AME On the Making Of “Smile”
What was the creative process like for this particular single "Smile?"
The first versions of all of our songs are just pure songs with acoustic guitar and vocals. We record them as soon as they are finished and then load them into our DAW (Cubase 12 by now). There we try to find good beats for all parts and create synth parts, vocals, background vocals and basslines. When all parts are complete we arrange the songs and make decisions about their final form and mix them. Then we make a final mastering process.
Could you discuss the lyrical themes or messages conveyed in "Smile?"
The lyrics are based upon true stories of our lifes. “Smile” is about situations where you have to make life look easy even when the opposite is truth. You won't show your fears but sometimes there is someone in your life who looks through this masquerade and stands by you when things are worse.
How did you work with the producer or engineers to bring your vision for "Smile" to life?
We hope that the songs we give to our producer are strong enough to just need a little fix and rearranging. We're are open to suggestions and believe in most of the decisions the final producer makes on our songs. We ourselves are responsible for the main producing part during the whole process.
What impact do you hope this single will have on your audience or the music industry?
As for being artists we hope our fans like the songs because of their melodies, messages and the deep meaning they have to us. We are showing off so much of ourselves with all our music and have a strong relationship with it. It's unbelievable that this would not come clear while performing them. To us the releases on Spotify and Co are invitations to our fans to come and listen to us in concerts. Music industry itself is not a factor to us by now. Nowadays a musician can be himself be the "industry" it takes to become famous but that is not our primary goal. We do music because we need to to. Just like breathing.
What role do you feel emotions play in your music, and how do you channel them into your performances?
Emotions are the essence of our music. Without Emotions there would be no AME-music at all. As artists we try to carry our emotions to our fans by giving them substance. That might be in the words but also in the melodies, the beats and the tempi we use. Every musical decision is an emotional decision that defines how much of ourselves we are ready to show off. When you listen to our music it's like listening to your best friend giving you advice in hard times.
