part of your journey in the music industry, and how did you overcome it?
I think for me the biggest challenge has been trusting myself. It can be very easy to doubt yourself in a profession where you’re almost constantly being given advice from every angle, but over time I’ve learned to value my own voice and ideas just as much as anyone else’s and weigh my thoughts against my peers’ in a constructive way.
When I’m writing or recording with others, one of my go-to sentences has become “Let’s just try it, even if it doesn’t work.” That way we know whether something works or not and we can learn from it, or we find something really cool to add to a song!
What does success mean to you as an artist, and how do you measure it personally?
I feel successful when I get to share my music with others and we’re able to resonate with each other because of it. It’s easy to get lost in numbers, but none of that matters as much as the conversations I have with other musicians and fans after shows. It gives me an opportunity each time to learn something new and grow as an artist and a person, and that’s my personal benchmark. Headlining for a stadium would be cool too, though!
Can you tell us about a time you doubted your music career and how you found the motivation to keep going?
The first few years – especially around 2020 – were pretty difficult. It wasn’t all bad of course, but I had a lot of moments where I felt like no matter how many milestones I reached, nothing really changed. It wasn’t until I went to my team’s studio in Barcelona that I finally found that spark again. For me, I needed to be exposed to different types of creativity and ideas outside of my own. It’s one thing to make music by myself, it’s another entirely to be in a room full of super talented people who all have a hundred great ideas every day. Sometimes you just need a change in environment — although that isn’t to suggest I think everyone in a creative slump should just pack their bags and fly across an ocean!
What inspired your new single “Crumbling,” and what message do you hope listeners take from it?
‘Crumbling’ came from the ashes of a breakup. I was trying to capture what I felt after realizing that my former partner had expected me to be perfect. I suddenly understood I could never live up to the ideal of what they created in their mind. I wanted to make a song that really highlights that moment of a switch flipping in your head. Instead of feeling guilt, sorrow, confusion and whatever else, suddenly you realize that none of this is your fault and you could never live up to that perfect image.
I hope anyone who listens to ‘Crumbling’ and resonates with it can let go of the pain, the guilt, or whatever else is holding them down and finds the strength to get back up.
Can you walk us through the songwriting process for “Crumbling”? How did the song come to life?
I actually started writing ‘Crumbling’ years before it was ever finished or put through production. I started humming part of the song to myself as I was doing laundry, if I remember correctly, and then I went and sat down at my piano and started writing. Originally it was a pretty sad song, the whole thing was this ballad to a broken heart. But once I gave it some time to rest and then revisited it, it ended up having this sort of playful twist where it starts out sad, then I laugh, and the actual song starts. Between me and my entire team, the song became one of my more sophisticated tracks. I’m honestly really proud of it and proud of everyone who helped create it.
The production on “Crumbling” has a distinct sound. How did you approach the arrangement and production of this song?
I can’t actually take much credit for this one, I had influence over the final decisions of course, but the production was done by producer and musician Claudia Mills (BITTERS) who ended up recording almost every instrument herself – minus the piano which was performed by Nick Tsang (Ed Sheeran) – and my vocals of course.
I arranged the song itself, the structure was my own, but it would be remiss of me to not give credit where it’s due: Claudia, thank you! You’re amazing.
How did you feel when you first performed “Crumbling” live or in the studio?
In the studio, it was a fantastic experience. That was the first time that everyone else finally got to hear some of the background lines I sing in the final chorus, where it gets all chaotic and the lyrics overlap each other to bring out that feeling of confusion when you’re dealing with a breakup. Recording in-studio is always great because we have an idea of what it’s going to sound like going in, but 9 times out of 10 it turns into something almost unrecognizable, or way more complex than we had planned.
As for performing it live, that was an interesting experience too. I was in Barcelona when I performed it live for the first time, and I wasn’t super experienced in performing my own songs in front of crowds by that point. It went super well, even though I was suffering a bit of stage fright and trying my best to keep track of the piano and vocals. I really had nothing to worry about, in retrospect, but new things are scary sometimes! Anything worth doing usually is, anyways.
How do you want your audience to feel when they listen to “Crumbling”?
I hope it helps you to feel less alone and inspires you to be more forgiving of yourself, especially if you’ve been in a similar situation to the subject matter of the lyrics. As per usual with my music, ultimately I just hope it helps.
Can you give us any hints about what’s next for you in terms of new music or upcoming projects?
I’ve actually just come out with an EP called ‘Bones’ that features a new song along with the other three songs I’ve released from my upcoming album ‘Language Barrier’! The album itself is coming out on January 17th and I’m so excited to finally share it with the world!
