Feature: Cosmic Crooner Decodes “Never Wear Your Own Merch”
Can you tell us about the inspiration behind "Never Wear Your Own Merch" and the story it tells?
I wrote “Never Wear Your Own Merch” on a hot summer day. I wanted to reflect on my debut album ‘The Perks of Being a Hypocrite’ and thus the first sentence of the song reflects on this album. It’s kind of saying let’s move forward and never stop looking for inspiration.
How did you approach the arrangement and composition of the music for this song?
I was very much inspired by progressive soul music from the late 60s and early 70s while writing this song. I love the arrangements and song writing on Marvin Gaye’s “What’s Going On.” The goal was to create something with that feeling.
Furthermore, I was listening to a lot of Brazilian music at that time and therefore I wanted to use a lot of percussion on this track.
The base of the song was recorded live and the percussion and strings were overdubbed later. I asked Trey Pollard to arrange the string parts. He did a wonderful job and elevated the whole thing to another level.
What was your favorite moment in making the music video?
Ooh, there are so many. First of all, it was lovely to shoot the music video in the south of Spain. People were very friendly and the sunsets were incredible. I think my favorite moment was shooting the scene in the bar. We just entered a bar in the middle of the Tabernas Desert and asked if we could shoot there. The guests and the bartender were very friendly and told us a lot of stories about all the movies that were shot there in the '60s. It was a wonderful afternoon.
How has your music evolved since you started as a singer-songwriter? What have been some key milestones in your artistic journey?
I think the older you get the better you get to know yourself. This has been helpful with writing songs. My key milestone is definitely my latest single, “Never Wear Your Own Merch.” I really love the songwriting and the production of this single. This is the first time I’ve recorded a song with a roomy drum sound and I really like how it turned out.
What do you enjoy most about performing live and connecting with your audience?
Performing live is something so special and it’s almost an addictive feeling. I like how intimate it feels to play the songs you wrote at home to people all over the world. There is nothing like playing live.