Can you share the inspiration behind your stage name, Hyporadar? What significance does it hold for you, both personally and artistically?
I think I spent more time trying to find a name than I did writing my first album. I went back and forth with so many names, combining them, shortening them, anything you can think of. The one that stuck was “Under the Radar”, but it seemed too generic and I figured there were all kinds of bands out there with the same name. I decided the only way I could separate myself with a name no one else had was to make up a word, so I took “hypo” meaning under, and added radar to make “Hyporadar”. I sat on that until my first album was done and still liked it. I think it holds significance for both me as a person and my music being someone who tries to avoid the spotlight and would rather do my own thing.
What initially drew you to music, and what pivotal moment made you decide to pursue it as a full-time career?
As a kid before I even picked up an instrument I always wanted to listen to music. As I grew older I would constantly read the backs of my parent’s CDs and eventually the books. Around the time I picked up my first bass guitar I, like most kids, wanted to be in a band running around a stage and touring the world. I changed what I wanted to be so many times, but I always came back to music. When I graduated high school I decided I should just pursue music whether it be full time or just for fun since I kept going back to it. My college band released our first album and I fell in love with the process, so I bought my own home equipment and started my project once the band dissolved. Even if I don’t make enough money to do it full time, my plan is to have a job to pay the bills and make my music whenever I can.
How would you describe your creative process? Do you follow any specific rituals or techniques when composing or producing music?
I feel like at times I don’t really have a process. Most of my songs begin with a bass line or vocal melody that I build off of. Some of those melodies will sit for months before I continue them. I do that because I found that my best songs write themselves, and if I try to force it when I have no ideas I end up hating it. When it comes to producing it’s just trial and error. I will mix a song until I’m happy, sit on it for a day and go back to it, then save a copy and try something else until I find my favorite and I’ll say “that’s the one”.
Every artist encounters challenges along their journey. What has been the most significant obstacle in your career so far, and how did you navigate through it?
I thought the hardest obstacle would be writing and producing the songs but the hardest thing has been advertising. You can ask 100 people you are good friends with to listen to your music, read your book, watch your movie, etc. and it’s likely that single digits of that group will actually do it. It’s the sad truth but that is how it is. About a year and a half from my very first release I have 1K followers on Facebook and a consistent 120 monthly listeners on Spotify. I found that constantly posting, looking for playlist adds, and having articles/interviews, no matter how big or small they are, is still exposure no matter how many people engage with it.
What’s the story behind the title “Frankie & Estelle”? How does it encapsulate the essence of this project?
The names just came to me when I wrote the story. I think it works well for the project when you listen to it start to finish because the story is told from both the character’s perspectives. I wanted the cover to have them both with details from the story like a taxi for Frankie and the theater for Estelle. It foreshadows part of the story just like the titles. You know the EP is about both of them but saying just their names means it could be about anything. If I made the title any of the other three songs it would spoil parts of the story or make it super obvious. Having two title tracks keeps the listener wondering by the time they get halfway through.
Can you walk us through the creative process of making this EP?
I wrote the first song “Frankie Sullivan” after reading Hey Cabbie by Thaddeus Logan. It worked out where I wanted to write a second song from Estelle’s perspective, so I wrote the song “Estelle”. I went back and forth on whether I wanted them to be a single or part of an album, so before I commited I wrote the actual story of Frankie being a quiet cab driver wanting to keep to himself, and Estelle being a struggling waitress who dreamed of being an actress, and their encounter after Estelle gets sick of her life and Frankie thinks about someone else’s safety. “Hey Cabbie” was inspired by most of the book and my own experiences with people who will just drop everything on you when they just met you, like how some professions get. Eventually “Grifter” and “Keep the Meter Running” were written and I had the EP. I finished mixing it and thought about making it a full album but thought I can always make a part 2 later if I want.
Are Frankie and Estelle based on real people, or are they symbolic of something deeper?
Frankie and Estelle are not based on real people, but I think they are symbolic to me. I based Frankie on my desire to keep to myself and do my own thing. I just want to make music and have a simple life. Estelle is based on my desire to break from that and go out of my comfort zone to perform and be known as a musician. I realized after that Estelle doing something drastic to achieve her goals was the same as me going to college for music and starting my own project knowing it will be a difficult journey. Frankie going back to his life after represents me discovering that I can still have my simple life doing my own thing even if it is something like performing music.
Which track on this EP proved to be the most challenging to write or produce, and what made it particularly difficult?
“Keep the Meter Running”, easily. While “Hey Cabbie” is more technical and changes more, I found trying to write the lyrics for “Keep the Meter Running” the hardest. Originally the vocals were way faster and they changed more often then the final product. In the end I went for a less is more idea because I was trying to fit too much in. I cut about 3/4s of the lyrics I had written because I was trying to recap and end 4 songs worth of a story in three minutes, and I was overloading too much to where it was getting messy. There was actually an epilogue in the song that I cut that was going to leave it as a cliffhanger, but since I don’t mention Frankie or Estelle by name in the song I thought it would get too confusing.
Looking ahead, how do you envision your sound and artistic identity evolving over the next five years?
I can only go up from here. Every release I work on my writing, playing, recording, and producing get better. I do enjoy how raw my sound can be which ironically is my most critiqued part, but no one will ever love and hate my music as much as me. I see my identity and presence evolving in the future but honestly I’m not sure how. I hope people will know me as an example of doing what you really want to do regardless of what anyone will say.
Are there any upcoming projects, collaborations, or performances that fans should be excited about?
I’ve been working on my second album before Frankie and Estelle, and I think it is the best work I have ever done. I am super excited to finish it because I have written so much material that I am picking my favorites for it. As of right now I have about two albums of material written but only a few are going to make it on the second album. I do love all of it but I want my sophomore album to be such a step up that I’m being very picky about what goes on it and what I’m saving for later.
Stay connected with Hyporadar on social media for updates on future releases: Facebook – Instagram – Spotify – SoundCloud – Bandcamp.
