Feature: FALS Decodes ‘I’ll Rhyme For You’
What was the initial spark or idea that led to the creation of 'I’ll Rhyme For You?'
I'd been humming a couple of melodies into Voice Memo on my phone, but it wasn't until covid hit that I had all this time on my hands to do something with it. The opening track, “Rome To Paris,” was one of those melodies, and with the lyrics it kinda set the stage for was to come. The other songs grew out of that one.
Were there any moments in the recording process where you knew you had something special?
Not really, I always like the latest song I have written, so they're all special until I write a new one, and the older ones that seemed so special before fade into the background. But at some point I figured out all songs were probably about the same couple, and it really clicked when I wrote “Paris To Rome” as a companion piece to the opener, that made it feel like a whole.
Can you talk about any standout tracks on the album and what makes them special to you?
I'm an ex-journalist and copywriter who can quote songs and movies all day, so words are important to me, and some lyrics I'm extra happy with. “Marching Bands Go Sideways” and “We Run This Town” both have some nice opposing themes and juxtapositions that I like. “I Would” was really influenced by the clever wordplay and double entendres I had heard in some rap lyrics, and I'm quite happy with how it turned out. And also “All The Things That I Believe” has some lines I just love.
Was there a pivotal moment in your life when you decided to follow your path as a musician?
I'm not sure I'm fully on that path yet, but it was covid that got me onto it, and as the songs kept coming I just felt I had to follow them, they definitely sounded too good just to ignore...
Can you walk us through your creative process when writing and composing music?
It's more madness than method, no two processes are alike. The song “Angel” came to me in a dream. “Cri De Coeur” came to me from the opening line of a Barbra Streisand song. But usually I guess there is some seed from somewhere, and then I just tend to it and see what happens. I mumble some gibberish as I'm nailing the melody, and there is always a keyword there that sounds good and stays till the end, but from that word the lyrics pretty much write themselves, it's weird! I'm just along for the ride...
