Raiaan On the Making Of ‘Love-Notes’
How does 'Love-Notes' reflect your musical journey and growth as an artist?
I would describe ‘Love-Notes’ as not really my introduction to music, but more as my first serious project that I spent a lot of time and effort, to get absolutely right. While I've worked on previous music projects, I definitely scrutinized all the details of this project, from mic placements for the reach instrument to the overall aesthetic of the album with the general sound of each song, as well as what the cover art would need to look like. Even though I've learnt a lot while creating this album, I think I still have a lot to learn and grow as a songwriter, artist, musician, audio engineer, producer, and let’s not forget about content creator.
Can you talk about the recording and production process for 'Love-Notes?'
So over 2 years ago, I decided what the theme of my album was going to be about. So since then, I sat down with just my guitar and wrote all the songs. Once the songwriting process was complete, I worked with my co-producer to create the instrumental behind the lyrics and melody, which in itself took around 3-4 months. Once that was complete, the fun began. I booked out a recording studio for 6 days straight which involved my co-producer and I recording all the instrumentation & vocals for the entire album. After the studio recordings, I had the songs mixed/mastered in about 2 months, and the project was complete.
What has been one of your favorite memories along the path to making 'Love-Notes?'
I would say my favorite memories of making this album would probably be the 6 days spent in the recording studio. Each day was its own adventure according to what we had planned to record that day. Also being able to bring in all the session players and just vibing with them in the studio to my music, was definitely a treat. Luckily, I had a videographer record the entire 6-day process, so I have those great memories recorded.
How do you ensure that your creative vision aligns with the artist's while maintaining their unique style?
I would say that artist’s styles change over time, depending on what they are listening to during that time. Personally, I've always been a fan of acoustic singer/songwriter style music, but over time my music taste has expanded and grown to what it is today, which is why along with the writing and recording process, I would add little hints of other genres underneath my songs.
How do you balance incorporating new trends while maintaining a unique and timeless production style?
I try to be clever with wordplay and melody in my songwriting, while still keeping the overall sound of the songs rather simple and relatable, but catchy. This allows for the listener to relate to my songs, while still getting the melody stuck in the head, which I would say is almost every songwriter’s goal.